What's been your experience with Ski Doo 1200 4 stroke?? Good? Bad?
- Thread starter dickmsp
- Start date
I have a 2012 Renegade 4-stroke.
BEST machine I have EVER owned.
Took a little while to get "used to" the differences,...
ie: quietness, super torque, continuous smile on my face,....
They came out with a "quieter" clutch in '13 but mine is just fine.
Love the sled.
My .02 worth
BEST machine I have EVER owned.
Took a little while to get "used to" the differences,...
ie: quietness, super torque, continuous smile on my face,....
They came out with a "quieter" clutch in '13 but mine is just fine.
Love the sled.
My .02 worth
Brothers got a 2012 GSX 137" and loves it , no problems of any kind. Ive put 50/60 miles on it and it is one fast , comfy , long haul , ripping sled .. Motor pulls like a fright train hard to red line and got 106 on GPS on a slightly packed lake last winter. Other then fire roads in the UP i wouldnt go off trail to much , at least not boon docking .. Just way to heavy to get on stuck .....
craze1cars
New member
My more recent sled history: 2007 Yamaha Attak, 2008 Polaris Switchback 700, 2010 Renegade Adrenaline 1200. All purchased new.
I'm keeping this 1200 for a while, it is SOOO much better than the other 2 sleds were. And my brother test-rode mine for a while and he's preparing to snowcheck a 2014 1200 Gade X because he liked mine so much...
I've currently got about 4000 miles of very aggressive UP trail riding on my 1200, and probably 15% of my time doing off-trail powerline/pipeline playing in the UP. It does very very well. ESPECIALLY on the trails. As stated, its OK for boondocking, but not great. Frankly I think it's even a little better than the Switchback was though, but only after I made a few mods.
As for reliability problems, it did leave me stranded one day with electrical gremlin 2 years ago, random shut-offs while going down the trail...about 30 shut-offs in 10 miles. In the end I finally found the problem...a loose ground bolt. Tightened it and never again had a problem. And this year I found a minor coolant leak. Tightened a hose. Fixed. I've been beating the snot out of it too. And some mods. Aftermarket Powerblock 80 clutch (the 09 thru 12 TRA clutches were not good on these machines, but seemingly resolved with 13 and up E-drive clutch), I also have a header to add about 10 hp and I've gutted/modded my factory muffler for more flow, and changed to a Cobra track and Slydog Powderhound skis.
It likes the mods and it rips. SNEAKY quiet and fast. Zero to 80 it's the fastest sled I've ever owned, pulls like you would not believe. Hits between 100 to 110 on speedo consistently on railroad grades and packed lakes without breaking a sweat (assuming good conditions). Gets between 12 and 18 mpg depending on how seriously I beat on it all day. Smooooth. No vibration. Remember the silky pull of the 2 stroke triples? The 1200 is indeed a triple...and an even smooooother and quieter one than any of the previous 2 stroke triples were. Never drinks a drop of oil, no odor, no smoke, no reason to even open a hood or side panel on a typical 1000 mile trip...gas and go, with the cheapest 87 octane ethanol blend I can find...it doesn't care. Change the oil once a year at home on a beautiful spring day and ignore it the rest of the year. Starts right up after sitting out during a -30 degree night.
The engine is a rock. Go on Dootalk and get more info. I am very active over there, and I recall reading of ONE engine failure on a 1200. Just one. And even on that one, with about 4K miles I think and a full 1.5 years out of warranty, Doo stepped up and provided parts for free...owner only had to pay labor.
Now start looking at Dootalk for 2 stroke engine failures and read for pages and pages of complaints...
Obviously No sled is totally trouble-free. Seems some of the 1200's suffer from a few electrical gremlins...a few stators and wiring issues. But these complaints seem to be very rare. There were some minor growing pains with the 2009's (first model year, and it was mostly a few bolt-ons like water pumps...not the engine iteself), but after that they redesigned a couple things and they've really been solid ever since.
I just can't say enough good about it. I'm still on a 2010 model, and the 2014's were just introduced. If I were forced to buy a new sled today it would definitely be a 13 or 14 Renegade 1200 (identical, they didn't make a single change between these 2 years)...i kinda think of it as the BMW 5 series of snowmobiles...or a Cadillac CTS-V maybe? It's just smooth, quiet, high performance thrust and flat-as-rails cornering...the ultimate luxury muscle-sled. It'll lose to the 800's in a top speed race, but otherwise I feel it's just as strong as they are zero to 80. Motor-wise I consider it to be a strong 700 class sled, if you were to compare to 2 strokes.
