Doo to Polaris

[bobback]

Anyone jump ship from Doo to Polaris? If so why?

And if so are you till on a Polaris? If went back to Doo, why?

Only curious as I've been on Polaris for many years, debating going Doo. Seems like the common difference I hear is the front end seems lighter on a Doo.

 

[MKULTRA]

let me grab my popcorn [emoji897]

 

[bobback]

let me grab my popcorn [emoji897]

haha - I meant it as a serious question; hoping it doesn't create to much drama from the drama queens.

 

[simple]

I hope you are ready for a mixture of technical and emotional responses.

I'll start. The color palette for Doo is better than Poo (opinion). The Poo is substantially lighter for the RMK vs the Summit (fact). The Doo and Poo handle differently on the trail. Off trail and deep powder they are more similar but have certain character that is unique.

Anyway after trying Polaris, yamaha and AC models the skidoo is pretty perfect for the type of riding we do.

I should be a politician.

 

[posmx]

Anyone jump ship from Doo to Polaris? If so why?

And if so are you till on a Polaris? If went back to Doo, why?

Only curious as I've been on Polaris for many years, debating going Doo. Seems like the common difference I hear is the front end seems lighter on a Doo.

I personally jumped ship from Polaris to doo. (Rmk800 to summit 850). I am not brand loyal at all, but honestly feel like it was a great choice. I almost immediately gained a ton of confidence on sleds, to the point where I’d say by simply switching to do, I feel like it gave me the equivalent of an extra 5 years experience riding.

Yes they are heavier on the scale, BUT what I never hear people on here mention is that the actually feel significantly lighter. I feel that way, my fellow doo riders feel that way, and even my fellow Polaris riders seem quite surprised that on paper their sleds are lighter, because they feel the same that doo physically feels lighter.

I grew up on dirt bikes/ motorcycles/ atvs and such. To my understanding that’s why doo is more comfortable to me. The rider positioning on a doo is a lot more similar to dirt bikes than Polaris.

I don’t know what to blame here, but I also get stuck way less on the doo. Maybe because of the extra power coming from the previous 800, or maybe the 3” track. Or maybe a combo of a lot of things.

I also ride with a group of guys that have been riding a solid 10+ years longer than me. There is no doubt in my mind that they are better riders than myself, BUT- on this doo I’ve made it to the top of some summits that they haven’t been able to on their axys sleds. I 100% blame that on the sled.

This doesn’t say much, but I know a handle full of guys that switched from Polaris to doo and won’t go back. I know only 1 person that switched from doo to Polaris that says they won’t switch back. And I know 1 other person that switched from doo to Polaris at the beginning of this season and is not happy one bit, and plans to switch back as soon as he is able.

Like I said I’m not brand loyal at all. I believe all manufacturers have good & bad qualities. And I will say the new 2022 Polaris caught my attention and I came very close to ordering one- but I ended up following my gut and ordered a 2022 turbski instead simply because of how much I love riding my NA doo 850.

 

[High Voltage]

I took a look at it, but didn’t buy. I have had a number of each brand through the years, so I’m not real biased on brand. My last two sleds have been Doo, and I find it hard to leave Doo’s motor.
Poo has had their latest motor out for 3 years and seems to have a hard time finding a fuel map that works good for everyone. I think they have come out with 5 fuel programs so far.
I called the first morning Poo could be ordered, and was put on a list but I was not one of their main customers so no turbo. If I was selected to receive one of their turbo sleds I think I would have declined.
Paying full retail for an unknown, or getting a discount on a G4 with a proven engine/turbo witch I have no problem going where others I ride with go.
The price difference on the two manufacturers turbo sleds was around 4 grand.
I realize that Doo will probably have a G5 next year so I will give them a year to work out the bugs in that chassis, before I look again at both brands when I purchase my next sled in 2023.
So the answer to the question is, I looked but decided that the Doo Expert Turbo was the best choice for me this year.

