[NorthWestRider]

Ok we all spend a lot of time tinkering with our sleds and spending time on the forums. Most of the time we are always finding ourselves asking "what are the good points" to a particular sled. What about listing all of the things that we do not like about the way our sled are set up and what we think could use improving? Whether or not there our sleds we all have those little grips that we would like changed. Regardless of what brand they all have good and bad points so no bashing, just a place to post those critical little things you would change if you could. I will start I guess. . .

02 zl 600 efi ss - Suspension - the smart ride suspension was awful and the dampening effect that it had always seemed to show up late for the show, you would get beat good prior to it stiffing up.
Clutching - The clutching although great for touring does not have that "snap" to it that makes it easy to jump small ditches and traverse odd terrain.
^^^ Those are the only two things that I have found to really dislike and so far the first one has been solved.

What about your sleds?

 

[jesse500]

2001 Polaris XcSp 500.

Bad:

-radius rods and trailing arms bend very easily
-seat rips very easily

Good:

-motor runs flawless in any conditions, and loved being held WOT all day long
- tunnel clearence is good
-cooling is pretty decent
-handles well
-very nimble for an older sled
-stock clutching was great.

 

[PolarisIndySKS]

I guess ill start with my old Indy 500.
Good
-Classic wedge look, engine was super reliable, handled pretty good

Didnt like
-Suspention SUCKED, too low, and bottomed out

This was an older sled so i couldnt really expect much out of it.

I have yet to ride my new XC500. Should be quite a bit nicer than my old 90' indy.

 

[ClassicCat76]

1976 Pantera 5000

Bad:
Age
Leaf Springs
HEX CLUTCH
Cleat Track

Good
Ride for its age
acceleration
looks
nostalgia

 

[tdgbigfoot]

SKS 700-
Good- lots of power, doesnt get stuck easy.
Bad- always seemed to have to find something else wrong with it- clutching, seat rips, tunnel cracked, bad carbides, something.

 

[Empire087]

2002 zl 500

good:
-nice chassis
-durable
-fantastic engine
-looks good
-great trail sled
-good tunnel clearance

bad:
- suspension is almost to soft for ditchbanging
- clutch is only ok, would have prefered a little snappier


Overall I like this sled quite a bit, other than the small things that change just from jumping to the zr to zl, ie suspension, clutching.

 

[jesse500]

2001 Polaris XcSp 500.

Bad:

-radius rods and trailing arms bend very easily
-seat rips very easily

Good:

-motor runs flawless in any conditions, and loved being held WOT all day long
- tunnel clearence is good
-cooling is pretty decent
-handles well
-very nimble for an older sled
-stock clutching was great.

Overall, my sled runs great, handles great, never lets me down, it just the little things that arent great.

I think a Polaris Pro-X 600 is probably the best older sled out there, strong, fast, reliable, fun, light, handles great.

and PERSONALLY i think all arctic cats other than the Firecats are ugly ass hell, but everyone has theyre preferences, im sure alot of people think my sled is ugly. the way it is.....

 

[Blecter]

2002 Ski Doo Renegade 700

Dislikes:
Running boards are too narrow stock - will be making my own shortly.
Every time I go for a ride something breaks - the good thing about this though is that after it breaks and I repair it I have no troubles with it. Also means I have a reason to buy new parts

Likes:
Balances well in the air
And...
When this machine is running good it is a RIOT! I won't go into specifics, but when the machine runs good you cannot get the smile off my face, and you can sometimes hear the excitement coming from under my helmet!

 

[firecatF5]

The only thing i don't like about my sled is the track, its not rider foreward and the suspension components. I like it a lot for what it is though! Don't get me wrong about that!!

 

[Quinlan]

2006 Arctic Cat SnoPro 440/700efi

Good - The sled was built how I wanted it. The 700efi means a smooth powerband that pulls hard from a dead stop all the way to 80mph. It is also a relatively bulletproof motor, and I know that it will get me home at the end of the day. It's a race chassis, so it should hold up to the abuse I throw at it. It has for 3 seasons now without any damage.

