800 king of reliability?

[07dragon]

Thinking about getting back into riding after a 3 year hiatus. Last sled I had was a 700 dragon 155 and after replacing ecm twice and putting piston skirt through case, I hung it up. So now looking forward, I'm starting over, with an open mind on brand loyalty. I figure any of the sleds I will be purchasing will do what I want well, so having a reliable machine is most important.

If I go back to a polaris, I will be looking at pro's. But what is the problems with them most people encounter? Belt drive system, different engines, chassis, etc...

If I go cat, will be looking at pro climb's, and possibly 10-11 ho 800. What is there main downfall and is there any sure fix?

Skidoo, how is the xm chassis holding up? Compare to xp? What are downfalls of both?

I will be buying used, possibly one with warranty if it falls in budget. I have started trying to research each individually, but if I could get some help narrowing down reliability of all into one thread that would be a great help to me as well as others in the future.

Oh, and for riding I do some boondocking, try to hit little jumps and work my way up to bigger ones, and want to drop some cornices.

Thanks

 

[Bubba]

10 or 11 cat is a great one to buy pull and ride, dont know much about skidoo in them years,

 

[Wintertime]

I have an 11' M8 Sno Pro For Sale, check it out on here.
Clean sled, runs great, would be great for you.
Make an offer

 

[DDECKER]

14-16 proclimb or 11-16 ski doo just my opinion

 

[kiliki]

14-16 proclimb or 11-16 ski doo just my opinion

Poo and the word reliability have a good history of not fitting well together.
if you looking for the answer to the OP question 800 zuki.

 

[Red Mtn]

I would not buy a Pro Ride for motor longevity, though they have come a long way since your Dragon. The '13 and up Pro is pretty reliable. Will the motor live for 4000 miles? Not likely. If you can find a Pro Ride chassis cheap and drop $3000 on an Indy Dan motor, that would give you the most bang for your buck. Good chassis, great motor with a top notch warranty.


I like the M Cats, great motors for sure. These will go 4000 miles. The 10-11 sleds though are feeling pretty old, nose heavy and slightly less capable than the newer chassis machines. I rode this chassis for years, M7s M8s and M1000s, we still have 2 800HOs and 2-M1000s for back ups and guests. Great sleds, very reliable. Keep an eye on the primary clutch spider and diamond drive oil and they run good forever. They are also durable on crashes and will hold up to some jumping.


As mentioned, I think you want to skip all the way to a '14+ ProClimb, maybe a '13 with the updates. Better riding chassis, same bomber motor. Kind of the fat chic of the current crop but still durable and capable for sure.


I am not a Ski Doo fan. Most of my riding group is on Doo's. I hate the ergonomics of those sleds. I do not like t-motion, steering post angle or general rider position. Without a doubt a guy could adapt but I think the Cat and Poo both handle better than the Doo. They are pretty tough, haven't seen any motor issues since the very first '11 e-tecs most of which got 1000 mile top ends put in under warranty. The front end "modules" can be a little weak but they sell brace kits.


I personally am a Polaris fan boy. I have been loving their chassis for years. The motor in my '16 has been super impressive. I would go though the extra hassle of repowering a Pro with an Indy Dan motor. I think that would be super fun and super reliable. Second choice would be a ProClimb, as new as you can afford. I wouldn't buy an older M-Cat, technology has passed those by.


If you like the way the Ski Doo rides, it is a solid choice. Same as the any of them, the newer you can afford the better.


Good Luck

 

[rulonjj]

I would not buy a Pro Ride for motor longevity, though they have come a long way since your Dragon. The '13 and up Pro is pretty reliable. Will the motor live for 4000 miles? Not likely. If you can find a Pro Ride chassis cheap and drop $3000 on an Indy Dan motor, that would give you the most bang for your buck. Good chassis, great motor with a top notch warranty.


I like the M Cats, great motors for sure. These will go 4000 miles. The 10-11 sleds though are feeling pretty old, nose heavy and slightly less capable than the newer chassis machines. I rode this chassis for years, M7s M8s and M1000s, we still have 2 800HOs and 2-M1000s for back ups and guests. Great sleds, very reliable. Keep an eye on the primary clutch spider and diamond drive oil and they run good forever. They are also durable on crashes and will hold up to some jumping.


As mentioned, I think you want to skip all the way to a '14+ ProClimb, maybe a '13 with the updates. Better riding chassis, same bomber motor. Kind of the fat chic of the current crop but still durable and capable for sure.


I am not a Ski Doo fan. Most of my riding group is on Doo's. I hate the ergonomics of those sleds. I do not like t-motion, steering post angle or general rider position. Without a doubt a guy could adapt but I think the Cat and Poo both handle better than the Doo. They are pretty tough, haven't seen any motor issues since the very first '11 e-tecs most of which got 1000 mile top ends put in under warranty. The front end "modules" can be a little weak but they sell brace kits.


