2015 McDoo Gade XRS REVIEW

[cooksend]

I ran trails a good amount with my 2" on my switchback with no scratchers down. As long as you ain't puttin around 20 mph I had no problems with overheating. I did see the overheat light twice, once on super hardpack ice first weekend in december and again when we were doing 25 mph down the bill nichols because it was -15 degrees out. I also ran my 2.4" on trails a little bit but had scratchers down every second of it temp gauge never got about 129 degrees.

So your saying they did more good than bad. They do work very well. Put my scratchers down and I will run 126 to 136 consistently. If on icy conditions or if running when well below zero on set up trails the scratchers help a ton! Trail guys and mountain guys!

 

[momoney2123]

Anyone got one of these bad boys?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiLe-HKUzw8

 

[lenny]

don't have one but they look sweet, put a cat motor in that and we'd probably have a killer sled

 

[indy_500]

Anyone got one of these bad boys?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiLe-HKUzw8

Are we talking about the girl or the sled?

 

[Hoosier]

Are we talking about the girl or the sled?

When he refers to "bad boys" - probably not the girl.

The colors aren't as ugly on the video IMO as they looked in the initial pictures, although I've liked yellow much at all on anything.

Does Doo still have issues with the sealed crank bearings or is that something more in the past? Can you put big miles on their 2 strokes?

 

[lenny]

When he refers to "bad boys" - probably not the girl.

The colors aren't as ugly on the video IMO as they looked in the initial pictures, although I've liked yellow much at all on anything.

Does Doo still have issues with the sealed crank bearings or is that something more in the past? Can you put big miles on their 2 strokes?

depends on what you call big miles. I call big miles 10,000 plus and no, they typically do not go 10,000. You should rebuild these around 7,000. If you DIY a rebuild you can get new pistons, rings, clean up cylinders, gaskets, spec crank, repack bearings for about a grand. The sleds ride like a dream and for many it's worth it. I have always loved the way doo's ride and my good friend "old man Dave" has had many over the years,,,,,,and he is a doo man all the way.

 

[momoney2123]

When he refers to "bad boys" - probably not the girl.

The colors aren't as ugly on the video IMO as they looked in the initial pictures, although I've liked yellow much at all on anything.

Does Doo still have issues with the sealed crank bearings or is that something more in the past? Can you put big miles on their 2 strokes?

there is def no cut and dry number to rebuild at. One sled in my opinion is different than the next. There is nothing wrong with the current 800etec. If your a person looking to own a sled over 10k miles id look more into the 1200 from doo. But doos 4 year B to B warranty with no mileage limit on the 800etec is re assuring. After speaking with an engine builder who builds engines from cat, doo, and poo he said the etec is the hardest engine he has ever been around to burn down. It simply has too many safe gaurds and will go into a limp mode when it senses something wrong like bad fuel or high engine temp or exhaust temp. And it cant be leaned down. Which sux for the guys that want to grass drag. Im not saying the 800etec is perfect but it put a smile on my face the last 3 seasons.

 

[whitedust]

Any warning for bad crank bearing?

 

[momoney2123]

Any warning for bad crank bearing?

I havent seen it..is it possible yea, dont read many even on dootalk. Seen many people with over 15k on sled with no bearing failure posted on dootalk. If your gona rebuild the engine with new pistons ya could just repack the bearings with isoflex. I just purchased a used 800etec engine and took it apart and the crank bearings were beautiful. When I took my old sled last year for the update they also said my crank looked great with no sign of problems. I duno, personally its not a concern for me. If I bought a sled with 7-10k miles I would be looking into tearing it down and checking It out for myself. But in reality any 2s with that many miles will need to be catered to differently than a new sled.

 

[whitedust]

I havent seen it..is it possible yea, dont read many even on dootalk. Seen many people with over 15k on sled with no bearing failure posted on dootalk. If your gona rebuild the engine with new pistons ya could just repack the bearings with isoflex. I just purchased a used 800etec engine and took it apart and the crank bearings were beautiful. When I took my old sled last year for the update they also said my crank looked great with no sign of problems. I duno, personally its not a concern for me. If I bought a sled with 7-10k miles I would be looking into tearing it down and checking It out for myself. But in reality any 2s with that many miles will need to be catered to differently than a new sled.

Lenny's post was a good barometer of exspectation. If doo can get 10K miles out of 800 etec before a refresh that would be good 7K miles not enough but better than most injected 2s these days.

 

[Hoosier]

there is def no cut and dry number to rebuild at. One sled in my opinion is different than the next. There is nothing wrong with the current 800etec. If your a person looking to own a sled over 10k miles id look more into the 1200 from doo. But doos 4 year B to B warranty with no mileage limit on the 800etec is re assuring. After speaking with an engine builder who builds engines from cat, doo, and poo he said the etec is the hardest engine he has ever been around to burn down. It simply has too many safe gaurds and will go into a limp mode when it senses something wrong like bad fuel or high engine temp or exhaust temp. And it cant be leaned down. Which sux for the guys that want to grass drag. Im not saying the 800etec is perfect but it put a smile on my face the last 3 seasons.

