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Bontz

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I don't see any reference to items/problems to look for on the new 2021's and now that I sold mine this week without any seat time, I'm wondering what to look for ... especially since I'll be looking at the Snow Check program again.  Seems the most common complaints (for the guys who've actually been able to ride) include:
 

- The seat falling off and the shitty locking mechanism

- The headlights having condensation

- Those with the 7s complaining about the fuel mode changing & fuel level not being consistent (goes from Full to "much lower" quickly) & making sure the GPS antenna is secured in place

What else?  I haven't really seen any runability concerns (knock on wood) with the engine.  Not much for clutching or suspension issues either.

 

I'm going to be interested to hear how the guys compare their Launch vs. the VR1 with the shock differences, as I'm tempted to go with the Launch in 2022 because I really don't need the fancy gauge.  It certainly helps to have that when it comes to selling though.  I wish Polaris would add to their snow check program and allow consumers the choice of a shock package - they DO offer the QS3's on some of their models so it would be nice to choose between those and the various Walker Evans shock options they have.  Hopefully the weather will change for the better and guys can get some seat time to offer feedback vs. hearsay.

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Yeah, I sold my sled this past week.  I'm clearly getting old ... been fighting some arm/nerve issues (might be a disc problem, but I haven't gone in for a scan yet).  I'm trying the chiropractor to see if he can help provide some relief, and if that doesn't work I'm gonna have to suck it up and go get the scan done.  Figured I may as well try and sell the sled while the market is so strong, and if it sells - great .... if not - no big deal as I'll have a new sled to ride.  Well, it sold.  You guys will be thanking me soon .. I'm sure the snow will start coming any week now!! LOL

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A buddy got a VR1 137” 850 Launch - zero complaints on his first 350+ miles this last weekend.  The motor is super smooth!  He’s made a few suspension adjustments to his liking and is happy with it.  However, The few miles I put on it didn’t make me want to sell my XCR.  I’m sure the better shock package would be an improvement.

Edited by Mag6240
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8 hours ago, Bontz said:

I don't see any reference to items/problems to look for on the new 2021's and now that I sold mine this week without any seat time, I'm wondering what to look for ... especially since I'll be looking at the Snow Check program again.  Seems the most common complaints (for the guys who've actually been able to ride) include:
 

- The seat falling off and the shitty locking mechanism

- The headlights having condensation

- Those with the 7s complaining about the fuel mode changing & fuel level not being consistent (goes from Full to "much lower" quickly) & making sure the GPS antenna is secured in place

What else?  I haven't really seen any runability concerns (knock on wood) with the engine.  Not much for clutching or suspension issues either.

 

I'm going to be interested to hear how the guys compare their Launch vs. the VR1 with the shock differences, as I'm tempted to go with the Launch in 2022 because I really don't need the fancy gauge.  It certainly helps to have that when it comes to selling though.  I wish Polaris would add to their snow check program and allow consumers the choice of a shock package - they DO offer the QS3's on some of their models so it would be nice to choose between those and the various Walker Evans shock options they have.  Hopefully the weather will change for the better and guys can get some seat time to offer feedback vs. hearsay.

 

5 hours ago, Bontz said:

Yeah, I sold my sled this past week.  I'm clearly getting old ... been fighting some arm/nerve issues (might be a disc problem, but I haven't gone in for a scan yet).  I'm trying the chiropractor to see if he can help provide some relief, and if that doesn't work I'm gonna have to suck it up and go get the scan done.  Figured I may as well try and sell the sled while the market is so strong, and if it sells - great .... if not - no big deal as I'll have a new sled to ride.  Well, it sold.  You guys will be thanking me soon .. I'm sure the snow will start coming any week now!! LOL

 

Bontz, sledless?  @Zambroski sledless.  No snow in the snow belt.  HCS fucked.  wow, 2020 just keeps on giving.

You're more than welcome to come ride the 500 if you can handle it... when it snows?

