09 M1000 or 11 rmk???

[m8pow]

i'm a cat guy and ride a m8 but am looking for something a little different this year. am trying to decide between these 2 sleds. pros of the 1000, is an arctic cat cheap upgrades to make it around 190hp, highmarking machine, awesome proven chassis, familiar with chassis and setup. cons, finiky to tune with mods, and who rides a stock M1000, lots of quirks, lots of tuning and tweaking to fix the quirks. i'm a tree rider so engine performance for me needs to be spot on, bogging, hiccuping, blubbering, stuttering are just a stuck waiting to happen! engine reliabilty not the greatest, hardly ever hear of a new motor in a m8, have seen a lot for the M1000. gas consumption is also not the greatest. weight! engine is being phased out. dealer support, where i live this is non exsitant, and shrinking every day!

now for the poo, new chassis, checked it out and the cast bulkhead and front end is defiantley impressive, narrow body work can only be a plus. love the rails for the running boards and in fact the boards themselves, think these are by far the best factory ones made today. open toe holds should become standard, just ask anyone whose been dragged down the hill with their foot caught in a closed one! WEIGHT!!! the older i get the more important this becomes. CONS engine reliability, engine reliability, man this is the thing that REALLY scares me. the M1000 engines rep for reliability isn't the greatest and i must say the poo has that beat times 10!!! when the dealer is telling you they've never seen so many engine problems you know things can't be good, and when your dealers own sled engine fails... i know they say they've fixed it but didn't they say the same thing last year? lowest hp in class, not a poo guy but seems i saw last years hp numbers were in the high 140's, don't quote me on that like i said i'm not a poo guy... yet...

need to make a decision soon the snow is flying, so what would/did you buy???

 

[lightening800]

i'm a cat guy and ride a m8 but am looking for something a little different this year. am trying to decide between these 2 sleds. pros of the 1000, is an arctic cat cheap upgrades to make it around 190hp, highmarking machine, awesome proven chassis, familiar with chassis and setup. cons, finiky to tune with mods, and who rides a stock M1000, lots of quirks, lots of tuning and tweaking to fix the quirks. i'm a tree rider so engine performance for me needs to be spot on, bogging, hiccuping, blubbering, stuttering are just a stuck waiting to happen! engine reliabilty not the greatest, hardly ever hear of a new motor in a m8, have seen a lot for the M1000. gas consumption is also not the greatest. weight! engine is being phased out. dealer support, where i live this is non exsitant, and shrinking every day!

now for the poo, new chassis, checked it out and the cast bulkhead and front end is defiantley impressive, narrow body work can only be a plus. love the rails for the running boards and in fact the boards themselves, think these are by far the best factory ones made today. open toe holds should become standard, just ask anyone whose been dragged down the hill with their foot caught in a closed one! WEIGHT!!! the older i get the more important this becomes. CONS engine reliability, engine reliability, man this is the thing that REALLY scares me. the M1000 engines rep for reliability isn't the greatest and i must say the poo has that beat times 10!!! when the dealer is telling you they've never seen so many engine problems you know things can't be good, and when your dealers own sled engine fails... i know they say they've fixed it but didn't they say the same thing last year? lowest hp in class, not a poo guy but seems i saw last years hp numbers were in the high 140's, don't quote me on that like i said i'm not a poo guy... yet...

need to make a decision soon the snow is flying, so what would/did you buy???

honestly if your a cat guy i would buy the m8, its just as good and way more reliable than the m1000. as for the pro if the motor is good i think the sled will be one of the funnest sleds out there to ride.

 

[snowdingo]

Seems like you should stay on your M8!

 

[m8pow]

Seems like you should stay on your M8!

seems my wife has the same opinion

 

[IDspud]

my wife rides the m-8, I ride the 1000

My 09 1000 has been hands down the most trouble free sled I have ever ridden. 1500 miles and I have always rode it home at the end of the day.

 

[catfreak]

Sounds like you are from Oregon. Your not one of sandmans riding buddies are you?? The lack of cat dealers made my mind up for me on what to buy. I have been a diehard Cat guy since 1991 but I now have a 2011 Pro sitting where my 09 M1000 used to be.. Its going to be a fun year.

