Finally have my Sidewinder

[Preacher]

Looks like someone should have bought the 2020 Sidewinder Gt....would look like a matched set![/The only way I would buy it if Dan would work his magic on it and in a couple of years yeah I would have a match set

 

[Preacher]

Hi Preacher,

Welcome to the SW club.

Thank you brother glad to be in the club finally

 

[stevewithOCD]

Guys read the first post. This is not about a SkiDoo. Your hijacking someone's happy moment and on a Yamaha Forum. If you want to talk Doo go do it in Head to Head or on Dootalk.

Good point MrCannon.
This is a post how the PreacherMan ripped the SOUL out of a man named Dan then went on this site to brag about it.

Now i think we should have a TY vote on whether Preacher should hang with the OCD kid in Maine to see how the X-Danno Machine runs against the Big Purple Preacher Eater.

 

[jonlafon1]

Good point MrCannon.
This is a post how the PreacherMan ripped the SOUL out of a man named Dan then went on this site to brag about it.

Now i think we should have a TY vote on whether Preacher should hang with the OCD kid in Maine to see how the X-Danno Machine runs against the Big Purple Preacher Eater.

You sure know how to call it! Well said! Not sure I could have said it better. Lol

 

[Fleecer]

From what I gather we didnt really lose Dan, but rather he is merely taking a sabbatical leave.

In the end, we picked up the preacher, who is within traveling distance to make the TY Ride at the Sporting Club January 2020!! Big bonus!!

While the rest of you are playing with clutches, I'll have him place his hand on my hood and ask the almighty to bless me with a few extra ponies so I can pass you all!!

 

[Preacher]

Purple Preacher Eater. I love it. I hope I didn't rip Dan's heart out though he's too good of a guy

 

[ClutchMaster]

Purple Preacher Eater. I love it. I hope I didn't rip Dan's heart out though he's too good of a guy

Don’t feel 2 bad, it was a self inflicted wound.
BTW the OCD PPE is coming to the UP JLaFoN....

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Dan,

Thanks for the update. The Cat 8000RR should be a great sled next season. I hope you will share a comparison with us at some point next season. At least share your experience with the revised front end once you have some seat time.

I've always enjoyed your write ups. They are second to none. I hope we will see you back in the future.

I certainly will share our findings on the 800RR Cat. Dano and I have rode together for a very long time, we ride the same trails mile for mile and have similar taste. He is more of a bump pounder type and me always being the big power speed freak. He is a longtime 4s YAM guy and also has owned many Doos now too. He is not one to follow anyone and will try diff brands often which I find wonderful. Not being brand loyal IMO makes for more interesting riding life. We absolutely love having new guys out with us who ride different iron, swapping to other sleds on same day/same trail is the best way to truly get a feel and compare. I'm more excited for his 800rr then I am my XRS850, since I have been riding buds 850 since 17. In our group no belt issues and no engines went down on 850 doos. Will see if I can blow another 2s doo up.lol. --Dan

Dan if you get a 8000 cat my buddy has one ,it's an 2018 .It only goes 97 mph ,first bit during break in he said it went less than 50 mph and he's a die hard cat guy .

Ken, the 2020 800Cat is an all new engine revamp. So basically all new cylinders, pistons and more. Its short of being an entirely new engine. Cat positions it at 165hp and did not dive into the '850' war. In initial reviews we feel it wont run as strong as the Poo or DOO 850s, but feel it will be very close behind, and MORE RELIABLE over the long term. Cats 600 ctec2 technology is doing well, and I believe the 800 is similar. In the end, the price Dano got could not be ignored, so he decided to give the cat a go for one season. Mostly decided after we realized the Cat 2s has normal RER like other 2s, so chaincase will be simplistic. --Dan

I am the only rider in my group that doesn't ride an 850 Doo but I like to be different so I rode my Apex and now My Winder X-TX LE.
The 850 Doos are great sleds that would be even better if they weren't so hard on belts.
I am sure Dan will have the belt issues sorted out quickly and all the Doo Talk 850 owners will benefit. Dyno Tech has shown there is a lot more power available in the 850 engine as well.
Good luck with your new sled, its always fun to try something new...but I bet you will miss your Winder.

