HCR or Crossfire sno pro

[akinneberg]

I have a chance to buy a brand new '09 HCR for $9,000 or a CF 8 SP LE for $8,500. I'm from ND and do all kinds of riding from lake running, ditch banging, breaking trail and as much powder as I can find. Also go to the mountains once or twice a year. Would I be happy with the HCR or should I save the $500 and buy a powerclaw for the crossfire. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[richardsb014]

Check out this post. Very similar topic that could help you decide. Crossfire is a great sled, but not for everyone. I beleive the HCR would be a tough sled to enjoy on the trail for very long.

http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=177997

 

[bopper]

get the xfire.. will be way better for the lake and ditch banging.. ive had my xfire out to the mountains a few times and for the amount we ride at home in comparison the xfires the way to go... my buddy has a m8 and here i do everything way better.. in the mountains obviously he's the king..but where do u ride most

 

[Ryan-41]

Get the HCR..They are way better than a crossfire!!!!!!

 

[Backcountry Bandit]

take the crossfire. BUT you have to do the following:
-swap out track for powder claw
-2010 seat

this will put the xfire in a whole new level in the pow and tains with out sacrificing a ton on the lake and trails.

with the $500 bucks u save u can easily buy the 2010 seat and still have some left over to put towards the track.

i own a 09 HCR and have ridden the 09x-fire as well. both nice machines but the HCR will beat you up on the trails. it just needs to be beat on. the xfire you can cruise if you like.
the xfire didnt have the hook up of the hcr but the mid and top end was deadly. better then the hcr. but the hcr would eat it outta the whole. hence the track swap.
you can't go wrong with either. but if you do those mods you will be super happy.

 

[AkHockey10]

from how you described your type of riding..... Id go with the CF

 

[ripsass]

Get the CF and add a PC track. Thats what I did to mine.

 

[akinneberg]

take the crossfire. BUT you have to do the following:
-swap out track for powder claw
-2010 seat

this will put the xfire in a whole new level in the pow and tains with out sacrificing a ton on the lake and trails.

with the $500 bucks u save u can easily buy the 2010 seat and still have some left over to put towards the track.

i own a 09 HCR and have ridden the 09x-fire as well. both nice machines but the HCR will beat you up on the trails. it just needs to be beat on. the xfire you can cruise if you like.
the xfire didnt have the hook up of the hcr but the mid and top end was deadly. better then the hcr. but the hcr would eat it outta the whole. hence the track swap.
you can't go wrong with either. but if you do those mods you will be super happy.

Not too worried about being beat up on the trail, I ride pretty hard; but how does the 153 handle vs the 141? They are only about 4 or 5" different in length. For the $500 I'm already getting the boss seat and the power claw. How's the power claw on the trail vs the 2" challenger that I used to run?

 

[Backcountry Bandit]

Not too worried about being beat up on the trail, I ride pretty hard; but how does the 153 handle vs the 141? They are only about 4 or 5" different in length. For the $500 I'm already getting the boss seat and the power claw. How's the power claw on the trail vs the 2" challenger that I used to run?

honestly, even tho its only a small difference in length....its HUGE. i dont have much trail time (8 miles) on the xfire. i tried it in the mountains. we swapped sleds on the way out. the track (1.5) BLOWS in the steep and deep. OK on the trails. the xfire has to work quite a bit harder in the fluff then that of the HCR. the xfire on the trails was MUCH more in its elements. easier to throw around and felt more...grounded so to say. it handles the bumps nicer too. the HCR is one stiff sled. and a bit more to handle. DO NOT buy the CAT boss seat. see my post on "2010 cat seat and doo tank mod" (tundrat3)
i ride with 4 other new cats, 2 of them + myself HATED the boss seat. and ALL switched to the 2010 seat. ONLY reason was the stiffness. yes the cat seat weighs more, yes it isnt as water resistant. BUT it is waaaaaay more comfortable, more storage, more tunnel space as well. your not a hard core mountain rider so the extra 5lbs in seat material wont matter to you. i would buy the xfire, swap out track, 2010 seat, and rock whatever/wherever you are riding.

good luck mang!

