Colorado skiing... is the VK pro a good choice for me.

[coloradoskier]

here is my solution to the problem after researching it, and I greatly appreciate everyone's input.

today I watched a Ski-doo Summit X 1000cc 162 track close for 4,000 usd with 1,100 miles on it.

This summer I will buy one, probably for around 3,500. I figure I should get 3,000 miles on a motor like that and I am confident rebuilding it myself.

I will buy the 1+1 seat for it and make it a two up machine. It has plenty of room on the tunnel for gear, and unloaded it will ride like a hill climber, because that is what it is. It will weigh under 600lbs with all the extra stuff on it, much more managable to dig up. I will be able to go pretty much anywhere out here with that rig. It may not tow 2, but after I've owned it for a while I can always buy a wide track as a secondary sled to bring people skiing with.

It isn't a 4-stroke, but I think it will be the best machine for my needs. It also won't be as much of a work horse, but if I am only going to own one sled I might as well get one that I can anywhere on first and then get a wide track as a second sled. It may end up some years from now that I find a widetrack would have been fine for me, but in the mean time I will have a machine that can climb like mad and keep up with all my friends.

nice sled in the pick. I bet that tears up the mountain

 

[eric3793]

They have had alot of trouble in these parts with that big (discontinued) 1000cc motor. The sled is really nice but the 800 motor seems to be holding up much better.
The 600cc is my choice of motor in a Skidoo because it puts out around 120hp, gets great oil & gas milage and folks have few problems with them. The 600SDI in '07 would be my choice.

Good luck. You're headed in the right direction for a first sled. If you like to work on your own sled you may want to consider the Polaris 600. Look under the hood...great access to everything. Strong motor with few issues. Skidoo is a tight package with difficult access without taking all the panels off.

 

[kingofthehill]

another sled that might suit your purpose is the arctic cat crossfire. although a 2 stroke, it is nice and lite and comes in a 600, 800 or 1000cc and is a proven reliable sled. it is very good in deep powder and also a great trail machine. the 09 has a 141 inch track while the older models come with a 136 inch footprint. AC also sells an attachable back seat with rest that u can pop on and off as u please.

 

[karl]

eric3793 Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:47 pm Post subject:

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Now that's a nice looking Yamaha! I have a VK but am considering a light sled to play on...like the XTX. How would your Venture stack up against the XTX or a Renegade 600 etec in deep powder?

A paddle track would not work well in Maine because we ride the groomed trails alot just to get to the off-trail riding.

Thanks Eric, I haven't riden with either of the sleds you mention so do not have any real world experinece to judge by. I ride with a couple of fellows that have 550cc Scandic WT and I can go anywhere they do and use about half the fuel and have a clean smelling ride to boot. I think the biggest issue folks have with the venture/phazer series is horsepower. I geared my mp down as I am not into high speed lake runs. I can still scoot along @ 90kph and in 3' of fresh unbroken snow I can hold a track speed of 70kph - not too bad for a 500cc sled. I bought this version of the phazer because it had the 16" track format and my overall goal is to lighten it up more and get it looking more like a phazer - eventually putting phazer plastics on it and getting rid of the mp heavy metal framed hood. I guess the goal is to have a light 500cc sled with a real deep snow track on it.

 

[coloradoskier]

interesting you mention that about the 1000cc Eric. A friend of mind who is was a snowmobile guide in the area for a few years said the same thing. He recomends the 700cc RMK, says the 800cc RMK has issue with the motor destroying itself. I also noticed they discontinued the 1000cc motor at ski-doo, I thought this was because they were getting similar ponies out of the 800cc motor.

I'm not exactly sure which motor I will get. A lot of it will depend on the deal at hand. I'm not dead set on any sled or any motor as of yet. This summer, around August I will have the money to buy one cash and will look on ebay and in the local channels. I do know I want a sled with a track over 150 inches. I really want a long track like the 160+ track. I figure it will be comparable in traction to a widetrack. I know it won't pull loads as well because of the gearing, but I am sure I will be able to ride 2-up and pull one skier. My attraction to ski-doo is that they offer a 2up add on for the rev and later models, which basically means for me I can get a mountain sled and make it 2-up. I don't know if the other manufactuers offer such an addition.

Also, I need to figure out if I can get a rack built for it. I know welding aluminum is difficult. I think the tunnel is aluminum, and may need to be re-enforced. My friends are touchy about their tunnels and don't want people standing on them. I wonder if It will do well with gear and ski and 2-up without some sort of re-enforcement. But I want a rack I can lift on without worrying about breaking it... some of my friends ski racks cover the grab handles for digging out a sled and can't be yarded on. I don't want to worry about which piece of metal I am grabbing.

I'm not going to get one for this season, but next season I don't plan on skiing a resort once. Braappppp!!!

 

[eric3793]

Check dootalk.com for a rack. I seem to recall someone making a nice aluminum rack for Skidoo mountain sleds.

 

[eric3793]

Here's a link to the rack I saw on dootalk.com


http://snowest.com/forum/showthread.php ... light=rack