Past m8 riders?

[M8Chris]

I ordered two assaults and got rid of my m8's because the polaris
Is that much better like tgitt said the fun factor of the sled is so much more then the m8. I did things on the pro after 15 minutes that I hadn't done all season on my m8! Get the pro you won't be disappointed.

 

[m8magicandmystery]

i was a diehard cat rider of 15 years, 5 years of that was on a highly modded M8. i'm a very aggressive tree rider. bought the pro and held on to the cat in case in wasn't all it was supposed to be. rode the pro once and new i'd never want to ride the M again. put it up for sale the next day. would rather ride the pro in any condition, any day. i loved my M from the day i got it and even more after i modded the heck out of it, but the pro stock is so quick, agile and light, like posted above makes the M seem like a boat. as for power the pro is not lacking in that department at all, could run circles around my M at half throttle. buy the pro and welcome yourself to the new generation of mountain sleds, i gaurantee you won't regret it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hey...this is where ya ended up..miss ya ..but glad your happy...i sure love the looks of the new polaris...!!!

 

[shell_guy]

I cut the post on my m's and angled them forward to get farther forward, jumped on a pro and made it my b1tch right away. (that should tell you it handles great) the biggest difference to me was I could feel the slight angle of the handle bars on the pro and did not feel as balanced on the pro, but the pro's ability to correct itself made up for it, the m8 feels more grounded.
Biggest handling difference I found was the pro, its light on the skis and uses a lot more counter steering than the m's do. One thing a pro does a m8 just wont do is down hill turns. On the pro you just lean and it cuts to one side very easy, on the m8 you have to step back or get weight on the back of the tunnel and help the a$$ end drop down, big difference. Even though I have cats that weigh as much or less then a pro the pro feels lighter and easier. I can tell the power isn't there on the pro but you can still make it work.
The pro is narrow too allowing it to hang on a sidehill with little drag, the m8 drags sooner than the pro because of its wide running boards and body, but the pro running board are to narrow and will kick your a$$ when the snow piles on them, they need more grip. The pro puts the track down farther forward than the m8 and thats part of the why it responds to rider input well and light on the skis, the pro 155 track puts down nearly as much track on the ground as a m8 162 and is shorter with a closer distance from ski to track, it balances out and responds very well.

I put a kmod suspension under my m8 which gave me another 1" of suspension and changed some other stuff making it so I could hold any line a pro could and maybe more, I like the m8 better but it does take more effort, seeing how I am 6'6" and 210lbs its not an issue but for someone under 6' or 180lbs I don't know if they would be able to make them do the same stuff. Who knows what a pro would do with the same suspension under it though.

I hate the pro motor though and everyone knows it, get a warranty at the very least, or a cat. I think you would pick it up real quick on the pro rather than the m8 unless its modded, but it will be interesting to see what the new cat does.

Where are you going to be riding

Will be riding Golden and Revvy mostly, thinking about the forum ride in Tog and the one in Whistler as well. I am pumped to get out in the mountains this winter, hopefully, its a good season out here this year.

 

[tdblakes]

I've never owned an M8, but I have ridden the 2011 RMKs and now I own a '12 Assault RMK... these sleds are so easy to ride and they are user friendly and forgiving. I found that if I made some kind of mistake (like got stuck or in a situation that I needed to turn out of) the Pro got me out of it fairly easily... I'm sure you can do all this on the M8 too, but listen to the reviews above, clearly the majority of the posts above suggest that the Pro is the better sled.

Now if you can't afford it, or can buy it but then not afford to ride it, then whats the use. Buy what you can afford and ride as much as possible. If you can swing buying the Pro then I would. I think you'll get more value out of owning the better sled and keeping it for years rather than buying an M8 to ride for one winter, trying to sell it (remember its an old chassis now, the ProClimb is out...) and then trying to buy a Pro. If you buy a Pro, hate it (i doubt you will), and need to sell it, I'd bet you could get rid of it easier than you could get rid of an M8. Whatever you decide to buy, get as much time and value out of it as possible and enjoy the mountain riding. You'll never want to go back to the powerlines again...

 

[WyoBoy1000]

Traveling that far, a pro would scare me, I will catch heII for this, The poo motor is junk and I would hate to drive thousands of miles and then blow a motor, for some of us that live next to the hill its no big deal. If it dies we are out one day hopefully the dealer is fast and the warranty stands up, and if your lucky the dealer gives you a demo to ride for the day. May not ever happen but with that motor and watching one fail 100yrds from the truck its scary. I mod stuff to the point there is no warranty (voided) so I can't justify getting one because I have a tendency to find the weak link. With that said, it could happen to any sled and the rate of failures is a very small percentage, but a lot higher than the m8. You can make the m8 work better, you can do stuff to the poo engine that helps, (still wont be as strong as the cat).
I think you would like the pro, just have a backup plan and a warranty, if you could have 2 with you all the time it would be great.

