Drove a sled i shouldn't have

[dbHunterNY]

So at 3.5 yrs old i had and raced an Artic Cat Kitty Kat.  Got trophies and ridden sleds since.  For around a decade now due to college and now having my own life bills and family I've just ridden what my dad had as he doesn't seem to like the cold much anymore.  Well my younger brother got to them and has since wore them out and they've been gone for years now.  Haven't had a sled of my own in a while. Since my butt has been on plenty of dirtbikes and atv's.  Brother invited me over after we watched a local snowcross race though.  he coaxed me into riding an early 2000's ZR800 he recently bought.  he encouraged me to jump it off some bigger snow banks he had from plowing.  Despite being a Cat it did alright, but man did i scratch an itch i shouldn't have.  Snow is almost gone and all i can think about is getting back on a sled!  haha  hopefully my will power holds out.  always been a Polaris person and a new RUSH or Switchback is looking good.  i'm turning 34 and can think of more logically important things to spend money on.

[grampy]

Sounds really cool! Just remember, the older you get, the longer the heal time......   

[stoneam2006]

I'll help....they sure are a blast to ride spent alot of time on my old 94 indy 670 this year fun fast and sure do smell good

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[Jeremy K]

Just keep riding the Cat around a little longer ,when stuff starts to break/fall off on trail ,you'll be cured.

[dbHunterNY]

13 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

Just keep riding the Cat around a little longer ,when stuff starts to break/fall off on trail ,you'll be cured.

poor thing... rolled over one 5' high bank good to set it and then hit it good.  cleared the driveway and landed out into the field perfectly flat.  of all things the ski tow loop on the one ski broke.  he laughed and said if you're going to break something that's the thing to break.  it set in that it was a Cat and i parked it.

[Jeremy K]

22 minutes ago, dbHunterNY said:

poor thing... rolled over one 5' high bank good to set it and then hit it good.  cleared the driveway and landed out into the field perfectly flat.  of all things the ski tow loop on the one ski broke.  he laughed and said if you're going to break something that's the thing to break.  it set in that it was a Cat and i parked it.

They always had some of the fastest sleds ,I think it was because their chassis were so rigid ,good for speed,bad for longevity. 

[ApexerER]

I have been snowmobiling for years and years. I love it...Probably not worth the investment I have into it compared to time to ride but if it wasn't for snowmobiling, I am not sure I would survive winter. Between an enclosed trailer, sled, and gear I am sure I have 15k invested and I am thinking about buying a new sled since mine is a 2012. Only sled I have never owned is a cat. Boy if you could ride a new Polaris Axis or Skidoo with R-motion you wouldn't want to get off if you thought that old cat was great to ride. I rode my buddies 2017 skidoo this weekend and it didn't really feel much different than my 12 so I am thinking I will wait at least another year to upgrade....

[dbHunterNY]

19 hours ago, grampy said:

Sounds really cool! Just remember, the older you get, the longer the heal time......   

that's the truth.  i've had some dingers growing up.  despite dirtbikes, quads, and anything else i never broke a bone.  had some stiff days though.  seems stiff days definitely last longer. haha

[dbHunterNY]

12 minutes ago, ApexerER said:

I have been snowmobiling for years and years. I love it...Probably not worth the investment I have into it compared to time to ride but if it wasn't for snowmobiling, I am not sure I would survive winter. Between an enclosed trailer, sled, and gear I am sure I have 15k invested and I am thinking about buying a new sled since mine is a 2012. Only sled I have never owned is a cat. Boy if you could ride a new Polaris Axis or Skidoo with R-motion you wouldn't want to get off if you thought that old cat was great to ride. I rode my buddies 2017 skidoo this weekend and it didn't really feel much different than my 12 so I am thinking I will wait at least another year to upgrade....

ski-doo R-motion has always been nice.  new Axys chassis is supposed to be real nice.  haven't ridden one but it's top of the list. a guy was peddling his awesome toasty tot handlebar invention he had on his polaris pro-s (axys) sled.  said it was his saving grace as he had a bolt in his back from a motorcycle wreck that ruined his day on other sleds.  all new ones are pretty nice though.