Maybe it's time you bought a shootout winning Doo and then you can join Dootalk... :lol:

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On 1/10/2021 at 1:31 PM, Bontz said:

Yeah, I sold my sled this past week.  I'm clearly getting old ... been fighting some arm/nerve issues (might be a disc problem, but I haven't gone in for a scan yet).  I'm trying the chiropractor to see if he can help provide some relief, and if that doesn't work I'm gonna have to suck it up and go get the scan done.  Figured I may as well try and sell the sled while the market is so strong, and if it sells - great .... if not - no big deal as I'll have a new sled to ride.  Well, it sold.  You guys will be thanking me soon .. I'm sure the snow will start coming any week now!! LOL

I went thru that a couple years ago. Arm/ nerve issues, went to PT, etc and it seemed to go away. It came back this summer(exact same symptoms). Only this time it was a heart attack. I turned 50 a month ago, slightly high cholesterol other than that I'm healthy.  Not saying you have the same problem, just that you should make sure you know what you're dealing with. I thought I did but I didn't. You should go get checked out. I Left work and drove myself to the hospital after having shoulder and back pain come and go for a week. Couple more days and I wouldn't be here typing this. I beat the widow maker. Food for thought. 

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17 minutes ago, Superair said:

I went thru that a couple years ago. Arm/ nerve issues, went to PT, etc and it seemed to go away. It came back this summer(exact same symptoms). Only this time it was a heart attack. I turned 50 a month ago, slightly high cholesterol other than that I'm healthy.  Not saying you have the same problem, just that you should make sure you know what you're dealing with. I thought I did but I didn't. You should go get checked out. I Left work and drove myself to the hospital after having shoulder and back pain come and go for a week. Couple more days and I wouldn't be here typing this. I beat the widow maker. Food for thought. 

Thanks for sharing that .... and glad to hear you lived to tell the story.  Holy crap is that an eye opener!  I did have a visit with the doctor (actually, the Emergency Dept) when this really started bothering me.  At the time, I had tested CV+ and when I called to set up an appointment they "sounded the alarm" so to speak and told me to get to the Emergency Department ASAP because they wanted to rule out any heart issues since it was my left arm.  I went through the blood work, EKG, etc. and everything came back OK (thankfully).  So now I'm trying to see if the chiropractor can work his magic & if not ... I guess I'll be going in for a MRI.  The timing of COVID and this arm pain is a bit ironic - makes me wonder how much of an impact the virus has on it, but it sure seems to be a pinched nerve or a bulging disc.

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You seem to have it under control but if you have decent insurance and can get a referral id recommend a stress test to go with your EKG/bloodwork. That all showed bad signs for me because I was having a heart attack. One of my coworkers (who is ironically my age) was having actual chest pain at night. Went to ER twice. Bloodwork EKG both fine. He hounded his primary physician on my advice to get him a referral for a cardiologist and they finally gave him one. He saw heart doctor and they scheduled a stress test. This was 6 weeks after his initial ER visit. He felt fine that day. Went to stress test and had emergency surgery to have 3 stents put in the same day. He was on his way to the big one. Blockages don't show up on tests unless they are causing other issues.

Then again, it could just be a pinched nerve. I will share something I never thought of until a nurse mentioned it to me while I was in the hospital.

If you have back and nerve pain that lingers, or dulls out after taking some ibuprofen or something, or is nagging, its probably exactly something like that.

If you feel fine, then all of a sudden the pain and numbness starts, then mysteriously just goes away a few minutes later and you feel ok, thats a sure fire sign you're heading for trouble and you need to see someone ASAP. Wish I knew that when it happened to me lol. Best of luck and take care of yourself I hope it turns out to be nothing. Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative !

Sorry 'bout the thread jack 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/10/2021 at 1:31 PM, Bontz said:

Yeah, I sold my sled this past week.  I'm clearly getting old ... been fighting some arm/nerve issues (might be a disc problem, but I haven't gone in for a scan yet).  I'm trying the chiropractor to see if he can help provide some relief, and if that doesn't work I'm gonna have to suck it up and go get the scan done.  Figured I may as well try and sell the sled while the market is so strong, and if it sells - great .... if not - no big deal as I'll have a new sled to ride.  Well, it sold.  You guys will be thanking me soon .. I'm sure the snow will start coming any week now!! LOL

Are you saving up to buy and Arctic Cat?

