Keep your Pro...

[tbeaton]

my first ride on my pro was 12 miles of trail, we had only about 8" on new years this year. for the first 5 i would say i felt a little uncomfortable having come off of xp's. by the time we turned around to get back to the trucks i had figured out the sweet spot for balancing it on it side. 2 weeks latert i went out into deeper snow and rolled it over 3 times within 2 miles. i was so used to having to absolutly wrench on the doo that i was over doing it on the rmk. by the next weekend i was completely comfortable with the rmk, maybe a grand total of 14 hours on the sled and most of it on trail as we still had no snow here into late january. it wasn't until mid feb when we took a trip to canada that i was able to really get into some snow. now i'm a " flatlander" so sidehilling and what not are newer to me. first time i tried a sidehill on the rmk and got it with ease. i really believe i owe it to that chassis, i couldn't get my xp to do anything i wanted it to do. carving in ne snow was difficult to me, and forget about sidehilling, tried it and never could get it.

i also had a chance to ride the pc8 that week in canada and i found that to be very comfortable as well. didn't ride it for more than a few miles but i felt right at home on it coming off the pro rmk.

 

[ReTodd]

How would the Pro guys react if some XP guy hopped on a Pro for the first time and piled it into the trees and then blamed the sled??

Funny you mention that.....EVERY time someone asks to ride one of our Pro's, we always tell them they will fall over in the first 20 feet. Sure as chit, every one has done it! It is quite comical. So yeah, it does take some getting used to.

No worries WB, just keeping things honest. Keep up the good work.

Rt

 

[gman086]

Sory guys, I wasn't implying he was a bad rider....I was TRYING to say that someone used to a PRO will not likely be able to get on a XP or XM and be able to ride it very well. As evidenced by Tree boss's video and my own experiences. That's ALL!!
And yes, we have both XP's and Pro....both good sleds but require a different riding style.
Putting up a video of crashing into trees and blaming the sled is just not accurate. I'm sure a video of me following tree boss on a Pro would be an even worse disaster, however quite entertaining LOL.

Like others have said, I enjoy reading your posts WB but I'll have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. As you know, I have way more seat time on Doos than the Pro. It took me all of 15 minutes to figure out the Pro. The learning curve is that much quicker if you ask me. Going the other way I could definitely see giving these results. I think the key factor was the snow conditions. As was stated, anyone can carve in the pow like in Norona's vids. These conditions will really show the true agility of a sled IMHO. Having said that, a lot of it may also be due to the size of the rider. I'm only 175 lbs so the Pro just seems way more natural to me whereas larger riders seem to prefer the more planted feel of the Doos so center of gravity issues come into play too and make "blanket" statements useless.

Have FUN!

G MAN

 

[whitefish]

I think this thread started off on the wrong foot by Tree Boss telling everyone to "Keep your Pro" rather than "I'm going to keep my Pro"

 

[pura vida]

Funny you mention that.....EVERY time someone asks to ride one of our Pro's, we always tell them they will fall over in the first 20 feet. Sure as chit, every one has done it! It is quite comical. So yeah, it does take some getting used to.

No worries WB, just keeping things honest. Keep up the good work.

Rt

so true, and it was the same thing when one of my many rev buddies would get on my IQ

i was one that raved about the new xm, but did ride it in pretty much ideal snow conditions. but i still say there is a significant difference between the xm and xp. i have spent multiple days on an xp and have never cared for them. the day we had the xm out i rode my pro, xm, and 2012 xp back to back to back all withing 15 min. i can tell you the xm is head and shoulders above the xp. a couple of the guys that i was riding with pulled the sway bar out of the xm and said they could tell a huge difference, i personally, didn't see/feel it. one of the guys with us currently rides an m8, was leaning real hard towards getting a pro, but after the xm demo he checked a doo. (although he has owned all three, personally i feel i has a distinct bias towards doo, much like i do towards polaris. he disagrees with me.) all that being said it will be interesting to see how it does next year in various snow conditions. i had the chance to take it out again today but passed due to my work load. if i wasn't already set on the 13 pro i would have made a point to ride the xm again today since the snow conditions will be significantly different from the last time i rode it. if you are on the fence i would highly recommend riding one. although the OP had a very good review, i don't think anyone should make their decision based on one opinion and review. of course if you bleed poo and looking for personal justification for your own bias, judge away. and don't get too fired up at winter brew, he gives pretty honest assessments from his personal opinion and i don't think he intended any offense with his comments, as he as stated. ie., don't run WB out of the poo section, he adds value to the section, unlike others who will remain unnamed...

pv

 

[aebsledder]

 

[4Z]

WB is being modest. He makes every sled he rides look very easy. A smooth operator.

 

[Demo250]

Like others have said, I enjoy reading your posts WB but I'll have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. As you know, I have way more seat time on Doos than the Pro. It took me all of 15 minutes to figure out the Pro. The learning curve is that much quicker if you ask me. Going the other way I could definitely see giving these results. I think the key factor was the snow conditions. As was stated, anyone can carve in the pow like in Norona's vids. These conditions will really show the true agility of a sled IMHO. Having said that, a lot of it may also be due to the size of the rider. I'm only 175 lbs so the Pro just seems way more natural to me whereas larger riders seem to prefer the more planted feel of the Doos so center of gravity issues come into play too and make "blanket" statements useless.

Have FUN!

G MAN

Great post. I agree with everything you just said. I rode an XP for 3 seasons and in 15 minutes on the Pro I was already more confident on it than I ever was on the XP. I was riding an 08 though, which even many Doo faithful NOW say handled like chit...

