2011 PRO RMK OWNERS End Of Season Questions

[rugbynitro]

Well, it's been driving me crazy!!

I ride an 09 M8 162 that's been super reliable, nothing but gas and oil.

I was thinking about getting the M8 ProClimb but really felt that AC chit the bed with the introduction of their 50th Anniversary sled. I won't snowcheck a sled I haven't tried so that leaves me seriously considering the Rmk Pro.

I have tried these sleds, and watched my friends and they just plain work!
Average riders magically turn into good riders and they seem to just pop up onto the snow in even the lightest powder.

I want to snowcheck a 2012 Rmk Pro 163 but I'm really concerned with the reliability and longevity of these sleds. All of my cat friends say "forget it".

Between the cracked running boards, lousy injectors, wires rubbing thru, bent tunnels, dreaded cut outs, tps problems, and inconsistent rpm's am I just hoping and praying that I get one that was built on a Wednesday?

My friends who ride the Pro's are in one way or another connected to the poo dealership, so i can't be sure that they're being completely honest about no problems at all in their service department.

Now that you've been ripping around on these for a whole season, would you buy it again? Try and be impartial. What would you upgrade or change if you could?

Thanks in advance

 

[prorider]

I love my pro. I would not change any thing. This is the only sled that i have ever keep all stock, and that is because it rocks.

 

[ditch1000]

Well, it's been driving me crazy!!

I ride an 09 M8 162 that's been super reliable, nothing but gas and oil.

I was thinking about getting the M8 ProClimb but really felt that AC chit the bed with the introduction of their 50th Anniversary sled. I won't snowcheck a sled I haven't tried so that leaves me seriously considering the Rmk Pro.

I have tried these sleds, and watched my friends and they just plain work!
Average riders magically turn into good riders and they seem to just pop up onto the snow in even the lightest powder.

I want to snowcheck a 2012 Rmk Pro 163 but I'm really concerned with the reliability and longevity of these sleds. All of my cat friends say "forget it".

Between the cracked running boards, lousy injectors, wires rubbing thru, bent tunnels, dreaded cut outs, tps problems, and inconsistent rpm's am I just hoping and praying that I get one that was built on a Wednesday?

My friends who ride the Pro's are in one way or another connected to the poo dealership, so i can't be sure that they're being completely honest about no problems at all in their service department.

Now that you've been ripping around on these for a whole season, would you buy it again? Try and be impartial. What would you upgrade or change if you could?

Thanks in advance

I'm with you with the exception of any concerns. I ride an M1000 and got spanked for 4 days last weekend by bone stock PRO RMK's.
To hell with stats and HP.... Polaris clutching is by far the best and it has the best sled... Think I'm taking the leap to a 163 PRO RMK - bone stock with no mod BS to make it work like my M1000 needed and was still a POS....
Thought I'd never say it but..... Polaris, here I come....

 

[ryan_625]

Only problems I have run into are as follows:
1. Better running boards, I am gonna get better boards or airframes though. Thats minimal
2. Stronger Bumpers. I have smashed both of mine, but I also ride tight trees on steep hillsides and love jumping off stuff. Again, minimal
3. Better air intakes. On deep podwer days I have had to clear them alot, but it rarely happens and is easy to fix. Minimal.

All easily fixed problems, and I would buy this sled again, in fact my dad is picking up another. That makes 3 of them in our family

 

[EricW]

I have never looked so forward to riding in my life. Your statement about the sled making you a better rider is spot on. It also makes you a less fatigued rider at the end of the day or weekend. This past Friday was 3' of fresh pow all day long plus 3 extra gallons. I was stoked to do it again Saturday.

Did I get stuck some, yes, did I get it out myself by stomping some snow under the track and rocking the sled......YES. This sled is never very stuck. I always carried a shovel in the Polaris shovel bag on my IQ as well as the one in my pack, now I don't. There is a lot to like.

I am not coming off outdated iron or poor setup that makes it seem that way, I came off this sled which is a sweet ride and set up well and the Pro is still a big improvement.

Mechanically I have added the carl's clutching and run only non-oxegenated fuel. Not one hickup ever. This sled just rips and I love it. Good luck with your decision. EW

 

[Excalibur]

Yes I would do it again! I will snocheck a second 155 pro for my son for the 2011/2012 season. Zero problems! It seems like a good percentage of the problems reported are from second hand info. I understand you do not want to regret your decision. As others have mentioned anything can have problems, proper warm up and care will help you get the best life out of your purchase!

 

[mt.sledder]

I put 2190 miles on mine and loved it. I did have the injector problems but they were fixed reaql quick by my dealer. Liked it so much it has been traded in on a 2012.

 

[Murph]

We bought two 2011 Pro RMK's-- 2200 miles on one, 1100 miles on the other.

We would do it again. (might be snowchecking a third--if money no object we would already have snowchecked a third and fourth)

Warranty work done this year: (none of which kept us off the snow)

1-starter solenoid
1-starter pinion gear
1- broken recoil rope
1- oil cap

Warm up to 120 degrees before riding in the morning and 120 degrees after every break and stuck (no matter how short-- they cool off quick)

 

[sleddin pete]

I've only got a little over 650 miles on mine but it has run flawlessly,no hiccups or wiring issues.Just about all deep snow riding.
Keep your scratchers down in anything except deep snow.
As far as the bumper I wacked a pretty good sized tree with mine and was surprised at how little damage I got.Maybe I was lucky with the angle of the hit,if it had been my 08 dragon I would have needed a bumper,hood and front body panels.As it is I probably need a bumper,and a decal will cover the damage to the clutch side panel.

I'd buy another one without hesitation especially with the 4 year snowcheck warranty.