 

[aus091]

i'm a cat guy and ride a m8 but am looking for something a little different this year. am trying to decide between these 2 sleds. pros of the 1000, is an arctic cat cheap upgrades to make it around 190hp, highmarking machine, awesome proven chassis, familiar with chassis and setup. cons, finiky to tune with mods, and who rides a stock M1000, lots of quirks, lots of tuning and tweaking to fix the quirks. i'm a tree rider so engine performance for me needs to be spot on, bogging, hiccuping, blubbering, stuttering are just a stuck waiting to happen! engine reliabilty not the greatest, hardly ever hear of a new motor in a m8, have seen a lot for the M1000. gas consumption is also not the greatest. weight! engine is being phased out. dealer support, where i live this is non exsitant, and shrinking every day!

now for the poo, new chassis, checked it out and the cast bulkhead and front end is defiantley impressive, narrow body work can only be a plus. love the rails for the running boards and in fact the boards themselves, think these are by far the best factory ones made today. open toe holds should become standard, just ask anyone whose been dragged down the hill with their foot caught in a closed one! WEIGHT!!! the older i get the more important this becomes. CONS engine reliability, engine reliability, man this is the thing that REALLY scares me. the M1000 engines rep for reliability isn't the greatest and i must say the poo has that beat times 10!!! when the dealer is telling you they've never seen so many engine problems you know things can't be good, and when your dealers own sled engine fails... i know they say they've fixed it but didn't they say the same thing last year? lowest hp in class, not a poo guy but seems i saw last years hp numbers were in the high 140's, don't quote me on that like i said i'm not a poo guy... yet...

need to make a decision soon the snow is flying, so what would/did you buy???

I have a dragon 800 and have never had any motor issues. The vast majority of people you talk to will tell you the same. Its just that the negative feedback is much more likely to be heard, not everyone is gonna rush out to there computer to tell people how there motor didnt do anything it wasnt supposed to. I dont have any experience with the M1000 so I cant tell you anything as in comparison to the sleds other than it is a lot heavier so it will be harder to ride in the trees. From the sounds of it you should just wait. Maybe get a 2011 Rmk holdover next year once the wrinkles get ironed out?

 

[AndrettiDog]

I agree with what aus091 says. I never had problems with the two IQ motors I had. Ran hard and never left me stranded. One negative comment on this 4m spreads like a wildfire and everyone bites.

Anyway, I've ridden all three sleds. I'd rather have an M8 than the M1000. A friend called the M1000 the Cummins of snowmobiles. Lots of torque but not as snappy as an 800 (M1000 owners, don't flame me for that). I have the new Pro Ride and I will tell you that the motor feels good. I just got past the ECM break in and the light weight and strong motor really shine. I guess you can wait and I'll tell you how good it is all winter . There is a huge difference in the M and Pro chassis. The Pro is more nimble, narrow and lighter. It's time for the M to evolve.

 

[M8Chris]

I think you should stay on you sled you have now. Let the Polaris be tested first and then pick it up next year. Who knows cat could have a new chassis for their 50th anniversary if all The rumors are right. Then you might want one of those. If it were me and I was buying a new sled this yeAr it'd be the pro with a boondocker turbo. But I'd wait a year to see what happens.

 

[Ricks 32]

I don't think either sled is a bad choice. I have an '09 1000 and it's been great. If you get an SLP exhaust and a boss seat you lose 24 lbs and the weight difference is minimal (to the M8 and Dragon, not the Pro) The '09 1000s and newer are great sleds. I have a good friend with an '09 with 4000 miles on original pistons and dd. There are good setup's out there for the '09 model.

I did snowcheck a pro after riding one in Afton last spring. I too feel that it is the best feeling/handling sled there is. Going back to back with a great running M1000 in the steep terrain isn't going to make any 800 sled look good. I was a little depressed after riding the 1000 and the 800's after a heavy spring snow storm last spring. I couldn't justify going back to an 800 unless it was a turbo. I canceled my Pro snowcheck and stayed with the 1000.

