Maggot snowmobile thread

[GetAmped]

A little spammy but maybe someone is interested:

Rock Maple Racing: RMR Snocross

Woody's Presents Rock Maple Racing Snocross at Hickory Ski Center, Warrensburg, NY Dec 12 & 13. Gates open at 8am, racing begins at 9am

$14 per person per day - $20 for the weekend

Children 10-18 $8 per day, under 10 FREE!

[billcallen]

hi guys i am trying to get into sledding and i have a chance to get a 03 Arctic Cat 570 mtn cat sled with 700 for about $2000 in trade and cash wondering if it is something that will be good for me for a first sled and to get into sledding/sled skiing with or any info at all that i can get on this machine thanks a lot

[Bigmtnsledskr]

hi guys i am trying to get into sledding and i have a chance to get a 03 Arctic Cat 570 mtn cat sled with 700 for about $2000 in trade and cash wondering if it is something that will be good for me for a first sled and to get into sledding/sled skiing with or any info at all that i can get on this machine thanks a lot

Hey Bill,
Is that a Mtn Cat with a 700 engine or a 570. If its a Mcat 700 thats not a bad deal, you probably want at least a 143" track to get you up the bigger mountains.

[billcallen]

no sorry i just meant only 700 miles on it but i think its just the 570 engine in it not sure on the track length thanks

Edit: i think i read on a spec for that year it was 121 does that sound right? just seems quite short

[TroySmith80]

I would say 144 is the minimum track i'd be happy with. Mine is a 159". 121 i absolutely would not buy. 136 i guess maybe if it's a smokin deal.

Depends on what you want to do. A 121 will do fine as long as you stay on the groomed trails, but i think it's silly to spend money on a sled that you can't take off the road. The incredible thing about sledding is you can go ANYWHERE.

[squirrelmurphy]

[D_C]

no sorry i just meant only 700 miles on it but i think its just the 570 engine in it not sure on the track length thanks

Edit: i think i read on a spec for that year it was 121 does that sound right? just seems quite short

the 121 won't float as well in the powder as the longer track sleds. Since your in washington, I'd go with a 144 minimum, anything shorter will be a little sinky in the deep stuff. There have been some good deals on 04-05 ski doo summit rev's 800 cc's with 154 tracks i think they were going for 3-4k, you'll end up with a much more capable sled.

squirrelmurphy:

I'm jealous, first ride is next weekend! vail pass probably. Doesn't the ski helmet get cold?

[billcallen]

hey thanks a lot for the ideas on what i want to look for i'll be passing on that sled for sure, i'm actually headed down to south lake tahoe for the winter sometime soon depending on what this storm system does so i may wait for awhile and see what i can find once i get down there does california have any sled restrictions i should be aware of when looking to buy a sled?

[AKturnanburn]

2nd the 04-05 rev idea, they made them in 144-151-159-162 and all of them are 16" wide instead of 15" which helps create more float on the deep days. Cali's economy is hurting right now so there are some smoking good deals on sleds. you should be able to get into a rev with under 2K mi for $3500ish. there are a few issues you need to keep an eye out for such as the carb boots peeling and the flaky rings on the 04's and some early 05's also keep an eye on the Y pipe bolts that mount to the cylinders, they like to loosen up every 500 mi or so. be very weary of any sled that is not a mostly stock engine and drivetrain, a can is good and helps with some HP and weight but other than that avoid anything with clutch work or gearing as well as aftermarket pipes or head/cylinder mods. I would put some new aftermarket carb boots on and while your in there put in some new reeds as well.

[D_C]

unless you find one with the mod motor

(181 hp 14:1 heads)

[backcountryislife]

Bill, the 03 mountain cat wouldn't have come in a 121, a mountian cat would have been a 144 minimum in 03. The 03 570 would have been a 1M chassis sled.

I would reccomend anything BUT an 03.5 or newer (rev or xp) Doo chassis sled. As one who gets to see what happens to all the motors, I'd stick to Poo, Yamihahaha, or Cat. Poo has some issues, but they're taking care of them, and yammi's are rock solid. I ride a cat, but whatever, I like anything that holds up & Doo's don't make the cut. I'm not brand loyal, I ride for a doo & cat mod shop... I've seen WAY too many problems with them. The zx chassis sleds did MUCH better though, I would recommend one of them in a heartbeat.

btw, JV, hope you like the deck bro!!

