Here's the New 2017 Ski Doo's

[snobuilder]

I tend to obsess over snowmobiles and the new releases. That being said, I also have not had much interest in becoming a Doo owner....I tend to swim against the tide against the trendy.
Past decade had me on the 4 st. Yamahas.
When the new AXYS 800 rolled out, I believed the hype and bought in. I am not disappointed. Love the sled but miss the smoothness of the 4 st.
Now this new 850 is huge on my radar screen.
Unless Poo or Yamaha shock the world next week, I might be changing my underwear color again.

 

[Hoosier]

The only thing I question is...the "as reliable as a 4 stroke claim"...IMO that has yet to be determined, and really a marketing hype thing that I'm sure we will hear parroted repeatedly by the yellow underwear wearing crowd....I give ski-doo credit for sticking to their guns...they really could have produced an excellent HYPER POWER 4 stroke...but they chose not to, because it would disrupt their big bore two stroke sales.
I can say a lot of Yamaha guys were (and some still are) waiting to see what comes out Monday...if ski-doo had put out a high power 4 stroke (turbo..etc)....I know quite a few Yamaha guys that would have jumped ship...and I know lots of ski-doo 4 stroke guys are not happy right now....to ski-doo, 4 strokes almost seem an after thought....they could have totally dominated the market with a new Mach Z 4 stroke....especially if Yamaha drops the apex in the future...For as many happy folks at dootalk...there's a lot of grumbling too.

Where did you see "as reliable as a 4 stroke"? That's just plain nuts. Seems like the Cat 800 is the only 2 stroke you don't hear grumbling about, and that's because it still uses gas and oil.

 

[tsg]

Another thread where it sure would be nice for once to stay on point; the 2017 Ski doo lineup. No need to bring up prior problems (800 motors of Polaris or Doo), bash other brands, 2 vs 4 discussions, etc... Those with ADD and ODD (opinion deficit disorder, new one) just cannot resist. I do not post much, but read often. Hopefully when the other brands come out, their threads will be more focused on the actual topic. Rip me if you want, but the truth hurts.

 

[Cirrus_Driver]

Right, I mean really, WTH, it was about Ski-Doo's. Don't like it, start your other Mfg thread. Fact is Mo has numbers on his side as Doo sells 5X more units than Yam - numbers don't lie do they?
Market share guess-timate: 40-Doo; 33-Poo; 20-AC; 7-Yam. Flame away

 

[Attak man]

Where did you see "as reliable as a 4 stroke"? That's just plain nuts. Seems like the Cat 800 is the only 2 stroke you don't hear grumbling about, and that's because it still uses gas and oil.

I honestly saw it in the promo literature

 

[journeyman]

Theres a whole video on the 850 etec on facebook west coast sledders. The best 2 stroke engine to ever be produced just got better!!!! And more powerful! Good day!!

LOL!! The best hmmm, to be honest Olav Aaen told me right to my face he felt the best 2 stroke motor ever produced was the redhead 700 3 cylinder Yamaha. He used that motor in his summer test track go kart for testing new clutches and clutch parts. Said he literally beat the tar out of that motor and never once had a failure. I don't think we can argue that Olav knows his motors.

 

[journeyman]

800 mxz is a great sled to ride while its running but history says its not if its going to break its when, fact just go to craigs list and read about the 800 for sale, Then check out adds for Yamaha Apex theirs a clear winner here in miles ridden and lack of rebuilds or
engine work[/QUOTE

14,368 miles on my Apex 136 and PLENTY more miles to go. Pretty much why I own one. Very good power and turn key reliability, that's all I want. It might not suit everyone but it sure suits me, but that's why we have choices.

There are only 4 brands left and they all have their positives and negatives.

 

[whitedust]

To me it is interesting that doo is comparing the 850 2s to a 4s engine reliability. I just can't get my head around that & using RAVE as well. RAVE that does not need constant cleaning & service how does that compare to 4s tech? Doo has stepped outside the 2s box with 850 tech that is for sure but will new 2s engine materials compare to 4s proven robust performance for 20 to 50K mile+ performance? To me it will take a very long time for that to be a proven fact. Maybe Nick Keller will take doo on?.....I sure would like to see that & seeing is believing. I'll have an open mind about the 850 give it time to prove itself but I do have doubts regarding the new tech.

 

[momoney2123]

LOL!! The best hmmm, to be honest Olav Aaen told me right to my face he felt the best 2 stroke motor ever produced was the redhead 700 3 cylinder Yamaha. He used that motor in his summer test track go kart for testing new clutches and clutch parts. Said he literally beat the tar out of that motor and never once had a failure. I don't think we can argue that Olav knows his motors.

There is no doubt that engine is legendary. One of my personal favorites ,for a 700 would always give mach Z 800 triples a run for there money.

 

[Admin]

There is no doubt that engine is legendary. One of my personal favorites ,for a 700 would always give mach Z 800 triples a run for there money.

There you go buddy, nice post and glad to see you back on track.

-John

 

[journeyman]

There is no doubt that engine is legendary. One of my personal favorites ,for a 700 would always give mach Z 800 triples a run for there money.

I think you mean the SRX 700 triple/triple. (blue hood), they were fast.

The redhead 700 was the non power valved single pipe motor, came first in the Red Hooded VMax 700SX in 1997 which later blended into the SX700R. You could buy aftermarket triples for it and that is how Olav ran it. Good engine for the trails but in no way was it as fast as the SRX triple/triple.

