Time to choose soon, but which sled ? Any input or opinions ?

That'll be a tough decision to make. You have a couple of great options on the table.

well the XP has changes to it for 09 and will be bulletproof. The dragon has a new p2 clutch i believe and who knows how that will be.

I'd say if you like to boondock sometimes and like to manhandle your sled, XP would be a better choice b/c of lightweight.

Ride them both. They are both great machines. Call your NH Polaris dealer. They have access to a 2009 IQ 800 and the feedback has been incredible (see the reviews on the Polaris forum). Rode the 800 IQ with a bunch of guys, one who works for Ski-Doo in St. Albans, VT and everyone was blown away. The top speed was 115 MPH on snow in Jay, VT the other day and the sled is stable and predictable. Suspension is spot on and clutching is amazing. The Rev XP is also a great sled but I truly do not believe it handles like an IQ chassis in the stutter bumps or the corners. In the big moguls, the IQ dominates. I am a Polaris guy but I respect the Ski-Doo's. I have ridden both and know many people that are in the process of trading their XP's for Polaris Dragon SP's. Once again, take them on the same trail and beat the snot out of the sleds. I think you will concur with my opinion. Good luck and either way, you will have a great sled.

the sled is very light.and very fun to ride.i love mine

I rode the 800 in old forge. Also rode the 4 stroke turbo polaris. I thought the 800 rode pretty good, but after riding the 4 stroke I realized how stiff the 800's seat was. Seat is way to stiff. Power is about the same as my xrev 800. Frony end of the poo might be a little more stable. The xp moves around more I think due to its lightweight. I do think weight makes a sled more stable at speed.

I agree. They both have strong motors and the Polaris is more predictable in the rough stuff. The seat is way better than they were but still could be a hair softer. The top end will be slightly better on the Polaris and acceleration to 100 MPH should be close. The power band on the Polaris is smooth and you are usually going faster than it feels. We have lined this 800 IQ up against an F-1000, F8, XP 800, and Apex and the IQ 800 is the fastest top end. All are close to 100 MPH except for the F8. It is way back. The Turbo Dragon was surprisingly fast as it was nose to nose with the IQ 800 and Apex to 112 mph. The XP dropped off at about 105 MPH. Fuel mileage on the IQ 800 was about 12 MPG and the Apex was 13 MPG. I did not fill up the other two so I cannot comment. I do know the Arctic Cat's were less than 10 MPG. Ski-Doo is usually great on fuel especially on their 600 SDI. I know their 800 is similar to the IQ 800. I guess the saying is true, it really takes fuel to make HP. Next year is going to be fun on the lakes and at the radar runs.

I say wait... Ill bet SkiDoo has a 800 Etec before next winter....

Most of the XP 800's are getting around 18+mpg which would be a big deal to me considering next year we'll probably be seeing $4.00+ for a gallon of gas. The XP 800 I've been riding with would always take way less gas at fillups compared to my 800, If I put $24 in he put $13 in. I couldn't take the vibration of the XP so I'll probably be on a 4 stroke if I buy anything.

Can't go wrong with either the Dragon or XP. Haven't ridden the new Dragon but have a season on the XP. Dragon probably will have more top end, the XP is a little flat there. The XP gets 19-20 mpg and is extremely nimble, I highly doubt the Dragon will get as great as mileage, Polaris sleds do seem to suck more gas. The Dragon design and engine access is more old school whereas the XP is chiseled and lighter but a little more difficult to access engine. A real toss-up!!

How accurate are either one of those top speeds. I know my d 700 recall says 115 also but that was with a ton of track spin. The Polaris speedo is very accurate (providing you don't go by the top speed recall) and isn't off more than 1-2mph either way on radar. I don't know about the doo's but I'll bet Its off too. Anyways I think both sleds are pretty great, and should give eachother good competition next winter. I'll reserve judgement until I see them run side by side though before I buy into any of the the Polaris is faster or the Doo is faster talk.

When we FST guys get it fine tuned watch out. I rode an etec 600 this past week, for 200 lbs lighter LOL you need more than that!

The only problem is the Polaris odometer is almost exactly on, doo is the dream-O-meter

my dads xp box stock ran 114 on snow strip. no studs.

on radar

did you guys ride the 08.5 800 with the RMK seat? the seat for 09 is softer then the RMK seat. on all the demo's ive seen its been the RMK seat not the new seat yet.

whats with all these polaris guys on the doo forum. I think the xp is still the superior sled. I just watched the xp 800 out climb the poo 800 in the mountains. Less weight in my opinon makes every thing better. just weight untill doo recalibrates their shocks.

hey man im just trying to help everyone out. they are both great sled and both ahve there strong and weak points. ya im a poo guys and will always probably be but doo has a good product as well. either sled being superior it has alot of things to look at and relaly i wouldnt say either. doo has the weight advantage but poo has a suspension advantage. both have strong motors (you may say the poo is untested but it been in testing sense 06, no joke). now rider comfort is just how you like the sled no relly way to say one is better then another. chassis strength is in poo favor. and tons of otehr things. really both great sled.
as for your shock calibration thing, the biggest problem is KYB jsut need to chagne the shock design some, somesthings i just dont get why they do. on the standard 800 the ryde fx are nothing to special aobut the same as the kyb t/a shocks on the doos but the dragon WE res clickers are way better then the doo x package shock. i dont get why they dont go back to res shock on the x package. and something iwth 5/8 shaft.

