Lol! As fast as 2016 went by I wouldn't be so sure. Every one of these sleds has something that they do better than the other, but I have to say my 850 165", though much better than previous models, is a trencher compared to the new Mountain Cat...the shallow approach angel makes it feel 50lbs lighter than it is, and get on top the snow and stay there, and side hilling is effortless. I will say that the Doo engine and clutching is very smooth and powerful, but I could live with a little bit of vibration from the Cat to have the handling and predictability in the trees. It may be rider preference but the the owner of the Axys in our group came to the same conclusion.
>>Ski-Doo 850 Summit-X: First Ride Impressions
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Lol! As fast as 2016 went by I wouldn't be so sure. Every one of these sleds has something that they do better than the other, but I have to say my 850 165", though much better than previous models, is a trencher compared to the new Mountain Cat...the shallow approach angel makes it feel 50lbs lighter than it is, and get on top the snow and stay there, and side hilling is effortless. I will say that the Doo engine and clutching is very smooth and powerful, but I could live with a little bit of vibration from the Cat to have the handling and predictability in the trees. It may be rider preference but the the owner of the Axys in our group came to the same conclusion.
Is his a green Mountain Cat 162, or a standard Sno Pro? There is a huge difference.
His is green but he wrapped it and didn't like the lime green so he painted the spindles. Not sure what track length.
Had a 17 mtn cat, 17 axys, and an 850 all on the snow the same day and had the chance to spend time on all 3. The cat and axys both DO feel sluggish compared to the 850... Riding it you would swear the difference is more than 50cc. The cat motor feels stronger than the poo, but the poo feels much smoother.
I wasn't comparing power, but yes, the doo feels stronger out of the box, and if drag racing is your thing then the Doo wins in the horse power catagory. What I was talking about was handling, floatations, and side hilling ... It is easy and cheap to get HP out of the Suzuki. I'm hearing that there are fixes for the twitchy ness in the rear suspension of the doo but its not cheap, and you still have that 37 degree trenching track angel. Before I bought my 850 I thought to myself, "God that approach angel is steep!" It is a great sled, I just feel the MC will out perform it in the technical terrain. Lets hope I'm wrong, because I own a Doo 850!
The color makes NO difference other than the Green MC is the only one with the dropped chain case, and 8 tooth driver....some people just assume that they are all the same.
Since this is a Gen 4 thread, I apologize for saying anything other than "they are the greatest thing since spreadable peanut butter" just remember... When it comes to sleds and trucks, if you remain "brand loyal" you only get to own the "best" about one third of the time.
Oh well I think the 850 handles the best as well
I couldnt get over how well it JUMPS on top of the snow. Handling wise I felt immediately confident in myself and the sled, couldnt say that about the XM. Handling is purely a preference thing, and I only spent a day on the 850, and not much more than a few minutes on the cat, so take it FWIW. Coming from a guy who spent years on Doo, switched to Poo in 2011, and ALMOST bought a Cat this year but ended up with an Axys. Not brand loyal, but have certainly been partial to Poo for a few years... That said, I'm not sure they have the best performing sled for 2017.
Oh well I think the 850 handles the best as well
Coming from a guy who spent years on Doo, switched to Poo in 2011, and ALMOST bought a Cat this year but ended up with an Axys. Not brand loyal, but have certainly been partial to Poo for a few years... That said, I'm not sure they have the best performing sled for 2017.
I would agree with "rider preferance", it all depends on the kind of riding you like to do, and the feel you are looking for. You can't go wrong with any of them in 2017! I hope I can find the adjustments it takes to make the Doo work for me. I just wish I could have test rode them all prior to making a purchase.
I thought I would bring a little more cheer back to this forum with a review after a couple turns on the 850 165" X 3".
Last weekend my dad and I got out for a couple pretty good rides in 2-3 feet of ultra dry fine powder with 1-2 feet of loose base. I'm still riding a 2014 800 Pro 155" 2.4" pretty much stock. This light powder really made the new Skidoo shine. Breaking trail up logging roads was a blast, it takes so little effort to carve around switchbacks and up the trail.
Power is good, very smooth from start to finish. Very controllable. In the light powder it does feel "dirt bike-ish". Last year I rode an 850 in marginal snow and it didn't feel that way.
Steering effort is less than half of my pro. Super fun and playful. It's the first Skidoo I have felt comfortable on, the Gen 4 is a home run.
On the hill it blew the doors off my poor old pro. My pro would just pull the hills WOT and the Skidoo was just toying with them. So I thought I would test the sidehilling capabilities of the Doo, something I have never been happy with on Doos. It pulls over and holds a line really nicely. I was getting some feedback across the hill, the bars are angled just a touch forward and I think maybe this contributed to it. Next, downhill turn around on the face and back up. I was able to keep my feel straddling the running boards just lean a little and blip the throttle. It balanced and turned right around and accelerated up the hill like a rocket. Did it again, exact same results. It did lift the skis more than I would like WOT, but I'm sure that could be adjusted.
