AK Cat riders - opinions wanted

[AKboondocker]

Seriously debating getting an 08 M8 sno pro and selling the rev as its still got some warranty left. Anyone switched from doo to the m chassis? Were you satisfied with the switch? Does this sled jump as well as the rev? Im sure its great in the trees, just a little concerned with overall power as I wasnt impressed with the M7's power at all on the 2005 models, but really liked the chassis. I was looking at the 1000, but seems a bit much for my riding style and is ALOT heavier in the front end by the dead lift method.

Anyone currently riding the M8..pros and cons? Must-do mods for AK riding? How are they for snow ingestion? Thanks in advance.

 

[CATillak]

the m8 is sicc, got a rev, love the rev, but the M is where its at. and it jumps just *** good, ,stays flatter.

 

[alaskarider]

The M sleds are the worst riding, worst trail mannered sleds of the modern era. Loved mine in the powder, hated it everywhere else. I smoked my diamond drive and know a TON of others also. Great boondockers, probally the best before the rev xp came out . Now there is no comparison, the rev xp dominates. If your leary wait till next year for some issues to be sorted out. The m sleds are ALWAYS at the back of the pack on Petersville rd, primrose ect... . I'd recomend a Dragon or xp long before a m sled.

 

[AKboondocker]

Yeah I heard the older Ms had only 3 oz of fluid in the diamond drive and for 08 they have 12 oz, I guess eliminates that problem? Im not really looking to make the highest mark on the hill or always be the quickest or fastest, just want a sled with comparable power to what I came off of, and is light and nimble enough to at be able to ride aggresively and have fun in the trees and technical climbing. I was thinking the new 08 skid with the float and zero pro would be a nice setup. I agree though my buddys m7 sucked in alot of areas back in 05 but been hearing good reports about the newer ones. I also hear great reports about the SLP setup running well on this sled too?

 

[CATillak]

honestly, the M is cheaper in the long run. how many unhappy M owners do you see? plus you got EFI. and since its a cat, bolt on sum parts and watch the snow fly. i ride a rev more than my cat, and i love the rev, but after spendign a lot of time on the M... its hard to beat. buy the demo M8 brad has at the cat shop, has an attack 20 on it and is clutched. supposedly it just picks the skis from a dead stop no matter what kinda snow its in.

 

[JasonAK]

I like my M8. I got it used this last fall with 1900 miles on it, I have put little over 400 miles on it this season with no problems. Trail performance is not what I got it for, in the deep snow I love the way handles. I am much happer with the Arctic Cat sled than my old 800HO summit, By the time I reached 1000 miles on it I had spent over $600 on belts alone.

 

[Letitsnow***907]

M8

It has taken me awhile to say I love my M8. I switched from a 99 polaris and could not believe the M8 did not have the same arm pulling power that my poo did. But I have learned that the cat has more torqe and pulls harder longer than anything I have ever been on or around. The engine is extremely smooth once you are off an idle, I have almost 2000 miles on the same belt!
I have never had any problems with the engine, diamond drive, or suspension.
The only problem so far is the hand warmer on the right side has failed.
I own 2 Rev 550's and ride them allot along with my M8. I accually like the rev chassis and have wished the 550 had an 800 in her.
You can not beat a cat with a good rider on the mountain in deep snow or in the tree's. The sled handles like a dream! It takes awhile to get used to the different feel but it is worth the wait.
You will miss the ride a wheely pull on your arms power but trust me the power is there it just builds it slower and holds it longer. (Like a diesel)
You will not miss burning up belts and changing pistons. If you read the ski-doo post you will know to stay away from the tempting but disapointing XP for now.
Good luck in your choice!

 

[bigcat_ak]

I-Boondock has been riding one for a couple of years and is as good a boondocker as I have seen. He would give you a real honest opinion.

 

[akmc800]

The M sleds are the worst riding, worst trail mannered sleds of the modern era. Loved mine in the powder, hated it everywhere else. I smoked my diamond drive and know a TON of others also. Great boondockers, probally the best before the rev xp came out . Now there is no comparison, the rev xp dominates. If your leary wait till next year for some issues to be sorted out. The m sleds are ALWAYS at the back of the pack on Petersville rd, primrose ect... . I'd recomend a Dragon or xp long before a m sled.

yeah, thats didn't sound at all biased. I don't know anyone that as blown a DD 05 or any year and I ride with 5 guys with 05-06 m7's. As for worst trail sled, the 08s really nailed the rear suspension.
My bro has an 08 sno pro and it is awsome sled to ride. Insane low end torque and the clutching is perfect out of the box. Snow ingestion is a non-issue. They only thing we did to the sled is put some vents on the clutch side not because it was heating up but rather from past experience with the older m7's.