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

mine has been back to the dealer once this season, I dropped it off on a sunday for them to put the backordered electric start kit on , left it for the week, told them I would be back to get it friday, after work, they got busy and didnt install the kit...that was in december, they havent gotten the sled back and wont till I quit riding it, sled runs flawless...and one thing I will point out, notice how everyone compares their brand to the pro?..there is a reason ..it works..and works very good, at everything...and one thing you will hear from every pro owner..how much they cant wait to ride again...why? because the sled is soooo much fun to ride....as for changes...boy not much, maybe better shocks(stockers are darn good but I like great shocks).., I will put on(either buy or build) airframe boards, I just finished building full tunnel reinforcements(added 10 pds, but strong enough to hold up to most anything), and just for grins I am thinking about putting on a 3' extreme....but none of these are have to's..just me not being able to not tinker..just how I am....

 

[sevenhundo]

Thats great too hear. Havnt rode one yet but debating on buying one in the next year or two. That is funny how everyone is comparing their sleds to the pro. "I out climbed a pro, the pro blew up a ton of motors in our group." But they all ride different brand sleds....As long as everyone has safe fun and no one has to tow anyone out thats a good time no matter what sled you ride.

 

[Cardiac Kid]

1200 miles so far and love the sled. I haven't changed a thing and everytime I think about doing something to it I go for a ride and say why change when it works so good, i might go backwards. Things I'm not quite happy with which are so minimal that I haven't done any thing all season are.
1. A little clutching, there is 100 rpm differance climbing in the powder over flat out down the trail. very minor when you consider the big differance in load.
2. Rebound damping on the rear shock is a little light but for a stock non adjustable shock it is better than most I have owned so untill the end of the season it will have to do. likly just have it revalved slightly.

Cant think of anything else at all, and it hasn't been back into the shop since the day I picked it up.

 

[gman086]

We bought two 2011 Pro RMK's-- 2200 miles on one, 1100 miles on the other.

We would do it again. (might be snowchecking a third--if money no object we would already have snowchecked a third and fourth)

Warranty work done this year: (none of which kept us off the snow)

1-starter solenoid
1-starter pinion gear
1- broken recoil rope
1- oil cap

Warm up to 120 degrees before riding in the morning and 120 degrees after every break and stuck (no matter how short-- they cool off quick)

What was up with your oil cap? I think mine leaks out the air vents and was wondering if the dealer will replace!

As for the sled - very nice handling sled when you figure out the suspension and steering position (you need a lot of front skid shock pressure and need to have the bars forward and be forward on the running boards). Shocks suck if you're an aggro rider so plan on upgrades there. Gets on top of the snow better than any sled made! Bumpers on the Pro are worthless but no major complaints other than the shocks.

Have FUN!

G

 

[Murph]

What was up with your oil cap? I think mine leaks out the air vents and was wondering if the dealer will replace!

When I tightened the cap all the way, the cap unseats itself at the bottom threads of the oil tank. I think it has to do with the mold seam and the staggered threads. The dealer replaced the cap and it worked well for a while and then leaked again. When they replaced the cap they offered to warrantee the tank if it didn't work. Instead, I just teflon taped the threads and I've had no issues since.

Murph

 

[m8sandman]

ex 15 year cat guy here. rode a highly modded M for 5 seasons. rode my pro once and knew i'd never want to ride the M again. its not hype, the sled is that good. bone stock out of the box will put most mods to shame. the new cat chassis does not impress me at all. seems they are going 4 stroke and left a ton on the table for the 2 stroke guys trying to make the new chassis fit both motors. if your an aggresive rider you won't want to get off this sled, the permagrin just doesn't go away...

 

[icerider600]

My last 10 sleds were Doo's all of the people I have talked to love there new Pro, so I did order my new 155 Pro last week I am hoping for a great sled also, sick of screwing with my clutching and super hot belts!! Polaris here I come and now I hope we have a quick summer!!

 

[AndrettiDog]

Between the cracked running boards, lousy injectors, wires rubbing thru, bent tunnels, dreaded cut outs, tps problems, and inconsistent rpm's am I just hoping and praying that I get one that was built on a Wednesday?

Those might be issues that thousands of sleds have had as a whole, but not all those problems exist on very many sleds. Keep in mind what the 4M here does to any problem that pops up on just one sled! I haven't had any issues except that I did add Better Boards. Adjusting your clutching is just part of snowmobiling. I ride from 8,000 ft up to 13,000 feet so I have to mess with the clutching a little.

 

[number9t]

almost 700 miles on mine, only problem that i've had was the wire on the back of the grip warmers switch burned through, spliced it, added some wire protector and good to go didn't even call the dealer. this could of been prevented if i had of protected the wires in the first place. All in all with a couple bucks worth of wire loom and six pack you can go through the whole sled and protect all your wires and oil lines and never even have to worry about it.

 

[Sled Solutions]

I've got 1200 miles on my Pro 155 and LOVE IT!!! If you want to make the boards stronger add the WRP TUFF boards and your concerns will be put to bed. Sled never went back to the dealer because it never skipped a beat. Best sled I've owned to date.

 

[m1kflyingtiger]

The biggest problem with mine is that I spend to much time at work and forget how good it is. Start reasearching mods making build lists, then I get back on it and she'll yet again surprise me on what she'll do. I ride sea level to 3-5000' so Im having a hard time justifing a head and pipe for it. I kinda miss wrenching on my m1000...

I am going to have some wider/stiffer boards made for it, had the skid re-valved to my weigh/style, and put some lower handlebars on it. The bumpers are weak, but they do the job and absorb impact. Kinda like the carbon fiber rear bumper....Havnt had to tow anyone all season, but I cut the nub of the snowflap and havn't had any issues.

Hands down best stock sled I've ever ridden, handling and reliability.