This sled rocked in these conditions, very impressive, very fun! If I hadn't been reading about bulk head issues I would say this is a certain home run for Skidoo and hopefully they fix it and make it right. I smacked a rock on my pro and I was thinking something is probably busted, but lucky me it seems fine. Now I'm nervous to ride the 850 again because it's not mine... Tunnel stayed pretty clear there is a good bit of snow/ice inside the tunnel on the sides and a little where the running boards meet the tunnel. At one point a pretty good ice block in the very front of the running boards.
I would give this thing a home run rating if the bulkheads we not breaking and the a-arms were. In my opinion I would like to see narrower boards. I don't have huge feet and if the boards were 1" narrower and the plastics were pulled in just ahead of your feet that would be great. I am not sure about the horizontal post, I would like to adjust the bars inline and give it a shot. Maybe an aftermarket post forward kit someday. I wish I had an Axys to run with the 850 to see how they stack up, but I don't. Hopefully some riders will get that chance this year.
One last observation:
The 850 sits 2" higher off the snow under the belly than my pro and 1" higher than an Axys. This makes the width of the bottom of the 850 less of an issue because it is up out of the snow where the Polaris chassis angle outward. I will try to use a sheetrock square and measure the body width when I have a chance.
Overall great job Skidoo - get past these first year issues and make it right with your customers and you will reap the benefits for years to come.
Last weekend my dad and I got out for a couple pretty good rides in 2-3 feet of ultra dry fine powder with 1-2 feet of loose base. I'm still riding a 2014 800 Pro 155" 2.4" pretty much stock. This light powder really made the new Skidoo shine. Breaking trail up logging roads was a blast, it takes so little effort to carve around switchbacks and up the trail.
Power is good, very smooth from start to finish. Very controllable. In the light powder it does feel "dirt bike-ish". Last year I rode an 850 in marginal snow and it didn't feel that way.
Steering effort is less than half of my pro. Super fun and playful. It's the first Skidoo I have felt comfortable on, the Gen 4 is a home run.
On the hill it blew the doors off my poor old pro. My pro would just pull the hills WOT and the Skidoo was just toying with them. So I thought I would test the sidehilling capabilities of the Doo, something I have never been happy with on Doos. It pulls over and holds a line really nicely. I was getting some feedback across the hill, the bars are angled just a touch forward and I think maybe this contributed to it. Next, downhill turn around on the face and back up. I was able to keep my feel straddling the running boards just lean a little and blip the throttle. It balanced and turned right around and accelerated up the hill like a rocket. Did it again, exact same results. It did lift the skis more than I would like WOT, but I'm sure that could be adjusted.
This sled rocked in these conditions, very impressive, very fun! If I hadn't been reading about bulk head issues I would say this is a certain home run for Skidoo and hopefully they fix it and make it right. I smacked a rock on my pro and I was thinking something is probably busted, but lucky me it seems fine. Now I'm nervous to ride the 850 again because it's not mine... Tunnel stayed pretty clear there is a good bit of snow/ice inside the tunnel on the sides and a little where the running boards meet the tunnel. At one point a pretty good ice block in the very front of the running boards.
I would give this thing a home run rating if the bulkheads we not breaking and the a-arms were. In my opinion I would like to see narrower boards. I don't have huge feet and if the boards were 1" narrower and the plastics were pulled in just ahead of your feet that would be great. I am not sure about the horizontal post, I would like to adjust the bars inline and give it a shot. Maybe an aftermarket post forward kit someday. I wish I had an Axys to run with the 850 to see how they stack up, but I don't. Hopefully some riders will get that chance this year.
One last observation:
The 850 sits 2" higher off the snow under the belly than my pro and 1" higher than an Axys. This makes the width of the bottom of the 850 less of an issue because it is up out of the snow where the Polaris chassis angle outward. I will try to use a sheetrock square and measure the body width when I have a chance.
Overall great job Skidoo - get past these first year issues and make it right with your customers and you will reap the benefits for years to come.
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Hopefully the aftermarket comes up with narrow boards for the 850. It would be super easy to make them an inch narrower, the plastic around the footwell is setup perfectly for it, one cut is all it would take.
Is there ANY DOUBT in your mind that there will be PLENTY of new boards to chose from soon???
And even with the self inflicted problems that I have had, you just outlined why I still very much LOVE THIS NEW SLED!!
I did do a little measuring tonight on the pro and 850. Someone will have to measure an axys so we are comparing current models but this is what I found.
850 measured at its widest point 34" just ahead of running boards.
