Hate my polaris.... (sad, I know)

[scottbilt95]

don't read if you're going to tell me the 900 rmk rocks

i re-read the original post to make sure. i didn't see where he said ALL polaris' are pos; it just seems like he had more issues than anyone should have to deal with if you buy new iron and he wants to let someone know about. all of you that are singing the praises and ultra reliability of the poo, if you had similar issues, i doubt if you would feel any different. nothing wrong with telling people about the good luck/reliability you have had but don't bash the guy because he wasn't as fortunate. all brands have issues (which some of you always use to justify your particular brands' issues) but to act like this guys' issues are not in the realm of possibility is ignorant. i have been a ski-doo guy since 1999. i bought my first polaris a (2011 turbo assault) this season not because of the pro chassis but the weight savings. my local poo dealer, who is somewhat of a friend, told me they have had issues such as the driveshafts and a arms but no motors. this is suprising as they move a lot of product but i believe him. however, the polaris people i talked to, more in the circles of what i like to do with a sled, gave me their takes on the 2011, 2012, and 2013 rmks. in a nutshell they all love the chassis and also have all experienced many/all of the motor issues discussed in this forum. that being said, i bought the 2011 and did what i think needed to be done for reliability. so far so good.

btw i'm no stranger to frustration as i own a 6.0 powerstroke.

 

[High Velocity]

Their motors did not run forever. The 800 VES ate crank bearings like candy, virtually none of them ever make 3000 miles.

Bullsh!t !! My buddy's '03 made 4,500 miles and still running great when he sold it. I know of numerous people who exceeded 3,000 miles. Maybe you and many others don't know how to properly care for a two stroke in the off season and don't use quality oil and good fuel when running them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Oregonsledder]

My 03 800 159 got new Wisco's at 3K and was still going strong at 7K when I sold it.

 

[sledneck_03]

I love my polaris.

Turned my oiler up, slp torque arm, 2.5 years warrenty, $2000 less than same length of sled from doo.

Ride the crap out of it for 2 years, put rk tek pistons in it or drop in kit. Ride the crap out of it for another year and sell it.

Most guys freshen the top end after a couple seasons or high miles anyways. A year on a rebuild and keep stock pistons so no doubts in next buyers mind.

 

[xpx5]

This is why I went Yamaha in 2011 ... It's heavy ..but it has a turbo and 270 hp I beat the crap out of it! Thanks for your post ...

 

[Vern]

In my poo days, I seen many ves 800s go down. Also a couple 700s which were supposed to be "bulletproof". my brothers 02 700 lost a crank and my last poo, a '99 rmk 700, ate 3 topends and snapped the crank by the 3k mile mark. Basically my hole group back then was die hard poo fans, but most the group now ride cat or doo because of the reliability issues. Personally I wouldn't trust a doo anymore than a poo because pre e-Tec they had about the same reputation as the poo 800 does now. After the '99 rmk I decided to try something new and bought my first brand new sled, an 06 m7 which I still have and was my main ride until about 3weeks ago. To those saying the poos only go down due to improper storage how can that be the case when I store my cat the same way I stored my rmk yet after 8 years and 4500 miles with a mod head and pipe turning 8100 rpm all day the cat is still plugging away on all original internals and still has dead even compression of 129 psi at 4500ft, and still runs with if not beats most similarly modded 800s I've rode with. If anyones goin to be talkin about "best mountain sled ever" it has to be the m7, bulletproof as they come, still can keep its own with new iron, the chassis that pretty much pioneered the type of riding most of us like to do, which is what pushed manufacturers to step up which brought stuff such as the pro chassis. That reliability is what switched me from a poo guy to a cat guy, and I'll stick with cat until I am convinced there is a sled out there that is a good performer AND has good reliability. I would rather have the reassurance that I will more than likely be getting back to the truck, than be on the lightest weight most "flickable" sled on the mountain. If poo could get a good power plant that was competitive, and most importantly reliable I would consider switching back in the future. Doo just feels awkward to me.

One last thing, those whining that people that don't ride a poo can't be in or post in the poo section need to shut the hell up. There's no law that says you must have a pro, wear flat brim hats with white framed shades and have burandt posters all over your walls in order to post here. That just tells me you can't handle the truth when its brought up and you have nothing intelligent to add. Many of us frequent the other forums to keep tabs on what's going on in the industry which may help deciding which way to go in future purchases. Ya, there are some that like to stir the pot, but if you took it with a grain of salt and wouldn't get all pissy like they were making a pass at your women they would lose interest and move on to the next section.

 

[Jaynelson]

Truth is.....chalked up yet another day of pinning it in the mountains on my unreliable pos. 4rth season well underway with gas and oil. I've replaced:

- 1 belt - never blew, just thought I should after 2 seasons on factory belt. Original is still my spare.
- 1 set running board extrusion (warranty) from landing a jump weird.
- wearable clutch items.

That's it. Pretty damn good for any brand. If I didn't have the internet, I would assume I have the most reliable sled on the market. So....who exactly can't handle the truth?

