Is modern sled engine reliabilty that bad?
- Thread starter 70chevelle
- Start date
I just sold a comparable Indy600 SP. Yours will sell for that price quick. My wife just bought her 5th Polaris 600, all of them have been bulletproof and quick for what they are. I tried to talk her into a 900T but she hated my Viper. I told her the Doo would be better, but she has had good luck with the Poo 600's
srt20
Active member
but did you measure them?
WorkHardPlayHrd
Active member
If the second sled is being bought for a woman does she have any experience in the sport. If she doesn't how old is she and has she ever done any ATV, side by side, or motorcycle riding. If not you are going to want to consider finding her the best suspension you can for your money, and as light weight as possible. A heated seat would be a plus which you could get on a 4 stroke. I hate to admit this since my family practically bleeds green and I have a Thundercat, but I would probably be looking at a Doo for her. This would not just be about buying an affordable sled, but one that would give her the best overall experience. A sled like mine would be impossible to handle for an inexperienced woman, and if it's cold out you want to keep her warm. If trails are trashed you want the best ride under her as possible or you will find out how fast she can start to hate snowmobiling and be saying things like "This was a stupid idea why did we spend all this money." The Indy is a really good sled, but if I recall correctly no heated seat. I know there are those of you on the forum who have introduced sledding to women over the years. What made it positive, and what made it a disaster.
If my assumption about a woman rider is wrong just bypass the comment. Happy trails.
If my assumption about a woman rider is wrong just bypass the comment. Happy trails.
indy_500
Well-known member
Nahhh since I had the new ones ready to go in anyways. It ran good still. The sled needed more skid maintenance than anything.
70chevelle
Member
Affirmative on it all. We do nothing fun!.....work,work, work. I got out in 08 after my 1108 tcat puked a piston. Done with the drama. I’ve missed it. My wife did a few river miles down here....never any trails. Also no atv’s etc. Doo has heated seats now?
My Doo 900t Enduro has electric seat never thought I would need it but sweet in single digits and below weather. Also some modern 4s have 3 different HP settings Eco ,standard and sport very friendly for the wife. Never thought I would need that either but Eco super for loading or unloading from trailer no track spin. Standard nice for group trail riding no pulling your arms off then sport for a high strung rip it ride. Doo throttle also turns 360 degrees so wifey can flip over if sore thumb. Lots of neat features since 2008 bought mine stock with ice ripper track and 3 position riser. Linq rack great for bags and extra gas can.
My, wife rode with me when we were dating. Then we got married and not as much as a sniff of snowmobiling. And I'm quoting here, "they're noisy, stinky, machines that tip over all the time" plus she doesn't like the cold. But here's the win-win, I can play in the snow and she's content to stay warm, read a book or watch a movie. I come home to a hot meal, warm house, and happy wife. It's all good!
Whitedust nailed it. Three settings depending on the skill levels and the rotating throttle are great. I've been on a 4 stroke for the last 10 years. Change the oil and filter once a year, after that it's Gas & Go.
WorkHardPlayHrd
Active member
I outright threatened my husband with a divorce after 10 years of marriage, five kids, and a farm we never got away from. Said you have a sled your buying me one, and were going to Michigan for 3 days. It was St Patty's day weekend and I will never forget how beautiful all the trails were from Mass City north. It was also my first experience with Pat's Motorsports because we had problems with my husband's wildcat. First rate amazing crew there. One of the best! Well after falling behind my husband all day cause I was maxing out the 440 we bought 2011 Cfrs the next February as leftovers. Mine the 800 his the 1000 2stroke. Put over 8,000 miles on them in 5 years with a lot of Michigan or Northern Wisconsin riding. Trails in our area just don't open, or stay open. Fall of 2017 we bought the matching 17 thundercats. I will say I love the 3 clicker shocks. The suspension puts my older cfr to shame. We work hard, and play harder. 300 + mile days are common. It is our one massive outlet from the farm. The kids love drag racing, and we can do it as a family.
I want your wife to enjoy this. Which is why I wrote the first post. Also if at all possible the first few times you go out on the trail if possible go midweek. Way less traffic, better trail conditions because of less traffic, and she will be able to acclimate to the sport with less weekend warriors tearing through the corners. Do not make your first trip to Grand Marais Michigan on a weekend. The scenery is beautiful, but the riders on the weekends up there are some of the most aggressive I have ever encountered.
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I understand Gary, those of us that enjoy it aren't the norm. But I farm so I guess you could say I'm already crazy.
hermie
Well-known member
[QUOTE=WorkHardPlayHrd;498594I know there are those of you on the forum who have introduced sledding to women over the years. What made it positive, and what made it a disaster.
When I introduced my now wife to the sport I made sure to get her good gear, a ece rated light helmet,warm boots are a must. I also put on a real windshield and handle bar gauntlets once she got some miles on. We have been together 11 years and have ridden approximately 25,000 miles together. She is my riding partner and we love it. The only real disaster was I took her for 2 long of a ride our first trip went from Presque Isle to lake of the clouds and back she was pretty sore to day the least but she gave it another try and now loves it. Also set up the suspension for her makes a huge difference.