Incidentally, this motor BEGS for a long track. I think it doesn't belong in a shorty at all unless you never want to hook up and get traction. Just way too much torque. Get a Gade, or the 137" GSX luxury version (SE or LE I can't remember?), or even a 2-up if you really want the power to get to the ground.
I'm keeping this 1200 for a while, it is SOOO much better than the other 2 sleds were. And my brother test-rode mine for a while and he's preparing to snowcheck a 2014 1200 Gade X because he liked mine so much...
I've currently got about 4000 miles of very aggressive UP trail riding on my 1200, and probably 15% of my time doing off-trail powerline/pipeline playing in the UP. It does very very well. ESPECIALLY on the trails. As stated, its OK for boondocking, but not great. Frankly I think it's even a little better than the Switchback was though, but only after I made a few mods.
As for reliability problems, it did leave me stranded one day with electrical gremlin 2 years ago, random shut-offs while going down the trail...about 30 shut-offs in 10 miles. In the end I finally found the problem...a loose ground bolt. Tightened it and never again had a problem. And this year I found a minor coolant leak. Tightened a hose. Fixed. I've been beating the snot out of it too. And some mods. Aftermarket Powerblock 80 clutch (the 09 thru 12 TRA clutches were not good on these machines, but seemingly resolved with 13 and up E-drive clutch), I also have a header to add about 10 hp and I've gutted/modded my factory muffler for more flow, and changed to a Cobra track and Slydog Powderhound skis.
It likes the mods and it rips. SNEAKY quiet and fast. Zero to 80 it's the fastest sled I've ever owned, pulls like you would not believe. Hits between 100 to 110 on speedo consistently on railroad grades and packed lakes without breaking a sweat (assuming good conditions). Gets between 12 and 18 mpg depending on how seriously I beat on it all day. Smooooth. No vibration. Remember the silky pull of the 2 stroke triples? The 1200 is indeed a triple...and an even smooooother and quieter one than any of the previous 2 stroke triples were. Never drinks a drop of oil, no odor, no smoke, no reason to even open a hood or side panel on a typical 1000 mile trip...gas and go, with the cheapest 87 octane ethanol blend I can find...it doesn't care. Change the oil once a year at home on a beautiful spring day and ignore it the rest of the year. Starts right up after sitting out during a -30 degree night.
The engine is a rock. Go on Dootalk and get more info. I am very active over there, and I recall reading of ONE engine failure on a 1200. Just one. And even on that one, with about 4K miles I think and a full 1.5 years out of warranty, Doo stepped up and provided parts for free...owner only had to pay labor.
Now start looking at Dootalk for 2 stroke engine failures and read for pages and pages of complaints...
Obviously No sled is totally trouble-free. Seems some of the 1200's suffer from a few electrical gremlins...a few stators and wiring issues. But these complaints seem to be very rare. There were some minor growing pains with the 2009's (first model year, and it was mostly a few bolt-ons like water pumps...not the engine iteself), but after that they redesigned a couple things and they've really been solid ever since.
I just can't say enough good about it. I'm still on a 2010 model, and the 2014's were just introduced. If I were forced to buy a new sled today it would definitely be a 13 or 14 Renegade 1200 (identical, they didn't make a single change between these 2 years)...i kinda think of it as the BMW 5 series of snowmobiles...or a Cadillac CTS-V maybe? It's just smooth, quiet, high performance thrust and flat-as-rails cornering...the ultimate luxury muscle-sled. It'll lose to the 800's in a top speed race, but otherwise I feel it's just as strong as they are zero to 80. Motor-wise I consider it to be a strong 700 class sled, if you were to compare to 2 strokes.
Incidentally, this motor BEGS for a long track. I think it doesn't belong in a shorty at all unless you never want to hook up and get traction. Just way too much torque. Get a Gade, or the 137" GSX luxury version (SE or LE I can't remember?), or even a 2-up if you really want the power to get to the ground.
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I own 3 of them and up until now I never had a problem. Seems my 09 with over 6000 miles has a Stator out and that was a known problem with the 09 seeing it was the 1st year. I should have sold it and not listened to my Wife. She likes it because it has Studs in the Track.
I sold my last 2 stroke last fall. I may try a 900 next time, but it will not be a 2014. Someone else can test the 1st year 900s before I buy one.
I sold my last 2 stroke last fall. I may try a 900 next time, but it will not be a 2014. Someone else can test the 1st year 900s before I buy one.
I agree with all the points that Craze1Cars made above. It's a fantastic trail sled and performs fine off-trail for me.
