Why did you pick the sled you chose?? and do you stick with brands?

[M8Chris]

Just curious of what were the factors of why you choose ur sled/brand.. I choose Cat just because theyve been in the family since who knows when my granpa who passed away rode cat back in the day my dad rode cat and still does and now I ride cat.. I think the factors for me were dependibility, power, and comfort...Do you buy same brand everytime u get a new sled??

What I'm about to say is gonna stir up something big but why why why would u keep buyin doo if they keep having problems..no offense and I know there is gonna be some people saying stuff well "bla bla bla cat and bla bla this" but ive heard doo has had egine problems for quite a while. the 07s and now look at those sleds that were supposed to be unbeatable xps haha i've never seen soo many recalls haha boy i wish I had a dollar for every recall doo has sent out tell ya the truth i was very close to buying two 07 revs last year it came down to a last minute decisiona and im happy with my purchase. I'm not trying to promote any particular brand I'm just bored and wanted to see what factors come in to when you buy a sled..this should be fun haha

 

[bullfrog123]

Cat runs right out of the box with A LOT LESS poblems than others. That sells me any day of the week. Yes they have minor tweeks and things, but not cranks, belts, pistons, etc, etc, etc.
Let the games begin!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ollie]

I came into this year planning on buying new sleds for the wife and I.

I don't buy a first year anything so that left Doo out. I was a little concerned with the new doo chassis, but the chassis seems to be doing fine.

Cat. They are a pretty solid sled (performance and mechanical wise). Just don't like the "feel" of the sled.

Yamaha. Looked hard at possibly getting the new nytro, just couldn't get past the extra nose weight.

Polaris. Ended up getting 2 polaris sleds. Went off last years performance with the D7. No engine problems and not any real problems with the chassis. I don't like to wrench and I thought Polaris was the way to go. Got the wife a hold over 07 D7 and got myself a 08 700 RMK. Very happy with my choices.

 

[sledheadron]

I got my Nytro because I had 20,000+ miles on Yamaha's with very little trouble before switching to Ski-Doo, when it seemed Yamaha didn't make anything that could compete anymore. After 1 GREAT running MXZX440, one pretty decent MXZX 800, and one absolute pile of garbage REV 800, (the latter is where I really got frustrated) I bought a Yamaha again. The idea of a great running sled that requires minimal maintanance, and 5 years of warranty, I figured it was time to switch back!!!!! I have over 1500 miles on it now, and have had to do nothing but an oil change. (And some mods, but we do that no matter what brand)

 

[catmandewe]

My dealer

If it wasn't for my dealer (who happens to be a cat dealer), I probably would not have gotten into sledding, oh so many years ago. He worked with me and trusted me when I didn't have much money, and now that I can afford a few new toys, he is who I will buy them from.
I wouldn't say I am so much brand loyal, as I am dealer loyal.

 

[Luke The Drifter]

I chose my M7 for the following reasons:

I've never felt comfortable on the rev chassis, good motor in 06 but I can't stand the chassis

Polaris was still dealing with the 900 flop and other quality issues

The apex was roughly 3K more than my M7 (in terms of MSRP) and I didn't care that it was a first year sled with the extra weight

The M7 was in its second year of production, had a option of tracks and my dealer is great for parts and support.


That was in 06'. Since then all of the manufacturers have change sleds significantly. My next sled, I'll definately be giving the Dragon 800 a hard look based on my seat time on a D7. Its either the D8 or an M8. Won't be till the start of the 09/10 season though.

 

[theultrarider]

Alot also has to do with local dealers. As you travel from town to town, it is often easy to tell which brand has the best dealer in town as 90% of the sleds in the area will be of that brand. I have ridden Polaris for over 30 yrs. That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to jump ship to a different brand as they are all so close any more. Most times it comes down to dealer setup and prep. Granted, alot of us can and willl do this ourselves. But for those who think adjusting track tention is something best left to a dealer, you can be assured they won't dial in their own clutching. Most owners (not us) never touch a suspension spring adjuster let alone a clicker shock. Agood dealer will take the time to set up the suspension for the primary rider, most won't! People will bab mouth just horrible that sled rides when in truth with 30 seconds of adjustments they would think they were riding on a cloud. YOu get the point. Then there is parts and service....I don't think I have to say any more there. Our local Yami dealer I can still remember when the 1st 700 mmax's came out. He had sold about 15 of these. When he built the sleds out of the crate, he set them up with 15 different clutch set-ups. 1st good snow,they all went to the mountian for a test run day together. At the end of the day one setup was declared the winniner. He told all the rest to bring their sled back to his dealership monday morning and by the end of the day, they were all setup with the right setup. What a guy!!! May he now RIP

 

[Lake Cle Elum]

I rode Yamaha's in the early days (Mid 80's to early 90's). Great engine, but poor suspension and running boards seemed to flex a lot.

