I’ve spend considerable time on both of these machines and have to agree with 100% of what was said.... Skidoos 850 is sweet, fit and finish is well done, but everything else about the Polaris stands out and made it my choice of machine! No regrets about that decision at all! Another excellent video from Snowtrax!
SnowTrax Television always excited to see new material. No matter what you guys always have good honest opinions no matter what the brand and they all stand behind you. In my opinion, I think you guys have it figured out. Thanks guys. Maybe see you on the trail one day. Cheers from tweed
I love watching comparison videos bc no matter your opinion at the end (biased or not doesn't matter) you not only give us enough information to let us make the decision ourselves; but you also have testers push the products! snowtrax and dirt trax are awsome!
I switched from 25 years on skidoo and bought a snowcheck assault this year. I love the sled but I am not a fan of the valving on the walker evans shocks. I find it interesting you guys gave them the one up over the BCX over the shocks. Everything else I pretty much agreed with.
I'm a skidoo guy but I totally agree with their comparison. When a sled costs as much as the BCX it has to have the shocks for the job and skidoo just didn't perform
Couple things guys. They have been making the backcountry x non stop since it was introduced in 2010. It was 137” x 1.75 up till and including the 2015 model year. 2016, and 2017 were still in the xm chassis but were stretched to 146 with t-motion. Starting in 2016 the option of a 1.5 or a 2” track was also given. Don’t know why you think they didn’t make the backcountry x but you are mistaken. Also the Freeride 146 uses the same 38-40” Ras 3 front end except has the better pro36 adjustable shocks.
Thought this was a great shootout. It would be cool if you guys could take it a step further and recommend some aftermarket products to improve the performance of the sleds in areas that you found lacking. For example, maybe a different pair of skis on the front, or just different skegs. I've heard that the backcountry can push a little in the corners, so id be interested in seeing how a 6" or 8" skeg effected this, or a different ski all together like a C&A XCS. Got my 2019 BC XRS 850 coming in a month and will definitely be looking to upgrade it after some time! Thanks for all the great content, big fan!
Congrats to Snowtrax team for another awesome episode! I bought a Switchback assault this year cuz of the last year review! The only thing though, you guys never had issues with pushing into corners??? What was your suspension setup?
I'd be interested in seeing the Freeride 137" vs. the Switchback Assault. I wonder if that model of Freeride may be a better crossover than everything else BRP makes.
the thing about the Freeride is that its geared to off trail with its mountain front end, ergo's and minimal gauge package, I don't quite understand why they have the Rmotion on that sled anymore because unlike previous models it has nothing to offer for on trail much like the New Back country X in all honesty I feel like BRP is going to start losing market share here soon, the New Gen4 platform is proving to be just like there other models with still having bulkhead issues and I think there claim of reliability with the 850 Etec 2 is BS I have personally seen a whole fleet of them in the shop out In the mountains with crank issues and even some of them have started on fire and they also have belt issues. I would also like to see BRP have premium piggy back shocks on all of their prime models such as the backcountryX and also have LED headlights such as Polaris and even Arctic cat now has LED headlights on premium models. Bottom line is skidoo is saturating there own market with all these different models that nobody knows what they are actually for anymore I honestly wanted to buy a new skidoo this year but there bulkhead issues and price tag scared me away as well as the reliability if there motors so I opted for a Polaris axys 800 H.O. good to hear from you and hope to see more videos from this year buddy
Interesting - I haven't been exposed to any 850 engine failures but I haven't been out looking for them and Nate is the only guy with one in our group with very low miles so far. You know what kind of sled I like, and because they got rid of it after 2015, the Freeride 137" may be the next best thing for me if I were to upgrade today - but maybe next week they'll fix that issue with their 2019 releases. Unfortunately we lost our Polaris dealer (and Yamaha) and I'm about as far away as can be with the idea of buying an Arctic Cat. The good news is I'm still extremely happy with my BC's. I'm about to roll 16,000 km's on the original 600 E-TEC motor. Impressive is an understatement. Wish I could spend a week on a new SB Assault, but those days are dead with the dealer gone. New vid Sunday and more comin'! Cheers!