I had the redhead 700 in my 2001 SX700R, was my favorite 2 stroke I owned. It was replaced from the line in 2002 when the 2 stroke 700 Viper came out which was in essence a snuffed down SRX being it had a single pipe but a very similar motor.

 

[ss440]

To me it is interesting that doo is comparing the 850 2s to a 4s engine reliability. I just can't get my head around that & using RAVE as well. RAVE that does not need constant cleaning & service how does that compare to 4s tech? Doo has stepped outside the 2s box with 850 tech that is for sure but will new 2s engine materials compare to 4s proven robust performance for 20 to 50K mile+ performance? To me it will take a very long time for that to be a proven fact. Maybe Nick Keller will take doo on?.....I sure would like to see that & seeing is believing. I'll have an open mind about the 850 give it time to prove itself but I do have doubts regarding the new tech.

I hope the 850 is a home run, Im not 4 stroker, I have to have a flickable light sled. The 850 will push poo and cat to develop better 2s engines as well. Long live the 2s!

 

[rv245]

My son and I just got back from him snow checking a 2017 Doo. It was between the Gade 850X or Gade XRS 800. The price difference between the 2 was just over $600 with the XRS on the higher end. He went with the XRS for the following reasons, better shocks and track. Another reason was proven XS chassis and motor. He figured ride it for 2 or 3 years then upgrade. He took the extra year warranty also. Now granted the 850 sounds like a very good motor and the G4 chassis to boot. But he feels to give it a year or 2 to get all the bugs if any worked out. He can still switch at we go to the sled show in March.

 

[snobuilder]

My son and I just got back from him snow checking a 2017 Doo. It was between the Gade 850X or Gade XRS 800. The price difference between the 2 was just over $600 with the XRS on the higher end. He went with the XRS for the following reasons, better shocks and track. Another reason was proven XS chassis and motor. He figured ride it for 2 or 3 years then upgrade. He took the extra year warranty also. Now granted the 850 sounds like a very good motor and the G4 chassis to boot. But he feels to give it a year or 2 to get all the bugs if any worked out. He can still switch at we go to the sled show in March.

You are kidding, right?

 

[whitedust]

I hope the 850 is a home run, Im not 4 stroker, I have to have a flickable light sled. The 850 will push poo and cat to develop better 2s engines as well. Long live the 2s!

Shoot I'll come back to 2s if the 850 performs like a 4s turn the key gas & go for lets say 30K miles life time...Of course oil needs to be added but I would not mind that. I never have seen RAVE that did not need to be cleaned or does not operate correctly. I have no idea why the RAVE needs to be there would need a lot less attention without it makes me worry about a weak point that I need to watch. 4s don't need plugs changed very often never seen a 2s that doesn't need plugs changed constantly at least each season. IDK maybe doo has vastly advanced 2s tech with 850 if they did it will indeed be a huge hit. I from MO on this one the show me state.

 

[lenny]

800 mxz is a great sled to ride while its running but history says its not if its going to break its when, fact just go to craigs list and read about the 800 for sale, Then check out adds for Yamaha Apex theirs a clear winner here in miles ridden and lack of rebuilds or engine work

a clear winner, they all have their issues of some sort. Skidoo 1200 should be trouble free for many many miles if maintained properly

 

[lenny]

Where did you see "as reliable as a 4 stroke"? That's just plain nuts. Seems like the Cat 800 is the only 2 stroke you don't hear grumbling about, and that's because it still uses gas and oil.

bingo

 

[goofy600]

Shoot I'll come back to 2s if the 850 performs like a 4s turn the key gas & go for lets say 30K miles life time...Of course oil needs to be added but I would not mind that. I never have seen RAVE that did not need to be cleaned or does not operate correctly. I have no idea why the RAVE needs to be there would need a lot less attention without it makes me worry about a weak point that I need to watch. 4s don't need plugs changed very often never seen a 2s that doesn't need plugs changed constantly at least each season. IDK maybe doo has vastly advanced 2s tech with 850 if they did it will indeed be a huge hit. I from MO on this one the show me state.

Not sure about 800 or 850 but etec600 plugs they say 3 years 6600 miles I'm at 7k on my 13 with out a plug problem so I think 2s or 4s can't use plugs as a excuse still will agree 4s will get more miles than 2s but the etec is getting a lot closer.

 

[srt20]

Shoot I'll come back to 2s if the 850 performs like a 4s turn the key gas & go for lets say 30K miles life time...Of course oil needs to be added but I would not mind that. I never have seen RAVE that did not need to be cleaned or does not operate correctly. I have no idea why the RAVE needs to be there would need a lot less attention without it makes me worry about a weak point that I need to watch. 4s don't need plugs changed very often never seen a 2s that doesn't need plugs changed constantly at least each season. IDK maybe doo has vastly advanced 2s tech with 850 if they did it will indeed be a huge hit. I from MO on this one the show me state.

I change spark plugs less then Pistons. Fouled plugs aren't an issue anymore. Valves shouldn't be either, clean them at end of season. And I use more oil than most. Never had a valve stuck.
You change oil what once a year? I change Pistons every couple years. $206 to do Pistons this season. Well, add another $10 for antifreeze.

 

[lenny]

Gaskets?