When I introduced my now wife to the sport I made sure to get her good gear, a ece rated light helmet,warm boots are a must. I also put on a real windshield and handle bar gauntlets once she got some miles on. We have been together 11 years and have ridden approximately 25,000 miles together. She is my riding partner and we love it. The only real disaster was I took her for 2 long of a ride our first trip went from Presque Isle to lake of the clouds and back she was pretty sore to day the least but she gave it another try and now loves it. Also set up the suspension for her makes a huge difference.
If you ride a 2 stroke and never go over half Throttle they last for 10,000 miles plus.
Open it up and hold your Breath it will probably blow up.
Every time I rode with a buddy of mine I Blew a Belt on my old 1200s. If I rode with my Wife Belts last forever.
Now with our 900 4 strokes its Gas and Go and Belts last forever. I have no idea how long these 4 Strokes last we never had a issue except
we change Spark Plugs at 10,000 and that may be to early.
I think the 900na is 25 to 30 Lbs heavier than the 600 E tek. The 900 is about the same weight as a 850.
Open it up and hold your Breath it will probably blow up.
Every time I rode with a buddy of mine I Blew a Belt on my old 1200s. If I rode with my Wife Belts last forever.
Now with our 900 4 strokes its Gas and Go and Belts last forever. I have no idea how long these 4 Strokes last we never had a issue except
we change Spark Plugs at 10,000 and that may be to early.
I think the 900na is 25 to 30 Lbs heavier than the 600 E tek. The 900 is about the same weight as a 850.
I ride 1500-2000 miles a year. Keep the sled usually 3-4 years. One time I changed out pistons at 5000 just to be ahead in my opinion. Yes I am ready for some bashing, but never burned down a piston that wasn't my fault. Cleaned carbs on a 94 zr 700 and put the float arm in upside down, yes its possible. Burned it down twice in the same spot 25 miles out of town until I realized what I did. The BIGGEST mistake I see all the time is people coming out of a bar or restaurant, firing it up, and not letting the motor warm up. Cold seizure happens far more often than any other type of failure, unless its really high miles. Now with fuel injected, and better oil selection, you really don't see too many burn downs. I do most of my own work, and raced for many years so I do understand how things work. How about some of the mechanics from the shops up north, any thoughts on this? I would love to hear your side as you see 1000 more situations than I do. I get some really like the 4 strokes, and they are really nice for a lot of applications, but still not there yet for me to want one. My current sled is a 2018 arctic cat 2018 cross country. Getting ready for a Riot next. If A/C doesn't start to make change very soon, then its a Polaris assault. I honestly don't care what you ride, its what you like and how it performs for you is why we spend so much cash on the sport. One suggestion for you, is buy a brand that has support close to the area you ride the most. A good strong dealership is your best friend when on vacation!
Ha ha, tell that to my Cat 700. It has over 10,000 miles on it, and most of them were WFO. Most of the Cat "laydown" style engines have excellent durability. But your statement is somewhat true with the 800 ETEC, since there is no fuel cooling the bottom end. The grease tends to leak out of the sealed crank bearings from the heat of long pulls.
To the original question: you can't lump all of the modern two-strokes together for that answer. Some have excellent durability, some are not so good. The Poo 800s had very short lives until around 2016. Pistons wore quickly, and crank failures were way too common. They made some improvements in 2016, but still behind the Cat 800 two-strokes for durability. The Doo 800 ETECs had fairly short lives until the 850 with oiled crank bearings (and Doo engine parts are really expensive compared to Cat or Poo). I know a few people with over 10k on their 850 (and still going strong), which was unheard of with an 800 ETEC. It took them a while to figure out how to build a clean two-stroke that is still reliable, but they seem to be on the right track.
If you really want long life out of a two-stroke, buy a Poo or Cat 600. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure, less vibration, longer clutch life, and usually longer engine life.
No ...what you hear are basically idiots....who don't warm the sled up properly IMO....there is ABSOLUTELY no reason you should ever have to rebuild an engine...my 2004 EFI 700 has 22000 miles...I have 3 1999 ZR 600s EFI with 10000 each....I have a bud with a 1999 600 SP polaris with 13000....an uncle with a 2003 F7 EFI with 10000 miles...and many more I could tell you about just like these....never rebuilt any...we always use OEM OIL....always warm engine for 5 mins in morning...and ALWAYS run premium...the CAT EFI system is far superior....you wouldn't buy a car without EFI and throttle bodies would you...so why a sled?....anyone has to rebuild a motor in under 5000 miles is a novice at best....Skidoos included....like someone else said your best bet is a CAT 600 EFI or 600 SP poo or something similar....the higher the horsepower and CCs the more the owner had to know about sledding and proper breakin...and most people are CLUELESS at best....theres nothing wrong with modern sleds...90% of problems are operator error...good luck in looking
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Surprises me how many people don't check their oil consumption on these injected sleds. After checking a few I noticed they were not set to the ideal 40:1 or 50:1 mix and can change slightly over time. I think a lot of these 2s sleds can hit 10k no problem if warmed up properly and not overheated a bunch of times. The people that complain no stop about blowing up sleds seem to be the same ones who just think you can dump gas in your sled and jump on it and ride it year over year without any maintenance. Even adjusting the chain case, cleaning out the exhaust valves and changing the clutch rollers every 2-3 years would help them last longer and run a lot better and cleaner.
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Totally agree see post 18.