 

[Oregonsledder]

Traveling that far, a pro would scare me, I will catch heII for this, The poo motor is junk and I would hate to drive thousands of miles and then blow a motor, for some of us that live next to the hill its no big deal. If it dies we are out one day hopefully the dealer is fast and the warranty stands up, and if your lucky the dealer gives you a demo to ride for the day. May not ever happen but with that motor and watching one fail 100yrds from the truck its scary. I mod stuff to the point there is no warranty (voided) so I can't justify getting one because I have a tendency to find the weak link. With that said, it could happen to any sled and the rate of failures is a very small percentage, but a lot higher than the m8. You can make the m8 work better, you can do stuff to the poo engine that helps, (still wont be as strong as the cat).
I think you would like the pro, just have a backup plan and a warranty, if you could have 2 with you all the time it would be great.

Shell_Guy don't listen to a word this guys says. He's a broken record and couldn't give an un-biased answer regarding a Polaris sled is his life depended on it. I think he gets paid by Cat, by the post, to slam the PRO. LOL
Buy what you can afford and enjoy. They both are a good choice.

 

[veritascs]

my buddy left an 07 m8 to a 11 pro and swears by the pro.

.02

 

[WyoBoy1000]

Shell_Guy don't listen to a word this guys says. He's a broken record and couldn't give an un-biased answer regarding a Polaris sled is his life depended on it. I think he gets paid by Cat, by the post, to slam the PRO. LOL
Buy what you can afford and enjoy. They both are a good choice.

un-biased, if I wasn't then my first post praising the pro would be false in which case make it a pile of junk that doesn't handle. These guys are so bias the don't even want to hear the truth and even pro owners that have problems get slammed.

I told you I would catch heII, OS did you miss the part where I told him he would like the pro, although I think he should wait and demo ride one and a new cat, but thats up to him.

here it comes

 

[WyoBoy1000]

my buddy left an 07 m8 to a 11 pro and swears by the pro.

.02

I would honestly take the pro over a 07-08 m8 any day, the 09 was better and the '11 is at least in the same playing field.

 

[SSWIM]

You will acclimate to the Pro much quicker than the M8. Now if you are talking about the new Pro Climb, things might be a little different. Time will tell on that one.


Sam

 

[XFIRE800]

Or......get the pro and have the funnest winter you have ever had..the M sled is a great sled but stock for stock it wont touch a pro in deep snow..spend the extra..and be ready to ride everyday all winter.....

I would say a few more trips with the M would be more fun than a few less with the pro. I rode with 10-11 M8's and a couple 11 pros quite a bit last year and i saw no big difference in the performance of either. My 141" powerclaw'd and piped 09 Crossfire 8 made a pro assault look silly on hill. He had the 155 comp track, but i had 14" less track. There is not a stock 800 that won't compete with the other sleds in the class.

 

[shell_guy]

Shell_Guy don't listen to a word this guys says. He's a broken record and couldn't give an un-biased answer regarding a Polaris sled is his life depended on it. I think he gets paid by Cat, by the post, to slam the PRO. LOL
Buy what you can afford and enjoy. They both are a good choice.

un-biased, if I wasn't then my first post praising the pro would be false in which case make it a pile of junk that doesn't handle. These guys are so bias the don't even want to hear the truth and even pro owners that have problems get slammed.

I told you I would catch heII, OS did you miss the part where I told him he would like the pro, although I think he should wait and demo ride one and a new cat, but thats up to him.

here it comes

Truthfully I am still learly of the Poo 800 motor, I was a die hard Polaris guy untill I bought an 800 dragon. After being stranded in the woods 6 times one winter I swore I would never own another. (3 pistons, 2 CDI's, 1 Voltage regulator).

 

[Oregonsledder]

Truthfully I am still learly of the Poo 800 motor, I was a die hard Polaris guy untill I bought an 800 dragon. After being stranded in the woods 6 times one winter I swore I would never own another. (3 pistons, 2 CDI's, 1 Voltage regulator).

There have been MANY discussions on this forum concerning the Polaris 800 motor. After you filter out the Cat guys who have PRO Ride envey, here is what I have determined to be as close as possible to the truth concering the PRO engine, which has one year on it. Yes I know it's basically the same as the earlier 800's but after much research, last years engine failures were mainly caused by a pinched oil line that occured during manufacture. Yes there were some other failures, but there were CAT at Doo failures too. It's a 2 srtoke motor!

