Polaris provides more support for sponsored riders.
$$$
And a constant supply of new features to Yap about and create content from.
My 858 sux
- Thread starter joshkoltes
- Start date
$$$
And a constant supply of new features to Yap about and create content from.
I have a 2022 Alterra 600 and I would put it up against any brand of the same engine size. Great Quad. Very comfortable, handles well and is very quiet compared to most other brands. Well put together and has been bullet proof.
The majority of the sleds on the snow are doo and Polaris, of course there are going to be more instances of issues.
Cat had the best 800 but the worst clutches on the market. The Alpha single rail is interesting but I preferred the twin rail cat, but cat refused to make a 3.5” pitch 3” powderclaw for the twin rail. Imo it was the best track on the market.
Lots of people had High hopes for this 858, but it remains to be seen if its better than the old cat 800.
There are some high vis social media guys riding them this year including the French Canadian dude on muskokas channel. Muskoka and all those guys will ride it too iam sure. Waiting to see if jamie intuchuck (spelling) is going to be on a 858 after last year on the 600 and alot of exposure with tourcotte and kesterke and the blue river guys. So if nothing else we get to see really really good riders ride them in really big country and deep snow. I have a bad feeling that bottom lines will over rule a heritage product and artic cat will see worse financial situations sooner than later. Dont get me wrong I dont think it’s the brand or the product just the overwhelming corporate greed thing. Big money or out. They don’t seem to be willing to carry it for long or at least that’s my feeling. We shall see . More bad news for cat is there are a lot of 22/3/4 snowmobiles for sake for really good prices. Iam seeing alot of 24 holdover polaris and doo. Including turbos and 9r’s and if you go back just a year or two more they are good deals from 6-10k for what everyone thought was the best sleds ever made and cost over 20k. I saw a nice turbo doo the other day for 9k. Hard to say that the markets good for cat. Brand new 24 polaris for 10k (plain Jane but hey brand new)
C
Chad_Brochill
Active member
Jamie Iwaschuk is on an 858 this year, he has some posts on his Instagram.
Jamie is from the town I live in, that guy could make a 440 out perform a guy on a 900.
Man what a great place to be from! Yeah iam a fan of his lol! There was another guy posting videos last year from there who was really good to but haven’t seen videos yet this year. Maybe you guys are still at work? Seems like most are loggers or heavy equipment operators working with logging? Is there a lot of whitewater rivers up there? I’d like to immigrate lol!
If you see this guy around town tell him we want more videos with him and mayor mc cheese (jamie lol)
I saw that video. The overheating issues were a bummer too.Hey atleast your first day went better than Muskoka Freeriders
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I actually think once it’s fixed, tuned and suspension is set up AND he adjusts to riding it…he’ll crush those steep trees. You could tell he was about to dial in and it has traction. That is of course IF he rides it until all that happens lol.
I dont think thats a issue at all. The snow on the trail was garbage. The other issues? Thats a different story, sounded like the brake caliper needed an alignment or the brake disk is warped.
This one’s at least work and if you argue the mayor can’t take it the same places as the turbos your a silly man lol
My buddies that pretty much stick to Polaris now say its the Chassis. That is why they keep riding them. They love the handling. And overall they really haven't had much for issues with the motors, clutches. and sleds in general. Lucky I guess. With the number of them out there we probably hear more about the ones that break then we do about the ones that don't break.
I actually liked the feel of my buddies matryx 850 and for a split second considered giving poo another shot, then a few weeks later the same sled with 600 miles on it seized up in the bottom of a big canyon. After he got it fixed he started battling the fuel pump issue. Poo took care of him under warranty, but it reminded me why I stopped riding Polaris years ago and stuck with cat. I know the jury is still out on the 858, but aside from a few clutches over the years and a set of injectors on my ‘20 alpha my cats have been relatively trouble free so I stick with them. If poo could get their engines figured out, I’d truly consider one, but after 20 years of less than reliable engines I don’t think they care as long as they keep selling.
That's exactly it: I think no matter the make, the failure rate probably doesn't average out nearly as high as we think. Still, if Polaris is, say 5%, and Doo is 2%, it's going to be noticeable. It takes dozens of satisfied riders to make as much noise as one who's sled blew up. My suspicion is that Polaris does no quality-control during most assembly; it's just assumed parts are in spec, and the people putting them together usually only know enough to slap it together. I doubt engine parts are checked over, for instance; throw it together, and if it runs, it goes out. That's just speculation, and for all I know it's the same story across the line; maybe Doo just has tighter control over their suppliers. You'd think that'd hurt them more in warranty costs, but I guarantee their accountants monitor that. Maybe I'm completely off, but it's the only explanation I can think of for why some Polaris motors go churn out miles without a hickup while others blow up in no time (and I saw an 850 last year that ate itself in 100 miles or so; it came from the factory so tight that it took both hands to start). There's some rumbling of that kind of thing with the 858 too, which is why I'm curious to see if the crank runout issues are widespread or not, and how deep the exhaust valve issues run.
The approaches with Polaris mostly fall into either buying new frequently and leaning on the warranty (for those who can afford it), or if you're mechanically inclined, basically rebuilding a sled to knock out all the bugs. I hope Cat manages better than that, but if Polaris's approach is working for them, why wouldn't Cat follow suit? I'd put money that Cat - since being acquired by Textron - is basically following the same QC model as Polaris. The thing is, since Cat owners haven't had to deal with it for nearly as long, they're less likely to acknowledge it. Like I said, I don't like that model at all. I think if you cut out a couple poorly-engineered motors and all the sleds shipped out with defective parts, Polaris sleds would be consistently reliable - only apparently most owners are more upset at having to pay another $1000 or so for a new sled. Ultimately, I'd say Polaris designs arguably the best sleds, but it's up to the luck of the draw or the buyer as to whether it's built right. That's why I'd have to say my brand loyalty mostly boils down to "the devil you know," and I could easily end up on a Cat some day.
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