Pro Rmk Vs Alpha?

The problem with all the brand-a VS brand-b is that what one person sees as a positive the next person sees as a negative depending on their riding style.
And that All the problems that are reported with are really blown up by the net by people who love to see problems in competitors sleds. Most of them have never seen the problem first hand (or maybe they have seen one ) but their buddy has always seen lots of it. ( I didn't see a alpha rail break but my buddy who was there saw 500 break in 1 day!!)

cattechsummitrider said:

The problem with all the brand-a VS brand-b is that what one person sees as a positive the next person sees as a negative depending on their riding style.
And that All the problems that are reported with are really blown up by the net by people who love to see problems in competitors sleds. Most of them have never seen the problem first hand (or maybe they have seen one ) but their buddy has always seen lots of it. ( I didn't see a alpha rail break but my buddy who was there saw 500 break in 1 day!!)

Click to expand...

And band loyalty, some people would not say something good about another brand. Or something bad about the brand they are riding because of brand loyalty.
And I except this in most cases. Yes agree this what makes the sledding world great right now is the fantastic competition.

Myself have been very lucky and love my PRO's and AXYS and dealers. Would buy another one without even looking at another Brand, Yes. I like the new cats. My local cat dealer is also good. Probably be very happy on one, rode a few and have been. But I just cant. Cannot say or agree on anything good about skidoo, to the point above, Never rode one, but the are probably pretty good.

All tho, with out different brands and comrade

Life would be boring on a guys sled trip

We ran two Alpha's last year as well as two Pro's, one 850 and one 800. Both Pro's were 163X2.6 and both cats were 165X3, all sleds bone stock.

Ignoring upgrades that could be done to fix things here is my opinion on both sleds, My personal sled is a G4850 so i am unbiased to either.


Alpha-
Pros
Love the feeling of the brake lever.
Clutching feels great for steep tracked out downhills, i felt like there was more control without fighting brake throttle back and forth than any other stock sled.
Skid is extremely playful climbing. Really easy to maneuver with the skis off the ground.
Power felt right there with the other sleds.
Storage bag on the dash gets just enough heat to keep things dry.
12V socket is awesome stock, really helped when we forgot to charge the spot phone.
Track is by far the best.

Cons-
I feel like it is a bit front end heavy.
The tunnel is a bit of a tin can.
It had a tendency to buck on tracked out side-hills.
Front plastics seem a little bit weak to abuse.
had a few minor electrical issues (connections unplugging on the trailer, wire fray...all very minor)
It feels a bit cramped
Bars are cluttered.

Pro RMK 850
Pros-
Great ergonomics (for me)
feels really stiff, I was confident in all terrain and snow conditions
Dash easy to use and see.
Bars are simple and uncluttered, easy to use and explain.

Cons-
I felt it was a little slow to get up and go, not as much bottom end as i expected in an 850
kill switch loved to break off in the cold
Stock scratchers are junk
Oil consumption seemed a bit high.

That is all i can think of off the top of my head, all of the cons can be easily tweaked. I came to the realization last year that i could ride any of the big three sleds all year and be perfectly content. They all have great pros and very few unfix-able cons. All i can say is sit on them both and buy what feels the most comfortable and play with it from there, i really dont think you can go wrong in a '19+ sled.

hondalrd said:

Looking to see if anyone has switched from a pro rmk to a alpha? I have had 4 different pro Rmk’s over the years but I briefly rode a alpha last year and liked the power it seemed to have compared to my rmk. It was a very short test drive i never did get a chance to test how it handled and side hilled. I ride mostly trees and technical riding which my rmk seems to handle easily with how easy it is to maneuver around. I did add a trenchers front end kit to it tho which made it that much more easy to throw around. Just wondering if I should take the plunge and switch this year or buy another Rmk? Any input is welcome!

Click to expand...

I have rode them both a fair bit and could make a list of pros and cons for each but that's not necessarily going to apply to you, personally I have a G4 850 because that's what suits me the best , to each their own. Before you spend a bunch of money I strongly suggest renting both and putting a solid day on each. Try HAF Powersport Rentals, they're in Blackfalds and Edmonton, good rates and good people.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-snowmobile/...tent=app_ios&utm_medium=social&utm_source=sms

We can set you up with a rental as well!

I own a 163*2.6" axys and I have a buddy who has a 165 Alpha. We went out for 3 rides the past spring and we swapped sleds back and forth a few times. 2 of the 3 rides we had a foot or two of powder on a spring base. In terms of climbing the alpha was on another level than anything on the hill including a sidekick 800 axys. The 3rd rode was in Stewart and it was soft but very wet and heavy snow. In those conditions the alpha wasn't better than anything else. I pack around quite a bit more weight than my buddy and I got the Highmark on him a couple times. When it comes to handling I would take the axys all day long. The axys gets on edge almost as easy as the Alpha but is way easier to control once on edge. I found if you didn't do a good job with throttle control on the Alpha, it would make a hard 90 and go up hill. I have the piggyback shocks on my axys and I thought it road a little smoother. For issues I did a shortblock and he did a rail. They are both killer sleds. I would go with the best dealer.

jasonrev said:

I own a 163*2.6" axys and I have a buddy who has a 165 Alpha. We went out for 3 rides the past spring and we swapped sleds back and forth a few times. 2 of the 3 rides we had a foot or two of powder on a spring base. In terms of climbing the alpha was on another level than anything on the hill including a sidekick 800 axys. The 3rd rode was in Stewart and it was soft but very wet and heavy snow. In those conditions the alpha wasn't better than anything else. I pack around quite a bit more weight than my buddy and I got the Highmark on him a couple times. When it comes to handling I would take the axys all day long. The axys gets on edge almost as easy as the Alpha but is way easier to control once on edge. I found if you didn't do a good job with throttle control on the Alpha, it would make a hard 90 and go up hill. I have the piggyback shocks on my axys and I thought it road a little smoother. For issues I did a shortblock and he did a rail. They are both killer sleds. I would go with the best dealer.

Click to expand...

Just got on an Alpha yesterday and I agree with a lot of what you are saying here. The snow was crazy wet and heavy but deep and the lower height of the Cat definitely hurt it getting going in the heavy stuff. It was pushing a lot of snow with the nose and A-arms and getting it packed under the belly pan but once moving it hauled the mail. On edge it requires careful throttle control or it wants to fall over to the hill and chuck a quick donut uphill. You need to be on your game riding it can't get complacent or lazy.