After reading a billion threads..... The common opinion is supposedly the Arctic Cat M sleds are the easiest powder riding, best sidehilling mountain sleds out there. But they are also supposedly an old outdated frame design compared to the new forward stance sleds such as Skidoo XPs. SO WHY is the forward design a good thing in the mountains? I could care less about trail riding. I have ridden lots of revs, XPs, Dragons but have only spent a couple hours of a hardpack day on a m8.
I don't get it.... M sled vs. new forward chassies
- Thread starter dwwinters
- Start date
It's all a matter of opinion and rider preference.
I ride an M sled and for me it is perfect. I've tried some older REVs, the XPs and the Polaris RAW stuff, but I still find myself more comfortable on the Ms. I don't find it obsolete, that's for sure.
I ride an M sled and for me it is perfect. I've tried some older REVs, the XPs and the Polaris RAW stuff, but I still find myself more comfortable on the Ms. I don't find it obsolete, that's for sure.
fourthmeal
Administrator
Rider Forward has no exact definition. The M-Series Arctic Cat chassis is considered Rider Forward compared to the old 1M chassis. Ski-Doo's idea of Rider Forward was another 5 or 6 inches beyond the M Series.
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snowmobiler
Well-known member
rf rides better.your farther ahead of the old school tetter totter back ache bs.after a long day of riding most cat riders want to go home.
they just handle different...
I love to ride my dad and buddies M's, there very nimble.. but they feel weird to me, so im not comfortable.
I ride a RT and a rev.. both with the steering post moved forward, I think its the perfect balance for me. Im very comfortable in my standing position and can work well from it.
I love to ride my dad and buddies M's, there very nimble.. but they feel weird to me, so im not comfortable.
I ride a RT and a rev.. both with the steering post moved forward, I think its the perfect balance for me. Im very comfortable in my standing position and can work well from it.
Ok lets ride.....
You are assuming that the forward design is a good thing in the mountains? I would not agree.
The longer the track, the shorter and fatter the rider, the further forward the riding position the worse the sled is to ride in the mountains. Finding the right balance for your self between far enough forward and too far forward is a personal preference thing.
I do not own an M sled, but until the ProRMK this past spring I found the M8 to be the easiest riding mountain sled out there. I think the ProRMK is a bit better because of the weight difference, but I would gladly spend my whole season on a new M8 in the deep and steep.
sled_guy
The longer the track, the shorter and fatter the rider, the further forward the riding position the worse the sled is to ride in the mountains. Finding the right balance for your self between far enough forward and too far forward is a personal preference thing.
I do not own an M sled, but until the ProRMK this past spring I found the M8 to be the easiest riding mountain sled out there. I think the ProRMK is a bit better because of the weight difference, but I would gladly spend my whole season on a new M8 in the deep and steep.
sled_guy
No, only you...
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Jaynelson
Well-known member
Different sleds for different riding styles and body types. All sleds are more "rider forward" than they were 10 years ago. 10 years ago, sleds were made for sit down riding with occassional standing for tricky sections. Now, we want to ride standing up the majority of the day....
The cat rider position is just far enough back that is has a noticeably longer hood than the others, which make it look "older" in style...which, of course, it is so that makes sense. If you don't think the next Cat will look more like an XP and less like a 1M....who are you kidding?
That said, the more upright style in itself does not make the sled more tippy, easier to sidehill or anything like that. For example, an Edge RMK with the swaybar removed and a narrowed front end was as tippy as anything. The more upright style of sled makes for more clearance for longer-travel suspensions, and everything is brought closer and closer to the (stand up) rider. If the M sled was "upright enough," why does it keep getting higher seats and higher bars, right?
The cat rider position is just far enough back that is has a noticeably longer hood than the others, which make it look "older" in style...which, of course, it is so that makes sense. If you don't think the next Cat will look more like an XP and less like a 1M....who are you kidding?
That said, the more upright style in itself does not make the sled more tippy, easier to sidehill or anything like that. For example, an Edge RMK with the swaybar removed and a narrowed front end was as tippy as anything. The more upright style of sled makes for more clearance for longer-travel suspensions, and everything is brought closer and closer to the (stand up) rider. If the M sled was "upright enough," why does it keep getting higher seats and higher bars, right?
i will have to respectfully disagree. I have ridden Edge polaris sleds, i like them for what they are. I have an 01 800 Mountain Cat and it is far better at side hilling and just being in its side in general than the RMK. Now having said that, they (the MC and Edge RMK) are a far cry from the maneuverability and ease of use off trail and in the ugliness than the M.
