What's a great trail/ditch bangin sled?

[kdawg]

80 percent of the time would be trail riding. I currently own a 04 polaris 600 xcsp and like it a lot, however, it's always fun to upgrade. Is the IQ chassis a big improvement? How about the Ski Doo Rev? The only downside that I see to these sleds, is that there's less body to provide wind-blockage, and I'm a bit of a cold-wimp. I'm seriously considering an upgrade to either of the above sleds, but would be willing to consider others as well. Lets hear some feed back from those of you that went from the older style sleds to the new rider-forward platform. Thanks.

[broken_line]

well if you dress good you can endure anything... revs would be a blast on and off road !

[BoxMN]

Hey kdawg, I never got the sleds back down to this area, but will make sure to get hold of you if I do this year. My wife really liked ridding last year, so she was up for going north every weekend! Only thing that hurts about that is the gas cost per month, ha!

[mamohr686]

I can't vouch for the polaris, but I really like my 05' Skidoo 500SS REV. I bought it last november and put about 1000 miles on last year. I used to have a 2002 skidoo 700 with the old ZX chassis, which is similar to your XC as far as riding position. The older flat sleds are fun on the trails, but are heavy and you really fight the bars on ruts and off the trails. My new sled is about 15mph slower, but it weighs about 100 lbs. less than my old lead sled. I used to bury it a few times a year, and now that is not really an issue. After 60 miles my back and knees were killing me and I was ready to call it quits with the old 700. Now I can ride for a few days straight without much fatigue aside from over-using my neck muscles with a helmet on. It's very easy to go from sitting to a standing position to hit the bumps with the newer sleds. A new XP TNT or 550F would be a great trail/ditch sled if your buying new. Crossover sleds like the renegade, are nice in the deep snow. The longer track really smooths out the bumps and stays on top of the powder. If you want to get a used sled look for a 500ss (really a 598cc) or 600 SDI in a rev. You could always add a larger windshield for about $100, but I went with with a low windshild and a riser since I spend about 1/2 of my riding time in the standing position.

Old:

I'm on the 500SS on the right.

[kdawg]

Hey kdawg, I never got the sleds back down to this area, but will make sure to get hold of you if I do this year.

Sounds good. Hopefully we'll get the snow we've been missin' up until last winter.

[kdawg]

If you want to get a used sled look for a 500ss (really a 598cc) or 600 SDI in a rev.

This is the direction I'm looking. What's the diff. between the 500, 600sdi, or 600 etech? Also, would you stick with the MXZ style over the renegade (I'm 80+ percent trail riding)?

[slurpie]

of the three you listed the sdi will get the best mileage and probally throttle response. The revs are 100 times smoother riding and easier to handle than a zx chassis. The renegade will ride smoother especially over little stutter bumps on a beat down trail. not sure what size track they come with but you would not want one over 1.5 inch.

[mamohr686]

The 500SS has been around forever and is one of the most reliable carbed engine on the market. The SDI is for semi-direct injected and has computer controlled throttle response, and also makes minor adjustments for air humidity and elevation. The E-tech is a direct injected motor that is faily recent on the market. It starts first pull every time but some of the early models had issues. I would stay away from any etech or TNT made in 08' due to the number of recalls and updates. Either go for a 04'-08'REV or a 09' XP Skidoo. (I've heard some bad things about the 500SS in 07' due to the EPA restictions. They ran lean from the factory and had lots of problems). I would think about the e-tech or SDI if your going to ride in different areas (elevation). If you stick to sea level, it doesn't matter since you won't have to change out any jets with the 500SS. All three sleds will have the same acceleration from 0-60mph unless you modify the clutching or horsepower.

The Renegade has a 137" track, while the MXZ has a 120" Track. The choice really depends on the trails you like to ride on, and how much you want to spend. The renegade is going to hook up better with the longer lugs on the track, and the bumps will be a lot smoother. The only downside is if you ride a narrow winding trail, you have so spin a lot longer track around the turns. The wider skiis will help you float in the powder, and don't dart around nearly as bad. I really wanted to find a decent renegade 600 SDI last year but it seemed like all the used sleds listed for almost $5K with lots of miles. I found my sled for $3400 in early november before we had any snow. Used sled prices skyrocketed last year with all the snow on the ground.

[Macgyver55]

I love my Renegade! The sad part is it still looks great but I'm over 9200 miles now and something will have to be done soon. Problem is the price tag on the new ones is getting out of touch. I'm better off dumping 7 or 8 hundred into freshening everything up and keeping it. It would be a way easier decision if I hadn't had such good luck with it.

[kdawg]

Thanks for all the input fellas. Just picked up a 09 tnt 600 etech with 136 miles on it. Now, let it snow!!!!

[dan z]

that a really nice i test drove one last year and i drive a 2003 XC 600. if was going to buy a new sled i would have pick the 600 etech too.