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Need advice on purchasing 1st sled!

I am new to this forum and to snowmobiling. I have ridden in the past but never owned a sled of my own. I always own something motorized so I know I can handle a large sled. Sorry if this is in the wrong topic area!
I have the oppurtunity to get a 2000 polaris rmk 800 with 151" track with 1900 miles on it for $1500 in great shape. I have written the rmk 800 off due to crank issues but they are readily available and well within my price range. Are the odds of this sled's crank bearing going out really high? My other option is a 2000 yamaha mtn max 700 with 2500 miles on it 151" track, great shape. But I have to travel 5 hrs to get it! It's $1200. My biggest concern is reliability! Being my first sled I'd rather ride than wrench. Any info would be grately appreciated! I really don't want to travel because I work alot and have 3 young kids!
 
I personally rode a Mountain Max for my first sled. I was very happy with it for a first sled if you are going to be riding trails or ditches. They are quite heavy if you get the 700 triple. I never really had any troubles in the 10 years I had my '97. For the money I think they are a good sled. I have never had an RMK so no advice here to give on that route. Where will you be riding mostly?
 
I had a 2001 rmk for 6 years at 1600 miles it took out the crank, Had it re done with the wide bearing kit and totaly rebuilt it still runs good tho this day but it was expensive to have fixed,I have to say that if I had a choice between those two sleds I personally would go with the mountain max, everyone that I know thAT has these sleds has not had a single problem with them.And they are still riding them.
 
Had an 01 RMK 800, esentially the same sled. Close to 4000 miles with no crank issues and the guy I sold it to I know rode it for at least 2 years with no problems, haven't seen him since then. Maybe I got lucky, but I attribute it partially to having a torque arm and bump stop on the engine. Kept it aligned very well. Never was a belt eater.
Set it up with VFIII reeds and SLP twin pipes, geared down a couple notches and it was a pull and go sled for years. Never any mechanical issues that weren't self-inflicted other than the stupid coolant sensor, carry a spare.
I know the Mtn Max is regarded as one of the most bulletproof sleds around, for a good reason, but if you want the RMK, check the crankshaft runout with a dial indicator before buying it. Forget the spec .003" max runout or something. If it's good, buy it. If it has been taken care of, it's as reliable as any of the newer sleds, IMO, and good power if you pipe it.
Not a finicky engine for jetting either. Get it set for your altitude range and it will run good.
 
Well behind my house is basically the desert with a very sizeable ravine nearby, so I will be poking around alot, messing around in the ravine and towing the kids on sleds etc. etc. But ultimately I want to go up in the mtns. and be able to shred around in the powder, i.e. hill climbs, weaving through trees, carving. Stuff like that.
 
This one has an slp pipe and v force reeds. How would I measure the runout? I have a dial indicator for measuring ball joint movement at work, would that be the proper tool? If I got the RMK I would absolutely get the torque arm and bump stop (I already got a quote). How long did you have them in the sled? How many miles were on it when they were installed?
 
I am bigger than the avearge joe (6'1" 200lbs w/out gear) and am a little nervous that the mm 700 will be underpowered. I ride pretty hard on my dirtbike and previous 4 wheelers (I was trying to make a living in motocross). So if it's a no brainer performance wise I might gamble and go with the RMK, but obviously my budget is limited and a rebuild would hamper me bigtime! I have no doubt the yamaha is more reliable (prob. by a longshot). I have a 06 YZ250, 04 PW80, 02 PW50 and they are soooo reliable. (long live 2 strokes!). I'm really leaning towards the mountain max and in the end I know it's all up to me but I just like seeing other peoples angles and opinions. I just don't want to be up on the mtn with some ski doo's wishin I had that rmk 800 instead of the mtn max! Thanks guys!
Oh one more thing, I live in central utah.
 
the best bang for the buck would be the mtn max for sure it will be under power compared to the polaris but it will last much longer .. i had the 99 mtn max ported slp pipes and head after i did that the thing would rip. but the rmk and summits would still go through the deep stuff better the mtn max was a little heavy . i ride very hard and every weekend i must have had 10000 miles on the max and the guy i sold it to is still riding it he did replace the pistons but is still running on the same crank. oh yeah it did blow up the primary clutch on me around 5000 miles . imo better deep snow sled go with the poo . how ever the gem with reliablity would be the max for sure and that triple sounds awesome ..
 