I figured 10k would be a good benchmark for 2 stroke. Maybe that's not realistic anymore. How is the 600 compared to the 800? Seems like 600's in general hold up better. I've never liked Doo for whatever reason but it's hard to ignore how much every snowtech magazine seems to drool over them - must be some reason they stay on top year after year...

 

[momoney2123]

I figured 10k would be a good benchmark for 2 stroke. Maybe that's not realistic anymore. How is the 600 compared to the 800? Seems like 600's in general hold up better. I've never liked Doo for whatever reason but it's hard to ignore how much every snowtech magazine seems to drool over them - must be some reason they stay on top year after year...

yea I think no doubt the larger bore will be more proned to an issue. I would say 10k is a good benchmark. The fact is no one knows the percentage that goes over vs not. Riding styles and preventive maintenance playin a big role in longevity along with gasoline and numerous other things that can cause a major issue. I can only speak for the 8-10 800etecs and 5-6 600etecs I have been around riding and not one has missed a beat.

Doo is at the top of its game and I cant imagine what they have waiting in the wings, they are really getting good ROI on these engines and chassis, but given they are still selling like hotcakes and frankly the benchmark for engine and chassis technology they wont release the next generation engine nor chassis until they start losing customers, in my opinion. Unreal how many threads I read on dootalk of people jumping ship the past year. I think you would be crazy not to ride a new r motion equipped etec before buying a new sled...just unbelievably smooth all the way around, and the 800etec keeps getting better and more refined every year.

 

[russholio]

I figured 10k would be a good benchmark for 2 stroke. Maybe that's not realistic anymore. How is the 600 compared to the 800? Seems like 600's in general hold up better. I've never liked Doo for whatever reason but it's hard to ignore how much every snowtech magazine seems to drool over them - must be some reason they stay on top year after year...

Can't speak for Etecs, not having ever owned one.....but my 600 SDI had 10,062 miles on it when I sold it and showed no signs of giving up the ghost. But to be sure, I didn't ride it like I stole it, and stayed on top of the preventative maintenance game as best as I knew how.

 

[lenny]

my concern with ski doo would be they continue to make dumb decisions to use crap parts like Poo does. Doo has a history of ring problem in 03 on HO's, crank problems on 800 r, piston pin on 10-12 800 etec,, what next? Kinda hard to have confidence with a track record like that.

 

[momoney2123]

Tuff denying there hasnt been some mistakes made over the years. But the positives far outweigh the negatives. What they are bringing to the table this year has a pretty good track record. The etecs and 1200 have been around long enough to prove their worth, and the ace models appear to be rock solid. In a proven chassis on the trail and the mountain. **** the re-sale value shows how confident the market is. And the 4 year bumper to bumper, no mileage cap warranty is another reassurance from bombardier.

 

[lenny]

Tuff denying there hasnt been some mistakes made over the years. But the positives far outweigh the negatives. What they are bringing to the table this year has a pretty good track record. The etecs and 1200 have been around long enough to prove their worth, and the ace models appear to be rock solid. In a proven chassis on the trail and the mountain. **** the re-sale value shows how confident the market is. And the 4 year bumper to bumper, no mileage cap warranty is another reassurance from bombardier.

I have 4 year warenty on my machine but that doesn't mean a whole lot in all honesty because when the sled goes down,,,,, it's down. Depending on problem it may be running again soon. On Mr.Freezes summit 800 r the case was junk and he was out of a sled for 6 weeks for whatever reason. You gotta look at the real world here bud. Doo is less reliable than Yamaha and Cat yet Yamaha trails in market share, go figure. I don't say that to defend Yamaha but we can all throw out stats to satisfy our bias. As far as the positives outweighing the negatives, for the loyalists that's true but for the poor sap who got screwed,,,, no way and that happens with all OEM's. We all know doo and poo has has been fighting to see who can lead the market in unreliability. As far as the mountain segment, last season 3 guys on poo's rode the doo t-motion 800 etec mountain (including myself) and we all said the same thing, bigger learning curve not as nimble as a pro. I do not make up crap about my previous sled like they are or were the best, they all were less capable so I had made poor decisions,,who cares. I will however totally agree with you on handling, the doo'a plain rock!!!!! big time!!!!

If doo ever builds a mountain sled better than Poo I will ride a doo, It just doesn't matter to many of us which one it is because we wanna go out there with as least amount of problems and the most amount of fun.

Momoney, I know your gonna come back with more words to continue to say Doo is the best at everything and that's fine but really,,,why?
It's okay to be a loyalists, we all have some bias towards an OEM to some degree but to repeatedly, blatantly throw it out there is nonsense. Sorry bud but if I see a strong bias towards a OEM and think some of it is bogus, I'll call it bogus and that's what I am doing.

