Sidewinder or 850. What to buy

[dgjr636]

All I can say is all my 850 Doo riding buddies are ordering winders for next year.
Money aside I think they got tired of me waiting for them at every intersection. Once I got my winder suspension dialed in and added 6.9 pilot ski's it has been no contest.
Smooth, Flat, long trails - Rough, tight, short trails my winder Le now prevailes in every way. Is doesn't matter about the overall weight but, was does matter if you can stay flat and corner at high speeds and then unleash the 200+ horse power in the straights it makes up the difference and then some.

Just my 2 cents. If you have a choice the only one that stands out in my book is the Winder.

 

[journeyman]

Good luck with the 850, better buy the 4 year warranty. I'd never buy one without it.

The 850's I ran into couldn't keep up with my Attak on the long pulls......can't imagine if I was was riding a SW......

 

[Sledroll]

Take the blocks out and you will love it! 2100 miles on mine without the blocks.. Great over the rises , just touch the throttle and hover the skis!

The blocks are out , and not enough difference . I am being told to remove the cross bar that the blocks were on , like my sons AC race sled that has no blocks or bar , and his is great fun to drive .
He also has , a lighter front end , lower gearing , and 1.75 track that is a 129"
Did you do anything else ?
Track tension stock ?
Springs stiffer ?
Limiter strap shortened , or lengthened ?

 

[BlueApexXTX]

The blocks are out , and not enough difference . I am being told to remove the cross bar that the blocks were on , like my sons AC race sled that has no blocks or bar , and his is great fun to drive .
He also has , a lighter front end , lower gearing , and 1.75 track that is a 129"
Did you do anything else ?
Track tension stock ?
Springs stiffer ?
Limiter strap shortened , or lengthened ?

Yes my blocks and bar are both out with no issues.. My limiter strap was let out to the last hole.. I have powder pro skis on it so it gives it a little lighter steering without push.. That's it!

 

[Troy Julius]

Tell you what, I'd do anything you can to ride both before buying. I had a m1100turbo retro, loved the sled, original belt after 1550 miles and it still looked new. Fast forward to now, ride a rmk assault with a silber turbo, had thoughts of going back to another 4 stroke turbo. Well my friend bought my m1100 so I went for a short ride, you couldn't give me another 4 stroke turbo even if the winder is 30lbs less. The weight and handling penalty just isn't worth it.

 

[Troy Julius]

And I basically use both for x country type riding, some trail, some ditch banging, some mountain ECT. So no longer distance Canada type trails, so maybe then I'd pick a winder but even then not sure

 

[Sledroll]

Tell you what, I'd do anything you can to ride both before buying. I had a m1100turbo retro, loved the sled, original belt after 1550 miles and it still looked new. Fast forward to now, ride a rmk assault with a silber turbo, had thoughts of going back to another 4 stroke turbo. Well my friend bought my m1100 so I went for a short ride, you couldn't give me another 4 stroke turbo even if the winder is 30lbs less. The weight and handling penalty just isn't worth it.

Have you actually ridden either the RTX-LE , or the LTX-LE Sidewinder ?
Actual weight difference is not as relative , as how the sled feels , with those shocks.

 

[Sledroll]

Yes my blocks and bar are both out with no issues.. My limiter strap was let out to the last hole.. I have powder pro skis on it so it gives it a little lighter steering without push.. That's it!

Letting out the limiter strap is part of easier steering solution, as opposed to the transfer issue ?

 

[Troy Julius]

Sledroll, I haven't ridden one, which is why I recommend riding both before buying either sled. I loved my cat in every way, always thought it didn't feel heavy at all, had a 13 freeride at the same time also. But after my assault, jumping on the cat feels like a step back in time. And I know the winder is much much improved over my cat, not meaning to put the sled down at all. Just think riding both somehow before spending the cash is a wise thing to do

 

[Sledroll]

Your suggestion is right on !
I hope you get a chance to take a spin on a well set up SW RTX/LTX LE version with the premium shocks , and give your feedback .
If I had achance to ride those 2 versions before I bought , I dont know if I would of changed to the 129 , but I probably would of sold my 2015 Apex XTX LE , instead of keeping it as a fall back , that has become a very lonely , but warm , stored inside ,sled .
In the end if you love your sled , and I love my sled , WE are both happy !
P.S. I spend 99% of my time on TY , because the feedback and knowledge is incomparable , to other sites, and I have a Yamaha.
Why do you venture over to TY ? Curious .
Is there a Polaris site other than on Snowest ?

 

[Troy Julius]

Sledroll, I've had a few Yamahas, 2000 srx, 2007 attak gt and a 2008-9 nytro, and seriously considered a btx winder last spring. I enjoy keeping up on all brands of sleds because I'll buy anything. Have had cats, Polaris, Yamahas and a Doo and have enjoyed them all.

 

[BlueApexXTX]

Letting out the limiter strap is part of easier steering solution, as opposed to the transfer issue ?

Yes.. Lighter steering.

 

[Sledroll]

Our family stable of current sleds in addition to the Winder , is a Skidoo 2011 GSX LE , 2013 AC race sled modified for watercross racing, 2016 AC race sled , and 2015 XTX LE.
Just sold a 2013 Polaris race sled . I have a 30 year old son that is even more fanatic about sledding than me.
For a while I thought I was keeping the OEM's afloat single handed!
We have had some similar and same sleds over the last 16 + years as I had a 1997 700 SX , 2003 RX-1 LE , 2006 Apex GT, and a 2008 Nytro 40th Anniversary .
Needless to say I am not afraid of first year sleds , as I also had a 2005 Mach Z 1000 , which I sold a month before it blew up ,and kept the Apex , because I thought it would last longer , as I loved the Z .
As my name implies , I have never owned a sled I didn't roll , even the SW has done the dance.
Some sideways and some end over end after hitting a pressure crack on the lake .
Where is Buffalo center ? Are you still sledding this year ?

 

[Sledroll]

Yes.. Lighter steering.

I was told to help get more transfer , was to pull up the strap , but that would probably make the steering too hard .
There needs to be a balance of comfort and driveability .

 

[Troy Julius]

Northern Iowa, we have had 3 8+ inch snow storms but it melts 5 days later, we normally have a good month of riding but not this year