Pro rmk measured at its widest point 35" just ahead of the running boards where it angles out. Pro at the running boards where it is angled in at the bottom 28-3/4".
850 height at running boards 11"
Pro height at running boards 10"
850 height under belly 12"
Axys height under belly 11"
Pro height under belly 10"
Without an axys in the shop and without a lot of math comparing ground clearance and angles I can see how the new Doo is similar in width to a Polaris. Plus if you add the fact the track is an inch wider it improves the angle the 850 can sidehill.
Hopefully someone can measure on an axys.
I'm sure aftermarket can build skinny boards that also pull the plastic in just ahead of the running boards that is flared out. It looks doo-able to me.
850 measured at its widest point 34" just ahead of running boards.
Pro rmk measured at its widest point 35" just ahead of the running boards where it angles out. Pro at the running boards where it is angled in at the bottom 28-3/4".
850 height at running boards 11"
Pro height at running boards 10"
850 height under belly 12"
Axys height under belly 11"
Pro height under belly 10"
Without an axys in the shop and without a lot of math comparing ground clearance and angles I can see how the new Doo is similar in width to a Polaris. Plus if you add the fact the track is an inch wider it improves the angle the 850 can sidehill.
Hopefully someone can measure on an axys.
I'm sure aftermarket can build skinny boards that also pull the plastic in just ahead of the running boards that is flared out. It looks doo-able to me.
A
We finally got all the new 2 strokes out together in about 3 ft of fluff and here's my take on it. All three were 17s 165 and broke in
Power
850 etec
Mtn cat
Polaris
Climbing
Mtn cat and axys very close
850 etec comes out of hole hard but trenches more than the others.
Handling
Mtn cat
Axys
850
All great sleds can't go wrong with any of them
I am really glad I got to try them all because I am in the market for a lightweight sled. I to have been trying to justify riding boosted yamahas and these news sleds are making it hard to do that.
Power
850 etec
Mtn cat
Polaris
Climbing
Mtn cat and axys very close
850 etec comes out of hole hard but trenches more than the others.
Handling
Mtn cat
Axys
850
All great sleds can't go wrong with any of them
I am really glad I got to try them all because I am in the market for a lightweight sled. I to have been trying to justify riding boosted yamahas and these news sleds are making it hard to do that.
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Be careful... Myself and 2 other riders came up with the same thing as you, but when I posted our findings on both this page and the polaris page, I felt like I was going to be burned at the stake! It's hard for people to believe that the new Mountain cat is as capable as we are saying. I own a new 850 Summit X and I would trade it for a Mountain Cat in a heart beat.
Haha the doo tards come after u if u speak ill of the apparently greatest 850 doo that has tons of issues but is still the best!
Thanks for the review.
I'm in the market for a new mountain sled too. Ive got a 2014 154" summit XM. And have been wasting way too much time on forums trying to get an idea of whats going on with the 2017 machines.
I consider myself a ski-doo guy, but not an extreme loyalist. I'll check out the new MC 153". The PC 3" track sounds pretty killer, maybe even the 162". I can't go Polaris yet. I'd keep my XM before jumping to that ship. Arctic cat might be flying under the radar as of late. I thought it was gonna be a easy decision with a 2018 Gen 4. But BRP blew smoke on most of their marketing last spring. I don't back companies that tell you one thing to get us to buy, then do R&D at our expense. And I hope BRP is doing R&D this winter or the nick name for the Gen 4 will be "Glass Jaw".
I'll be tuning in for the 2018 spring checks.
I'm in the market for a new mountain sled too. Ive got a 2014 154" summit XM. And have been wasting way too much time on forums trying to get an idea of whats going on with the 2017 machines.
I consider myself a ski-doo guy, but not an extreme loyalist. I'll check out the new MC 153". The PC 3" track sounds pretty killer, maybe even the 162". I can't go Polaris yet. I'd keep my XM before jumping to that ship. Arctic cat might be flying under the radar as of late. I thought it was gonna be a easy decision with a 2018 Gen 4. But BRP blew smoke on most of their marketing last spring. I don't back companies that tell you one thing to get us to buy, then do R&D at our expense. And I hope BRP is doing R&D this winter or the nick name for the Gen 4 will be "Glass Jaw".
I'll be tuning in for the 2018 spring checks.
If you are in the market for a new sled i would rent and figure it out for yourself. My opinion differs. Maybe because all I've rode is my wife's 850 this year and haven't had my axys out yet. Acclimated to the 850 the 17 cat feels sluggish. Power is so much better and quicker responding in the handling department. Climbing the cat wouldn't touch the 850 but it is a 153. I'll have to wait until I get my axys out a few times to really decide what I think of the 850. Then I will go for another spin on the cat.
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