I now have a 2012 PRO, and I can assure you I wouldn't have bought it if I wasn't comfortable with the motor. I would have gone with a Cat... I don't put brand loyalty above common sense.

Research this forum and you will learn a lot and you will see why I said what I did about the WyoKid.

 

[Old Scud-doo]

Let's see.....I had to have the enjectors replaced early in the season last year and then rode the pi$$ out of the sled with zero issues. Not one failure or problem and I put on more than 1k in hard miles. Old D8's had some issues but this motor really didn't have that many if any failures other than the injectors and some TPS sensors.

I would buy the Pro. It makes you a better rider just by mounting up and I have to agree with thought on trying to sell an M8 next year so you could upgrade. That could be tough.

 

[m1kflyingtiger]

my last sled was a mildly modded M100 (i know, not as playful as an m8, but it had balls when it ran right) my roommate has a '10 M8 also and a full mod bb m with a K-mod under it. the M8 is an amazing sled, and the M chassis pretty much set the bar for a mountain sled. if you go that route you wont be disappointed.

that being said the pro inspires SO much confidence in you as the rider with its ease of maneuverability and how well it gets up on the snow. the pro is roughly down 50 hp from the M1000 i had previously and just from how well the chassis works i could get into more places than i would even think of going with my m. i had a lot of issues over riding the pro at first but you being new to mountain riding it shouldn't be an issue.

The full mod bb M with the K-mod handles comparable to the pro, it doesn't get on the snow quite as quick and the body work "feels" wider when your riding it. it gets everywhere the pro does, but its got a couple of 4-5000 in aftermarket on it. I would suggest the pro for the funnest season you've ever had, but either would be a decent sled.

 

[WyoBoy1000]

I don't put brand loyalty above common sense.

.

I don't either thats why I own a cat with a kmod.


The newer engine is better with less failures, but still not built like a cat, when the option is there I have to take a cat, that is based on the fact I mod everything and a warranty isn't going to do me any good.

My 09 m1000 with the mods will run away from a m8 and prob the same weight or within a few lbs of a pro, put a kmod under that sled and I would take it over the pro any day, may work you a little harder (from hanging on) but it will take you places, even without the kmod I have gone where I want but the kmod will give you the edge.

Stock - pro
if you want more - new m8

 

[AKLankford]

I agree with wyoboy. I am a life long cat guy but I will give the Pro credit where deserved and that area is not the engine at all, even if polaris did fix all the problems they had with the 800.

If youre going to be keeping your sled stock go with the Pro, If youre going to do engine modifications jump on the Cat.

 

[B00nd0ck3r4lif]

I rode a 2010 M8 for one season and was absolutely in love with it. Sadly someone stole it so I bought a 2011 Pro and now I feel like the theives did me a favor!!!

I can do technical direction changes on steep sidehills that I could never pull off on my M8, and the Pro won't beat the crap out of you on the trail to the powder like the M8 will.

If you can't afford a Pro then obviously get what you can afford, if you want the best sled in my opinion the pro is the best.

 

[Oregonsledder]

I agree with wyoboy. I am a life long cat guy but I will give the Pro credit where deserved and that area is not the engine at all, even if polaris did fix all the problems they had with the 800.

If youre going to be keeping your sled stock go with the Pro, If youre going to do engine modifications jump on the Cat.

The wyo dude has no credibility. He has never owned a Polaris 800, and as far as I know no other Polaris either. I have owned 4 Polaris sleds, I just sold an 800 with almost 6000 miles on it. It had a new set of pistons at 3500 miles and that is all...... no exploding engines like he would have you believe. In fact I have NEVER had an engine problem with a Polaris sled. I just get sick of his constant dribble, concerning an engine has no real experience with!

 

[WyoBoy1000]

The wyo dude has no credibility. He has never owned a Polaris 800, and as far as I know no other Polaris either. I have owned 4 Polaris sleds, I just sold an 800 with almost 6000 miles on it. It had a new set of pistons at 3500 miles and that is all...... no exploding engines like he would have you believe. In fact I have NEVER had an engine problem with a Polaris sled. I just get sick of his constant dribble, concerning an engine has no real experience with!

Your 6000miles was on a 03 and I did not have a single problem with those other than the stupid belt for the water/oil pump, as long as that held up with good tuning they ripped and still do,

Like you said do a search, you will find me getting bashed plenty and how many different ways to fix the poo 800. They are getting better and when there is a majority that make it over 2000miles it will restore some confidence. To say I don't have cred, really, tear down a cat and a poo side by side and it will look like a cummins vs a 6.2L. one is overbuilt and the other is built just enough to work.