I have. 2012 Pro rmk with 1700 miles. Love the sled but its been in the shop way to much , and the quality just isn't there . Light weight comes at a price , I won't even bother starting with the list of repairs . Anyways I rode a 13' Cat M8 162 , 13' Doo xm , and I have to say I really enjoyed the cat . Lots of power and I was surprised how nimble it was. I found the handling very similar to my pro . I hated the Doo! My question is has cat figured out the belt problems from last year? What other problems do the 13's have ? How is the quality of the cat compared to the Poo. I put on and average of 1500 miles a season , mostly steep and deep BC riding. My Pro was wore out this spring , every bushing , motor mounts etc .wasnt too impressed . Any input would be great
Jumping ship from Poo to cat ...
- Thread starter rydemx
- Start date
snoqueen
Active VIP Member
My hubby bought a 13 ProClimb SnoPro LTD....absolutely LOVES it! That 2.6 track is a total blast on this sled! While I'm not really going to compare it to the Pro, (we ride with a couple that have them) and they seem to go pretty good in the steep and deep but I know they don't handle as well on the trails! As for belt problems, haven't seen any yet on the 13 or my 12 for that matter...we both run full venting kits and high alt clutching. Other than MBRP cans and EVOL shocks on the 13 totally stock. My opinion is that you will love this sled....
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snoqueen
Active VIP Member
Oh, I forgot to mention that I have about 1600 trouble-free miles on my 12 and the 13 has about 600 trouble-free miles so far....all mountain riding in the northern Rockies!
maxwell
Active VIP Member
Care to elaborate why you hated the doo? Also there haven't been many issues brought to lite this season with the 13 pro climbs it seems they must have got it sorted out
trhaus
Active member
i own a 2012 153 800, vent kit and d&d can. i find that the machine is very easy to control on a side hill as compared to the pro, it seems to dive into the hill and stick better. the pro is easier to get started to lean but it seems to want to fall over or fall back when sidehilling, where as the cat feels natural when its on its side, its just getting started to lean thats more effort. my favourite parts of the sled are the adjustable height on the steering post, the way the hood is shaped u dont seem to get as much snow in the face as previous models. the guages are easy to quick glance at and understand. alt is a nice touch. and some bad points are why they went to a electric feul guage thats wrong 100% of the time is beyond me. and your gonna need a after market feul rack cuz the one that cat sells u is flimsy junk. and save yourself the troouble of getting stuck unloading and trim your mudflap down. hsving your friends laugh at u while unloading is not fun let alone if u get enough speed up it will tuck under your track and bend your tunnel before it rips off. as for comparing it to the doo i have rode xp but not the new xm and i kept falling off to me its just so different that i cant get used to it enought to make a decent opinion.
suzuki_ryder
Active VIP Member
I have a 2012 proclimb 153 and I rode an XM last month. Selling the proclimb in spring and getting an XM. I loved it.
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ridegreeninsnow
Member
i have had the opportunity to ride the three 800s. i got to ride the pro last year. the doo i got to ride this year. the proclimb is by far the easyest to side hill couldn't even figure the doo out! the pro was nice to ride but my buddy had his in the shop more then he rode it last year witch is why i went with the cat. ive got 300 trouble free miles on my m800.
stusnow
Active member
Hey rydemx i'm in the same boat but coming off an XP. I've had about 20 minutes seat time in the alpine on new cat 162" The guys at valley moto in kelowna have been a huge help and even have sleds to demo for potential customers. I'm hoping to get one out in the next week or two and get a good day on it around kingfisher, you might want to look into doing a demo ride. I'm 90% sure im going to get a cat next year
Korey
Active member
Rode my buddies awesome sled. My only complaint would be it seems fragile had to replace the bars a few times already from pretty mild tumbles and a ski hoop because he tripped over it... maybe just some bad luck but his dealer told him they are selling lots of bars so he's not the only one with a problem there. Otherwise awesome sled to ride just don't roll lol
stusnow
Active member
Update on my demo ride.....Long story short i just bought a '13 M8 LTD 153" that sled demo was all i needed to jump ship from Doo...
I rode 2 days on the M8 153 Ltd demo sled (bone stock) both days were tree riding days and that 2.6 track HOOKS UP!! tons of power and snappy power, climbed amazing, downhill turns perfectly, easy to handle in the tight techy stuff, jumps & drops felt great, gets on top of snow & out of hole amazingly and sidehills just fine. Whoopy trails & the air shocks will need some tinkering, i'll be doing the EVO Fox upgrade....it's hard to replace the plushness of a coil shock.........But coming off the '10 XP 146X, the cat was just more fun to ride & didnt feel heavy or wide at all.