I'm not going to say that the 1000 will handle better in the deep creek bottoms and in boondocking. The Pro is awesome. But I like to hillclimb as much as I boondock and the Pro won't do both like the 1000 will. I'm over 200 lbs, and my weight penalty doesn't hinder the 1000 like it does the 800.

If your not into climbing big hills, I'd go with the Pro. If the steep stuff is where you play, I'd go with the 1000.

I too have never scene a problem with the Polaris 800's. I've owned 2 of them and never been on a ride without at least one. 6 close friends all ride Polaris 800s and they've never had a problem. However, we have all used some form of fuel control from BD box's to PC's and we ride over 7000 feet. From what I've seen they are excellent, even under boost. The only prob's I've "heard" about are with stock sleds or without fuel control.

 

[m8sandman]

Sounds like you are from Oregon. Your not one of sandmans riding buddies are you?? The lack of cat dealers made my mind up for me on what to buy. I have been a diehard Cat guy since 1991 but I now have a 2011 Pro sitting where my 09 M1000 used to be.. Its going to be a fun year.

yes i know ron, he's the one who got me started thinking about the rmk. he told me he had talked to you about the m1000 i'm thinking about getting. i appreciate the info! since he and hero are looking like they are gonna be on a poo i was thinking i may do the same. if this sled is able to turn so many hardcore cat fans over, it makes it a tough call!!!

 

[catfreak]

yes i know ron, he's the one who got me started thinking about the rmk. he told me he had talked to you about the m1000 i'm thinking about getting. i appreciate the info! since he and hero are looking like they are gonna be on a poo i was thinking i may do the same. if this sled is able to turn so many hardcore cat fans over, it makes it a tough call!!!

With so many Cat dealers going MIA this year it was an easy choice on what sled to buy.

 

[matt159]

Why not turbo your m8? That is probably more reliable than an m1000 & you can have 180hp at any altitude.

 

[markoo]

Why not turbo your m8? That is probably more reliable than an m1000 & you can have 180hp at any altitude.

A turbo on a M8 more reliable than a m1000? That's funny. Get real.

 

[matt159]

Three 4-corner seizes running my m1000 over 3 years says otherwise. Not sure how you "cold seize" an m1000 (according to cat) after it has been running for an hour. After only 1200 miles on mine over 3 years, I'm definitely an m1000 hater. Cat definitely forgot the reliablity in the 1000cc engine design. Maybe they figured it out now, but they sure didn't have it down in '07. Love the TM8 though. My tow rope should last a lot longer!

 

[Stitch13]

let them get the bugs worked out

Hey, I am an XP rider, bought the new XP in 08 and had to live through all of the issues they had, clutching, blown belts, handwarmers NFG.....some other issues. I am not going to debate with anyone what brand is better these days, for the most part its personal preference anymore, do a search and you will find good and bad about all three of the major manufacturers.

I have stuck with the XP just because I like the riding style and some other reasons but sold the 08 and bought a new 09 last year that has the bugs worked out and works awesome......my opinion.

If your teetering back and forth between the RMK and a Cat my advise would be to let them work out the bugs with the new RMK for a year because we know there will be some.

I have always been a fan of the M1000.......I have seen lots in the hills with nothing more then a Y-pipe and can and they are impressive. If it were me choosing between Cat and RMK I would go M8 simply for the lighter sled and they work great.

Hope whatever you choose works out good and we get some good snow this year.........

 

[switchback]

The Cummins comment about the 1000 is dead on. I rode one and it pulled forever but had no snap. I'd stay on your 800 or get the Pro. I rode a boosted dragon last year with no issues but got a boosted Pro this year. It's gonna be a good year

btw, my riding buddy has bled green all his life and his last 3 have been boosted M8's. Guess who got a boosted Pro this year?!

 

[M8Chris]

I changed my mind. I was going to turbo but now I'm gonna sell my 07 m8 buy a pro and turbo it next year how's that? Those sleds just feel so good

 

[2007dragonman]

pro rmk

Put some suff on a new pro rmk today Them things are just sweet!!!!

 

[mxsledder]

Mod for mod the m1000 will always get the highmark, but i think the pro is way funner to ride and thats what its all about, go with the pro rmk.