Whats a good sled for a women learn to ride on?

[Taminator]

Been riding only a couple years...have an 07 600sdi doo w/144...LOVE IT-been an awesome sled to learn on. They are supper reliable, cheap to run and a good size for ladies. Great jumping sleds...carves and sidehills great- if the sway/stabilizer bar is removed especially. Easy to pull, no estart needed. Ridden with a couple 550f's and they blow. In the mountain powder and any steep hill with any snow...forget it. Just doesn't cut in the mountains unless she plans to stay out of the deep and off the steep. She'll need more power to learn to ride properly IMO. She would outgrow that sled in no time. Just can't get much track spin out of them to really ride.
I'm ready to step it up to a bigger sled now...I can see the M7 or M8 being a good sled too. Lots of ladies out there riding Cats, must be something to that

 

[Oregongirl]

Stay away from the older models. Ya want her to have fun don't ya? 600 or 700 are both good starters and work double time as a back-up sled (IF she is willing to let you go riding without her!) Bottom line is - let her decide. If you can get her on a couple of options first, that'd be GREAT! Remember, that if she does like it and rides alot, then she'll outgrow a 500 VERY QUICKLY. Happy wife, happy life!

 

[JHG]

I would also vote for the M7. The M6 is actually 2 lbs heaver than the M8 and a few lbs heaver than the M7. If your going to get a 6 you may as well get the 8, lighter and more power. The 05 M7 LE was the lightest M ever made, and i personally think the 06 M7 is probably the best running M cat has produced. They are solid mechanically, plenty of power and pretty affordable. You can find several in the $3500 range. I bought my girlfriend an 06 M7 last year to learn on and so far she loves it. It makes a great backup and extra sled for my friends.

 

[phatty]

RMK 600 in the iq raw chassis. more than enough power (but not so much she gets into trouble), turns easy, sidehills easy, and will teach her to ride standing up.

Stay away from ski-doo as a learning sled...

 

[Fiddy]

nothing tell her to stay home lol

 

[Tuesday]

so if I found her a clean 06 summit 600 144 or 151 for example and did some light weight work for her it would be ok? I think E start is ideal but I dont want her being lazy with it and when she gets on my 800 or 1000 complain she cant start it. Is that a bad idea too?

Keeping her happy is the real trick. Definitely E start and reverse. Then go buy her the best gear money can buy and an extremely light pack. If you truly want her to ride those are a few tips to keep her coming back.

She will fatigue quickly most because of inexperience so try to minimize things that are going to tire her and above all keep her warm and dry. If you dont she will hate it. At the begining she will prefer 3-5 hr days with alot of stopping, they hate sidehills, long steeper climbs, and crazy deep pow. Once they find their mojo they can become great riders. I have seen new riders completely exhaust themselves on a 100 yard semi sidehill.

I love the new riders that fear for about 3 days that if they hammer on the gas it is going to flip right over. If we are with new guys we let them dig out a few times , then they get the hang of the throttle.

GL

 

[polaris dude]

personally, i would get her a 600 155. their pretty light, but also got plenty of floatation and power to do a lot of stuff

 

[Bkinz]

09 RMK Shift 600 CFI with a 144" track and estart....

x2. Good starter sled, and something you could ride if your sled broke down or whatever. The 550 summit fanis a good beginner sled, put their is no power at all. the shift 600 is a way better way to go.
just my .02cents

 

[WYsteph]

M7 or d7 would be my choice but everyone is different. Enough power to keep up (hard on a gal when they slow everybody way down because their sled sucks) but not too scary. While I like my guy's 800 rev (smooth clean power) it is hard on my shoulders. The m7 is way more fun for me and with a little work they can have a lot more power.

Electric start? That is up to you. While I can start my sled, I do have problems with it when it is cold. But I make sure I give a strong effort before I let anybody help me.

Ditto to what Tuesday said. Sidehills, very steep hills, and constant stucks in deep powder are a sure way to make a girl think that it isn't for her. You won't want to be frusterated all day ether, so go do some fun little stuff and get her confidance up and gradually add in the harder things when she is ready.

 

[foxyrmk]

I have a 2008 600 RMK with 151" track and it soon became a 685. Previous I have a 2005 700 RMK 151" The IQ chassic was easier to handle, could ride all day without getting tired like I did on the old edge. Haven't ridden the M7 or M8, but I would think that would be my next choice of a sled.

 

[PowderProject]

RMK 600 in the iq raw chassis. more than enough power (but not so much she gets into trouble), turns easy, sidehills easy, and will teach her to ride standing up.

Stay away from ski-doo as a learning sled...

Word Ski doos are much more difficult to learn how to sidehill. Although IMO they are much more stable feeling than the others. If you did get a doo get her an xp. Get timbersled a-arms (2") narrower than stock and mess around with the swaybar connected and disconnected. Get different skis as well. Powder Pros work well.

 

[skooter]

get her a 800 so she has enough power to follow you when the snow is deep either cat poo doo all weigh about the same

 

[Redsledhead]

I would agree nothing less than a 700
Started my wife and daughter out on a 02 700 R with a 144x2 it worked great for them and power for me to get it out if they got into a bad place.

 

[Trenchmaster]

Depends on the girl, my wifes 600 RMK is just right for her. If it had the torque of an 800 she would have a hard time handling the power. M7 is a very nice sled but no reverse would not go over well. She is very happy with her sled, she just needs to ride it more!!

 

[sunbather1969]

edge

i bought mine an 04 verticle edge 151 elec start and perc bonus gen 2 simmons don't have to dig her out much shes been on it two years and is gonna stick it out can always get the money out of it if i have to and makes a good beginner ski for a friend.im pulling the stance together for her and putting on powder pros gonna be a whole new ride for her learn to side hill and actually learned to ride first

 

[ripnit]

Dependes on the chix, if she rides 4 wheelers, dirt bikes etc. and understands throtle control then maybe an 800 might be fine. If shes never driven anything other then a car I would stick with a 600 or maybe 700. Theres already been good advice on keeping her dry and warm. Good Luck I hope she enjoys the sport like we do.

 

[av8er]

At least a 600 and long trax

Get her a sled with at least a 153 or so , that she can get around with the boys

 

[jdog1]

What ever your riding now. That means you can get a new sled.

 

[Ultra]

I have been building sleds for wife and daughter for years. The tricks both of them like and the other gals in our group like is light weight, lots and lots of track, smooth power and good personal gear. The one that gets used the most in our group is an 04 Arctic MC 600 with some mild mods and a 162"x2.25. Thinking about building another one.
They like it because it's light enough to handle and yet it just keeps going and going, rarly ever getting stuck and it sounds like a big boy. With all that track they can screw up, recover, add power and pull out of just about any mess. AND I AIN'T DIGGING THEM OUT. SWEEEEEEEEET!

 

[HUNDO]

My wife took a couple rides on an Edge chassis and then we upgraded her to an 07 D7. It's much less fatiguing for her to ride and once I throw the sway bar back in, it will feel more stable. Don't go too light on the power cause you will just be looking for a bigger sled after she gets comfortable