Doo 4-strokes?

[marksinnc]

Need some help.....Keep in mind that I ride 95% trails...

If I was to move up from an MXZ600carb, would it make more sense to go with a used 1200 or jump to a 900ACE? The 1200 would be a 121, where the 900ACE would likely be a Renegade (1st) OR 120 (2nd)? Would The 900ACE be better suited with a 121?

Has anyone purchased a 900ACE and wish they had gotten a Renegade; or vice versa?

I absolutely love the machine I have, its just getting long in the tooth, and with what little time we have to ride each year, I hate to make the wrong decision, lose a bunch of money by trying to get back to the sled (and enjoyment) I had.

 

[whitedust]

1200 137 track needed for hook up any 4s in the 135 hp zone ....900 Ace ok at 120 .... I would not want Ace at 137 & 90hp or at 121 for that matter just does not appeal to me. Configurations based on 2015 specs no idea what is coming in 16 could change with ACE turbo & 128 track. 137 track will always bridge stutters better than 120 ....I'm never going back to 120 with 4s maybe 128 but 136 always better can do more things well the longer you go. To me 120- 121 tracks on the way out only good for banging & racing of little use for me

 

[bigvin]

Marksinnc:

Just my opinion~

I only ride trails. I love all makes (really do) I switched over to doo in '05 because the rider forward feel
was more comfortable for me (and james bond told me too at the time,..) anyway,..
In 2012 I went from the 600 Renegade to the 1200 4-stroke Renegade,... oh boy,... In my opinion,...
you will never want another sled. In 2013 they came out with an even quieter clutch,..awesome.
I am a very large dude,.. and the extra leg room and ride,..made the original rider forward design feel
ancient,... and you will appreiciate the 137" over the 121" over the studders anyday. period.
900ACE is GREAT,... but you should TRY them both to be sure before you buy.
If you are small,... you may not need the torque of the 1200. cuz baby does it have torque!
Quiet too.
Me Likey!

Just wish I had snow locally.
If you are going Doo,...
Go Renegade Package,...

When I win the lottery,... I am going to buy all 4 brands!
blonde, brown hair, brunette, red head!

 

[440_chazz]

I have a 1200 and have tried the 900ACE. I love the 1200, it is a torque monster from 0 to 60. I bought a 4 stroke Doo because I heard a lot of people rave about how it handles well in the twisties, produces good speed and acceleration and not having to worry about burn downs. From my experience, it really has a planted feel to it. It responds to my body movement and steers to where I want it to steer. I can't complain, however the 1200 does not have the nimbleness and flick-ability of a two stroke which is what you sacrifice by going 4 stroke. Unfortunately it is a pig on gas for me. I get 12 mpg to 15 mpg. I have never gotten 18 with it that ski doo claims it gets.

I have tried the 900ACE and the comparison between that and the 1200 is that the 900 is like a 500 two stroke and the 1200 is like a 700 two stroke. Going to the 900 ACE, it has a lot of torque in standard and sport mode and you hold on tight from 0 to 50. It tops out between 80 and 90 depending on conditions. One thing that I have found annoying is that on rough trails, sport mode is way to too touchy on that electronic throttle. Every bump I hit, my thumb was moving the flipper and it responded to that movement jerking the sled. So in washed up trails, switch to standard mode.

As far as track length, its debatable. People in my group claim that you lose handling going 136, but from my experience on both 120 and 136 I can't tell, both are good.

 

[marksinnc]

Thanks for taking the time guys, all valid points. My main fear is the 1200 is too much power for the shorter track, and the longer track would drag the ACE down. I guess we'll see what the 23rd holds for the 2016's.

 

[skidont]

I have the 900 ACE renegade and will not go away from the 900 as long as I continue to ride but I will be going back to a short track . I like the better cornering of the shorter track in the wooded trails , more playful

 

[Go Fast or Go Home]

I have both.

I would go 1200 Renegade (137") Outstanding trail sled. To much power for a 120" track.

If your decision is the 900 ACE then go with the 120" track and put about 84 studs in it. Rear end is a little twitchy without.

 

[snobuilder]

Where is dothedoo?

If you get the ace9.....just stay away from any sort of straight up drag race with a 600 2 stroke....or a 500 either.
I hear they is great fuel misers though.

 

[dothedoo]

The 900 is a better all around sled than the 1200, as long as you have no interest in drag racing. Although, you can go over to DTalk and you'll get all kinds of guys telling you how the 900 hangs with 600's or even the 1200 up to 60-70mph. They're completely high. But trail riding?.....if you keep up to your buddies on whatever you ride now, you'll keep up to them on the 900.

The 1200 looks like it will be in XS plastic next year, so that sharpens it up a bit.

Fuel economy seems like it's always 20+ on the 900. It's just a great sled.

 

[snobuilder]

The 900 DOES keep up.....no doubt.
Nice sled!