We have had Yamaha for years. We had 3 Mtn Max's and loved them all. a 99 2000 and 2002. The 2002 had a problem with one of the pistons and had to get the fixed but the other two are still going strong. The both have around 4500 miles on them. Yes they arent the fastest sleds around. Put on the pipes and it wakes those sleds up alot though. We still like to play around on them when we go to our cabin. They are a very fun sled to ride. Sugestions would be to raise the handle bars up about 3" as well as getting a higher seat and a set of the tripple pipes. We have the 144". Yes in the rare occations you have a 2- 3 feet dump you might not be able to climb as high as the rest but how often do you have that kind of snow anyway. It would be a great sled to learn on and when you have the money to up grade you could still sell the Mtn Max and get some money out of it because its still going to be running. I have a friend that I got into sledding a few years ago and he got a 600 Mtn Max and put pipes on it and he still rides with us on that. Yes he may have to find a different way up the big hills a few times but he has never slowed us down or not kept us with us even in the trees.
 
2 seasons ago I was pretty much in the same boat as you and I chose the Yamaha. 1500 miles later I don't regret it a bit, pretty much all I've done to it is stretch it out to a 156, and this fall I'll be putting a newer skid under it. Coming from dirt bikes I feel much more 'at home' on the old Mountain Maxes than other sleds the same vintage.
 
This one has an slp pipe and v force reeds. How would I measure the runout? I have a dial indicator for measuring ball joint movement at work, would that be the proper tool? If I got the RMK I would absolutely get the torque arm and bump stop (I already got a quote). How long did you have them in the sled? How many miles were on it when they were installed?

I bought the sled with about 300mi on it and installed them shortly thereafter. I've never measured it, but you'd need one with a magnetic mount and then position it, I presume with the clutch removed to measure the crank. Maybe get some more help in hte Polaris section on it. I do remember reading that the problem wasn't necessarily with the pto side crank bearing, but that some of the castings weren't quite right, not providing for a complete bearing surface. The big bearing kits offered are wider and have alot more surface area. Again, I never had a problem, but lots have.
I found the sled to be pretty durable overall. I ate alot of trailing arms and front susp components, but I hit alot if shiat too! Bent the tunnel once at the rear mount area for the skid, but it was a couple real HARD tail first landings. Straightened it up and beefed it up with no other problems.
Defintely lighter than a Mtn Max triple and more hp stock, but I've rode a couple Yami 700 trail sleds with triple pipes and they screamed.

Not sure on the clutch setup anymore. It was what Tri City Polaris reccomended, but it was spot on and the sled always ran well. Just my point of view on the RMK. Overall the Yami would probably be more relaible though.
 
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Well I've pretty much made my mind up, but I do have a few more questions about the RMK. How much would it cost me to get the big bearing upgrade? Not a complete rebuild just the better bearing? And how hard is it to remove the clutch (to check runout)? And would I be better off doing the bearing kit or just doing the upgrades to the case? Obviously both would be ideal but that isn't gonna happen until later down the road. And last but not least would it be almost pointless to do the case/crank upgrades if the runout was borderline or something like that? Or if the runout is good would I be able to do the case upgrades (getting repeatative I know) and not have to worry about it (too much anyways). I know a lot of this should be in the RMK category but you guys are helping a ton! I'm pretty much sold on the MTN MAX but if I can convince myself the RMK will be okay I might just go RMK.
It seems to me if everybody is having so much fun on the MTN MAX for so long they aren't nearly as underpowered as I am imagining them, thanks everybody!!

p.s. if anyone is traveling through Hurricane, Utah heading north I'll pay them to pickup this sled!
 
2000 Yamaha Mountain Max 700 Snowmobile. New 151" track, new bar risers, new top end, new aftermarket silencer, new skis. Comes with yamaha factory storage cover. Great all-mountain sled, fast and fun. great condition, Moving and must sell quickly.

This is the one.
 
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