Polaris rmk 850 vs arctic cat alpha one

[Big pete]

Thinking about buying a new sled at the end of this season and have narrowed it down to one of these two, I’ve always been a Polaris fan and looking at a new one as I recently got rid of my 2015 pro. The new single frame rail alpha one from cat does look awesome, my question is has anyone rode either of these and which would you recommend ?

P.s my riding style is a mix of deep powder boondocking, high marking and a bit of trail riding

[bezzola]

I have 2 friends that are not brand loyal but they love there alpha’s

[Smokinyotes]

I know a fellow that has been a diehard ski doo guy forever. Last spring he had the chance to ride a Alpha Cat. He snow checked one and said it handles absolutely great.

[fordtruckin]

I'm fortunate to live where pretty much every rental company rents all 3 big sleds from Skidoo Polaris and Cat. The word is that the Alpha's have been having track and engine issues this year. Which is strange since the 800 Cat has been a fairly solid engine and is not a new design. A buddy I ride with at work is a major Cat fan and his family owns the local Cat dealer. After listening to his review after riding one what they can do in powder is absolutely impressive! Haven't heard too much about the new Polaris 850. The local Polaris dealer had all their 800s taken back to the Polaris factory before the season even started. Skidoo pretty much has the 850 figured out as its what the 3rd year now? I own 2 Polaris Pro 800s and work gave me a Summit 600. Between those two I hands down prefer the Skidoo despite the power difference. Personally I would get a new Summit 850 but If you are set between the Polaris and Cat I would avoid one of this year's models and snow check a 2020. Give them a chance to work out the first year growing pains. If you want to save some $$ the only difference between the Alpha and the Mountain Cat is the mono rail.

[Big pete]

Great advice thanks ford

[dgl1948]

Local Cat dealer here has sold about a dozen Alphas. There has not been one come back with track or engine problems. Trouble with the net is if one fellow has a problem then it becomes a major brand issue.

[Joe Black]

he's obviously not a kitty lover

[Sooner]

Both are nice sleds, I would wait a year as both are brand new. I'm a skidoo guy but a friend who is also, rode a Alpha this year. Pretty cool was his comment. The vids of it are as well.

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by Big pete

Great advice thanks ford

Stopped in and talked with my buddies today at the Cat shop. Son of the owner was an engineer for Cat for 10 or so years and was pretty instrumental in the M chassis development before his departure. Anyways his Alpha is currently torn apart. The water pump spun a shaft and the sled was overheating. It sounds like they are having hard time getting it fixed and keep having to dig deeper into the engine. We were having a deep philosophical discussion on why it happened as the Cat 800 is a tried/true power plant. Jason's had a few issues with the Alpha rental tracks loosening up but they are all over 2200 miles by now. They still love the Alpha despite the issues. Another rental company in town has had to truck out parts and fix tracks on the side of the trails from their rental Alpha's. Operator error? High mileage? who knows it's just the common issues I hear from people that deal more with sleds than 99% of the general population.

It pretty much all comes down to the Ford GM Dodge discussion. They all make a good product these days. Find what fits you best but like anything I always recommend people to avoid 1st year production runs. Give them a chance to get the bugs worked out. I've owned Cats, currently own 2 Polaris and have a Skidoo for work. Personally I'd love to try the new Cat but I love riding my Skidoo, it is just so easy to ride.

On a side note, Snow Shoot is coming up and the 2020 sleds will be seen around town for the next 3 weeks or so. I hear the Summit X Expert has been sighted on the trails and its a pretty sweet ride! Very anxious to see what the 3 debut this year!

[curtz]

It's only the second year for the new Arctic Cat 800, I have a 2017 and it's the old Suzuki engine.

[Joe Black]

Unfortunate textron dropped the Suzuki engines.

The new models may be a bit more hp, but the suzukies were bulletproof. Saw 800 's with over 10000k still on original motors. Absolute most reliable engines ever put into any modern sleds.

[Joe Black]

2 strokes.

[bubba300]

Is yamaha building the 2 strokes for the cat now or are they building there own

[Joe Black]

textron