 

[MTsled3]

I had a 2012 Pro RMK then went to a 2015 T3 Summit, now I ride a 2016 Axys. I Enjoyed the Summit but when I got into technical situations I just didn't feel confident with it. It would occasionally do weird, unpredictable things. It was playful and fun in the more open, mellow areas and had no problems picking the skis up when I wanted it to. I thought the front end liked to dive a bit too when I'd let off the throttle in deeper snow.

I prefer the handling of the Axys, it's just so much more predictable and easy to ride. I have had some little electrical quirks but no major issues with it. My little 155"x2.6" did pretty well on a couple 3-4 foot deep days. I was worried I'd miss the 163"x3" but I have been happy with the smaller track. My one complaint is that the 800 Polaris doesn't have the power that the Doo 800 did, and it's no competition compared to the Doo 850.

I have never understood why people think the Doo rides lighter, I disagree. Mine would dive if you let off the throttle in soft snow, and my girlfriend's Expert is VERY planted and feels heavy unless you're pinned. I've tried a bunch of suspension adjustments and it doesn't make much of a difference. Stupid torsion springs. As I write this I realize that it could have fatboy springs in it (her dad ordered it for himself originally then gave it to her), I'll have to check.....

In my riding groups it seems that the older guys prefer the Ski-Doos, and the younger crowd is Polaris, with the exception of my girlfriend on the Expert.

I'm not brand loyal, this is just what I've experienced with the two. If you care about Cat, I think the Alpha is a really fun sled. You have to be careful keeping the track cool and out of the rocks(really any track nowadays), and the front end is a little divey at times too, but it's overall a very playful sled and that track blows everything else out of the water in terms of traction and flotation. I almost bought one instead of the Axys.

I do plan to Snowcheck a new sled next spring for the 2023 model year and I really don't know what I'll order since Doo will likely have a new chassis next year and maybe Cat will surprise us with something new and exciting. I'd need a good test ride to buy a new Doo or Cat chassis, but I'd be confident with a Matryx without riding it first (since there were no geometry changes).

 

[posmx]

I had a 2012 Pro RMK then went to a 2015 T3 Summit, now I ride a 2016 Axys. I Enjoyed the Summit but when I got into technical situations I just didn't feel confident with it. It would occasionally do weird, unpredictable things. It was playful and fun in the more open, mellow areas and had no problems picking the skis up when I wanted it to. I thought the front end liked to dive a bit too when I'd let off the throttle in deeper snow.

I prefer the handling of the Axys, it's just so much more predictable and easy to ride. I have had some little electrical quirks but no major issues with it. My little 155"x2.6" did pretty well on a couple 3-4 foot deep days. I was worried I'd miss the 163"x3" but I have been happy with the smaller track. My one complaint is that the 800 Polaris doesn't have the power that the Doo 800 did, and it's no competition compared to the Doo 850.

I have never understood why people think the Doo rides lighter, I disagree. Mine would dive if you let off the throttle in soft snow, and my girlfriend's Expert is VERY planted and feels heavy unless you're pinned. I've tried a bunch of suspension adjustments and it doesn't make much of a difference. Stupid torsion springs. As I write this I realize that it could have fatboy springs in it (her dad ordered it for himself originally then gave it to her), I'll have to check.....

In my riding groups it seems that the older guys prefer the Ski-Doos, and the younger crowd is Polaris, with the exception of my girlfriend on the Expert.

I'm not brand loyal, this is just what I've experienced with the two. If you care about Cat, I think the Alpha is a really fun sled. You have to be careful keeping the track cool and out of the rocks(really any track nowadays), and the front end is a little divey at times too, but it's overall a very playful sled and that track blows everything else out of the water in terms of traction and flotation. I almost bought one instead of the Axys.

I do plan to Snowcheck a new sled next spring for the 2023 model year and I really don't know what I'll order since Doo will likely have a new chassis next year and maybe Cat will surprise us with something new and exciting. I'd need a good test ride to buy a new Doo or Cat chassis, but I'd be confident with a Matryx without riding it first (since there were no geometry changes).