The 850s that have been in our group have zero blowns belts. For those that are not up on the DOO 850, there certainly was a belt issue with many. The great thing about BRP is they do make changes often, and have made updates to engine mounting, correcting alignment, and venting. The Ultimax XS belts which have proven to be incredible longevity belts for my 270hp Winder, have also been proving themselves on the 850s. I have already instructed my dealer to NOT install the stock BRP belt when building my 850, as I will be installing the Ultimax xs. --Dan

I think the 850s will come with the 571 belt this year ,not the 531 .The xs821 works well ,also ,Hope he gears up as they're under geared .

Ken, Im coming from a big power Winder which I loved immensely. I am not in anyway worried or care about the speed of this 850. Im simply buying this as a stop-gap sled to save some cash, before my next Winder. This 850 will remain 100% stock for warranty since they are after all a 2s doo, and we know they are not known for longevity.--Dan

Back when the 850 first came out Doo boasted about 4 stroke reliability and it will use 40% less oil than the previous 800. They were wrong on both counts. First they still blow up. Just go on DooTalk and read about it. Guys blow them up all the time. This year they are blowing cranks. Add the fact they are hard on belts and probably use 40% more oil than the 800'they replace.

Doo guys had a field day when the 840 Polaris was blowing up this year but I don't think the 850 Doo is much more reliable. I hate to say this but the most reliable 2 stroke on the market are probably the c tech Cat engines.

Joe, I've already spoken(above) on the belts, and this is a non issue going forward IMO. As for blown motors, you know where I stand on this subject. While I agree there are some blown 850 doos out there, I believe you need to take this into context. As you know, nothing in life is cut/dried. Nuance is always how life truly is, and sledding is no different.

Anyone in the sled world knows DOO sells far far more 2s sleds then anyone other company. Heck, they even sell more 4s sleds! The 850 has easily become their #1 engine(by far) in the last few yrs. While Im a 4s guy along with most here reading this, we all must agree the reality is there are far more 2s 850 doos being sold then any other engine period. So it certainly becomes feasible that with this many engines out there, you will hear about the few online, since every guy who has an issue will post this. I agree the 2s will NEVER have 4s reliability period. The trade off is for guys who want light fun flickable sleds, they must carry warranty and be fully ready for an engine to go down, this is the trade off. IMO this is not a reason to not try or ride one....they are very fun to ride 100% of the time, unlike some of the BRP sleds which are fun to ride at a much lower %.

I know you are dead set on not wanting to own a 2s for this reason. I believe everyone on EVERY FORUM actually knows this. LOL.--Dan

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Well if Rocker Dan is going Doo, then so am I. In 2021 tho. HA. In this day and age, we do ourselves a disservice sometimes to be brand loyal. It holds these manufacturers accountable, and hopefully makes them listen to their customers as to what they want, or they will move on. (not saying this is the case) Dan had his reasons for moving on. It took precedence over buying another Yamaha because of his "loyalty", which I feel is admirable. There is a reason I bought a Klim suit, and not a suit that says Yamaha. Dan wants a 129, I want a 2 stroke (not a Arctic Cat either). But until then .

I wish DOO owners were more open to trying other brands. I believe swapping often is why I can appreciate other brands. I have owned many doos and Yams, but never a POO....And when my bud bought an assault I scoffed. Sure enough, I ended up thinking that sled was a ton of fun to ride. They all have their strong points and weak points. In the end if I was having to own same sled for many many yrs, it would certainly be a 4s YAM engine sled. My Apex was the one sled I kept longest('06 to '13) and still miss her.--Dan

 

[ROCKERDAN]

I know most on here hate the word Cat BUT have to agree fully with the c techs being the most reliable on the market. Maybe I’m bias and always have a little Cat in my heart but hearing really great things about these 2 smokes from cat.