I personally am a Polaris fan boy. I have been loving their chassis for years. The motor in my '16 has been super impressive. I would go though the extra hassle of repowering a Pro with an Indy Dan motor. I think that would be super fun and super reliable. Second choice would be a ProClimb, as new as you can afford. I wouldn't buy an older M-Cat, technology has passed those by.


If you like the way the Ski Doo rides, it is a solid choice. Same as the any of them, the newer you can afford the better.


Good Luck

I agree with this. I rode my skidoo most of this season but the more I ride my pro, the more I like it. I think poo will be my primary sled next year with the Doo being the backup sled. Polaris definitely has the better chassis and clutches.

 

[07dragon]

thank you for all the information and help thus far.
for what its worth, I actually really liked the chassis of my '07 700 dragon. I still have a '07 600 155 for the wife I never sold.


I have really no experience on a cat or doo, just being open minded and I feel i can adapt rather well. i also have had a sour taste from my local poo dealer since my last 2 seasons of riding that makes me kinda want to try a new brand.


the 14+ cats are good machines? i am under the impression that a doo will be the biggest difference in chassis i will need to overcome coming off my IQ raw. but many people like them so i could probably get used to it.

 

[Red Mtn]

the 14+ cats are good machines? i am under the impression that a doo will be the biggest difference in chassis i will need to overcome coming off my IQ raw. but many people like them so i could probably get used to it.

You asked about the most reliable, I think that is the Cat. It is built to take a pretty good beating too but is heavier because of it. Is it the best riding of the three? No, but is definitely better than your IQ, and it is definitely reliable.

 

[DDECKER]

Its all what you can afford and what fits you... I ride cat mostly it holds up to my 2400. miles a year of hard trees and just abuse,. all the brands are good just what fits you personally I don't think Polaris will hold up to a lot of abuse ive watched buddys take out a arms left and right.....

 

[Red Mtn]

Its all what you can afford and what fits you... I ride cat mostly it holds up to my 2400. miles a year of hard trees and just abuse,. all the brands are good just what fits you personally I don't think Polaris will hold up to a lot of abuse ive watched buddys take out a arms left and right.....

My Polaris sleds hold up to a ton of abuse. I am 240 lbs + ready to ride and I ride it through the trees like a lawnmower cutting grass at times...


The weak a-arms are on the brand new ones. The ones on my Pro's proved to be plenty tough.


BTW, those don't look like stock a-arms on your sled...

 

[DDECKER]

My Polaris sleds hold up to a ton of abuse. I am 240 lbs + ready to ride and I ride it through the trees like a lawnmower cutting grass at times...


The weak a-arms are on the brand new ones. The ones on my Pro's proved to be plenty tough.


BTW, those don't look like stock a-arms on your sled...

Those are my stock ones good sir, and what sled we talkin about my avatar sled? those are the stock 2016 cat front end ive only tweaked 2 well maybe 3 front ends but surprisingly they hold up very well.. That's why I ride that big hippo of a sled of mine

 

[07dragon]

Again thanks for the replys everyone. my main focus is set on reliability. engine, clutches, belts, electronics, fuel system, etc. im assuming the a-arm debate is on sleds that hit trees/rocks? or is it weak a-arms from jumping and dropping in the white stuff?

 

[07dragon]

i know Polaris likes to talk about there dry weight, whats everyone else at? and once you get it filled with liquids, are the weight differences about the same still?

 

[rulonjj]

i know Polaris likes to talk about there dry weight, whats everyone else at? and once you get it filled with liquids, are the weight differences about the same still?

Wet weights are closer together for all three by about 10-20 lbs.

 

[07dragon]

Another question about the 14-16 cats, any certain year of those 3 better?

On my dragon, I could make the sled carve and turn by putting more weight on one foot or the other, is the pro climb the same way?

 

[Radar78]

Another question about the 14-16 cats, any certain year of those 3 better?

On my dragon, I could make the sled carve and turn by putting more weight on one foot or the other, is the pro climb the same way?

16's!!!

 

[kiliki]

16's!!!

This ^^ or a 14-15 with the 16 front end and gripper skis will care and side will just as good as any of them.

 

[DDECKER]

The 16s a Bad momma Jamma! the 17s feel like your strapped to a small jet engine! I have a 16 for sale if your interested .... like I said before all the sleds are so amazing! just what you can afford.... Im partial to cat there tough as hell.. next id be riding is a doo..... my wife rides a 15 Polaris..... Im not allowed to touch it I break it any time I throw my leg over it..... its a great sled for her just too light of a chassi for me....... Great sled for most riders but honestly if you ride hard it wont hold up as well.. IMO...I know most of us think we ride hard and put on thousands of miles a year, You know how you ride.... If your into tearing the crap out of your sled and 0 maintenance go with the cat if you want comfy ride....the doo.....light and nimble and agile the Polaris