I've got 6.9 skis, RPM skid plate & a-arm protectors, stabilizer bar quick disconnect and an Ice Attack 1.375" track. For the forest roads, 2 tracks & meadows we ride in/on occasionally it works pretty well. Boondocking, not so much. LOL
It is a great machine for overnight "back pack" trips. Not having to worry about carrying oil or getting bad gas and burning down a 2-stroke is really nice. 87 octane saves a lot of money in the north woods. Heck, this motor does not even need the valves checked until 12,400miles. I'd already be looking at a 2nd rebuild for my older 800ptek. I've heard the 800etec is good for around 8k miles and then it should be looked at.
My 2011 now has 8,700miles on it and has performed flawlessly except one thing...
The only problem I have is with the TRA4 primary. It dropped a roller (cotter) pin failure at 3,500miles. Replaced governor cup, ramps, arms, rollers, buttons & O-rings (covered by the factory).
It's been fine since but rattles like a tin can full of nuts and I replace o-rings every 2k miles to quiet it down a bit. I'll be adding a PB80 or e-drive2 this summer.
I've got (3) close friends that have now gone to the 1200. All coming from 800's of various brands. Once I let them take mine for an hour out on a ride, they were smitten and replaced there sleds within a year.
Go try one, and you will see for yourself what a great trail sled this 1200 is.
I've got 6.9 skis, RPM skid plate & a-arm protectors, stabilizer bar quick disconnect and an Ice Attack 1.375" track. For the forest roads, 2 tracks & meadows we ride in/on occasionally it works pretty well. Boondocking, not so much. LOL
It is a great machine for overnight "back pack" trips. Not having to worry about carrying oil or getting bad gas and burning down a 2-stroke is really nice. 87 octane saves a lot of money in the north woods. Heck, this motor does not even need the valves checked until 12,400miles. I'd already be looking at a 2nd rebuild for my older 800ptek. I've heard the 800etec is good for around 8k miles and then it should be looked at.
My 2011 now has 8,700miles on it and has performed flawlessly except one thing...
The only problem I have is with the TRA4 primary. It dropped a roller (cotter) pin failure at 3,500miles. Replaced governor cup, ramps, arms, rollers, buttons & O-rings (covered by the factory).
It's been fine since but rattles like a tin can full of nuts and I replace o-rings every 2k miles to quiet it down a bit. I'll be adding a PB80 or e-drive2 this summer.
I've got (3) close friends that have now gone to the 1200. All coming from 800's of various brands. Once I let them take mine for an hour out on a ride, they were smitten and replaced there sleds within a year.
Go try one, and you will see for yourself what a great trail sled this 1200 is.
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I can't say enough about the 1200 4 tec. Reliable, easy oil & filter changes, quiet running, tons of torque, and I get 15 miles per gallon on regular octane. Giddyup!
tundra ron
New member
I want to see how they do with 10000 to 20000 miles on them.I am a yamaha guy I just started riding a 2010 vector great sled my old sled was 06 venture it had 16000 miles on it never let me in the woods.I do like 3 cylinder four stroke sleds perfect motors.
craze1cars
New member
quite a few over 10K on Dootalk. Many are former Yamaha owners, few have any desire to go back...
And I owned a Yamaha 4 stroke Attak myself. i liked it a lot. And I like Doo's 4 stroke sled better. But I didn't have the big miles on either of them like you're asking about.
In my opinion Doo equaled Yamaha on their reliability and performance, and bested them by putting the motor in a lighter and far superior chassis to what Yamaha offers. The Doo is just easier to ride and smoother...and quieter. And COMPLETELY out of the ballpark if you go off trail. Attak was just a freaking tank. Though the new YamahaCat will be interesting to see how that blend works out. Might be very similar to 1200, i dunno.
And now Doo's offering the 600 and 900 ACE. I'm thinking Doo is the new king of 4 strokes to be real honest...knocking Yamaha off their throne.
And as you can see by my previous 3 sleds (Yami, Polaris, Doo), I'm NOT a brand loyal person...I'm open minded and just honestly buy and run whatever I feel is best at shopping time...
And I owned a Yamaha 4 stroke Attak myself. i liked it a lot. And I like Doo's 4 stroke sled better. But I didn't have the big miles on either of them like you're asking about.
In my opinion Doo equaled Yamaha on their reliability and performance, and bested them by putting the motor in a lighter and far superior chassis to what Yamaha offers. The Doo is just easier to ride and smoother...and quieter. And COMPLETELY out of the ballpark if you go off trail. Attak was just a freaking tank. Though the new YamahaCat will be interesting to see how that blend works out. Might be very similar to 1200, i dunno.
And now Doo's offering the 600 and 900 ACE. I'm thinking Doo is the new king of 4 strokes to be real honest...knocking Yamaha off their throne.