[JeffreyJim]

Disclaimer: I'm a total sled gaper. But have plenty of really *really* strong sled-rider buddies (some of which build custom sleds for people). I'm in a similiar boat just getting into this whole thing and all...

Which brings me to the above comment...

I think it's pretty well known that all sleds blow up it's just a matter of when...most would probably also agree that Revs do have some reliability issues but are by no means somethin to stay away from...especially if you are looking for a kick ass used sled.

All the buddies I have that are NOT sponsored in one way or another all ride Doos...and have since 2003.5 (first year the rev was made)

I think riding what your buddies ride is almost more important than anything as they are going to know how to work on it, identify if a sled isn't running right (quickly), know the good mechanics etc etc.

Anyway...I might be eating my words here over the next winter but time will tell...I'm breaking all sorts of rules!!

(Buying an 04 rev with some clutch work/engine work done!)

[billcallen]

So backcountry if this sled is the 144 do you think i should jump on it with only 700 miles would it work much for tandem and breaking trail?

Edit: did a little more reading think track length on the 570 was a stock 15 x 136 x 1.4

[Blurred]

I think most sled n00bs buy Poo cuz they "look cooler".

The jury is in on Revs, but buy one anyway. hahahahhahaa

[Pow4Brains]

My 05 1000 rev blew up with 900 miles on it. They have been known to blow up due to a shitty main bearing design (I don't know if this is the source of the 800’s issues). The warranty invoice was $5200 which was more than I paid for the sled and was enough reason for me to go with something different this year.

If you search Snowest you will find the M1 Arctic Cat to be one of the most bombproof older cheap sleds out there. If you don't have the cash to buy new with a warranty or have a decent amount of tools and mechanical aptitude I would go with the proven M1. Motors are expensive, they all blow up, just some more than others.

Just my .02

[Conundrum]

Just picked up a RMK 550 fan cooled to take my dad out. He had some heart trouble last year and I've been looking for ways to do stuff with him to keep him active. He dug rafting this summer so this could be good for the winter.

A little trail touring with some refreshers under the seat might be the ticket.

[Mannix]

So backcountry if this sled is the 144 do you think i should jump on it with only 700 miles would it work much for tandem and breaking trail?

Edit: did a little more reading think track length on the 570 was a stock 15 x 136 x 1.4

No. Track is too short/paddles too small.

I have two - 99 670x, 136x15x1.75, 03 700, 144x15x2.

Recently put a 156x15x2" on the 700 - NIGHT AND DAY difference.

Put the 144" off the 700 on the 670x. Have not ridden it yet, but I expect it to be better.

The difference between the stock Skidoo 144x"2" (center lugs are 1.75") and the Camoplast 156x2" is shocking. Unbelievable.

What Backcountryislife said about the ZX chassis sled - 00-03 - has held true for me. Mine has been very reliable, is a great tow sled (even with a 700cc motor vs 800cc). Compared to my 99 "S" chassis 670x (one of the first true/good mountain sleds, allegedly), the 03 ZX is worlds better - not from a reliability standpoint, they're both good there, the 99 is way harder to work on, does not handle as well, shrug, I've REALLY started to like the ZX sleds.

If I were to do it all over again, my search would be simple:

<$3k - 03 Summit 7 or 800, put a better/longer track on.
>$3k to $5k - Cat M1000

I don't know how much of the added benefit I got from the 156" track is the length or the track design - the 156 is a true 2" paddle, the lugs are stiffer, not sure, but the difference is significant enough that I have to think that the _track_ itself is simply better (IE, a 144x2" Camoplast would be notably better than the 144 Skidoo stock track).

More specifically on the ZX sleds, I'd buy an 03 - the more you read about the ZX sleds, the more you notice comments like "in 03, SkiDoo did XXXXXX"

Seems like the 00-02 ZX Summits were good, but they fixed a lot of problems for the 03 sleds - skid setback (helps track approach angle/reduces trenching), some electronics stuff, etc. I just happened to wind up with an 03, but I'm glad - there are a fair number of things that matter which were stock on the 03s, and a lot of the pre-03 ZX owners find themselves considering.

M1000 seems like a better choice, though, from a power standpoint alone, but I've seen a few 03 Summits for sale on Craigslist for ~$2500 recently.