 

[Dizzle]

I feel your pain, my son bought a 13 pro climb, from the day he's bought it, it has spent more time in the shop than on the sno for 2 seasons now. Blowing belts at 280 each, busted running board ,track stabed ruining trax, sled was in the shop 4 weeks waiting for a new trax, installed a team tied to fix belt issues, drive 1100 km to Revy in Dec, second day out the jackshaft breaks off , destroyed the new tied, destroyed primary clutch and had to rent a xm for 5 more days at 300 per day to complete the vacation, so his sled is forsale and goin to the yellow side for a new xm.
He doesn't wanna ride the brp but he's gonna swallow his pride and buy one

OUCH.

 

[firecat99]

Point being, if you gave up on Polaris, what are you doing in the Polaris section?

Last I knew I'm still allowed to read bud.

 

[Vern]

Truth is.....chalked up yet another day of pinning it in the mountains on my unreliable pos. 4rth season well underway with gas and oil. I've replaced:

- 1 belt - never blew, just thought I should after 2 seasons on factory belt. Original is still my spare.
- 1 set running board extrusion (warranty) from landing a jump weird.
- wearable clutch items.

That's it. Pretty damn good for any brand. If I didn't have the internet, I would assume I have the most reliable sled on the market. So....who exactly can't handle the truth?

That's good that you've had good luck with your sled, I'm sure there are many pros out there with no issues but other than the die hard peeps with there poo blinders on most will still admit the poo 800 is the least reliable of the 800 two smokes. And those with the poo blinders on are the ones that can't handle the truth, the ones that get so defensive if one negative word is said about the all mighty pro just because that's what they ride and burandt told them its the only sled worth owning, those that don't understand that that is his job and he gets payed to say that. They all have there problems, do I think I'll ever get the same reliability and longevity out of my pro climb that I did on my m7? Hell no, which is why I hung on to the m7 for a back up. But at least the motor which is probably the most expensive part to fix on a sled will be the least of my worries. Poos got an awesome technical/boondocking chassis, not many will argue that, but many people steer clear strictly because of the reputation of the motor.

 

[CROW]

Last I knew I'm still allowed to read bud.

No one is saying you're not allowed to read. When you start out by saying "I gave up on Polaris" and then proceed to bash Polaris on a Polaris thread in the Polaris section, it just comes across as bitter and petty. Every brand has had issues along the way and they all have their issues today. Too much negative, mud slinging BS. What did your post contribute?

 

[firecat99]

That's good that you've had good luck with your sled, I'm sure there are many pros out there with no issues but other than the die hard peeps with there poo blinders on most will still admit the poo 800 is the least reliable of the 800 two smokes. And those with the poo blinders on are the ones that can't handle the truth, the ones that get so defensive if one negative word is said about the all mighty pro just because that's what they ride and burandt told them its the only sled worth owning, those that don't understand that that is his job and he gets payed to say that. They all have there problems, do I think I'll ever get the same reliability and longevity out of my pro climb that I did on my m7? Hell no, which is why I hung on to the m7 for a back up. But at least the motor which is probably the most expensive part to fix on a sled will be the least of my worries. Poos got an awesome technical/boondocking chassis, not many will argue that, but many people steer clear strictly because of the reputation of the motor.

Well said. I have just seen to many buddys sit the seasons out cause of the 800 EFI blowing top ends, not only the years I said also. But I hear really really good things about the 600 but they fall a little short in the hills.

And I find cat the cheapest to repair, you only have to buy one side at a time, Doo and Poo are Mono blocks. Do you all know how annoying it is to change the top ends on a trail? You can't I tried, both of them motors have to come right out, cats you only have to get the pipe out (pro cross I don't know yet) of the way.

I think I would jump on a PRO if I seen more on a turbo'ed 600, but there building superchargers for the cat 2 stroke now.

Crow- BTW I forgot to mention I do have a done up IQR, but I'm stuffing a turbo'ed CFR motor in it hoping to have it done for next season. Now to me thats the best of both worlds.

 

[rmscustom]

Well said. I have just seen to many buddys sit the seasons out cause of the 800 EFI blowing top ends, not only the years I said also. But I hear really really good things about the 600 but they fall a little short in the hills.

And I find cat the cheapest to repair, you only have to buy one side at a time, Doo and Poo are Mono blocks. Do you all know how annoying it is to change the top ends on a trail? You can't I tried, both of them motors have to come right out, cats you only have to get the pipe out (pro cross I don't know yet) of the way.

I think I would jump on a PRO if I seen more on a turbo'ed 600, but there building superchargers for the cat 2 stroke now.

Crow- BTW I forgot to mention I do have a done up IQR, but I'm stuffing a turbo'ed CFR motor in it hoping to have it done for next season. Now to me thats the best of both worlds.

Your credibility is out the window if you cant change a top end in the Pro without the motor pulled.

 

[snopromod]

Your credibility is out the window if you cant change a top end in the Pro without the motor pulled.

