This season I decided to get a split board and a sled before I start having kids :yahoo:
Been doing some research on what sled to buy and it seems it should be a Ski-doo summit 800 154 or an Arctic Cat M8 153.
Researching which sled to buy has been tough as not sure if I should go with a used one or buy last year's sled new (comes with cash back , 2-3 year warranty and good financing), last thing I want is being stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Primarily I plan on using the sled to access backcountry terrain for snowboarding primarily.
Any suggestions on locations, what sleds to buy, meet ups would be really appreciated.
I live near Seattle and usually ride at Baker & Crystal (mostly side country).
You're on the right track... at least a 700, at least a 151 (155 would be better tho). Nothing wrong with polaris but I'd get a cat or a doo if i was getting a 2010 or newer. I'd go as old as 2006 if it would allow you to get two sleds (unless all your friends already have them - last season i got one decent sled and one crapper old one for the buddies and this season like three of them are buying their own). Otherwise I'd probably get the new/old stock, sounds like a good deal.
Just went over this the past few months. I decided to hold off for a lil later, when I'm not looking to buy a home... You can check the thread here with some good advice from the other guys.
The 2011 Doo's are wicked from what I understand and have only gotten better. The biggest thing is the ETEC, which is direct injection. They perform way better and get way better mileage. After that they made some wicked improvements to the suspension and handling from what I hear. Some of those can be put onto the 2011's to upgrade 'em but a sled that's almost brand new is gonna be nice enough that you may not even care that much. Up to you.
Everyone says get an 800 with a 154 at least for deep mountain riding if you're in the rockies, so you're on the right track. Seems like almost everyone around here rides Summit 800's, that's most of what's on the used market here.
I have a couple of friends who sled but not enough as I am just getting into this.
Getting two sleds sounds like a great idea for having a dedicated partner but not so much financially
Been riding dirt bikes when younger and been on sleds a couple of times, so I don't expect too much of a learning curve "Wishful thinking".
In most of the backcountry movies all I see is doos, so this must mean something, found a couple of local shops with good deals on last year's models.
If i could afford to do it, i would buy last years new stock and have sled with a warranty for 2-3 years, and at the end of the warranty trade/sell it for another new one. I'd prefer to always have the warranty handy.
I don't know much about sleds, but I've been around multiple 'Cat quads and they use Suzuki motors. They suck. Start like crap, our old carbed 350 Yamaha starts better, even around 10 degrees F (yeah it gets that cold here, sometimes colder). Add to that the rampant electrical problems, and they are a bad buy. Maybe their sleds perform better than the quads do.
I don't think it's possible to go wrong with anything from Bombardier though. A friend of mine used to have a Ski-Doo sled, it was awesome. I'd recommend getting to know whatever you buy before you head off into the wilderness though, from what I've seen you need to be pretty good at sidehilling maneuvering to go up a mountain...
Dootalk.com is a good forum for Doo's. I don't know much about sleds, but like I said - deep in the Rockies, that's pretty much what everyone rides. Nobody touches anything but Doo's, Cats, or Polaris.
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