Hi everyone I'm brand new here. My situation is I just barely bought an 01' mountain cat 800, it has 1100 miles with a billet head I believe, and a single cpi pipe. I'm a snowboarder and I want a sled that will do well enough in the deep snow to get me to prime riding locations. But I am on a limited budget and also want a reliable sled. I have heard some things about the reliability track record of arctic cat and just want the opinion of some more experienced riders. It would be a pain, but I could still sell the cat (it's in remarkable shape) and go for a summit, rmk or even a mountain max but I just don't know. Has anybody (past or present) owned this same model, if so can I get your opinion on the sled? Please be as unbiased as you can? Your suggestions will definately be considered. Thankyou very much for your help.

that sled will work just fine. check to make sure the pistons have been updated, that was an issue w/ the 01's

This will cause shock waves thru the forum but the older Cats were the worst of the 3, Yamaha not even a contender, If you can get a RMK 700 preferbly with adjustable valves that would be your best bet, the Summit being 2 because of 800 motor issues. Now in the 04's the Rev. was the best but the 800 motor still had issues. You are new to this sport and will have a lot to learn so learning on the lightest most nimble machine is important, you will not need mega hp to start so the 700 is reliable reasonably powered and probably the easiest to learn on, I'd say from 2000 thru 2003. Just my 02 but Iv'e been snowmobiling a lond time.

Thanks both of you, it leaves me with some peace of mind. The pistons were updated I believe the time of the recall. I checked the service records

I do agree with you bonzai. I took it up the other day and I can see your point. I was going to go with a 700 but this was in such good shape I decided to grab onto it. I was hoping to get a sled that was a completely stock more as a reliability issue, but same thing I just couldn't pass it up.

Although I have had a problem bleeding the coolant and refilling it, I can only get 2 out of 3 quarts in even after running the machine. I decided to just take it to the arctic cat dealer and have them do it, instead of overheating the machine. I'm just kinda worried they'll be dishonest because of my inexperience and prescribe an expensive fix. I'm kinda an idiot when it comes to engines, but I do know a little. Do you guys or anyone else know something I don't when it comes to bleeding and filling the coolant?

thanks again

You either have coolant that is still in the heat exchanger and thats why you can't put anymore fluid in, or an air lock, just raise the front of the machine off the floor a couple of feet and run the engine, it should get rid of the air lock, let the engine heat up enought to open the thermostat and feel the lowest end of the rear heat exchanger, if it gets warm everything should be fine. If you have doubts its best to take it to a dealer, they overheat on the trail very quick if all is not well.

my dads got an 01 800 le went out west with it 2 yrs ago redlodge and cookcity over beartooth pass we had that thing set up like a crazy mutha.. gear and clutch it down to a 500 and drop the suspension out of the tunnel to the lower holes.. you will have no troubles. o get those pistons updated

my dads got an 01 800 le went out west with it 2 yrs ago redlodge and cookcity over beartooth pass we had that thing set up like a crazy mutha.. gear and clutch it down to a 500 and drop the suspension out of the tunnel to the lower holes.. you will have no troubles. o and for a easy way to fill coolant take the thermostat out and fill it through the big hole other wise u gotta push it all through a closed thermostat good luck...

Hello,

The reason that I got into snowmobileing was to snowboard and man they work great for that application you will see - Anyway i started with a old trippple arctic cat powder special and then moved to a 01 800 mtn cat - this was my first new out of the crate sled and since the winter of 02 that sled has been pulling people to the deep and fresh on almost every dump we get up here. The last time that I looked the 800 had just over 4000 miles and it is still running very strong. In my opinion the larger the engine the easier it is to pull people around at this elevation. You can pull with a 700, 600, or even a 440 fan - but if you want the goods stay with that 800. The problems that the 8 has had is a driveshaft berrings - the piston update - and a couple of clutch rebuilds - and that is about it - one thing to think about is that pulling a skiier is much harder on a sled than just riding it and this one has held up for over 4k miles (plus the all black looks super cool)

Since then I bought a mtn cat 04 900efi w/159 and this beast will pull 2 skiiers with ease but most of the time we use the 01 800 for pulling it just seems to work well.

Also look into cheeta racing board racks they are a super easy way to transport the boards - and if you need any info about how to hook up a tow rope - we use 40' waterski ropes - I have found a way to hook them up so that you are not bending the tunnel or putting a ton of pressure on the rear bumper - I hope that this info helps you out

Jahvea

Hi there this is joel salmond i live in fort st john b.c i have been ridding for a while since i was two im only 16 but i know some shit aobut sleds. ok the year 01 was good for the 800 mt cats they were lighted from the previse year of 98 99 there were tanks in those years. this sled should get you were you want depending on the track size longer ius better for hills and deep powder Your going to want to get a long deep lug track i have a 144 in track with 1 3/4 inch lugs but if you run a an 800 im thinking that you can go longer and deeper if you like to ride powder go with a solid lug if you like spring ridding go with a finger track they work wonders on hard pack. as for the engine a single pipe is good , some ppl say they arnt but they give the same power as twins with less weight. if you want to go higher try to loss weight on your sled even ten pounds make lots of difference if you want somtin that will shave lots of lbs go woth a mesh hood there about 500 bucks but if you have ever rode without a hood youll know the difference.

does the city of fort st. john still smell like rotten eggs?

thats funny. that's the same reason i started to snowmobile! only, i started to have way more fun on the sled! wanna buy a board or two!

you did good son....

I'm bias, last three sleds have been Arctic Cats. I have an 01 800 and love it. I bought it as a year old sled with 800 miles on it and have now put 2400 more on her.
Just so you know, the 01 800 cat was a huge contender in its day, don't let anyone tell you it's a pig. Compared to other mtn sleds of 00-02 it shines. It was a good year for the big mtn sleds. Light powerful and fun.

mtndog.

First off I think an 800 is a waste anyway of gas and energy..getting unstuck, and the sled itself kind of wears itself out faster because it has more power. You will do fine with what you got though I would ride it for a while and get something else if you find a good deal. don't listen to the polaris guys. polaris snowmobiles are the cheapest, unreliable,bullshit copy cat sled out the cat doo yammy are all about the same with cat second and yamaha and doo first good luck and have fun

I bought my Mountain Max 600 in 99-00. There were no updates no recalls and no problems for the past five years. I have nicknames for the other sled companies. Starting in order with the biggest hunk of junk: ARCTIC CRAP, POLARISAUSAGE, SKI -DON'T. If anyone tells you that Yamaha sleds aren't an option, they are dead wrong. I've personally witnessed a Mountain Cat burn to the ground in the middle of the backcountry. If it were me in your position I would sell that thing to the first green goblin jacket wearing, Arcticcatneck that offers you money for that timebomb. A snowmachine thats reliable is a good start to the backcountry; but a good rider is the most important part of the mix. The money you will use to fix a broken Arctic Crap could go to modding a sweet Yamaha.

Thats too bad you feel that way. I wouldn't go pissing off your riding buddies who have other brands when you need about eight guys to pull that heavy thing out when you get stuck. You must go over the top all the time on the stock 600.

Thats a whole lot of sled for someone who started riding this year. I say start off with something in the 600cc range (any brand) and go from there. But if your going to keep that...I hope you don't ride alone cause no matter how good a sled you got, it's all about the rider in the deep stuff...so plan on getting stuck alot!