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BoonDocker has been helping popularize turbochargers in the mountains for several years now. The Idaho Falls-based firm is one of the largest makers of turbos for sleds and has worked with Arctic Cat’s M8 extensively. Research and Development Manager Jared Session has built some wild sleds in his day and while he has always been a Polaris guy, this past season he built a new crazy colored M8. Thanks to an Arctic FX wrap this circus sled has more colors than a box of Crayolas, and hence the machine’s nickname - Skittles.
This M8 boasts one of BoonDocker’s standard turbo kits that features a series of updates to increase the boost and to run race gas. This machine is powerful, and responsive but is still lightweight and did not lose its handling capabilities with the turbo addition. The 2-stroke turbos rarely produce the arm-stretching power that 4-stroke boosted sleds do, but most mountain guys believe they are easier to ride and handle.
So, if you want a sled that can be nimble and ridden in the trees in tight situations, a 2-stroke turbo is a great option. Polaris machines we have ridden also respond similarly when a turbo is added.
Jared’s M8 was equipped with a turbo kit featuring all the BoonDocker upgrades along with titanium springs on the stock shocks. This sled also has BoonDockers vented side panel for more under-hood cooling and a set of the firm’s switch covers that help prevent accidental switching of the handlebar switches while riding.
The BoonDocker M8 is for the guy who would like a a little more power than a mildly modified mountain machine, with a bolt-on turbo kit. We don’t think it will be long until stock 2-stroke sleds come with turbos like this. (By the way, Yamaha is now offering both a turbo and supercharger kit for mountain 4-stroke Nytros through its dealerships!) -
Mark Boncher