Anyways, I do believe the XM is probably vastly improved. I still don't think it is for me though. (Although I will reserve final judgement until I ride it)

 

[Hairdryr]

Holy s#it!! Ride a new chassis 100 yards and then take it into the trees without getting a feel for how to ride it??? LOL Everything I saw was rider error....get forward on that thing, of course it's going to pull down when you are way back....you don't have any leverage or control. I can't ride a Pro because I'm not used to the chassis...does that mean the Pro is unrideable? Or that I just can't ride it because I'm used to something else?
It takes at least 3 solid days of riding to get the feel for a chassis and get it properly setup for rider weight and style....I wouldn't judge a chassis based on a few minutes....If I did that with the Pro, it would be the worst chassis ever made and I think we all know better.

I would have to agree with this. I ride a 12 Pro and it took me a few rides to get real comfortable on it. I've also been on Doo's and I can't stand the way they feel, especially when trying to do a 180 and head back up a hill. But that is likely because I'm just not used to the way they handle. I ride with a couple guys on Doo's and they make it look easy. Appreciate the review tho.

 

[akgiauque]

I would have to agree with this. I ride a 12 Pro and it took me a few rides to get real comfortable on it. I've also been on Doo's and I can't stand the way they feel, especially when trying to do a 180 and head back up a hill. But that is likely because I'm just not used to the way they handle. I ride with a couple guys on Doo's and they make it look easy. Appreciate the review tho.

I agree as well. My Pro was great in the open but handles differently on the slopes than my IQ. Funny about the 20 feet and fall over thing, my uncles both ride M8's and both did rolled onto their sides at slow speeds on both the IQ and PRO. It takes time to get used to a chassis even for an experienced rider. I am sure Burandt climbed a few shallow slopes before he went to the top of the world on his PRO.

 

[Luke45]

Like others have said, I enjoy reading your posts WB but I'll have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. As you know, I have way more seat time on Doos than the Pro. It took me all of 15 minutes to figure out the Pro. The learning curve is that much quicker if you ask me. Going the other way I could definitely see giving these results. I think the key factor was the snow conditions. As was stated, anyone can carve in the pow like in Norona's vids. These conditions will really show the true agility of a sled IMHO. Having said that, a lot of it may also be due to the size of the rider. I'm only 175 lbs so the Pro just seems way more natural to me whereas larger riders seem to prefer the more planted feel of the Doos so center of gravity issues come into play too and make "blanket" statements useless.

Have FUN!

G MAN

it takes me 15 minutes to get used to a xp coming off of my pro...so why don't you guys give winter brew a break...i saw what he was aiming for in the post...

 

[winter brew]

no...I deserved it, I came across sounding like a jackass....fingers were faster than my brain.

 

[Leaf27]

it takes me 15 minutes to get used to a xp coming off of my pro...so why don't you guys give winter brew a break...i saw what he was aiming for in the post...

Ummm, WB said 100 yards. Pretty sure its been hashed out so no need to continue the drama

 

[Tree Boss]

I owned an 09 XP for 2 years, I rode it for the 09-10 season and the 10-11 season. I knew how the chassis worked and I knew that I loved the power of the Doo from back then. When I seen what Doo had did to the the XM I felt like they were trying to get peeps like me who enjoy technical riding back on a Doo. That's why it's titled "Keep your Pro" I honestly thought that it was gonna compete with a Pro but FOR ME it does not. I'm alright with people thinking I look like a rookie on either the 12 or the XM because I felt like one. They are hard to ride in set up snow in the trees that's why this video is here.

There was even a thread in the XP section wanting a Burandt, Rasmussen style vid and that is exactly what I was trying to give them. I'm not Burandt or Rasmussen but I do feel like I can hold my own but these sleds worked my guts out, I haven't been this wore out riding all year. This was all MY TAKE on how different the XP, XM, and Pro are. I knew putting up the thread was gonna cause some controversy between Doo and Pro guys and I'm alright with that because honestly Snowest has sucked lately and this is helping spice it up a little.

Keep the posts coming this is a good thread so far...

 

[Tree Boss]

all those hits and you still rode it out. says something bout the sled as bad as you say it is.................................................

Other hits I couldn't ride out on and my Pro eats them for lunch, but again it's all personal preference....

 

[winter brew]

Collection of belt Pro bumpers.....and 1 wooden spoon. I have no bent XP bumpers or I would post those too...LOL
The other pic, yes it is missing the a-arms....don't ask. I wish I could take credit for that but I can only ride XP's.

 

[NoSoup4U]

Yup, Pro's are much more impressive...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aGMI6Aw7TM

 

[winter brew]

I just lost a bet....I have to drink 2 beers (I can deal with that).....I bet that the sled in the video was a XM. Upon close examination the sled in the first part of the video is in fact a XP!! ...not a XM....it does look like you did better on the XM.

 

[pura vida]

hadn't actually watch your vid until just now. that is the type of snow conditions i would like to ride the new xm in. i know how the pro handles it. and like others said, i can ride anything in deep powder ideal conditions. so i couldn't tell from the video but under power did it feel like the front end still wanted to come up too much, or at least noticibly more than the pro? that was the one thing i noticed when i rode the xm, it still lifted the front more than the pro. i couldn't tell how much this contributed to my impression of better handling but it was noticeable compared to my pro.

so the next question is, if the xp was improved this much from an articulating skid and a flex track, what would the pro feel like with these same options?? of course that does leave out the improved spindles and steering on the xm, which the pro already has. but how much does each of those individual improvements contribute to the whole? which makes the biggest % of change in improvement??

pv

 

[AK Soul]

I ride a pro and love it...... The Etec motor is the best out there as of now I havent rode the new doo yet but what I saw in that video was all flawed riding not flawed sled. Just saying.....