I have a buddy who has a mixed stable (all brands) of all two smokes all the time and he rides whichever brand suits his fancy that day. He's just brutal on his sleds and just tortures them to no end. Never fixes (or maintains) anything; when it breaks, just trades it in or sells it and gets another new one. He told me a few weeks ago that his Cats are the first 2 smokes he has ever owned and ridden on his favorite 70 mile forestry road up in Manitoba that have lived at WOT the entire 70 miles (I guess that's when he runs out of gas). Everything else in his stable goes down. I know it isn't typical to do this but it makes a point about his ZR Cats. I don't know if it was his 6000 or 8000. They must be pretty durable if they will live up to something like that.

Great to hear...and this is what Ive been reading too. I do believe Cats newer 2s engines are the most reliable for longterm. The DI doo 850 engine is a marvel, but I believe being "too" technical makes it a risk, as one small issue can cause it to go down. Chassie wise though, BRP is stellar IMO.

Dan

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Guys read the first post. This is not about a SkiDoo. Your hijacking someone's happy moment and on a Yamaha Forum. If you want to talk Doo go do it in Head to Head or on Dootalk.

Sorry Brother and I 100% agree!

Good point MrCannon.
This is a post how the PreacherMan ripped the SOUL out of a man named Dan then went on this site to brag about it.

Now i think we should have a TY vote on whether Preacher should hang with the OCD kid in Maine to see how the X-Danno Machine runs against the Big Purple Preacher Eater.

LOL, Not at all. Vic and I had alot of back and forth prior to the day he came to pick her up. With this, I felt 100% great about who her new owner would be, and honestly could not have picked a better choice of a guy. I feel like she will have a long life with Vic and be well looked after,which is all I could ask for. --Dan

From what I gather we didnt really lose Dan, but rather he is merely taking a sabbatical leave.

In the end, we picked up the preacher, who is within traveling distance to make the TY Ride at the Sporting Club January 2020!! Big bonus!!

While the rest of you are playing with clutches, I'll have him place his hand on my hood and ask the almighty to bless me with a few extra ponies so I can pass you all!!

LOL, good analogy! I am on leave. You certainly wont get rid of me.--Dan

Purple Preacher Eater. I love it. I hope I didn't rip Dan's heart out though he's too good of a guy

LOL, Vic you are an awesome Sledhead. I felt like you and I were instant brothers after the several HOURS of chatting here in the shop. I couldnt be happier for you brother. Enjoy!--Dan

 

[krm]

I wish DOO owners were more open to trying other brands. I believe swapping often is why I can appreciate other brands. I have owned many doos and Yams, but never a POO....And when my bud bought an assault I scoffed. Sure enough, I ended up thinking that sled was a ton of fun to ride. They all have their strong points and weak points. In the end if I was having to own same sled for many many yrs, it would certainly be a 4s YAM engine sled. My Apex was the one sled I kept longest('06 to '13) and still miss her.--Dan

Dan,Being in the business i get to ride them all .Guys i ride with also are owners of different brand sleds .We need that Cat front end on a Doo .

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Dan,Being in the business i get to ride them all .Guys i ride with also are owners of different brand sleds .We need that Cat front end on a Doo .

And the BRAND NEW 2020 Cat/Winder front end is already getting very high marks from test riders. Saying the sled's inherent push of old, is GONE. This could be a game changer for the Winder and its less then popular Tuner skis. Test riders said the stock 800rr with stock offset carbides that typically pushed, now carve nicely with the new front end.

I believe BRP will bring the new taller racing spindle to the consumer either next season or no later then 2022.

Very excited to ride the new Cat 800rr next season!

Dan

 

[Dano]

Dan if you get a 8000 cat my buddy has one ,it's an 2018 .It only goes 97 mph ,first bit during break in he said it went less than 50 mph and he's a die hard cat guy .

that's the difference between a cat speedo and doo speedo. On snow even an 850 has a hard time breaking 100 on a cat speedo or GPS

Dan

 

[Dano]

Recently purchased 2018 RTX 50th Anniversary Edition. This is going to be the longest offseason ever. The sled is loaded with everything you could want.all know issues have been addressed.Thank you RockerDan. You are great to deal with. I hope to see you on the trails next year .God bless you brother

Congrats on your new ride! seen this sled evolve to what it has become. I can see myself with a similar setup in my future.

Dan