Maggot snowmobile thread

[Schralper]

my old skool muscle, '04 900 159, keepin it real yesterday

[molson14]

I haven't been back to Breck in over a year to sled. I use to go to vail pass or tiger road. I want to get out and ride this week but know how bad the snowpack has been. Any advice on where to go get out and ride the sleds and maybe do some low angle sled skiing?

[Mannix]

The obvious "safe" stuff at Vail Pass is skiing pretty well, really. Get a map at the trailhead, it should be fairly self explanatory. There's been a LOT of snow in the past few weeks, things have changed (for the better) dramatically. Not super deep the past couple of weekends, but nice, consistent postcard-skiing.



Iain

[cliffhucker]

I've got a few nasty tears in my sled seats, one on some old leather/vinyl the other on a newer 2003 Skidoo with the rubber(ish) seat material. I've tried duct taping this shit but it hasn't held. Where are you guys able to find a patch kit locally? Any tricks?

[ACH]

^
Replace the saddle with a Boss seat?
You'll cut a bunch of weight and raise up your seated ride height in the process...
They come up used on Craigslist now and again.

[powder11]

got the new sled out today!



A lot of this



some of that



and a little bit of this to keep me stoked!



I got a few of shots of my mentor for the day, Mathew Mallory (www.joydigger.com), who was kind enough to put up with my shit show and give me some great pointers!









and some random dude who was killing it on a pretty steep face

[GoNads]

Welcome to the Dark Side Toby!

An edit my friends at WIDSIX put together with footage from earlier this winter... Check it out!

[simple]

That looks so amazing. Nice photos!

[cliffhucker]

Bump: springtime snow made for effortless tow ins to previously unthinkable ski terrain that had to be hiked to all winter

On another note; I am looking at getting into an 10' AC snopro M8 163" decked out with lightweight cans and only ~ 2000mi. for $5500. Do i pull the trigger now, or wait until next Fall? I think that prices will go up then... whats the collective on when to buy for lowest prices?

[hick]

Bump: springtime snow made for effortless tow ins to previously unthinkable ski terrain that had to be hiked to all winter

On another note; I am looking at getting into an 10' AC snopro M8 163" decked out with lightweight cans and only ~ 2000mi. for $5500. Do i pull the trigger now, or wait until next Fall? I think that prices will go up then... whats the collective on when to buy for lowest prices?

Solid price there. Keep in mind at 2000 miles you should be looking at a top end rebuild and clutch rebuild, so you should factor that into your price. I think it's a wash. I've bought and sold sleds in mid winter, summer, fall, and spring. There is always gonna be someone out there who as what you are looking for at the right price, just look hard and often. By the price of that 10' M, I'd say you already figured that out. Those are fucking awsome sleds. Pull cord, ride, repeat...

[kidwoo]

Bump: springtime snow made for effortless tow ins to previously unthinkable ski terrain that had to be hiked to all winter

On another note; I am looking at getting into an 10' AC snopro M8 163" decked out with lightweight cans and only ~ 2000mi. for $5500. Do i pull the trigger now, or wait until next Fall? I think that prices will go up then... whats the collective on when to buy for lowest prices?

You can probably find a 2010 with fewer miles for a little more money (less than the cost of a new top end which like hicks said, you should probably do)

Just an fyi, there's nothing on the snow pros that's an improvement ride-wise. The shocks kind of suck without a revalve, and the telescoping steering post has a lot of play and breaks. I've changed or am in the process of changing everything that makes mine a sno pro. And you can find the standards a little cheaper obviously. But I absolutely love mine with a little clutchwork and a bomber steering post/riser setup. Sick sleds for sure.

[hick]

You can probably find a 2010 with fewer miles for a little more money (less than the cost of a new top end which like hicks said, you should probably do)

Just an fyi, there's nothing on the snow pros that's an improvement ride-wise. The shocks kind of suck without a revalve, and the telescoping steering post has a lot of play and breaks. I've changed or am in the process of changing everything that makes mine a sno pro. And you can find the standards a little cheaper obviously. But I absolutely love mine with a little clutchwork and a bomber steering post/riser setup. Sick sleds for sure.

Good point, I have a standard 09 and went out of my way to avoid the air shocks and up downy post. Absolutley hate how the floats ride. Revalve the shocks in the skid for sure (unless it's an 11'), or you enjoy bull riding in woops on the approaches.

