Iam going to be trading in my 21 ac hardcore for something new . I have a local-ish dealer giving me a fair price and willing to sell me just about any sled available. I haven’t riden that much and iam not all that great but iam getting a little better. I am starting to do better in deep snow and can sidehill a little and get stuck less ect. So I dont want another cat. If they make it and they make improvements maybe I’ll buy a 858 someday but not now . I really want to try a polaris just because cool kids ride them but I do not want a mechanical nightmare cause iam not as motivated to wrench all the time (yes cats are reliable) I also kinda don’t want a skidoo because they just feel heavy to me. Heavy like a feeling not upside down heavy. I also want a 165/3 whatever they are track length with the large paddle. I don’t know if I care to much about trim package but I also don’t know if it matters to my skill level. Maybe I should stay away from wheelie machines but iam not to scared of anything else. So why should I pick what you like? Would I get used to a doo being heavy? Will I be out of control on a chaos? I want to get to the next level. I also will keep my 600 catalyst just in case my big boy pants are in the wash and of course my ski partner has no sled ! . I may rent but I if the dealer agrees to my request it will be hard to argue. He has most every polaris and doo from 24 as well as many from later years. I will only be spending maybe 5-6k after trade so dang good price to try something new. I dunno ? What do you think?
I want a new to me snowmobile
- Thread starter Pinchecharlie
- Start date
Sounds like you want a Skidoo with the 165, so that’s what you should get
I want a polaris but I THINK a ski doo would be more reliable. I actually don’t like the way a skidoo rides lol but the horror stories of polaris are a put off. That’s why I really don’t know. Maybe it dies t matter?
I started on an 850 Khaos. My 13 year old also started on the same sled. Don't let the name fool you they are easier to ride than a pro in many respects. Easy to put on edge and with a little throttle control very tame. Like I said my teenager rides one.
I rode an expert turbo for the first time this weekend. While I did enjoy the smooth powerplant and the extra power the turbo provides it was a boat that just wanted dive head first into the snow everytime I attempted a sidehill. I could get used to it eventually and probably tame that flaky ride with tuning and more seat time. But damn, it was a workout compared to my Polaris 850.
Full disclosure, I also have a Summit Neo + that my 9 year old rides. Amazing sled for him. But when it comes to maintenance, even simple preventative maintenance, Polaris has everybody beat for simplicity and access to everything. Skidoo is like a BMW and requires too many tools, time and diagrams to accomplish even the simplest maintenance tasks.
I rode an expert turbo for the first time this weekend. While I did enjoy the smooth powerplant and the extra power the turbo provides it was a boat that just wanted dive head first into the snow everytime I attempted a sidehill. I could get used to it eventually and probably tame that flaky ride with tuning and more seat time. But damn, it was a workout compared to my Polaris 850.
Full disclosure, I also have a Summit Neo + that my 9 year old rides. Amazing sled for him. But when it comes to maintenance, even simple preventative maintenance, Polaris has everybody beat for simplicity and access to everything. Skidoo is like a BMW and requires too many tools, time and diagrams to accomplish even the simplest maintenance tasks.
The 850 Polaris is pretty reliable.
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
I run an 800/155 Khaos and just shortened the limiter strap but have yet to ride it that way. Another guy in our group had an 850/163 Axys Khaos that we swapped one day. The extra power was felt but the handling was a lot more mellow and took more input to make it respond. The Matryx is supposed to be less "twitchy" than the Axys chassis. Being that I don't want to buy aftermarket shocks, I do prefer the WE Velocity shocks over stock shocks so I like the Khaos platform for that.
If you end up on a 850/155 Matryx chassis, I would think you could make adjustments to the front limiter to control the wheelie factor as needed, or go with the 163/5 it should need less tinkering as the longer wheelbase helps keep the nose down more.
If you end up on a 850/155 Matryx chassis, I would think you could make adjustments to the front limiter to control the wheelie factor as needed, or go with the 163/5 it should need less tinkering as the longer wheelbase helps keep the nose down more.
Just Doo it- lol
Sounds like what that old saying... He's an asshole till you get to know him... But that usually isn't correct in my brother's case he was always an asshole... If you don't like the ride of the ski doo don't get one you will always not like it. And if you do get one you will always find flaws with it and won't have as good of an experience
Yeah i guess I just thought maybe someone would say something to convince me otherwise. I can allways pick one up if I decide i don’t like the Polaris lol. If I have time and it will SNOW I’ll go rent and really try and see. Sad that my only snowmobile experience is on cats lol. Like saying you’ve only riden one of those bicycles with tho one giant wheel and little baby one at the back lol.
I think 50% of your question was on reliability and none of us really answered that question. Lol. To that subject I'll just add this. I've had zero issues with my 2022 850 NAs. A few recalls yes (that were annoying) but otherwise zero issues. For some reason Polaris gets all the negative news in the reliability press but I ride will folks on both doo and poo. Honestly, those that have issues it's pretty much an even split between the brands. From what I've seen the Doos have just as many issues as the Poos. Just pick what you like to ride and do your preventative maintenance and you should be good.
I just thought it was more of a tuners machine and ram more high stung.
Yeah I’ll keep the catalyst (154x2.6) but I need two sleds cause my ski partners had a bad time financially and needs a sled. Good friend huh lol. Last year he did great on my catalyst and I did ok on the hardcore but it’s just not enough to make me care about letting it go and I suppose I could keep it too but with there being nice sleds around 10k and less and new sleds not far off I figure nows a good time to try another? The hardcore is heavy feeling too compared to the catalyst. I’d actually consider another 600 but that seems kinda silly. We got the sleds originally to ski and we did some good lines last year after struggling to ride the damn things for so long. Deepest day I’ve ever seen we where stuck all day so now we’re finally allmost good enough to get there Yahaha! I’ll see what the dealer says maybe he’ll let me demo a couple before i commit? Just out of curiosity, which brand would you say is better for a newer rider in a general way? Don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say.