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i'llDooit
Well-known member
How tall are you,,, i have heard of the moved forward post,,,,3in? figured it was for taller guys. my buddy is lookin at a 07 rev with this done to it
The biggest advantage to an M sled is the low center of gravity. That is the reason they are so easy to ride in deep snow. The laydown motor and diamond drive allow everything to sit nice and low. In an xp, the motor sits high already and then you have the rotating mass of the secondary and jack shaft above that. It doesnt take a physicist to tell you which configuration will work better in deep snow.
I totally agree. My old 03 EDGE RMK was deswaybar'd and narrowed to 37.5" and was super easy to layover. Probably easier to initially layover then my M7 or M8 (both the same). However the M was a lot easier to go back and forth boondocking in the trees.
I have never rode an XP but the REV just felt like a tank in comparison. Was so hard to layover I found it miserable.
I also did not like the 1M, it was easier to lay over then the REV, but just felt huge. The EDGE feels huge compared to the M and now the M looks big compared to the PRO RMK.
Its evolution and I'm interested to see what Cat has next year.
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snowmobiler
Well-known member
if it wasnt better,polaris would not have copied the xp.cat is next up or forward.
In my opinion the Rev chassis was easier to lay over then the Xp and I ride an Xp. The reasoning is such as think of a triangle with the two tips in the front and the one in the rear eventually the further you get to the front the harder its going to be to lay over. Just above half way would be the easiest. With that said M's not comfortable on but Xp with little mods such as removal of sway bar set up of shocks and such are just as easy as a rev. Just my two cents.
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IDAHO HOT SHOT
Well-known member
I rode my 02 Edge 800 151 for 3 winters before getting the 07 M8 153. I didn't realize how Different the new sled was until I helped litl bro ride the old 8 out of a deep canyon. The sled I once considered myself a rock star on was terribly akward. The next winter, I traded the M8 for a 700 Poo and then an 09 800 Poo. Last winter, I took my pop's 08 M8 bone stocker out with my Poo buddies. We switches back n fourth all day. I was amazed at the handling similarities in the 2 sleds. I was also amazed at how the cat did not "feel" like it was going to climb, but it just kept churning to the top. The only difference I really noticed is the fact that the cat felt just a little more stable and did not have that sidehill "washout" that Poo has. It left me seriously curious to ride a 2010 M8, but I never got a chance.
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Jaynelson
Well-known member
It was just an example...feel free to substitute "edge rmk" for "01 mountain cat," that wasn't really my point.
The OP was suggesting the idea of more "rider forward" sleds, was to be easier to sidehill and carve in powder. My point was that many older sleds (like your MC) were plenty easy to sidehill or lay over, but the "rider forward" sleds are meant to excel at the whole spectrum of stand-up riding. All 3 do it slightly different....but that's the idea. And like I say, M-sled is a good sled, but look to further than artic cat's own sno-pro race sleds to see what the next revision will look like....they're just dragging their heals on it.
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Clarke673
Somewhere between too dumb to quit and flat earth
Huh? The PRO is no copy of an XP. It is the offspring of a Iq chassis and a IQR chassis. The geometry shares ideas from both chassis to get the best charctoristics of a both.
The IQ already had the best suspension befor the pro, now it is even better. Don't get me wrong, the m sled is a good sled, but it is out dated. The susension sucks... I was on a 2010 600 equiped with fox shocks and i couldn't get off it quick enough, it reminded me of my 96 500 sls... My stock 700 rmk rental sled with walker evans (wich are terrible shocks) handled much better than the m. The m sled is great in the powder because it is a boat with low center of gravity and a strong running 800. Granted, if all you do is climb strait up hills, then the m is probubly the sled for you, hell look at how well chris b. can ride one. Cat has lots of good ideas, but they needed to upgrade their chassis a few years ago. Saying that, i would rather ride a cat or a rev, or a 05 900 rmk, before an xp.
I bet that cat comes out with a VERY good chassis in the next few years. A mix of their race sled and the HCR will be a sick combo. But i will be on my 09 dragon or an 11 pro assualt and see no reason why i won't be compleatly content.
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