 

[nuckinfuts]

M7 Rocket.

I agree with akmc800. I did some small calibration to my suspension and it rips on the trails... granted its a 162" and now it has real sno-X snopro susp., now its a bump sled...sorta. Took my DD apart last week to look it over and its perfect. Just like any other rig, a little preventive maintenance, and sled setup goes a long way. Honestly I'd put that little 700 up against any 800 out there. In the two years I've had it, I changed the plugs once (just cause I felt bad) and been through 3 belts (just cause I thought I should)...but didn't need to. This has been the most reliable sled I have ever owned. I have never riden a rev but would like to try one just to compare.

 

[AKkatz]

O8 M8, you can't go wrong! That is a perfect Ak boondocker, but it'll still climb with anything out there...(except turbos, of course). I came off of mod F-cat with lotsa HP and very light chassis, and was really concerned about the weight of my m1000, but I love it. It's true that you don't get the arm jerking starts with the M-s but its just a really smooth powerband, and man does it have long legs-like let it snow said; pulls like a diesel. And that's stock. They also don't tend to lift the skis as much as some want but I think that's just what A/C intended because it's actually a waste of track to have it half out of the snow. Actually now that i think about it the 08 800 Dragon feels the same like it's underpowered, but I think it just a smooth engagement and powerband, cause it climbed well too. BTW the 1000 is very manageable in its stock form, does feel too heavy and you can dump 30# in no time...

 

[masneri]

I got rev 800 with a 144, trying to get rid of it to get an m8 153. Everyone i ride with has m sleds and you pretty much cant beat them once you get the set up the way you like it.

 

[AKboondocker]

Thanks for the input guys. With the new snow this morning, its a sign...Im picking it up later this afternoon.

 

[2000TCMC]

Good choice hope we get all the snow the NWS says were supposed to get 4-8 more today 4-8 tonight another 1-3 tomorrow and thats on top of the 8-10" I have in my driveway this morning. And thats in town the mountains should get hammered, give you a chance to try that thing out in proper snow.

 

[masneri]

sweet dude, let me know how it compares to your rev. i gotta get rid of mine before i can even start shopping.

 

[AKboondocker]

Yeah Ill let you know how she runs later this evening, probably post up some pics of it too. Im getting it setup from the shop with a D&D can, and havent run floats before, so a little unsure how to properly set them up, but well see how they do with stock settings.

 

[nuckinfuts]

Congrats...I don't think you'll be disapointed.

 

[2SMOKE]

Uh oh Stewart, you're gonna have to change your profile name to AKMISSMYREV, haha j/k man. What tracks on that snopro?

 

[Letitsnow***907]

Good Choice!

Yeh you are going to have to get rid of that akrev151 to something like
AKCATMAN or AKHAPPYMAN! You made a good decision! Now let it snow like crazy and lets shred it up!

 

[AKboondocker]

First ride

Well I took the new sled out tonight up baldy. Its the 153 joe...and I technically still have the rev for now, haha. First impression is that the sled rocks! Its super smooth in power delivery but pulls hard, alot harder than I expected it to.this was with it bone stock, stock can, everything, Im going to get the d and d ceramic coated before I install it...The rear skid with the float and the floats up front made the trail ride really really good, I would say it rides trail better than my rev did and is comparable in power as well. Its lacking a touch in the low end but it picks up really quick. Im sure with just a couple small bolts ons it would absolutely rip.

The EFI is nice, altimeter is a nice feature too with a max elevation selection. The M seems a little more refined than the rev while riding, hard to explain. Overall extremely happy with the machine. The dealer told me itll change night and day after around 300 miles too. Cant wait. Glad I bought the sled for sure so far. Oh, the running boards are fantastic compared to the revs as well. Heres a couple pics, cant see the skid that well, didnt really think about it.

Going to pound away some more break in miles tommorrow locally around church/baldy. Anyone has some free time hit me up.