[dbHunterNY]

26 minutes ago, Jeremy K said:

They always had some of the fastest sleds ,I think it was because their chassis were so rigid ,good for speed,bad for longevity. 

dad had a proto type "wildcat" back when they first came out.  he got it through a dealer that happened to be a dealer that got one and was willing to let it go as a used sled.  i think he blew it up 3 times and then let it go.  it was faster than the production ones that were out there but couldn't stay together.  since it's always been Polaris.  So i've been raised to bleed Polaris blue injector oil.

[thphtm]

I have a 99 Indy 500 ( body not in the greatest shape , but it was running when I stopped using it ) If you are interested , cheap, make me an offer.Just want to get rid of it.

Up about an hour or so above where you are.

 

[dbHunterNY]

11 minutes ago, thphtm said:

I have a 99 Indy 500 ( body not in the greatest shape , but it was running when I stopped using it ) If you are interested , cheap, make me an offer.Just want to get rid of it.

Up about an hour or so above where you are.

 

dad had that model at one time.  488 fuji built twin is a good motor.  had a 1990 indy classic with it too.  i have the means so i'm thinking it's a new axys or nothing.  appreciated though.

[WNYBuckHunter]

LOL, I find it funny that you Polaris guys are ripping on Cats for breaking. Whenever my buddy and I go out, if his Polaris doesnt break, it means we havent been out long enough to get cold yet. I can say with complete honesty, that in the last 2 or 3 years, we have spent more time fixing his sled than riding. The Cat he has never breaks down. The old Indy 500 he has, not many issues, but the suspension sucks in that thing. A day up at Tug Hill will wreck you on that sled.

If/when I break down and buy one of my own, it will be one of the newer Cat/Yamahas (Cat makes the chassis and Yamaha makes the motors), preferably the 800 or 1100 turbo. He wants a Switchback, but I keep asking why he wants to continue to torture himself.

[dbHunterNY]

On 3/17/2017 at 3:03 PM, WNYBuckHunter said:

LOL, I find it funny that you Polaris guys are ripping on Cats for breaking. Whenever my buddy and I go out, if his Polaris doesnt break, it means we havent been out long enough to get cold yet. I can say with complete honesty, that in the last 2 or 3 years, we have spent more time fixing his sled than riding. The Cat he has never breaks down. The old Indy 500 he has, not many issues, but the suspension sucks in that thing. A day up at Tug Hill will wreck you on that sled.

If/when I break down and buy one of my own, it will be one of the newer Cat/Yamahas (Cat makes the chassis and Yamaha makes the motors), preferably the 800 or 1100 turbo. He wants a Switchback, but I keep asking why he wants to continue to torture himself.

i've just been on Polaris my whole life but i've rented and driven others.  local shop not far from me has been around forever and is good to deal with.  honestly they're all good now and each mfg makes sleds that are more than most people need.  some new designs have their quirks, but all the brands have been at it for a while dependability expected is very high.  I was raised on Indy's and never had any issues.  They've changed a lot in recent years though.

[dbHunterNY]

I've since fixed the problem if not having one though. They sure do make them faster and faster.


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[WNYBuckHunter]

Ive ridden them all, only owned Cats, Ski Doos and an old Scorpion. I have a Polaris 120 for my son, its been good, but I think all of the 120s are made by the same company. By far though, my buddys Polaris Fusion is the worst for breaking down of any sled Ive ever seen. I actually just got offered an 07 Polaris Switchback Turbo for a price I may not be able to turn down.

[dbHunterNY]

Fusions are probably the least popular of the Polaris sleds.  Yea all 120's are the same pretty much.  just a different shell on the outside.  they hold their value.  i've been somewhat looking for my 2.5 yr old daughter.  i had a kitty kat kid sled at 3 yr old that i raced at winter carnivals when they were popular things to go to.