My only complaints on the cat are:
-crappy skis
-running boards not getting rid of snow
-giant oil resevoir & it's blocking chain case access
-needs a better front bumper to protect airbox
not to write off Doo entirely I had a demo ride lined up the day after my cat demo. rode an XM 154" (also bone stock) still a fine sled but the stock ETEC just didnt have the same feeling, power wasnt great on low end, but was better in top end and really kept on chuggin along. T-motion...well they can brag all they want about it but Doo's are still harder to tip over, The XM is a world off difference from the XP but still not the same as other companies. I found the T-motion really stands out when your on harder pack snow and trying to turn the sled around. The new XM running boards are very impressive and wish cat was on par there
Dislikes:
- body position is so far forward feels like your standing on the skiis
-no bottom end grunt, felt & sounded like a sewing machine was under the hood (at lower RPM)
-not as responsive to leaning over & initiating turns
-Hands down the UGLIEST looking sled ski-doo has ever made
side to side both sleds work fine & have their own pro's/con's, and all my complaints on the sleds are minor & easily modded ( aside from being Fugly looking) But i'm stoked to have moved to cat and sounds like the '13 M8 is a big improvement from the '12 so. All i really want is a motor that will last me longer than 2000km's!!
I rode 2 days on the M8 153 Ltd demo sled (bone stock) both days were tree riding days and that 2.6 track HOOKS UP!! tons of power and snappy power, climbed amazing, downhill turns perfectly, easy to handle in the tight techy stuff, jumps & drops felt great, gets on top of snow & out of hole amazingly and sidehills just fine. Whoopy trails & the air shocks will need some tinkering, i'll be doing the EVO Fox upgrade....it's hard to replace the plushness of a coil shock.........But coming off the '10 XP 146X, the cat was just more fun to ride & didnt feel heavy or wide at all.
My only complaints on the cat are:
-crappy skis
-running boards not getting rid of snow
-giant oil resevoir & it's blocking chain case access
-needs a better front bumper to protect airbox
not to write off Doo entirely I had a demo ride lined up the day after my cat demo. rode an XM 154" (also bone stock) still a fine sled but the stock ETEC just didnt have the same feeling, power wasnt great on low end, but was better in top end and really kept on chuggin along. T-motion...well they can brag all they want about it but Doo's are still harder to tip over, The XM is a world off difference from the XP but still not the same as other companies. I found the T-motion really stands out when your on harder pack snow and trying to turn the sled around. The new XM running boards are very impressive and wish cat was on par there
Dislikes:
- body position is so far forward feels like your standing on the skiis
-no bottom end grunt, felt & sounded like a sewing machine was under the hood (at lower RPM)
-not as responsive to leaning over & initiating turns
-Hands down the UGLIEST looking sled ski-doo has ever made
side to side both sleds work fine & have their own pro's/con's, and all my complaints on the sleds are minor & easily modded ( aside from being Fugly looking) But i'm stoked to have moved to cat and sounds like the '13 M8 is a big improvement from the '12 so. All i really want is a motor that will last me longer than 2000km's!!
Blownsilver
Active member
I have 2400 kms on my 2012 m8 with reeds, y-pipe and speedwerx pipe and power commander still pulls like a freight train but do recommend the 20 tooth gearing and team clutch best mod yet IMO
moyiesledhead
Active VIP Member
Cat definately has the most reliable 800 engine of the three 2 strokes available. I'm in the minority though. I actually prefer the old M chassis over the new one.
Fatdaddy
Active VIP Member
I had the same opinion about the old M chassis as well, until I put the narrowing kit on my 2012.
I'm thinking about jumping ship from my '12 Poo to a '14 cat as well. Had all three '13's out for a demo day on Sunday and the Poo was familiar, the Cat was the most impressive, and well, the Doo just ain't for me. The only thing about the Cat was there seemed to be a vibration that went through the running boards and the bars and the clutching seemed a bit "grabby" in the mid-range which I think may have been the cause of the vibration. Anyone else experience more than normal vibration on their '13's? I assume the clutching could be easily tuned or may be taken care of on the '14's.
Other than the above, I'd swap out the skis and put some Raptors all around and call it good.
Other than the above, I'd swap out the skis and put some Raptors all around and call it good.
ACP
Active VIP Member
Lot's of changes for 14 - top and bottom gears, clutching, the whole skid is moved back but still with the lower attack angle, no rear cooler, lighter and more. This is what I heard from a pretty reliable source that went to the dealer conference. This is killing me went from 11, 12, 13 but am saying no to the 14. I think, I hope, ok probably, maybe, dam you AC.
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