You are comparing to a older doo, which wasn’t his question. And I’ll also agree-the 2016 & older doos are terrible to ride in my opinion as well. The g4 on the other hand is fantastic.

In my previous post I mentioned I only have had one friend switch from doo to Polaris that refuses to switch back. What I didn’t mention was he came off an older doo (pre g4). Even my fellow doo riders highly dislike them as well.

 

[posmx]

At least I’m assuming he’s comparing g4 considering he posted this under “axys” and “summit rev g4” categories.

 

[MTsled3]

You are comparing to a older doo, which wasn’t his question. And I’ll also agree-the 2016 & older doos are terrible to ride in my opinion as well. The g4 on the other hand is fantastic.

In my previous post I mentioned I only have had one friend switch from doo to Polaris that refuses to switch back. What I didn’t mention was he came off an older doo (pre g4). Even my fellow doo riders highly dislike them as well.

Well he didn't technically specify the years he's looking at. I should've elaborated a bit more but I do have plenty of time on the Gen4 Expert that my girlfriend has had for 2 seasons now. It'll climb anything and doesn't get stuck very easily, but handling and playfulness still lack compared to the others. Seems to tractor through the snow rather than floating on top. It was also fairly divey with the stock skis, but the Slydog Attack skis helped a bit to remedy that. I also added an SHR clutch kit and advanced the timing 1 degree because in stock form it felt very lazy and my 800 etec was kicking its ass.

 

[posmx]

I should also throw in I live in the Sierras where our snow is more “wet”. We don’t have the light sugary snow that a lot of other areas have. So that very well could effect my opinion/ fellow riders opinions as well.

 

[bobback]

At least I’m assuming he’s comparing g4 considering he posted this under “axys” and “summit rev g4” categories.

Yes and I should have been more specific.

 

[posmx]

Yes and I should have been more specific.

I also do agree with the previous poster that the rmk can be more playful, especially the khaos versions. But in my preference the doo can have some very minor things done to it that make them very playful as well, so that being said I like the middle ground of reasonably playful if I want, or planted and predictable if I want. Depending on the day/ what I’m doing. The Polaris also seems to take less rider input, which is challenging at first because I almost always over maneuver it. But I’m sure that’s something I could get used to after awhile if I switched back.

And something else to mention, of the people I know with the patriot 850s, probably 70% of them had to go back to the dealer for motor repairs with anywhere from 200-800 miles on them. Could just be a fluke, but something I think about. In fact just a couple weeks ago one of my buddies had their engine go. Id have to ask him how many miles but he’s probably only taken it out 12-15 rides total so not too many. Personally I’d still give them a couple more years to dial their 850s in, especially now with the turbos strapped to them.

(To be fair my head gasket failed on my doo the week before his Polaris went, but I believe I’m creeping on 2000 miles, planned on rebuilding anyways after this season just for preventative maintenance). Should’ve sooner.

 

[Chadw90]

I was a 100% Doo guy for 15years. In 2008 like most others, clutching and belts became a problem. I accepted the fact that my Doo’s needed a clutch kit, QRS braces etc right out of the crate. Then came XM chassis, needing still clutching and also S module braces. In 2017 came the new clutch and a host of new problems. I finally woke up one day and decided that when i pay $16,000+ CAD for a new sled, why do i have to spend $1000+ on clutching and belts along with hours of testing to make it right. At that moment i became non brand loyal, picked up a leftover Polaris SKS 155 and put 6miles of break in on it and headed to the steep and deep. Not one issue with clutching.
First impressions were, handling is WEIRD, seems like a heavy front end, but MAN does this thing sidehill with so little effort.
I now have a SKS 146 and is more similar to a Doo for front end lightness, SUPER FUN sled.