Bad - I don't like the cooling system. I took the cheap route and used a F7 heat exchanger instead of a custom U-cooler. This means I cannot attach anything to the top of the tunnel. That was a major obstacle when I wanted to mount a gas rack. Too late now since there would be a large hole in the tunnel if removed. I also dislike the narrow 13.5" track. It is a trenching machine in anything deep. I've come to terms with that though.

All in all, I love the sled. It pulls hard and takes a beating. It's one of the funnest sleds I've ridden.

 

[Dekk70]

2002 RMK 700

Like:
Low end power
Jumps off the line like a friggin cheetah.
Climbs like no other when set up correctly
pretty nimble for a 151

Dislike:
Ill lose any long race im in
all plastics are cracked and beat up
radius rods bend easy as he!!
narrow rumming boards

 

[jesse500]

2001 Polaris XcSp 500.

Bad:

-radius rods and trailing arms bend very easily
-seat rips very easily

Good:

-motor runs flawless in any conditions, and loved being held WOT all day long
- tunnel clearence is good
-cooling is pretty decent
-handles well
-very nimble for an older sled
-stock clutching was great.

Overall, my sled runs great, handles great, never lets me down, it just the little things that arent great.

I think a Polaris Pro-X 600 is probably the best older sled out there, strong, fast, reliable, fun, light, handles great.

and PERSONALLY i think all arctic cats other than the Firecats are ugly ass hell, but everyone has theyre preferences, im sure alot of people think my sled is ugly. the way it is.....

I also hate how skinny my running boards are!)

 

[Polaris-Man]

Switchback:
Dislikes:
Stupid radiator and no full length tunnel cooling. The whole cooling setup on that sled sucks. Rider select. I don't like it.

Likes:
Everything else.

Dragon:
Didn't like air shocks, got rid of them so now there is nothing I dislike on that sled.

 

[bigrok]

2011 Switchback Assault

Likes:
Everything

Dislikes:
I hate reading about them and looking at them because I want one so bad but the wife won't let me get one. [Disappointed]

 

[ilive4snow700]

00 ZR700
good-
torque monster
handles great
can take bumps and jumps with ease
hangs the skis forever
rock solid chassis and engine
flatslide carbs

bad-
the weight of the old 700 twin
half reed half piston port induction
no powervalves
eats up studded tracks
uses quite a bit on fuel and oil

 

[the_hog]

1200 Pros
Horsepower, horsepower and more horsepower.

1200 Cons
Older chassis

 

[Mad-Boondocker]

98 indy 500 RMK
for having 9000 miles it runs like a champ
136 track is always nice to have
classic evolved look
Negitives
narrow running boards
not enough HP
Handle bars suck
Seat rips very easy
runs out of steam really quick

 

[srx_600]

2003 RMK 700 w/ 151
Pros: Great low end power, will climb all day, good reliable engine, comfortable to ride.
Cons: Not rider forward.

1998 SRX 700 w/ 136
Pros: Extremely powerful, will blaze up the trails.
Cons: Heavy, suspension sucks.

 

[Mad-Boondocker]

oops forgot one
79 Skidoo Alpine
pros- eye catcher
biggest fan cooled engine skidoo made 640cc
twin 144 tracks are awesome
does not get stuck easy.
Negitives
old and heavy
hard to turn with one ski
needs some work
seat is broken
have to premix gas and oil

 

[MakingTheWinterGoByFaster]

1976 Pantera 5000



Good
Ride for its age
acceleration
looks
nostalgia

You forgot light weight.

00 ZR700


bad-
the weight of the old 700 twin
half reed half piston port induction
no powervalves
eats up studded tracks
uses quite a bit on fuel and oil [/color=red]

Some would call that "haulin' ass" and consider it a GOOD thing. [dunno]