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2 vs 4 stroke

5K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  cazwizzle 
#1 · (Edited)
OK......so I'm a 1st time 2 stroker. I'm currently on a 17 Polaris SB 800 Pro S with roughly 5200 miles. Machine is running great........no issues and I really mean no issues !! It has always had it's required maintenance and really has not been abused. It's been running a little warm this winter but I attribute that to low snow and hard pack conditions. In anything deep or scratchers deployed she runs at 124 - 126 all day. What has me nervous is everybody talking about it's only a matter of time before she blows...it's a ticking time bomb......it's a 2 stroke ya know. Yet there is no indication that something bad is going to happen. My problem is that my confidence is shattered. Every time I ride it now I think it's going to be the last......it'll blow up and I'll be walking home. 120 PSI on both sides starting this season and she still pulls hard. Like I said....no issues. However the naysayers are under my skin. Is it time for a trade ?? I really do love this machine. Should I go back to a Yami 4 stroke and not have to worry about a motor blowing after 5000 miles ?? Love to hear the pros and cons of rebuilding vs trading in at this mileage. I've owned 2 4 strokes before the Poo and I still have one at over 7000 trouble free miles. Prior to the Poo I was on a 14 SR Viper XTX. Thinking about a new Sidewinder for next year. No bashing......just honest, knowledgeable comments please !!
 

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#2 · (Edited)
many 2 smokers go over 10,000
my buddy was on a rental in BC and it had 33,000km on it
it was a tundra, ha i never would have thought that.

take off the pipe and look in the exhaust for scratches on the pistons.

lastly if you are not confident with it......trade
edit
my 07 has just over 26,000 miles and i also think every ride could be my last, before another thing breaks
i have put $2000/year, the last 5 years, plus some in the new years
in hindsight that could have been a new sled
 
#3 ·
IMHO,, you need to ride a Sidewinder. It's the only way to compare the machines as they are very different in most ways. You own a 4 stroke(s) so you're familiar with them, now you have an idea of what they are good at and where they suffer, same thing for the Assault. As Shed stated many 2 strokes can do 10,000 ++ miles with no problems some don't. That said they are both snowmobiles and with that they will both have maintenance and/or problems its the nature of the beast. 99% of the time a 4 stroke motor will last the duration of the snowmobile it's self. Clutches/belts/wheels/tracks/shocks/ etc/etc they are the same,,, Go to a Yamaha Dealer and try to get one for an afternoon, or a buddy that may have one, it truly is the only way to really know. Best of luck
 
#4 ·
Not sure what you ended up going with, but I think there is alot of historical data to back up, certainly my personal experience that at around 5k miles is basically a maintenance interval for a two stroke to change the rings. When one does that job, you typically change the pistons, wrist pins, rod bearings, etc just because your in that far, it makes sense. I firmly believe in this practice as it just general maintenance that prevents catastrophic failure. Depending on model, this can take 3-5 hrs labor and costs about $150/a hole to complete give or take $50.
 
#6 · (Edited)
This post has gotten pretty close to what I've been wrestling with recently.

I'm in the market for a new crossover, and I've narrowed my choices down to either a Yamaha 4-stroke or an Arctic Cat 2-stroke based on the 146/1.6 track platform. Here's what I know on paper:
I've searched and can't find any information on the weight of each sled, which might help me with the decision. I know that the 4S will definitely be heavier, I just have no idea by how much.

Is there anything else that I'm missing when trying to compare these two variations of the same sled? Reliability is certainly a concern, but I'm not sure if $3,000 more for the 4S won't go just as far when maintaining a 2S over several years of ownership.

Do Yamaha dealers have any room to negotiate a lower price when making a Spring order?

Any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated!
 
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