4 strokes are 4 strokes and they are in a whole different ballpark. I do agree with you on doo's 4s, good stuff, very good stuff. I wouldn't mind owning one myself.

 

[snobuilder]

there is def no cut and dry number to rebuild at. One sled in my opinion is different than the next. There is nothing wrong with the current 800etec. If your a person looking to own a sled over 10k miles id look more into the 1200 from doo. But doos 4 year B to B warranty with no mileage limit on the 800etec is re assuring. After speaking with an engine builder who builds engines from cat, doo, and poo he said the etec is the hardest engine he has ever been around to burn down. It simply has too many safe gaurds and will go into a limp mode when it senses something wrong like bad fuel or high engine temp or exhaust temp. And it cant be leaned down. Which sux for the guys that want to grass drag. Im not saying the 800etec is perfect but it put a smile on my face the last 3 seasons.

4yr. bumper to bumper warranty on the 800 etec sleds....???....please explain....went to th BRP site and found a 1 year warranty on Doo sleds with an option to BUY at ADDITIONAL cost, at most, another 36 months under there B.E.S.T. plan.

yellow tag deal on leftovers currently gets you an additional 1 year warranty.

 

[eagle1]

4yr. bumper to bumper warranty on the 800 etec sleds....???....please explain....went to th BRP site and found a 1 year warranty on Doo sleds with an option to BUY at ADDITIONAL cost, at most, another 36 months under there B.E.S.T. plan.

yellow tag deal on leftovers currently gets you an additional 1 year warranty.

4yrs was part of their snowcheck offers.

 

[snobuilder]

OK, thanks for clearing that up....to me the 4 yr. warranty line was being thrown out there like it was the normal warranty period....politicians has taught us the fine art a 1/2 truths i guess.....LOL...so if i didn't spring order, doo won't have the confidence to be backin up there 800 for more than a year, eh?....LOL....sounds like they know the 800's track record better than most.

 

[momoney2123]

I have 4 year warenty on my machine but that doesn't mean a whole lot in all honesty because when the sled goes down,,,,, it's down. Depending on problem it may be running again soon. On Mr.Freezes summit 800 r the case was junk and he was out of a sled for 6 weeks for whatever reason. You gotta look at the real world here bud. Doo is less reliable than Yamaha and Cat yet Yamaha trails in market share, go figure. I don't say that to defend Yamaha but we can all throw out stats to satisfy our bias. As far as the positives outweighing the negatives, for the loyalists that's true but for the poor sap who got screwed,,,, no way and that happens with all OEM's. We all know doo and poo has has been fighting to see who can lead the market in unreliability. As far as the mountain segment, last season 3 guys on poo's rode the doo t-motion 800 etec mountain (including myself) and we all said the same thing, bigger learning curve not as nimble as a pro. I do not make up crap about my previous sled like they are or were the best, they all were less capable so I had made poor decisions,,who cares. I will however totally agree with you on handling, the doo'a plain rock!!!!! big time!!!!

If doo ever builds a mountain sled better than Poo I will ride a doo, It just doesn't matter to many of us which one it is because we wanna go out there with as least amount of problems and the most amount of fun.

Momoney, I know your gonna come back with more words to continue to say Doo is the best at everything and that's fine but really,,,why?
It's okay to be a loyalists, we all have some bias towards an OEM to some degree but to repeatedly, blatantly throw it out there is nonsense. Sorry bud but if I see a strong bias towards a OEM and think some of it is bogus, I'll call it bogus and that's what I am doing.

4 strokes are 4 strokes and they are in a whole different ballpark. I do agree with you on doo's 4s, good stuff, very good stuff. I wouldn't mind owning one myself.

cant really compare yamahas 4s engine reliability to our 800 2 strokes. I am not. Is cats 800 more reliable, probably. Its also uses more oil and fuel and is no where as smooth. Would like to see them make a successful direct injected 2s. Which sounds like its coming...C-tec (sounds familiar)? The etec also pulls timing and retards the engine when the water temp is too hit, egts are high, gasoline is poor, to name a few too protect itself. Do cats do that? I mean the summit has won mountain sled of the year in some peoples eyes the last few years. Everyone knows the pro is prolly the best mountain chassis at the moment. But its not just the chassis that completes a sled. I hope poos new 800ho is awesome...I really doo. It will raise the bar if its what its cracked up to be performance wise. But doo is still the only one direct injected sipping fuel and oil in 800cc 2s. It kinda puts them in the league of their own.

If you want to see a true reliability test from a yamaha viper and all the issues it gave a guy on dootalk named yellowknife. You can view his whole season on youtube. It is extreme conditions but shows many issues. Especially the fit and finish and below minus 25 the sled would never start even with a custom installed primer. This guy should be a tester. Ive watched many of those episodes in the past year....def cold and cool to watch as that is wayyyy up north.

http://youtu.be/onMbSfsDGpI