HELP me find my first sled for $3-$4k!

[dirtsnow]

I'm am super new to snowmobiling and I'm looking to buy a sled this winter but only have about $3-$4K to spend. I come from a Downhill mt bike racing background, have ridden a few times, and have picked it up really quickly. I rented a 2008 Arctic Cat M8 last year that really liked, but I think one of those might be out of my price range. I need a mountain sled with at least a 154 track and prob at least 700cc, but other than that I have no brand loyalty. I'm looking for feedback on which sleds are good and bad and what to look for in a sled because I just don't know anything at this point. Help steer me in the right direction!

 

[wasatchrider]

you could find an m7 for that check ksl or the classified here

 

[dirtsnow]

What is ksl?

 

[Yamadoo04]

What is ksl?

KSL has classifieds and lots of people sell their sleds there. KSL.com click on classifieds find the snowmobile section and start looking.

 

[arfrce]

Check out www.totallyamaha.com they have alot of nice sleds on there as well.

 

[M.M. 700]

Posting your location might help.

 

[Ex-Member]

RMK 900 *ff*

 

[WyoBoy1000]

RMK 900 *ff*

haha, thats uncalled for,



Where will you be riding? How do you ride, Hill climb, Boonedocking, Jumping ect.....

 

[Twostroke]

3k-4k can get a nice sled but don't wait till this winter to buy, buy now prices will only go up from now until march.

You should be able to find a nice king kat or M-series sled in your price range.

 

[T-Bone]

M7 or king cat depending on what your gonna want to do with it. The M7 is the better boondocker and probably a better ride on the trails, I don't know that for a fact, though. I just know that it can't be worse on the trails than a king. If you're just wanting a pull the rope and go sled that can throw up a decent mark (for a stock sled) on the hill. then the king cat is for you. Both take well to mods.

If you're looking at the other brands, that kind of money will get you a nice ZX summit, or early rev. Nothing wrong with either of those sleds, my brother in laws first sled was a 800 ZX and he still rides it and enjoys the heck out of it. Probably want to make sure the carb boots are in good shape they've been known to delaminate.

You could get a polaris edge RMK 700-800 for that money. Both are strong performers with the 700 getting the nod in reliability. The 800 liberty is a great engine with it's main weak point being the crank. I would definately look to see if any crank work has been done on any potential 800 polaris purchase. I've seen at least 3 800's come out of the backcountry on the end of a rope because of broken cranks, and I don't ride with many polaris'.

If you're looking at a yamaha, you would probably be looking at an 2003-2005 RX-1 for the money you want to spend. I haven't been around many of them, so I can't speak intelligently to their pros and cons of the chassis. The motor is rock solid, but the weight is a huge factor to consider if you are looking at one of these. A mountain viper or mountain max would also come in around this price, but I really don't know much about them aside from they sound really cool with pipes and seem to have a good reputation for reliability.

EDIT: Man, work is slow today....

 

[Ollie]

ok, for 3 to 4k you can get a pretty nice used sled.

You will be looking at an M7, 03/04 800 RMK.
Those are the sleds I would personally recommend.
The 4 stroke yamaha's are REALLY nice and last forever, however they are heavier and I wouldn't recommend it for a beginning rider because it can get frustrating real quick if you arn't proficient at controling it.

I also am not a fan of the early ski-doo REV's. Personal preference.

As far as looking em over, have compression checked, crank runnout (the 800 RMKs if modded had a problem with some crank bearings, I put 6k miles on mine and it never even hick-uped). Check the track for missing, torn lugs or damaged torn track.
Look down the tunnel and made sure nothing is tweeked or twisted.
Just give all the wiring and such a good look over.

Stay away from the 05/06 polaris 700/900's. They had .......... issues.

 

[sunbather1969]

where r u

ive got both a 800 rmk 151 and a king cat

 

[PooSlinger]

Beginner? I'd recommend the RMK 600 HO. You can probably find a 2006 with the original IQ chassis in your price range. You may even find a 2007 with the RAW chassis that could be a bit of a fixer-upper. Very forgiving sled, drop-dead reliable and surprising power. Otherwise, M7 or RMK 700 or 800 in an Edge chassis or 800 Summit in the REV chassis.

 

[nmmiles]

RMK 900 *ff*

That was my first sled! Don't let everybody scare you away that easy. If you are able to turn a wrench then the 900's aren't THAT bad.

Personally I am still glad the 900 was my first sled....but then again i've never rode anybody elses sled in the powder. Only my 900.

For what its worth...

-Nolan

 

[Vern]

i'll give another vote for the m7, for your price range its probably got the best technology, easiest to manuever/throw around and best reliability(my m7 has been the most reliable sled i've owned). the m7 don't feel quite as zippy as the edge rmk sleds but don't let it fool ya it will hold its own and is much more boondockable(is that a word?).

that being said my second choice would be the edge 700 rmk, like mentioned they are known to be a bit more reliable than the 800s but i have seen a few of them lose cranks as well. with a good clutching and gearing setup you can make a stock edge 700 surprise alot of stock 800 sleds to. oh, one place the edge will probably take the m7 would be in the trail ride department if your into that sorta thing.

i personally wouldnt even mess with a skidoo after '99 when they got rid of the 670 just because i've known lots of people with them that have had major engine issues. ya they all will have a problem now and then but from what i seen when the doos blow they blow BIG time.

the yamaha triple 2 smokers are reliable as hell but are tanks and underpowered compared to the rest, but if you had money to blow they can be made fairly competitive and like someone said earlier the sound of a piped triple is just sweet.

 

[Stuck]

I would get a rev 800 or m7. What ever you do, get the longest track you can find. 151 or longer. The longer tracks are more forgiving for a beginer and once you get good you will probably want a longer track anyway. Welcome to the world of snowmobiling!

 

[Ex-Member]

That was my first sled! Don't let everybody scare you away that easy. If you are able to turn a wrench then the 900's aren't THAT bad.

Personally I am still glad the 900 was my first sled....but then again i've never rode anybody elses sled in the powder. Only my 900.

For what its worth...

-Nolan

Mine too. My first and only right now, over 2000 miles on it

 

[Yamahamod]

That was my first sled! Don't let everybody scare you away that easy. If you are able to turn a wrench then the 900's aren't THAT bad.

Personally I am still glad the 900 was my first sled....but then again i've never rode anybody elses sled in the powder. Only my 900.

For what its worth...

-Nolan

Junk, trash, sh!t, crap,

 

[Yamahamod]

You may look around on the Snowest Forums under Swapmeet

 

[keeton]

M7 is a great sled to start on. this will be my third year on mine. I have an 05 rev 800 too It's great for jumping and messing around and the power is awesome. I've rode poaris IQ's too its a good chassis too but a little harder the get to tip on the hard pack. I would take the M series chassis over any of them just for the handling factor.