 

[JFro50]

x2 for the x fire with pc track. I too put the 2010 cat seat cant wait to ride with the new seat

 

[akinneberg]

Is $8499 a good buy for the '09 or should I go for the '10 for $9899? I'm kinda worried about buying a motor the first year it comes out. I know it has a 2 year warranty, but I'd rather be riding it than having it in the shop every other week too.

 

[likkerpig]

1400.00 is a lot for a motor. You could be well on your way to a port job and pipe for that kind of money.

 

[akinneberg]

1400.00 is a lot for a motor. You could be well on your way to a port job and pipe for that kind of money.

Kinda what I thought, but I plan on leaving the motor pretty much stock on whatever I buy. May do a can to lose weight and a clutch kit. I'm still having trouble on deciding between the HCR or the Crossfire though. I'd really like to hear from a flatlander that has the HCR.

 

[XFIRE800]

I have an 09 crossfire with pclaw and a bunch of other stuff, and my next sled will be an M8 or HCR and i live in eastern SD, as i ride more and more out west i want to ride around here less and less. The only times i will be riding around here are the first times it snows, and a few times with friends to go out and hit some jumps and screw around.

 

[akinneberg]

I have an 09 crossfire with pclaw and a bunch of other stuff, and my next sled will be an M8 or HCR and i live in eastern SD, as i ride more and more out west i want to ride around here less and less. The only times i will be riding around here are the first times it snows, and a few times with friends to go out and hit some jumps and screw around.

Wanna sell your CF?

 

[Sergeant HCR]

I had a choice between a 2010 CF8 sp, a 2009 CF8, and a 2009 M8 HCR (I even considered an 09 Summit 800 146). The 2010 CF sp was too expensive here in Canada. The 09 CF just didn't do it for me. The 09 HCR was $600 more than the 09 CF so I said fawk it, get the HCR. I love MTN sleds.

I do most of my riding off-trail. And the trails I usually do ride aren't groomed or even fit to be called a trail. So length doesn't matter to me. Short or long, I can't fly over bumps or yes ma'ams. It's too hard physically on my body. A couple of times a year I trek from the east coast of Newfoundland to our west coast of the island for real hills. We don't have true mountains here but large hills pushing 1000ft vertical elevation. A partial reason I choose the M8. I'm not into ditch banging really, or lake/pond racing. I like to plow through drifts, make my own trails, go cross open terrain, climb every hill I can find, big or small!

Here's a comparison of the 141 vs 153

 

[akinneberg]

I had a choice between a 2010 CF8 sp, a 2009 CF8, and a 2009 M8 HCR (I even considered an 09 Summit 800 146). The 2010 CF sp was too expensive here in Canada. The 09 CF just didn't do it for me. The 09 HCR was $600 more than the 09 CF so I said fawk it, get the HCR. I love MTN sleds.

I do most of my riding off-trail. And the trails I usually do ride aren't groomed or even fit to be called a trail. So length doesn't matter to me. Short or long, I can't fly over bumps or yes ma'ams. It's too hard physically on my body. A couple of times a year I trek from the east coast of Newfoundland to our west coast of the island for real hills. We don't have true mountains here but large hills pushing 1000ft vertical elevation. A partial reason I choose the M8. I'm not into ditch banging really, or lake/pond racing. I like to plow through drifts, make my own trails, go cross open terrain, climb every hill I can find, big or small!

Here's a comparison of the 141 vs 153

Nice overlay! It really shows how similar the two sleds are. I may go with the HCR since I plan on putting a powerclaw track on the CF anyway. I have a hard time believing that the extrra 4" of track on the ground will make the sled handle that much different, and I can always buy a sway bar if needed.

 

[blackcloud2k]

you will notice that extra length track on the trails. It will beat you up. The stiffer strack of the HCR will also want to beat you up on the trails. I would go for the xf if I were you. It sounds like 85% or more of your riding is flatland and ditchbanging...the crossfire will be alot more fun doing that than the HCR will be. Thats just my $0.02 though.

 

[XFIRE800]

Wanna sell your CF?

Depends how much you wanna pay!

 

[Destroyer]

Good answer