[dbHunterNY]

i might try see who's going to VT for a ride this weekend.  they still had snow covered trails and just got more snow.  deer there are probably ready to migrate south until they find summer thinking this is BS. lol

[Adkhunter1590]

I haven't had a sled in a few years now but I always had Cats. Old man grew up on cats and raced them for years in the 70s-80s. My old 2002 ZR600 was my favorite sled though. That thing took a beating that should have totally destroyed it. My old man bought it used from a guy he worked with. Had 900 miles on it when I got it. We tore the entire thing apart when I got it and rebuilt it with new bearings across the entire thing and rebuilt the motor with weisco pistons just for the hell of it. I ran that sled for 5 years on almost a daily basis once we had snow. I put over 10k miles on that thing!! Never broke anything except the suspension, which I pounded into oblivion. I was young and a motocross racer, and this is when stuff like sled necks was getting big. I jumped that sled off everything I could find. Other than some suspension rebuilds and reinforcement, it never skipped a beat. Fastest 600 I ever rode for that time frame. Used to smoke everything but F7s and 1000cc sleds on drag strips on the lake. It was quick off the line and could hold off ski doo 800s just long enough to finish the drag strip. My buddies with Polaris sleds usually never made it to the drag strip, they broke down before getting there!

[dbHunterNY]

I haven't had a sled in a few years now but I always had Cats. Old man grew up on cats and raced them for years in the 70s-80s. My old 2002 ZR600 was my favorite sled though. That thing took a beating that should have totally destroyed it. My old man bought it used from a guy he worked with. Had 900 miles on it when I got it. We tore the entire thing apart when I got it and rebuilt it with new bearings across the entire thing and rebuilt the motor with weisco pistons just for the hell of it. I ran that sled for 5 years on almost a daily basis once we had snow. I put over 10k miles on that thing!! Never broke anything except the suspension, which I pounded into oblivion. I was young and a motocross racer, and this is when stuff like sled necks was getting big. I jumped that sled off everything I could find. Other than some suspension rebuilds and reinforcement, it never skipped a beat. Fastest 600 I ever rode for that time frame. Used to smoke everything but F7s and 1000cc sleds on drag strips on the lake. It was quick off the line and could hold off ski doo 800s just long enough to finish the drag strip. My buddies with Polaris sleds usually never made it to the drag strip, they broke down before getting there!

Haha.... they're even faster now with Yamaha motor they put in the cats.

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[Adkhunter1590]

Haha.... they're even faster now with Yamaha motor they put in the cats.

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O I know it. I ride my buddies sleds now and then and they are all crazy fast these days. Unfortunately that's what's getting a lot of people killed these days....not many know how to properly ride them and get hurt in the process.

[dbHunterNY]

7 hours ago, Adkhunter1590 said:

 

O I know it. I ride my buddies sleds now and then and they are all crazy fast these days. Unfortunately that's what's getting a lot of people killed these days....not many know how to properly ride them and get hurt in the process.

 

i liked this and agree, but ignore that the sled i posted is an 800 that won the American Snowmobiler Old Forge shootout the manufacturer's are represented at each year.

[Jeremy K]

26 minutes ago, dbHunterNY said:

i liked this and agree, but ignore that the sled i posted is an 800 that won the American Snowmobiler Old Forge shootout the manufacturer's are represented at each year.

I guess we know who spent the most advertising dollars with American Snowmobiler , thats not even a secret anymore with how they pick a winner.

[dbHunterNY]

15 minutes ago, Jeremy K said:

I guess we know who spent the most advertising dollars with American Snowmobiler , thats not even a secret anymore with how they pick a winner.

i have no idea but the engine has gotten praise across other snowmobile mags and organizations.  doesn't matter.  i just know that if you beat my sled i let off or we're both stupid.

[dbHunterNY]

if you fully stretch the legs of the new yamaha sidewinder or thundercat you get the stupid crown and trumped us all. lol