There has been a lot said about top speed of these 2 awsome sleds, but I am also interested in opinions on how these sleds will compare when they are ridden as designed. Designed, as in ridden hard motocross style on a beat up trail BEFORE the groomer gets out to clean it up! In addition how do you think these sleds will compare on a 200 mile ride when trails are smooth and fast ? Which will corner flatter and feel more firmly planted on fast sweepers ? I do both types of this riding and have to figure out which sled will do it better.

Both are great sleds, I like Polaris personally. If it was to come down to a drag race the xp 800 would win hands down those things just fly!

Xp all the way!

my brother got to try out the iq 800 and he wont tell me much, all he said is tha my dad better be ready. He said he has it up to 102 -103 about 4 times, said it pulls really hard. He also said it will be close. My fahter went on a ride this friday and went 140 miles and he sucks up 7.7 gallons. Left from dixfield ME and went to rangeley Maine fill up was 3.8 gallons and on the way home sucked up 3.9 gallons on the way home. was a total of 140 miles. and used 7.7 gallons. He was getting 18.1 mpgg. he was getting the best out of all the sleds that were with him. There was a 600 ho sdi and he sucked up over 4 gallons on the way up there. over 3400 miles and this thing rips

Im not sure, but I also rode the turbo model and that seat was ALOT softer.

Go with the D8SP. I have a XP8 and I am buying one. I only get 10-11mpg with my XP8...but then again I RIDE it. Typical day is 200-240 miles in 8 hours out.(like 9am-5pm)..so i amintothe throtle....if you keep out of the throttle and don't go over 40mph or 5000rpm's..you might be able toget 15+mpg.


BTW the ski-don'ts digital is 10-12% off.... so 120 on the digital is 106-108mph(gps)(i know BC I have one and have compared it tothe gps)

Now I hear the Polaris speedos are pretty close, tho I cannot confirm, but if so, that means the POO was doing probably 110-113mph, therefore faster top end than the Ski-Don't.


BUY THE POO!!!

XP8'sare not that quick and definately not fast, maybe more quick than fsat, but not both. they top out stock at 101-103mph(gps) this is a well known fact.

here is how my xp8 faired against a 2001 mxz 800 and an '03 ZR900


proof is in the video. I don't care what u say.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=x0vjR2_hfz4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=koFOEQIPNcM


if you click on "about this video" in the youtube box it willtell you how the sleds were set up.

top end the '01 mxz800 was dead even with me...the ZR9 rolled by me EASILY after I hit 100mph(cuz thats as fast as it will go stock)

Was your 800r an "X"? That would explain a lower top end. I have an xp8 Adrln with a 1" track. I have rolled by the "X" on top end. We figured it was the track as both sleds were setup identical (box stock with the 84 studs they allow you). Also, the worst fuel milage I have gotten was 15.5 mpg in 30F weather riding like I was in the I-500 for 300 miles. You must have a hole in your tank only getting 10mpg.

There is a few things to think about here. 1. How long are you keeping it? The XP will be around for at least 2 more years. Poo has a new chassis coming out (maybe before you ride your 09 800). For $10k that would piss me off. 2. Does weight matter? The XP is no shit lighter than anything. You really notice it. 3. How good is your local dealer? If you have a great Poo dealer and no reliable Skidoo shop to deal with, go Poo. If the reverse applies, go Doo. That will be important IMO. You never know with the new 800 IQ motor. The XP still has bugs.

Overall, I have the new XP. Its really revitalzed my love for snowmobiling. I switched over after riding cats for 10+ years. The IQ8 is an intresting sled though. Why does it look so much like my F7s?

PS: The Poo gauge is 100 times better than the Doo gauges. They suck. My Adrln gauge is a joke. The tach goes backwards by design. The speedo goes to 200??? And you can NOT get the fuel gauge to ready full ever. It is off by 7mph on 2 different GPS units at all speeds. This is the analog gauge on my Adrenaline. The "X" gauge is different.

Man you are right!! The Dragon look's just like F7's

the poo will hold up better over the doo. chassis is alot tuffer, this is from cross coutnry racing experience not just biase. lots of problem keeping the xp together, some guys went back to there 07 sled.


you covered many important things here. the dealing thing is very important. nothing worse them getting a sled form a bad dealer. also yes 2010 poo gets a new chassis. the 09 poo is still think will be a better sled though. the xp may be a little faster (yet to really be provent yet we will see) but the poo's suspension and durability more then makes up for it i think

it still dont get why people are so conserned about out of the box top speeds, i never got it, maybe it because when i get a new sled the first thing i do is start chagning stuff but really, REGEAR, it takes half an hour and you can go as fast as you want.

you have lined that new poo up against 09 cats??? that's what I thought, you boyz aint got a prayer next season when the big dogs show up.