Would i got back to a Doo? Yes, a Gen4 with Tmotion locked out, a TRA primary and i’d try one. Doo has by far the best accessories as for the LINQ system, and even their travel covers, polaris travel cover still has hooks and velcro.
i miss the engine fogging feature of the Doo as well.
I SO SO SO miss quick clickers on the TRA.

Both are great sleds, they both have downfalls, pick what’s important to you and giver. Polaris is maybe making a sled more appealing to a Doo guy with the Khaos now.
This may sound petty but up here in Canada, with what our govt is doing to us in the west, i do have moral issues sending my hard earned dirty oil/gas/pipeline money out east to the land of Liberals.

 

[Chadw90]

I also do agree with the previous poster that the rmk can be more playful, especially the khaos versions. But in my preference the doo can have some very minor things done to it that make them very playful as well, so that being said I like the middle ground of reasonably playful if I want, or planted and predictable if I want. Depending on the day/ what I’m doing. The Polaris also seems to take less rider input, which is challenging at first because I almost always over maneuver it. But I’m sure that’s something I could get used to after awhile if I switched back.

And something else to mention, of the people I know with the patriot 850s, probably 70% of them had to go back to the dealer for motor repairs with anywhere from 200-800 miles on them. Could just be a fluke, but something I think about. In fact just a couple weeks ago one of my buddies had their engine go. Id have to ask him how many miles but he’s probably only taken it out 12-15 rides total so not too many. Personally I’d still give them a couple more years to dial their 850s in, especially now with the turbos strapped to them.

(To be fair my head gasket failed on my doo the week before his Polaris went, but I believe I’m creeping on 2000 miles, planned on rebuilding anyways after this season just for preventative maintenance). Should’ve sooner.

Yes the early patriot 850s had their issues, but i think they ironed that out.
ski-doo had their share of issues too with the early 850s. Recalls for gearing and clutching, they were not even rideable without a few spare belts. My very good friend owns a Doo dealer and they had a good amount of engine failures on the 2017’s.
no matter the brand, total BS that your buddy had a Polaris engine failure and you had a head gasket failure.
with the amount they charge for these sleds, and years of R&D they claim to have into these engines, they should be 10,000mile motors.
I personally think they spend the R&D dialing in controlled failures at a specific time period.

maybe the next go to sled will be a new Mountain Max.
I could stomach an engine overhaul in the early to mid 2000’s when we were paying under $10,000CAD for a new sled. But you now need a cheque for closer to $20,000 here now to have a new sled in the garage.

 

[600 rmk 144]

I’m new to Ski-Doo this year with a 2020 Summit SP 154x2.5”. New sleds were in short supply this year so I ended up with a 600R instead of the 850 Summit or Pro that I wanted. I’m very impressed with the 600R motor, it’s a ton of fun and has plenty of power where I ride (AK, mostly below 4000’). We’ve had a huge snow year, and I only ride mountains and deep snow.

I can tell you that I absolutely HATE T-motion. The sled was an unpredictable bucking machine when I first got it. I rode it like that for a little over 300 miles, trying to get used to it. The only thing I got used to was being prepared for the sled to do something unexpected.

I added the brass ZRP tmo lockout bushings, Durapro ski rubbers and centered the skis with Polaris spacers. Those changes transformed the machine, I love the way it handles now.
The only other complaint I have is the lousy shocks that come on the SP. I’ll replace them after this season with Foxes or something similar, along with a more permanent tmo delete.

 

[posmx]

Yes the early patriot 850s had their issues, but i think they ironed that out.
ski-doo had their share of issues too with the early 850s. Recalls for gearing and clutching, they were not even rideable without a few spare belts. My very good friend owns a Doo dealer and they had a good amount of engine failures on the 2017’s.
no matter the brand, total BS that your buddy had a Polaris engine failure and you had a head gasket failure.
with the amount they charge for these sleds, and years of R&D they claim to have into these engines, they should be 10,000mile motors.
I personally think they spend the R&D dialing in controlled failures at a specific time period.

maybe the next go to sled will be a new Mountain Max.
I could stomach an engine overhaul in the early to mid 2000’s when we were paying under $10,000CAD for a new sled. But you now need a cheque for closer to $20,000 here now to have a new sled in the garage.