[bakerpow]

I am on the hook for a 2002 ski doo summit 800 151' with trailer for 1100. this would be my first sled and from the research iv done it seems like this would be a good sled for a slamming price. anyone else got any input?

much appreciated for a sled jong.

thanks

[Jethro]

I have a 2002 rmk 800 which I use for ski touring access and some sledding. I have had cooling issues, which I fixed with an aftermarket tunnel cooler. Be aware of that issue running on hardpack trails. My model of sled also has a crank issue apparently. I would go to a sled site and ask around to see if that model has any issues. It seems like a great deal with the trailer, assuming it is in decent condition.

[Mike_Records]

I am on the hook for a 2002 ski doo summit 800 151' with trailer for 1100. this would be my first sled and from the research iv done it seems like this would be a good sled for a slamming price. anyone else got any input?

much appreciated for a sled jong.

thanks

Seems like a deal. Why are they selling it? I'd be worried about buying a sled w/ some serious problems at that price for a mountain sled. A broken sled definitely means less skiing than no sled. If thats the amount you are looking to spend you may find a more functional trail sled for that price.

[bakerpow]

The guy selling is a buddy of mine from tgr, it all seems to be in perfect working order except for a small issues that i can work over the summer. im super stoked to get out there next winter!

iv heard bad things about certain years and was wondering the kinda issues this one might have.

thanks for the help!

[Schralper]

Summer maintenance - pull the belt or it'll take a set, stabil in the FULL tank of gas, full cuz less fumes. Change PTO oil, check pullcord for fraying replace before it breaks, worn hyfax?, shocks - look for oil on shaft & rebuild if it's been more than a yr since last oil/gas charge.
Also for those w/ cooling issues, use some water wetter, it works.
If you can start the sled a couple x's between now & winter it'll be a happier sled then.
FYI - I would stay far away from Attitude Industries outta SLC, UT. The WORST customer service, EVER!
Their EFI controllers ain't that dopeshit. Check out Dobeck Performance, instead.

[DyingToLiveToSki]

Hi Baker, I have the same sled (02 summit 800) with 3600 miles on it. I used it pretty much every weekend around whistler last winter and all I had to do to it at the start of last season was clean the clutch. This past year I had a lot of cosmetic stuff breaking because the sled is getting old (ie recoil, throttle cable, choke). My recommendation is that if you buy and old sled learn how to fix it yourself and you will be fine. My 02 has mostly been used by skiers and people learning to sled so it has really easy miles on it. It still has 145 psi in each cylinder so I think I should be good to go for next year. Check the reed boots (rubber between carbs and manifold) for cracking because if air gets in your engine will be fucked. This is a common problem with older sleds (mine included - 350 bucks for part replacement) and you can tell it is an issue if your sled is rpms are high when idling. Also, check the joint between the y pipe and your pipe as this will probably be rusting paper thin. This summer I have pulled everything off the manifold and I am replacing a bunch of stuff. I didn't know anything about sleds but YouTube, tips from old buddies and the shop manual are getting me by. If you are somewhat interested in wrenching on it a bit in the summer I say go for it with the 02 otherwise you will be in for a lot of wasted money in shop fees for little stuff breaking. At 90 bucks an hour it adds up. I think that this sled is an awesome sled for the price to get you into the mountains and learn how to rip. You will be surprised with where it will get you if you pin it. You will get stuck a lot more than on an xp's and you wont be ale to crawl up hills at low speed like sleds with 16 wide tracks but you should be able to sled ski in the right zone if you and whoev you are tandeming with know what you are doing. It will be a wild ride and your skis will be off the ground but once you figure it our and pin it you should be all good. I would say that I am starting to outgrow the zx chassis it a bit as my skills get better but my next sled is going to be an Etec and I can't quite afford it yet. With regard to the overheating issues, the only time my sled has overheated was at low elevation on the approach on a bulletproof ice, steep logging road. Wasn't an issue though, just when the engine light came on I would pull over and kick snow into the track.

Some of my old time sled buddies say that the 02's were known for shitty crank bearings but honestly there is nothing that your can do to check that to my knowledge. You can check your compression on your top end (just buy a tester for 25 bucks) and this will tell you if the pistons and rings are in good shape. It's all a crapshoot though man, you might run it all season with no problems or it might blow up the first ride. Just do what you can to take care of it and you will help your odds. If you never open your hood with a sled that old beast will give you problems but the beauty with the old chassis is you can just pop the hood and everything is right there. How many miles on the sled?

For use, I typically sled ski on bluebird pow days, sled accessed touring on socked in storm days and use sleds for approaches to bigger zones when it hasn't snowed in while.