And as you can see by my previous 3 sleds (Yami, Polaris, Doo), I'm NOT a brand loyal person...I'm open minded and just honestly buy and run whatever I feel is best at shopping time...
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L
lenny
Guest
great post, I have a friend who loves Doos and is considering one. I'll get this thread to him if he hasn't seen it already.
About a month ago my friend and I rode a couple "rental" sleds from our favorite Keweenaw dealer. One sled was an 06 yamaha Apex closing in on 10k miles, the other was an 09 ski doo TNT 1200 with roughly 3700 miles. We rode 400 miles in 2 days switching sleds back and forth, it was no comparison, hands down the Apex with close to 10k miles was a much better sled. Solid, powerful, great handling, very comfortable ride; I could not believe it had the miles it did. The 1200 got the same fuel mileage, and it made good power, but the handling on this particular sled was terrible (this was due in part to previous owners setup with C&A pro skis that were too aggressive for the short lug track). Overall, to me ,the Doo just didn't feel like a solid sled , even with the low mileage, and the Yamaha seemed to be on another level.
Stack
Stack
rocketman356
New member
Yaa got to be kidding,,,Rode with those yammies and can pass them while they are bouncing all over the place and where doing 70 smooth
rocketman356
New member
The only thing that Doo needs is boost,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,did that and hang on
Go with the E-drive clutch & who knows might pick up a few mpg & few poines too don't know for sure 1st year clutch but sorely needed. I agree with everything Craze1Cars posted but never saw more than 15mpg with the GSX with TRA clutch. Like all doos GSX handles very well but would recomend 137 track over 121 & performance 4s need at least 128 to hook up broad powerband. I like the mods Craze1Cars did to get a few more ponies but I'm used to 150ish hp Yamaha Attak so not willing to give up the poines for 1200. The doo 1200 the Nytro 4s all in upper 130s & just wish OEMs would take them to 145 -150 hp on regular gas & I would buy a new sled. Craze1Cars got there via mods but I would like to see the hp increase from stock. I never did buy 1200 but always struggled GSX or Gade don't like lack of hooks on GSX but did like adjustable bars, airshock & mirrors so never quite got there.
craze1cars
New member
I'll guess your arms got pretty tired riding that machine? And probably quite a bit of darting and fishtailing? I think you nailed the problem...those skis on a shortie. Plus who the heck knows how the suspension was set up if the sled wasn't yours. As I stated, I don't think this motor belongs in a short track. For 2 reasons actually...lack of traction I mentioned, but also weight/traction imbalance...I think it's just too heavy of a motor to not be counter-weighted by a little extra weight and bite out back to assist with handling. And aggressive skis like C & A's would be an AWFUL idea for this machine in both a Gade and/or shorty, unless you're a pro weight lifter. So that just sounds like you rode a very poorly set up sled. Most likely with the original old rattly TRA clutch that makes the sled sound like it's coming apart and built like crap...just keep in mind that sled was likely not a good representation of the 1200's now on the market...
But everyone has different likes and desires, I fully respect that.
If the 1200 has one problem that is repeated often on Dootalk, and I experienced it too, it's heavy steering...particularly for lighter weight riders. It can just be hard to turn the handlebars and takes muscle to do it. It took me some ski experimentation and a great amount of suspension adjustment to finally dial most of it out. The Slydog skis helped more than anything I adjusted. A newer Yamaha with their power steering will be superior in this aspect, no question. And even my older non-power steering Attak was easier to steer than the 1200 was. But it can be fixed. And going to aggressive C & A skis is certainly NOT the answer to that problem...I fully expect they would make it worse. It all depends on rider weight, stud setup, suspension setup, and a bunch of other variables, but generically speaking, the heavy 1200 front end stays VERY planted and doesn't ever push, and therefore would NOT benefit from very aggressive skis...they would only make it bite harder and be difficult to steer.
Keep in mind too that Doo upgraded rear suspensions substantially starting in 2012 for shorties and 2013 for Gades. Earlier ones have SC-5. Newer ones have R-motion. This, along with the clutch thing, should make a big shopping question for those considering a used sled. Most state the newer R-motion is the better of the two in most all conditions, particularly smaller "end-of-saturday" type moguls on otherwise groomed trails. I haven't ridden an R-motion yet so I can't comment...but I find my obsolete SC-5 Gade, even with the cheap throwaway Adrenaline shocks, to be extremely smooth already, so I'm really looking forward to trying brother's new 2014 Gade X next season, with better shocks AND r-motion, to see if it's even better, as many say it is...
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