All I can say is all my 850 Doo riding buddies are ordering winders for next year.
Just my 2 cents. If you have a choice the only one that stands out in my book is the Winder.
Haha! Thats a funny book. First I've heard of anyone moving from an 850 to a SW.
I just went from a 2016 Ski Doo Freeride 146' on the XM chassis (with a 1.6 Ice Cobra track) to a 2014 Yamaha Viper XTX (with a 1.6 studded Cobra track, 1200 miles total on the sled). I wanted to try a 4 stroke for the last few months of the season as I had never owned a 4 stroke or a Yamaha. If it was as good as the TY4strokers claim, I would consider a SW.
The Freeride with TMotion was much better handling on trails than the Pro Cross chassis. Off trail there not even in the same realm, the Pro Cross falls flat ...... both uncoupled skids but worlds apart.
I'm glad that other manufacturers like Yamacat are pushing the industry forward with innovative higher horsepower sleds. But to put the Pro Cross chassis on the same field as the Gen 4 (I have only ridden one once but doesn't take long to feel the difference), even the most inexperienced sledder would be wondering who's drinking the Koolaid........... The procross front end is good, but overall not nearly as good as any of my past XP/XS/XM Ski Doos. Anyone can make a high horsepower engine, making a well handling chassis is a little bit different (as we all know Yamaha has had trouble with, hence the deal with Cat). All the sleds are great these days. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from any manufacturer.
I want the best all around trail sled. And the best in my book, or any of the unbiased reviews, is not the Winder. The Winder is the best at one thing, getting to the end of a straight strip. If that's your cup of tea, the Winder is your best sled. For everything else, I think even the most hardcore Yamaha fanatic knows the real answer.
Here comes the reliability jabs from the Yamaha fanatics!
Bash away folks!!!!