[Mannix]

Hey Baker - I have an 03 Summit 700, same basic sled, smaller motor. It has been pretty fantastic. Chuck a top end at the 800, if it has not been done recently, beyond that, shrug, it should be a good, durable sled. My 700 has ~5k miles on it now, bought it with ~3k, put a top end in at 3600 out of principle (it was time, it had trouble going into reverse).

The one thing that I _WOULD_ do if I got another ZX chassis is put a longer track under it. Mine was a 144, I changed it to a 156 - WORLD of difference.

That said, if I were to do it again, I'd look for either a 144x16 (stock track is 15" wide, newer sleds had 16s), you can probably find a used 144x16 for $2-300 at swap meets, it'll just bolt in with some grinding of bolt heads to fit (the tunnel did not change), or, preferably, a 151/159x16 - that'd require rail extensions.

Do NOT buy a 156 unless you have rail extensions already. 144-151 and 144-159 rail extensions are (were, two seasons ago....) really easy to come by, 144-156 was a total pain in the ass.

The longer track made a huge difference in float/deep snow capabilities.

For $1100 + $500 for a top end, you kinda can't go wrong. You could do the track for $2-600, depending on swap meets and luck and patience; the end result would be a very capable access sled; you'd be hard pressed to match it for <$3k. Handlebar risers are a good idea, too.

That's not to say it WON'T do it without the track - it should be a 144, maybe a 151 (I'd still do a track if it were a 151, the stock 02 track seems kinda sucky, IMHO), we got around just fine on the 144 for the first two years.

I'll be selling my 03 700 this fall, probably going to list it for $2500, for comparison. Might get it, might not, hard to say, but $1100 with a trailer is a really, really good start.



Iain

[skibum193]

blew up my 04 rev this spring. been having some issues all winter and it had a full rebuild about 600 miles ago. sigh... i love it when its running, that just isnt enough of the time. gotta get into it this summer and see how bad things are.

[BCJC]

have browsed this thread, as well a little googling. looking for my first sled, duty would be:
90% accessing terrain to tour. odd sled ski day maybe.
wet coastal snow, from about 150m asl to 1500m asl at the most.
need to carry/pull 2 people up, some steep sections.
budget $3000

possible contenders?
early 2000's summit 700/800, ac mountain cat 800, etc.

advice is very welcome.
thanks

[skibum193]

I have a 04 Summit X 144 that I'm looking to sell for parts. Engine is seized but most everything else is in good shape. Would like to sell as a whole but might be willing to part it myself. Let me know if you're interested (in jackson, wy).

[Mannix]

have browsed this thread, as well a little googling. looking for my first sled, duty would be:
90% accessing terrain to tour. odd sled ski day maybe.
wet coastal snow, from about 150m asl to 1500m asl at the most.
need to carry/pull 2 people up, some steep sections.
budget $3000

possible contenders?
early 2000's summit 700/800, ac mountain cat 800, etc.

advice is very welcome.
thanks

Yes?

All of that info is in here, albeit a bit dated in some cases - $3k buys you a newer sled now than it did when the thread was created.

If it were me, I'd look for an 04+ Rev chassis sled. That means either a 600 or an 800. No 700cc Revs.

IMHO, the 600 would have enough power - plus, the Rev chassis _works_ better. A lot better.

If you do get an 800, do a top end immediately (unless you KNOW it has been done), then every 1500mi thereafter.

An 800cc 144" Rev 800 would be a great sled, just that the motors are not as reliable as the 600/700.

They're out there:

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218...arch=ski%20doo

but $3k seems to be the low end of Rev-stuff.

If you DO get a ZX, get an 03, IMHO - I have an 03 ZX, did not know the difference when I got it, but the 03 has updated running boards - wider and more ski-boot-shredding traction serrations. My 99 had the "eariler" style running boards, and the updated rails are MUCH better. The 03 ZX has a lot of little updates that arguably make it nicer (arguably who cares, too....), but the running boards ARE nicer.

The Rev chassis is SO much better than the ZX, though, if you _can_ get a Rev, do - it is a pretty significant difference.



Iain

[Blurred]

If you do get an 800, do a top end immediately (unless you KNOW it has been done), then every 1500mi thereafter.

Must suck to own ski-doo. Get a King Cat and don't worry about the top-end rebuild at 1500 miles. lol

[Mannix]

Must suck to own ski-doo. Get a King Cat and don't worry about the top-end rebuild at 1500 miles. lol

har, easier than a bottom end.

That only seems to apply to the pre-08 800s. Does not apply to the non-800s, but 01-07? 800s seem to be more prone to piston failures than others. As soon as skidon't fixed the piston skirt issues, the clutches became the issue.

I just don't buy 800cc Skidoos.



Iain