Nope. 600ACE engine is 88.18 lbs and the 600Etec engine in 81.57 lbs
There is a pretty big HP difference. 62 vs 125
Teenage options
Looking to spend less than 3500 on a sled for my teenage boys, they have a few hundred miles on zl440, z570 and my procross zr4000.
Looks like 500ss and 550 can be had with decent mileage in the xp chassis. But not sure I want a carbed sled.
2009 gsx 1200 also in range.
8000 mile etec 600s are also in range.
Low mile first Gen rev 600sdi also in range, and less than 3k
Which would you buy and why?
Looks like 500ss and 550 can be had with decent mileage in the xp chassis. But not sure I want a carbed sled.
2009 gsx 1200 also in range.
8000 mile etec 600s are also in range.
Low mile first Gen rev 600sdi also in range, and less than 3k
Which would you buy and why?
21 - 38 of 38 Posts
There is a pretty big HP difference. 62 vs 125
I agree with your thinking. They will have plenty of time to buy whatever sled they want when they are old enough to be responsible for themselves. I wouldn’t want to buy my kid something I thought might be too much power for them. Teenager, is that 13 or 19 lol?In any case , they won't necessarily outgrow a 600. It should be plenty for anyone. A teenager should be happy with a 500 fan, if my kids complained, I would've gotten them something smaller 😉
I did a six year stint as a medevac pilot, mostly in the roadless villages of Alaska. The biggest problems we saw were - alcohol/drugs and high hp ATVs or snogos. Lost lots of teenagers to those combos…
Another vote for 600 ACE if you can find one. Plenty of power up to 50 mph. Great on gas, if dad is filling two sleds each time at the pump. Easy to change the oil/filter, belts last forever. You might find yourself riding it yourself more than expected!
600ace with low miles I haven't seen yet. Boys are 15 and 13, been driving themselves for 5 or 6 seasons.
The prices tend to be higher on the 600ACE's because they are so dang reliable. My kids both run 600ACE's because they and I don't want to have to adjust or repair this/that when Friday night comes and it's time to ride.600ace with low miles I haven't seen yet. Boys are 15 and 13, been driving themselves for 5 or 6 seasons.
Reliability is the most important attribute when buying sleds for the kids IMO, followed closely by handling characteristics. Kids never understand when things break down and your weekend at the cabin with their friends gets squashed. It puts a lot of pressure on Dad when these things go wrong, often times at the end of a tough work week. I spent the money on reliability and eliminated/reduced these occurrences. I have never regretted that.
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Exactly, kind of like hunting. Give them an accurate rifle, teach them how to use it accurately and put them in good place and they will enjoy it and want more. Give them a piece of crap rifle and put them in crappy places where deer haven't come through since Christ walked the earth and they will lose interest quickly.The prices tend to be higher on the 600ACE's because they are so dang reliable. My kids both run 600ACE's because they and I don't want to have to adjust or repair this/that when Friday night comes and it's time to ride.
Reliability is the most important attribute when buying sleds for the kids IMO, followed closely by handling characteristics. Kids never understand when things break down and your weekend at the cabin with their friends gets squashed. It puts a lot of pressure on Dad when these things go wrong, often times at the end of a tough work week. I spent the money on reliability and eliminated/reduced these occurrences. I have never regretted that.
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15 year old is going to be bored on a 600 ace.600ace with low miles I haven't seen yet. Boys are 15 and 13, been driving themselves for 5 or 6 seasons.
I was thinking the same thing but I've never ridden one. I had a REV 550F once and which has about the same power and it was fun for a slow sled. But it was a zippy 2-stroke.15 year old is going to be bored on a 600 ace.
We had a 340 Indy for the kids... Whenever an adult's sled would go down or we just needed a sled for a friend without one, that was the go-to unit. No top end, but zippy, lite and just fun to ride. The kids next step up was a left-over James Bond 600.I was thinking the same thing but I've never ridden one. I had a REV 550F once and which has about the same power and it was fun for a slow sled. But it was a zippy 2-stroke.
Hah, yeah I had a 380F when I was 15. Maybe I was an easily entertained kid. But man we rode the crap out of that thing all winter and had a blast. Maybe things have changed? But the goal was never to max out speed somewhere. It was more a fun thing to do with friends in the winter.
Found an 05 600sdi with a recent rebuild and track. Should be a great year! Hope both the new doos in the stable work out great, haven't ridden one since renting a decade or more ago and of course the Olympic when i was a kid!
I'm sure you and your family are going to have a blast.👍🇺🇸🗽🦅🍻
I bought a tnt 600 carb new in 2010. put 8,000 miles on it. last year i decided to open up the carbs to clean as everyone talks about "cleaning carbs" pulled the first bowl and honestly, it looked like it had just been installed with zero gas ever ran through it. Back on she went, and now it's sitting at 9,000 miles... sled is just too darn fun to part with. also, the kids are 11/9 now so might be time to pass it on to them. They still have a few years though before they can handle the heavier weight versus the Bravo/Z440 they are on.
OH, FYI.... we also have a phazer in our fleet. As lame as i think that sled is, everytime i hop on it i'm impressed on how easy it is to ride, especially for younger riders. It's a MTX though, so tippy, but should be a good learner for them when they start thinking "mountain riding".
It's easy for us to push you towards more expensive gear (ACE, Etec, XP Chassis) but in the end what you choose has to fit your budget. The 2005 600SDI was likely the highest volume/most popular engine BRP had at that time and many of them ran well for a lot of kms. The REV chassis was very rigid and strong, just kinda ugly and less modern-looking compared to the XP but it was still a good handling package.Found an 05 600sdi with a recent rebuild and track. Should be a great year! Hope both the new doos in the stable work out great, haven't ridden one since renting a decade or more ago and of course the Olympic when i was a kid!
Have fun this winter!
I was fine in mine until I was 16 and wanted to pull wheelies off every hill I seen. The 600 ace has plenty of power up to 60mph. My dad has alway told me if you respect the amount of power these things have, you’ll be fine15 year old is going to be bored on a 600 ace.
Let's back up a second here.
The boys are currently riding a Cat ZL 440 (liquid cooled?) and a Z570.
Skidoo 500 or 550 would be kind of a let down for them. IMHO, ZL 440 is a pretty hot motor and is pretty close in power to the 500ss. Power to weight ratio is why the ZL 440 was used a lot in races. The z570 (EFI?) is most likely the strongest motor between those listed so far.
Don't know about your boys, but my nephew and his friends were riding 600's at 13. One of the kids in the group progressed enough to become one of the Sledneck regulars.
I have a feeling that if you keep the Cats and get, say, an MXZ 500ss, they would probably still ride the Cats more unless they are unreliable.
ideal Trail machine: Probably an MXZ with the 600 etec would put a sparkle in their eyes. Crossover - maybe a Renegade BC with the 600 etec.
The boys are currently riding a Cat ZL 440 (liquid cooled?) and a Z570.
Skidoo 500 or 550 would be kind of a let down for them. IMHO, ZL 440 is a pretty hot motor and is pretty close in power to the 500ss. Power to weight ratio is why the ZL 440 was used a lot in races. The z570 (EFI?) is most likely the strongest motor between those listed so far.
Don't know about your boys, but my nephew and his friends were riding 600's at 13. One of the kids in the group progressed enough to become one of the Sledneck regulars.
I have a feeling that if you keep the Cats and get, say, an MXZ 500ss, they would probably still ride the Cats more unless they are unreliable.
ideal Trail machine: Probably an MXZ with the 600 etec would put a sparkle in their eyes. Crossover - maybe a Renegade BC with the 600 etec.
21 - 38 of 38 Posts
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