Originally Posted by ajlariviere 
I was thinking not a 340 but maybey a summit 583? Ive ridden the 550f sleds and they are ok but I think I would grow out of it soon. would you know of any sleds that have desent power that are light too? weight is my problem.
LOL - its funny that you mention the 583. It was about 105 HP out of the factory and was actually over-rated on the HP at the time, so they classed it higher and it ran with the 700's, the 583 didn't have much less HP than the sled you have now, so stepping down to it won't be going back too much.
Your sled is heavy, that will slow its performance. And honestly, its nothing like riding some of the newer iron out there. That sled only has a 136" right? It was not designed to be a mountain sled, its a flatlander sled with a longer track, like they all were back then. The official mountain sleds did not start until 1994, and then the market exploded.
Does your Dad ride??
I can appreciate what Taminator has to say - however some parents are also biased to think that all 14 yr olds are going to jump on the thing and go wide open all the way to the first corner and then end up in the weeds.
I started out sledding life on a 1978 440 Everest TnT, and often times I was so scared, that my dad would have to tell me to give it
more throttle just so I wouldn't get stuck all the time. That being said - Taminator might be right as well (sorry, but I don't know you at all - maybe you're throttle happy
)
Talk to your Dad about it and what his fears/concerns are. He's the one that needs to be comfortable with what you ride and how you ride it. He just wants to protect you and see you live a long and healthy life, and there's nothing wrong with him caring. A caring parent - That's a good thing.
If he's still uncomfortable, you might want to look for a different sled, at least for your "starter year" and then keep the Cat (if you can) and then try it next year. Or maybe you can get a 500 size sled and your dad can ride the Cat. nothing like sledding with your old man - I love riding with my Dad.