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850 down so dealer let me take 650 vr1 129 demo for the weekend.
7 miles on sled when i picked up.
First day ride found sled to be stiff so I slowly softened things up till I was at almost full soft.
Engine runs strong even in brake in mode!
Found knees to hit on outside edge of panels though so knee pads will be needed.
Lots of room to move around.seems effortless to move to outside of panel.
This sled loves tight windy trails.
650 is easier to manage than my 850 in the tight stuff.
Sled is just planted in corners!
sled feels lighter than my pros even though it is not.
My pros i feel is a better long day cruising sled.
More comfortable to ride and handles trail chatter and whoops better than the matryx.
Would like to have tried a 137 to see if trail chatter would of been better?
Fuel mileage was a bit better than polaris 600's i rode with.
Figure about 13mpg or so.
Don't see myself running at the 20% or less throttle position to gain mpg?
Once I figured out settings for hand warmers they are awesome!
Using ride command on trails is a breeze now that i can see gauge!!!
328 miles total on sled for weekend and it ran great!
No drop in rpms when running hard on trail or on lake.
Ran around 8200.
Could of used a tall windshield.That short one is worthless!!
See what they bring out in march I may be a buyer!!
850 will have pretty much new motor though!

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@X2700 My buddy has the 850 Launch 137”, and though I didn’t feel it was nearly as planted in the corners, even with 6” duallies on it, your assessment was what I found.  I think besides the gauge (which I personally don’t care about) you’d find in back to back riding/swapping on trail with your Pro-S you’d still prefer the Pro-S.  Toss in the XCR goodies and it’s a no brainer.  I prefer my XCR over the Matryx with the riding I’ve done.

Edited by Mag6240
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The pros is a sled you can pound all day comfortably!

The matryx is a handful.

I’d like to try a set of hi/low shocks on matryx to see if that would help?

The conventional tunnel sure backs up nice and goes on trailer easier!!

Guy pumping gas at trestle asked how I liked matryx and wondered if he made right decision on buying new xcr switchback.

told him he made right decision and he walked away with smile!!

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37 minutes ago, X2700 said:

The pros is a sled you can pound all day comfortably!

The matryx is a handful.

I’d like to try a set of hi/low shocks on matryx to see if that would help?

The conventional tunnel sure backs up nice and goes on trailer easier!!

Guy pumping gas at trestle asked how I liked matryx and wondered if he made right decision on buying new xcr switchback.

told him he made right decision and he walked away with smile!!

“I bought the wrong sled” was the exact quote from the guy you saw me riding with a couple weeks back, when I was still on my ‘18.

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@X2700 - your sled went down?  Ugh :wtf:  Any idea what happened?

 

You and @Mag6240 have me feeling pretty good about the situation I'm in without my VR1 for the season.  Add in some of the other quality issues, the crappy snow season (up to this point), and I feel like things actually worked out for the best this year.  I'm trying to convince myself to either NOT snow check in a couple months & just buy next winter if/when there's snow .... or concede that I don't really need an 850 for the way we ride & go with the 650.  Things to ponder I guess.  An XCR in the 650 has me really thinking though!!

 

@Icecube - my days on Cat are pretty much done, unless my current dealer somehow picked up Cat (which is about as likely as me hitting my high school weight!) LOL

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Crank bearing out.hopefully get it back next week!!pretty much getting complete new motor.

Great year to sell and sit out!

hopefully we will see 650 xcr switchback!!850 is so fun to ride though!!!!!!

 

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Well at least they gave you a loaner to use while you're was in the shop ... good on them for that level of service!!  For some reason I was thinking you had a new Matryx in the stable this year & THAT had me wondering WTH happened.  If you're still on your '19 ... I guess that makes a little more sense with the bearing issue (I hope the guy that bought mine doesn't experience that issue right away!).  If you were up north last week (by Hayward / Stone Lake) you likely just missed us at some point.  We were in Ojibwa, and spent some time driving around ... and spending some seat time at the bars.  Two of the guys with us had never been to Buckwheat's so we had to provide them that EXPERIENCE!! LOL


Hope your sled is done soon ... enjoy what's left of the season!