Ya my 850 that just blew the head gasket is a 17. I know the early ones like mine also had belt issues- BUT thankfully that never happened with mine. My original belt lasted about 1600-1700 miles before it blew. I replaced it & blew that one within 50 miles. Replaced again and that’s the one that’s still on there, but maybe only another 80 miles on it. But when I pulled my pipe off to get into the motor, I also noticed I have a broken S Module. Took a good spill off a cliff I dropped a few rides ago, so likely broke it then. That being said I blame the broken s module on the misalignment causing the blowing belts all of a sudden.

See broken s module in the pic. Didn’t know at the time but supposedly another common issue with these. If you go doo and like jumps/cliffs- I recommend a s module brace kit.

 

[Chadw90]

Ya my 850 that just blew the head gasket is a 17. I know the early ones like mine also had belt issues- BUT thankfully that never happened with mine. My original belt lasted about 1600-1700 miles before it blew. I replaced it & blew that one within 50 miles. Replaced again and that’s the one that’s still on there, but maybe only another 80 miles on it. But when I pulled my pipe off to get into the motor, I also noticed I have a broken S Module. Took a good spill off a cliff I dropped a few rides ago, so likely broke it then. That being said I blame the broken s module on the misalignment causing the blowing belts all of a sudden.

See broken s module in the pic. Didn’t know at the time but supposedly another common issue with these. If you go doo and like jumps/cliffs- I recommend a s module brace kit.

Thats the ****s man. My buddy at the Doo dealers opinion is that the braces (doesnt matter which brand of sled or what brace it is) are double edges swords. That meaning if you would have had a brace on, it would have found the next weakest link and maybe that would be into the E module.
i have the same opinion with polaris a arms, I have yet to break one, but they seem the easiest to change and are relatively cheap. I have a full set here that i bought used with about 50miles on them. They live in my trailer. Worst case scenario if one of us break one, its just a ride back to the trailer to grab one and back up and running. Knock on wood, haven’t had to use any spares.
Remember the days of Formula III’s and Summit 583’s? Literally tanks. Not like the new ones that are like riding a carton of eggs.

 

[Chadw90]

I’m new to Ski-Doo this year with a 2020 Summit SP 154x2.5”. New sleds were in short supply this year so I ended up with a 600R instead of the 850 Summit or Pro that I wanted. I’m very impressed with the 600R motor, it’s a ton of fun and has plenty of power where I ride (AK, mostly below 4000’). We’ve had a huge snow year, and I only ride mountains and deep snow.

I can tell you that I absolutely HATE T-motion. The sled was an unpredictable bucking machine when I first got it. I rode it like that for a little over 300 miles, trying to get used to it. The only thing I got used to was being prepared for the sled to do something unexpected.

I added the brass ZRP tmo lockout bushings, Durapro ski rubbers and centered the skis with Polaris spacers. Those changes transformed the machine, I love the way it handles now.
The only other complaint I have is the lousy shocks that come on the SP. I’ll replace them after this season with Foxes or something similar, along with a more permanent tmo delete.

Agreed with Tmotion. How tall are you? Im 6’3 so Tmotion does nothing for me. I have more than enough leverage to tip a sled over

 

[DITCHBANGER]

Many years on a doo, bought a 2020 Khaos and was an excellent choice.

Doo Dislikes- Wide running Boards/Sidepanels not steamlined/hot clutchs/intake filters on side of hood/riding in blower powder at -20 to -30 steering boots fill up with ice/small gas tank/fixed secondary. 3 motor mount system(duh)

The above reasons are why I went to a Poo, 1800 miles same belt,excellent clutch temps, sidehills with such ease, outlasts the doo 850 for range on a tank.

Really like the new matryx except they went and did intake filters like the n/a doo. no way im getting back on a summit. The Poo is just better.