Got into Polaris with a couple of used Indy 600's, then a 95 XLT, and had a great 6 years on a '99 RMK 700......Had a budget of $5K last spring, did a lot of looking and research and bought an '04 RMK 800 159 with a SLP pipe, reverse and electric start for $4,700.......I'm well aware of the crank issues....This year is a shake down year....Over the summer, it comes apart for a big bearing kit, trued crank, balanced clutch, etc......

I figure it will last me a long time and my next one will be a 4-stroke. Just waiting for Yamaha to lose weight like all women do when they are newly divorced!!!!!!

I just know I don't like most new machines due to lack of weather protection and storage. Because of that, I'll ride this RMK 800 for many years!!!!!

At 56 years old, I know one thing, I will now always have electric start and reverse......

Nothing against AC, I've had a few for my wife, they just never excited me and the fit around the handlebars always seemed to fit poorly????? Read up on the newer Doo 800's and the engines seem to have a worse rep. than Polaris????????

 

[Steamboat-RN]

I came into this year planning on buying new sleds for the wife and I.

I don't buy a first year anything so that left Doo out. I was a little concerned with the new doo chassis, but the chassis seems to be doing fine.

Cat. They are a pretty solid sled (performance and mechanical wise). Just don't like the "feel" of the sled.

Yamaha. Looked hard at possibly getting the new nytro, just couldn't get past the extra nose weight.

Polaris. Ended up getting 2 polaris sleds. Went off last years performance with the D7. No engine problems and not any real problems with the chassis. I don't like to wrench and I thought Polaris was the way to go. Got the wife a hold over 07 D7 and got myself a 08 700 RMK. Very happy with my choices.

Pretty much ditto on this except for the wife thing. (I swear I don't know Ollie's wife)
My Polaris has been pull and go for over 2000 miles.

 

[Rush44]

I had just moved back from college and I was itching to find a snowmobile for the upcoming season (06-07). I was doing some computer work for a guy in my town and his office was in the back of his shop. As I walked into his shop I noticed a snowmobile under a cover in the back. I asked him if he rode and his response was "some times". He lifted the cover on a 2004 900 1M MC. I jokingly asked if it was for sale and he said "Sure, I don't really even want it".

That night I went online and did some research and asked around about the cat. I got a general thumbs up from the right people and I went back to him with a lowball offer.... and he took it. 8 original miles for $4,500. I got a cover, shop roller stands, and 4 gallons of oil. All in all, I've loved the sled for the price.

 

[bgreen776]

I grew up on a skidoo and a kawasaki, then in H.S. I started riding Cats (a prowler and an EXT), when I got out of college I bought a T-cat and absolutely loved it short of extensive clutch problems and blown belts. I sold that sled when it came time for us to buy our first home and haven't had a sled since. Alot has changed since 2000-2001 so when I decided to get back into sledding I decided to start from scratch, everything is so different now, it wouldn't be logical to base a purchase off brand experience or loyalty.

I decided price would not enter into my decision since this is a hobby and who can put a value on fun? After riding a very heavy tripple I knew I wanted something lighter so my first choice was a Skidoo XP. I looked at them very carefully on the showroom floor and was pretty impressed. This machine fit me better than anything I have ever sat/stood on but after talking to the local Doo mechanics and reading some posts online I decided I'd better give that chassis a few years to have its bugs worked out. I walked right past the Yamaha due to the weight, never even stood on one, they are just too heavy.

My next consideration was the Dragon 800 but couldn't find anything I liked about them more than the M Series Arctic Cat, and being a fairly large fellow at 265 lbs I really wanted a bigger engine than the 800. The ergonomics between the Dragon and the M seemed similar enough that they didnt really play into my decision at all, neither being as good as the Skidoo. (from what I could tell without riding either one) I finally settled on a M1000 Sno Pro. With a 3" bar riser the ergonomics of this machine are quite good for me. Much more comfortable for standing than the used Arctic Cat 1M chassis I bought earlier this season, and almost as good as the skidoo XP.