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5 hours ago, X2700 said:


850 down so dealer let me take 650 vr1 129 demo for the weekend.
7 miles on sled when i picked up.
First day ride found sled to be stiff so I slowly softened things up till I was at almost full soft.
Engine runs strong even in brake in mode!
Found knees to hit on outside edge of panels though so knee pads will be needed.
Lots of room to move around.seems effortless to move to outside of panel.
This sled loves tight windy trails.
650 is easier to manage than my 850 in the tight stuff.
Sled is just planted in corners!
sled feels lighter than my pros even though it is not.
My pros i feel is a better long day cruising sled.
More comfortable to ride and handles trail chatter and whoops better than the matryx.
Would like to have tried a 137 to see if trail chatter would of been better?
Fuel mileage was a bit better than polaris 600's i rode with.
Figure about 13mpg or so.
Don't see myself running at the 20% or less throttle position to gain mpg?
Once I figured out settings for hand warmers they are awesome!
Using ride command on trails is a breeze now that i can see gauge!!!
328 miles total on sled for weekend and it ran great!
No drop in rpms when running hard on trail or on lake.
Ran around 8200.
Could of used a tall windshield.That short one is worthless!!
See what they bring out in march I may be a buyer!!
850 will have pretty much new motor though!

The 650 is a runner for sure.  Thought it had real good power, a lot of additional low end compared to the 600 Polaris and Cat motors.  Tough to tell how much without studs to really compare them to side by side.  The new body work and riding position really changed a lot of the complaints I had with the AXYS.  The gauges are worth the money for the trail maps alone.  The rest of the functionality I don't think is really worth it.  The windshield was fine.

In the quality department, the condensation in the headlights wasn't acceptable.  I'm sure Polaris will be warrantying a bunch of them.  Vibration at idle on a cold start made it look like the engine was going to come flying out of the chassis.  It smooths out off idle but you have to wonder if that amount of vibration is good on the crank.

Engine reliability on the 650 would be my biggest concern.  Until it proves itself out, get the warranty.

I'd buy one in a XCR 137" 850.

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4 hours ago, Bontz said:

 

@Icecube - my days on Cat are pretty much done, unless my current dealer somehow picked up Cat (which is about as likely as me hitting my high school weight!) LOL


I hear that loud and clear... I  have no AC dealers that are any good in my immediate area, the dealer I bought from in 2012 is long gone, so is the mechanic that was there, he was awesome, he would let me wrench on my sled on the empty lift in the shop. I got a good 40 year old dealer 2 hrs away.

I would be very interested also in the XCR 650... I’m just can’t justify spending any $$$$ with the current state of things right now.

I was just razz in ya with buying a Cat.

:thumb:

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10 hours ago, X2700 said:

Crank bearing out.hopefully get it back next week!!pretty much getting complete new motor.

Great year to sell and sit out!

hopefully we will see 650 xcr switchback!!850 is so fun to ride though!!!!!!

 

Nice service you guys have, hoping I get similar where I went - but probably not.

And Yeah, I really like my 800 XCR, still have it, but couldn’t take my hands off the bars of the 850 for riding locally today.  180 smiles today from the garage!

Edited by Mag6240
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On 1/27/2021 at 8:33 AM, Mag6240 said:

“I bought the wrong sled” was the exact quote from the guy you saw me riding with a couple weeks back, when I was still on my ‘18.

Not questioning anybody option but I will say I bought the right sled with a VR1 137.  No longer a ditch banger but sensibly fast trail rider.  Just turned 700 miles so far this year and no complaints.  Wife has my old sled from last year 2020 XC 137 850 and we switched a couple times.  Still think they're both good sleds for my riding but the wind protection and the hand warmer setup is a nice improvement on the VR1.  I have trouble keeping my hands warm. The gauge on the VR1 compared to the PIDD really makes the PIDD look old.  Again just my opinion for the riding style I'm looking for.

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