need advice on new purchase

[Snowbird11]

i'm coming off a dragon 800 and looking for a new chassis with a strong engine. i've ridden and like the pros and love the way the axys handles but feel like the power is lacking. i'm also concerned about the electrical problems and possibly still engine reliability. with all the good rebates i'll be picking one up later this month and just want some advice on which way to go. my second option is a cat m8000. i've briefly ridden a couple and the power is there but the handling is only a close second to the axys.

my next question...is there anything worth holding out for and snowchecking?

Thanks in advance

 

[ggcustoms]

poo poo shooter

Crap shoot. Can't go wrong with the prices right now on 17s and 16s with the rebates/warranty. Snow check is fun to do and they throw some more incentives in with it too (Another year warranty, rates, clothing allowance, etc.).
In regards to reliability it's just a game of percentage. All brands have some lemon-ish products and others of the same model can go 3k miles with gas and oil.
My advice is start with an Axys and if you don't think it has enough power look into a pipe (or turbo).
And say a prayer and hope you got a good one.
I still have to give my sled the Harry Hogge talk before I head out west next week....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvG_M_fAkXU

 

[sumtinwong]

get a holdover and what u save will more than pay for any fixes that the sled needs . FWIW you can prob. get a 16 holdover with a sliber turbo for the same price as a snow check or maybe even a feu $$$$ cheaper . just my 0.02

 

[ullose272]

ive got almost 900 miles and the thing has been trouble free til this week, but just a voltage regulator. slp pipe, carls clutching, and quickdrive gears off a pro rmk (gears it down to 2.39) and this thing rips.

 

[XFIRE800]

New releases won't be out until end of this month or beginning of march so hard to know what they will do. Saw some 17's priced at like $10,600 new with warranty. Pretty hard to pass that up. Reliability is of no concern on this new direct injected 800.

 

[Reg2view]

Not bashing the cat to bash them, I think they've become really good sleds - but - you buy a M right now, prepared to get creamed if you ever sell it in the next five years. Old motor - the 18's are going CTEC, new chassis is/was around the corner, Textron just bought ACAT for the UTVs, and who knows if they'll be in the sled biz in three years given their sell through. A screaming deal on a mountain cat, yeah, maybe get interested, but I don't think that's happening for anyone. I don't see advantages for the Pro, beyond price. Get the Axys, otherwise.

 

[turboless terry]

I don't forsee doo or poo bringing much different than what they have. Maybe better electronics, mapping or clutching. 2018 Arctic Cats should be at the dealerships right now to demo. I would try one and then you will know what you want and figure out what you are willing to spend.

 

[Jaynelson]

I've had a couple people trade new cats with 200 miles on to new Axys after riding them just because the Axys rides that much better. The dealers can't give away Cats, so there's your answer when all the smoke clears. This is the first I've heard of it being down on power compared to Cats....the Axys motor (and 2013+ pro motors) have been very reliable, and the Axys motor has excellent power and throttle response for a stock machine. The only way to vastly improve power, is with a turbo. If you want big power, just skip everything else and do a turbo.

 

[Snowbird11]

thanks for the replys. i was a bit worried about the cat support with a new owner. last year about this time the cat rebates had the price down well below 9k around here for current models. the pros are just below 10k as of today, so they must have just released some rebates. currently cats are just below 11k. i'm not sure i want to wait on the cats to come down, plus i have all the tools to work on polaris sleds and a few extra clutches.

have there been many engine failures not associated with user error/not readjusting the usual things? (unvented oil caps, bad oil ratio, snow injestion, etc) how about cooling? did the axys ever get that fixed from the early pros?

 

[Snowbird11]

jay,

it's possible that the axys i drove had poor clutching on it. it just felt like it didn't pull as hard as my '08 dragon and i recalled the cat being comparable. my '08 is well clutched and has the pre recall high compression head.

 

[Jaynelson]

Axys cooling is much better than the pros, but it's still a pretty minimalist cooling system...not a trail sled by any stretch. Our dealership has not replaced 1 Axys motor yet (for any reason). Every one from our store is running the factory oil cap. Oil pump is electric and uses a normal amount of oil...nothing to mess with there.

They aren't perfect, and built by NASA or Lexus they are not....but they are as reliable as any other new sled, awesome total package, and you can ride them super aggressively right off the showroom floor (ad a tether) and have tons of fun.

 

[Snowbird11]

They aren't perfect, and built by NASA or Lexus they are not....but they are as reliable as any other new sled, awesome total package, and you can ride them super aggressively right off the showroom floor (ad a tether) and have tons of fun.

that's good to hear. maybe it's time for me to start figuring out the clutching on the axys for a 163. it could be my first foray into the 11 series weights. i've been using 10's on the p85 and a tied secondary and really liked the combo for my sled.

 

[Reg2view]

Axys oil cap vent is open when it sits level. Pro is closed on level, due to the cap being angled. Same cap. FWIW. Snow ingestion on both Pro and Ayxs was greatly reduced compared to the IQ. The IQ intake looks like it was designed and assembled by Jeff Spicoli. Cat has been struggling with intakes since the original M. Spicoli strikes again???

 

[Snowbird11]

well, i took the plunge and am now the proud owner of a 163 2017 axys. i'm pretty surprised at how hard this thing pulls. the dealer changed the weights to 10-60's, which is what i ran on my last rig. it has much higher engagement than i'm used to. it's about 4400 compared to 3700 from my dragon. i haven't had a chance to ride it yet except for about 100 yards but i plan to next week. we'll see how she performs in the field. sure is snappy