All the new machines except the Yamaha are pretty attractive to me, but I liked the Cat Diamond Drive, Fox Floats, laydown engine/low CG, and the looks. I also ride with lots of Cats and know lots of people that are "cat" people who will be able to help me should I ever need help with clutching, engine rebuilding, and suspension set up. That knowledge base has always had a lot to do with my "loyalty" to Cats. When your broke down 80 miles from the truck its nice to have friends with knowledge of your machine that are willing to come help. Its also nice when they have a spare belt/clutch/etc that you need at the last minute before a ride.

 

[snowhawkaddict]

Why,

because I live in the now not in the past!

 

[priest lake rmk]

And you wonder why people call you a douche bag.

 

[Jaynelson]

Bought my 800 rev cause,

- Snappy motor
- Awesome suspension
- Most comfortable to ride standing up
- Good deals to be had on 07's

I actually wanted an 07 700 Dragon, which fits most of the same criteria, but there aren't nearly as many around used. Overall I'm very happy with the purchase. Cat's not on the radar for me until they make something more comfortable to ride and put an 800 motor in it with some jam. If I were snowchecking for next year, I'd try an 800 Dragon.....if I didn't like it, just go find another 07 rev.....they're not exactly hard to come by haha

 

[JDKZRT]

Yamaha 4 stroke - because they're gas and go. I don't have the time to fix sh!t and although they may not be the best handling, best riding etc. they ain't that bad.
I've blown one belt on a 4 yr. old sled and I don't even know where the spark plugs are.... and other than an oil change every summer and that one belt, I haven't spent a dime on broken stuff.

(ok, I do know where the plugs are)

 

[MARV1]

Over 1100 miles so far in a month, 900 in the past 2 weeks and no problems yet. Time to do a maintainence check though, and 0 issues so far. Polaris reliability is the norm, so is lower cost in parts which is needed to keep them running for years and years and beyond 10k miles.
Oh, grew up on Polaris also. So have my parents. Sure, we tried other brands but lately always Polaris for me since '89.

 

[Weekday Warrior]

Grew up on Yamaha, love em

didn't sled for 10 years, but wanted to get back into it for 07

looked at Yamaha, really wanted to talk myself into it, decided stock Apex was not going to do it for me

Looked at Polaris, but it didn't fit me either. I wanted more engine, the D7 was all new and not on the snow yet. I think I could be very happy on a Dragon.

Looked at Doo, for some reason I just do not like Doo. Can't put my finger on it but I think it's BRP I didn't like. Their advertising junk rubs me wrong. I also don't trust their reliablity.

Finally decided on Arctic Cat, largely based off the success of the M7 (but now with 100cc more and reverse!) I was sold. I was always biased against Arctic Cat from my ATV experience. It took a bit for me to be convinced to get an M8


Happy with my choice thus far.

 

[Killerk]

I started sledding on a rupp, then a couple polaris sleds, and then cats.
I have always been impressed with the performance/weight of the polaris sleds, but when my buddies and brother were bending trailing arms, and breaking cranks, My cat was still going strong, and could take some serious hits and still survive.
A few of them Wildcat, and t-cat1000 had some issues, but at the time I was working for a cat/polaris dealership as a tech.
After dealing with both companies from a warranty standpoint, I began to loose faith in polaris. Cat always seemed willing to help, and they even warrantied a couple sleds that were almost 10 years old!
I have been impressed with doos performance, and worked with jim may for many years, so I knew I would get good dealer support, but after watching all of the problems and high repair cost of the doos, I just couldn't bring myself to buy one.
In 03 I bought a F-7 and made it a mountain sled... Worked good for what it was, and have put thousands of trouble free miles on it.
That convinced me to stay with cat, but I was unsure about buying a first year sled... So I waited till 08, bought a M1000sp and couldn't be happier.
Honestly the sled is a little heavy, and I would have prefered a option on tracks, but I have been extremely happy, made very few changes, and feel confident that if I have problems, my dealer and cat will be right behind me.

 

[Dogmeat]

The whole reason my family bought the Polaris sleds instead of more Yamahas was the "buy american" mentality.

I'm sno-checking an Arctic Cat for next year to say the least.

heh

 

[Why Not]

I bought an Apex and installed a Boondocker turbo. Why, because last time I checked I only get to live once, and I can't take money with me when I check out.

I learned long ago to never believe what you read or hear. People can write or say what ever they want, and that does not make it fact. I wanted to find out for myself if these sled really are as fun to ride and boondock with as people claim. I was having a hard time believeing a sled that weights as much as it does could really be fun to ride. Now I've done it and I know the facts. I don't have to wonder who to believe when I read the slander threads. Now I know when I hear guys make statements rather their full of $hit or not. Now I know who on this site knows what their talking about.

No I am not brand loyal.