 

[machzdoo]

marksinnc
I have the 1200 120 and do not have any problems with the track. I also had a MachZ 1000 short track. and loved the power. The MachZ had way more power than the 1200 without any problems. I do not use studs on either sled. If I were to buy a new sled I think I would buy the gade just because of the smoother ride over the bumps. Just my opinion.
Machzdoo

 

[gary_in_neenah]

Pretty much everything above is "spot on". I have the 1200 in the TNT package and love everything about it. The engine is so quiet all you hear is the wind at higher speeds. Incredible Torque and the Engine Braking, once mastered, helps with the cornering. You already know that the 900 will be better on gas, I've seen them on the trails and they're very quiet, clean, and smooth running. I think you'll be pleased with either choice, have fun picking out your next sled.

 

[67rs]

2015 tnt 1200 120 love it hooks up just fine smooth power great ride no problem in the bumps 1400 miles on it since mid jan you won't be sorry

 

[timo]

i think the whole idea of getting a longer track to bridge the gaps is hog wash.
give me the 120 with the rmotin and you won't be able to tell if its a 120 or 136.

not to mention you can throw the 120 thru the twisty's alot easier.

 

[600skidoo]

Not that it is a deal breaker but I went from a 04 600sdi to a 2009 1200 TNT.

Big surprise when insuring the 1200. The 04 600 was $115 a year the 09 1200 is $275 same coverage, if the 09 was a 600 it would be $170. So $105 extra for the 1200. They claim the 1200 4tec is a high performance engine.

In comparison my Harley Ultra is $300 a year, hard to insure the Ski Doo for the 500mi a year I get to put on it.

 

[momoney2123]

i would say after riding short tracks my whole life until this year, the 137 most definentaly is nicer over the bumps, in my opinion. And to be honest it goes around a corner much better than I expected. Could i get a 120 around the corner faster, yes. But the 137 is no slouch especially with the 15 inch wide track. I suspect I wont be buying a short track ever again. I think the pro's of the 137 much outway the pro's of the 120.

As far as engines/chassis if you like power, the 1200 is the clear choice. If you like a little lighter steering and can sacrifice power for fuel economy, then 900ace would probably be a better choice. Also a PB80 really wakes each one of these sleds up in comparison to stock form if you feel the need for more. But as you said I would wait 4 more days to see what MY2016 brings before pulling the trigger. If 1200 gets a face lift with ITC, lighter weight and some more ponies, you can bet there will be a lof of nice barely used 1200 XR's on the market.

 

[Attak man]

i think the whole idea of getting a longer track to bridge the gaps is hog wash.
give me the 120 with the rmotin and you won't be able to tell if its a 120 or 136.

not to mention you can throw the 120 thru the twisty's alot easier.

I disagree with you...with a 4 stroke there are some benefits to a longer track...I can't speak for ski-doo...but my XTX (and my Attak before it)...both ride better than the shorter apex/vector 121s..and the traction of the longer track matches the 4 stroke torque really really well...I can walk the shorter track apexes with my xtx...you would think with a longer track it would be slower...but that's not the case...and with the EPS and tipped rails on mine...I have very little issue with tight twisties...you hardly notice the length at all....my buddy loves his GSX 1200 (with the longer track).

 

[whitedust]

Yep pretty much think 120 hp & up 4s will be on 128-129 tracks. 90hp Ace 4s not so much ok on 120 track go longer if you like but not necessary for hook up.

 

[fredster]

Coming from an older MXZ600 carb, if you were satisfied with the power get the Ace 900. I moved my wife from a Pol Classic 600 to the Renegade Adrenaline Ace 900 this year and it's been great. I have ridden the sled for a few days with my son on his Vector, we don't ride slow and I'm coming off a Yamaha Rage with 120HP and plenty of torque. The biggest change I notice is at 70-80 I'm running 3/4 or more throttle versus 1/2. So I'm using a lot more of the available throttle, but keeping up with him just fine. Yes it doesn't top end at 95-100, it's about 10MPH less than that, but rarely do you run more than 80 for long stretches anyways, and the 900 will run at WOT all day long without a single complaint. My only complaint is that passing someone on a railroad grade is not as immediate because the reserve isn't there, but again, it doesn't happen often and I just need to plan ahead.

The short track MXZ will have a 4-5 more MPH on the top end than the Renegade 137, and of course the 137 will bridge the bumps a bit. You can expect 18-20MPG in fast riding and 22-23 riding moderately. The 1200 won't touch these numbers. When riding with my son he was getting 15-16 and I was getting 19-20. Wife's been getting 22+.

If Skidoo can bump the 900's HP from 97 to about 110 without hurting the MPG's too much it will be just about perfect.

 

[heckler56]

I have a 2011 1200 Gade (137). For trail riding it handles the bumps very well. I installed the PB80 and it spools up to 80mph very quick and cruses with no problem. Off trail you don't want to get it stuck. My vote is definitely to have a 4 stoke and min 137 track.