Iain

[TroySmith80]

550 Trail RMK is a cool little sled. My dad has one as a secondary/play/loaner sled. He calls it the pup. He put a long track on it, way too long for a 550 i thought. I can't remember for certain but i think it's a 155. The little thing will barely spin that track, but you know what, it goes really good. It will boondock in as deep of pow as anything, it just signs off real quick once things start getting steep. Great little sled though, nice and light.

As far as your dad having heart trouble, i would say snowmobiling is a BAD sport for if you have heart trouble. I'm 29 and healthy and there's been times i thought I was going to have a heart attack, wading through belly-deep snow to shovel out one sled after another. I guess if you're just riding trails and firm snow you'll be ok, but keep him out of the powder.

[Conundrum]

As far as your dad having heart trouble, i would say snowmobiling is a BAD sport for if you have heart trouble. I'm 29 and healthy and there's been times i thought I was going to have a heart attack, wading through belly-deep snow to shovel out one sled after another. I guess if you're just riding trails and firm snow you'll be ok, but keep him out of the powder.

Definitely. That was one of my concerns. There is a bunch of trail riding with decent grooming about an hour from my parents' place. He's got strict instructions to keep it on the trails. That was one of the reasons for the 550 with a fan. He doesn't need any deep snow to keep it from overheating. Scratchers should save his hifaxes.

I actually bit it and put scratchers on my 900 so I could hang with him a little longer before diving off.

He's always been the kind of dad that wanted to help me in my endevours...umpiring little league, driving the baseball bus in high school, volunteering to raise money for whatever I was involved in. We haven't stayed in touch as much as we should have the last few years. I think getting him into this a little will help. Plus, there a couple places close you can ski lap if you have someone to pull you up to the top on a trail on a sled. The skiing sucks but I think he would be stoked to hop on my sled and pull me up. Granted, the skiing there is pretty poor but it would mean a lot to him to think he is helping me do what I love to do. It's pretty cool hanging with him again.

[Mannix]

but it would mean a lot to him to think he is helping me do what I love to do. It's pretty cool hanging with him again.

Tres rad.


Iain

[Blurred]

Just picked up a RMK 550 fan cooled to take my dad out. He had some heart trouble last year and I've been looking for ways to do stuff with him to keep him active. He dug rafting this summer so this could be good for the winter.

A little trail touring with some refreshers under the seat might be the ticket.

I'll be out around there during Christmas if everything goes as planned. I'll bring the sled if you wanna braaaaap it up! (I'll grab those shorts too if you still have'em)

[Conundrum]

I'll be out around there during Christmas if everything goes as planned. I'll bring the sled if you wanna braaaaap it up! (I'll grab those shorts too if you still have'em)

Cool. I'll be in TF 24 and 25. 31/1 in SV. Other than, chillin. Shout.

[pechelman]

anyone here feel like towing us up Red Sandstone Creek Rd in Vail to the Eisman hut? Obviously, we'd offer compensation.

had a ride all setup, but turns out the sled was stolen.

[Pow4Brains]

Shoot me a PM.

[revitup]

Definitely. That was one of my concerns. There is a bunch of trail riding with decent grooming about an hour from my parents' place. He's got strict instructions to keep it on the trails. That was one of the reasons for the 550 with a fan. He doesn't need any deep snow to keep it from overheating. Scratchers should save his hifaxes.

I actually bit it and put scratchers on my 900 so I could hang with him a little longer before diving off.

He's always been the kind of dad that wanted to help me in my endevours...umpiring little league, driving the baseball bus in high school, volunteering to raise money for whatever I was involved in. We haven't stayed in touch as much as we should have the last few years. I think getting him into this a little will help. Plus, there a couple places close you can ski lap if you have someone to pull you up to the top on a trail on a sled. The skiing sucks but I think he would be stoked to hop on my sled and pull me up. Granted, the skiing there is pretty poor but it would mean a lot to him to think he is helping me do what I love to do. It's pretty cool hanging with him again.

Cool! My dad was 70 when he bought his first sled. It has been great taking him out in the mountains since I grew up with him taking me out. He grew up in these mountains hunting and guiding and is now too old to go walking there anymore. Now we go out exploring and its given him somthing to look forward to come winter.
The line off the summit in the background has been skiied, over 3000'. You can't see the bottom.