Haha got him, some people are just not mechanically inclined

 

[Jaynelson]

That's good that you've had good luck with your sled, I'm sure there are many pros out there with no issues but other than the die hard peeps with there poo blinders on most will still admit the poo 800 is the least reliable of the 800 two smokes. And those with the poo blinders on are the ones that can't handle the truth, the ones that get so defensive if one negative word is said about the all mighty pro just because that's what they ride and burandt told them its the only sled worth owning, those that don't understand that that is his job and he gets payed to say that. They all have there problems, do I think I'll ever get the same reliability and longevity out of my pro climb that I did on my m7? Hell no, which is why I hung on to the m7 for a back up. But at least the motor which is probably the most expensive part to fix on a sled will be the least of my worries. Poos got an awesome technical/boondocking chassis, not many will argue that, but many people steer clear strictly because of the reputation of the motor.

Point is, you can sit around bitching, moaning, worrying, and concerning yourself with "reputation"....or you can just go ride the damn thing.

We had about a dozen people in our group yesterday with a mix of brands. A 2010 cat and 2013 cat decided to eat their clutch rollers and had to limp home early. Another 2013 cat ate its recoil and went home early. Another 2013 cat's master cylinder blew up and no brakes. Reputation didn't go very far to resolving those issues. Only 1 cat didn't have issues. I've never seen that many Polaris's with issues in 1 place. Still had fun, and on another day maybe it would be a different story.

So you can sit around trying to figure out from all the internet smack talk which is best. Or you can buy what you like, go riding, and deal with stuff as it comes up. Or you can stay home and come up with great recipes for pie. For how much it is discussed on here ( over and over and over), Polaris engines are a very small portion of the things that break/go wrong sledding. In a perfect world, all sleds would have fewer issues.

 

[Vern]

That's why I said they all have there problems. Ive even had to replace the primary twice on my m7 due to cracked spiders, but each had around 2k miles on them so i cant complain concidering cat dont sell the wear items so they can properly be maintained. any clutch is probably due for some maintenance by that time. I ride in a group that runs all three brands and we have a great time riding together, even when there is smack talk everyone takes it for what it is and laughs it off or gives it right back. They don't get there panties all up in a wad like some folks do on here. I agree everyone should just ride and not put so much concern on what some stranger said on the interweb. Like I said I grew up die hard Polaris until the last one left a bad taste in my mouth so I tried something different, I have been very pleased with the outcome of that decision so I'll stick with cat until I feel one of the other brands has something significantly better then I may switch again.

 

[Dizzle]

the all mighty pro just because that's what they ride and burandt told them its the only sled worth owning, those that don't understand that that is his job and he gets payed to say that.

So you don't believe there is ANY possible way that Chris left Cat for Polaris because he thought Polaris built a superior sled? None at all? If it's all about money - why didn't he switch to Ski Doo or Yamaha? Ski Doo and Yami's net is WELL ABOVE Polaris'! Billions vs. millions...not even close. If it were truly about money, everyone would be on a Summit or Nytro!

 

[Vern]

So you don't believe there is ANY possible way that Chris left Cat for Polaris because he thought Polaris built a superior sled? None at all? If it's all about money - why didn't he switch to Ski Doo or Yamaha? Ski Doo and Yami's net is WELL ABOVE Polaris'! Billions vs. millions...not even close. If it were truly about money, everyone would be on a Summit or Nytro!

He may honestly think that the pro is that great, but fact of the matter is poo signs his pay checks so people like him can't be credible with there opinion. Its the same as walkin into say a ford dealership and buyin a ford specifically because the ford salesman tells you the ford is the best.

 

[Wyopowder]

Here's a thought I have ridden other brands for the last 10 years lets not name brands so I don't hurt anyone's school girl feelings, and have never gone a season without a in the woods debilitating breakdown. I ride all the same areas then that I do now average 1500 miles a year off trail mtn riding, this is my first year on pro 163 and first polaris ever, so far very few issues none that required immediate attention but for some reason in all my familiar riding spots I climb better, ride steeper trees, make moves that I once thought we're impossible, and I'm less tired doing it even though I'm older fatter slower and I'm not angry at any of the other brands I'm to busy smiling thanks Polaris

 

[arcticmat]

I don't get it.....

How many you remember the days of "ride it for an hour and work on it for three"--snowmobiles have never been perfect...PERIOD. When I buy a sled(never bought a new one) it maybe a couple of years old and I just allow myself some $$$ and time to make it right. I know that 12-13G's for a new sled is a lot and that is why I refuse to buy one and I understand frustration in having a problem with it when there is good snow to ride. My opinion is if you have a good dealer that you just spent 12G's on a brand new sled they will take care of you. I have been a automotive mechanic my whole life, my dad was for 30 years also so working on stuff is just the norm in my family. When I was 12 I heard my dad and all his buddies always say "If tits and tires lights your fires a hard life is what you desire". I think you could include something from the sledding world into a version of that saying.I have always had to work on my crap even 1 or 2 year old sleds. They all have issues -- I have ridden a Poo Pro and love the chassis and they are coming down in prices so it will be in my future even though I bleed green. I just enjoy the chassis and I am willing to work on it to have that chassis. Okay, now everybody take a deep breath.......WOOSAH.