engine size

[PmDavis300]

im new to snowmobileing and looking to buy my first sled. is a 440cc engine to small? im 25 years old, weigh a little less then 200 if that matters. ill probably be mostly zooming around the lake and maybe doing some ditch riding...

sled is a 1990 jag 440

[gregg52]

a young buck like might be disappointed after you have that a bit

i'm 56 soon to be 57 and ride a 600 mxz

specially 1990 sleds have come along way since then

unless thats what in your budget

i would think if look and are patient you can find some pretty good deals

[PmDavis300]

well i dont plan on doing anything crazy. but im a fairly cautious person and dont like to go zooming around all over the place. if i can get her up to a good speed on the lake once and a while that will be enough

[kdawg]

Here's my advice: If your new to snowmobiling, there is a lot of free information out there, just do web searches for the particular sleds you are interested in. If you think you might eventually go riding every now and again with a group of guys, a 440 might be too small. I bought my first sled, after 14 years of no sledding, last year. I did a ton of research and was very happy with my purchase. I scanned c list daily, seeing what was available and at what price. Keep in mind, the pictures on the web can hide a lot of blemishes. There are a lot of decent buys out there right now. You can go on Dootalk (Ski doo), and other sites like that to get specifics on various year and models of sleds. Even if you're only gonna spend 500 bucks, if you do you homework and shop around, you'll get a good feel for what your particular sled should be priced at. I highly doubt you will regret your decision to get into sledding, it is a fun sport. Good luck.

[coombia21]

if you have a low price range i would recommend a polaris indy 500 very reliable easy to find parts and can get going to a very good speed on the lake and have pretty good trail manners

[kdawg]

if you have a low price range i would recommend a polaris indy 500 very reliable easy to find parts and can get going to a very good speed on the lake and have pretty good trail manners

If it's a Cat you want, I can't give you any advice as I know nothing about them. I'm with coombia21 when it comes to a "cheaper" Polaris, those old indy's had very strong, reliable engines in them. I rode with my brother in law last winter, he had a 92 indy 440 liquid, plenty fast and it has been trouble free for many years.

[PmDavis300]

i ended up buying that jag 440. seemed pretty light, i think it will be allright for me. well see. now i just need to get some manuals for it

[knoppers]

arctic cats HSOforum should have all your info needed.

[croixflats]

Those jags are a tough machine and I think you will be happy with the 440. Just remember what ever machine one has there will always be one out there that may seem to do more, its comes down to what you want the machine to do for you not the guy next to you.

[kdawg]

i ended up buying that jag 440. seemed pretty light, i think it will be allright for me. well see. now i just need to get some manuals for it

Congrats! Now, let the snow begin!!!

[PmDavis300]

it seems to smoke alot at idle. is that normal?

[gregg52]

not sure bout those cats

but my ski doo smokes likes crazy at idle if its on the trailer

(enclosed) even with the back up you cant take it in there

i would think you are ok

but there are smarter motor heads on here than me

good luck with that sled hope we get snow so you can ride and enjoy

i started riding at 17 and soon to be 57 and still love it

not when its real cold any more tho lol

[kdawg]

it seems to smoke alot at idle. is that normal?

Yeah, most 2 strokes smoke pretty darn good at idle (not including the newer SDI's and Etec's). My 04 Polaris 600 smoked pretty good while idling as well, I'm sure you're in good shape.

[PmDavis300]

ok great. anyone know where i can get cheap used parts? i need some spindles...

[hydro]

Does it have the AWS independent front suspension or was it the leaf springs? If AWS, why do you need spindles? Unless they are siezed tight they are pretty much indestructable. There should be a grease zerk that you can pump full of low temp grease to see if they free up.

A couple of places to look for info on Arctic_Cat sleds are a HSOforum called arcticchat for a good forum and babbits for online parts. You can fill in the dotcom text for those sites.

Make sure you have a couple extra sets of plugs with you at all times. Every sled will need those spares!

[SkunkedAgain]

As for the smoking, that's the best part IMO! My 97 polaris 600 smokes like crazy when first started. It's like seeing an old friend for me...always brings a smile to my face. After the engine is warmed up it'll smoke a lot less.

Just make sure that when you fire it up, you aren't doing a few feet away from your neighbor's window or they'll be a little ornery.

[broken_line]

you guys think a snowmobile smokes alot? watch a 8430 jhon deer when you drop a 10 bottom plow in the ground! its BLACK. but thats the best thing when its -20 dead calm and you leave a 1/4 mile smoke trail.

[PmDavis300]

Does it have the AWS independent front suspension or was it the leaf springs? If AWS, why do you need spindles? Unless they are siezed tight they are pretty much indestructable. There should be a grease zerk that you can pump full of low temp grease to see if they free up.

A couple of places to look for info on Arctic_Cat sleds are a HSOforum called arcticchat for a good forum and babbits for online parts. You can fill in the dotcom text for those sites.

Make sure you have a couple extra sets of plugs with you at all times. Every sled will need those spares!

well i got the spindles i needed. it has aws suspension. the skis were shot and i got some new ones from a 1991 jag afs special. the spindles were a little shorter then the ones on my sled. the spindles on my sled were frozen onto the skis and i couldnt get them off so i needed different ones.

anyways, got skis and spindles for a hefty $30... not a bad deal in my opinion

[maxx rpm]

Good deal! Anything else your working on? I am debating new springs or not. Better to improve now, rather than be sitting in the shop when there is white stuff on the ground.

[PmDavis300]

not right this second. eventually ill need a new starter and battery, carbides and ski skins but im poor at the moment.