I would imagine that the switchback could be improved on, imagine if it had something simalr to the skidoo shot sytem, or maybe an engine upgrade to something like the skidoo 850, but these would still be very minor improvements
The rumor mill says an engine is coming--not sure which first year configuration/chassis. That "the Polaris motor are junk" rap is now officially laughable. Because I believed it--I opened up my Poo AXYS Switchback with 4500 miles (About when 800 ETECS give up their cranks--been there--done that) and installed "Durability kit" pistons. It doesn't cost that much. however--while doing THAT--throw on a Terra Alps head, drop your running temps down to 100 on trail and hang on. You won't even care if you put a pipe/mapping on it. It's strong. Back to point: the opened up motor still had cross-hatch on cylinder walls and the pistons looked perfect. The new 800 is sorted. YES--I have owned them ALL and ONLY the Cat and the ETEC burned down on me. Yes--the CAT BURNED DOWN. Granted at 6400 miles. But after my "Girlfriend" sled--a lowly Indy 800 towed the Cat home 3 times--that was that. Then the Indy ran ski-to-ski STOCK with the Cat which had a 17-HP D & D "Riot kit" on it--I decided to drink some AXYS kook-aid. It tastes pretty good! And like I said--New engine coming. Lastly--Doo has complete junk shocks and why are the control switches in the dashboard--like a 1972 Dodge Dart? I was THIS close to adding a BC this week (For $10,5000 OTD with 6% MI sales tax)--NOT an X (Not available generally and: Why spring for a X even if available if you have to replace or rework either shock almost immediately?). I have an Assault and its SO just...fun. Isn't that what it;'s all about?
does the poly come with the rear storage bags, because you can get the same thing for ski doo, and the ski doo one looks more robust that that polaris hookup system. the gps in the poly is cool though
People keep saying the skidoo is ugly just like people say that Lexus is ugly but the younger generation doesn't think this it is the older crowd that has these opinions mostly . If your not pushing design into new territory then you are going to become obsolete!
Bry Guy As part of the younger generations, I can tell you most I know dislike the newer Lexus models (specifically the spindle grill, which is ugly as sin). There is nothing wrong with evolving the looks of products but with that said they still need to be ascetically pleasing to the eye. The problem the the new Ski doos are the akward side panels and the horrible headlight/windscreen design. A way to improve it would be to angle the headlight assembly in line with the hood and smoother out the side panels and it would help. Outside of ascetics the BRP products are helping push the market to improve their technology which is great. They could just use someone on the design team who understands how to actually make something pleasing to the eye.
So the Switchback assault when's the shootout my question is what is the difference between the Switchback assault and the Switchback xcr and which one is better of those two? Any help would be awesome especially considering a purchase of that amount
XCR is a 137, Assault is a 144, track is different, suspension is different, applications are different. There's actually a fair bit different about these sleds. Hey, we should do a video! We shall discuss...
Matt Redmond I’m a cat guy all’s I know is I switching to Polaris after lots of years of cat and I have a high country but it dont match up to these sleds
just did some specs and as similarly equipped as possibly the poly comes out a little over a thousand dollars more and the poly does not come with the bag
isnt the main audience trail riding? why is it always mountain riding or cross over... id love to see more focus on trail sleds iron dog, xrs, f1100 viper indy rush sidewinder etc...
Kk Jj there's hidden boondockiing in Ontario that isn't well known. Wawa is one, but there's many more that most people don't know about. Using your sled on the trail to get to the location where you want to explore. That's why mountain/crossover sleds.
The main audience is snowmobilers. We do actually cover quite a bit of trail riding throughout each season and let's keep in mind we're only halfway through the current season. Stay tuned!
Kk Jj that is also true sir, yes a lot of mountain/crossover sleds. I think because of our crap weather we all think spring is closer then it actually it!
SnowTrax Television SnowTrax Television i saw the sneak preview! off trail riding is closing the trails everywhere causing clubs headaches because a few guys own a sumit or xover sled it just seems silly to promote it so much and make it seem cool.
Forgot to mention the value of the ski doo when it’s motor keeps going and the Polaris’s is in the shop getting rebuilt. Saw to guys last year blow brand switchback motors. That will more than pay for upgraded shocks, gps on the the ski doo.....
Exactly!! They are super biased to skidoo and polaris this year. They have barely mentioned cat or yamaha. Atleast put the cat stuff in the running, you guys never make the cat stuff win anyways so whats it matter?
Dusty Desserre LOL Cats had better motors then polaris and doo since 1978. Ive rebuilt more skidoos then any other brand and they never have a ton of miles on them.
I’ve spend considerable time on both of these machines and have to agree with 100% of what was said.... Skidoos 850 is sweet, fit and finish is well done, but everything else about the Polaris stands out and made it my choice of machine! No regrets about that decision at all! Another excellent video from Snowtrax!
Pajama Time well said
Great to hear we are on the same page! Thanks for watching!
I own the bcx 850. And I agree. I think both sleds jam. If I was a Polaris guy, would be a no brainer. I'd be rocking that assault
I own an 850 and an assault but the 850 is hands down wayyy better and I’m a Polaris guy
Honest opinions help manufacturers improve where they need it. Wicked shootout, both brands are amazing sleds. Well done gents.
Appreciate the kind words.
SnowTrax Television always excited to see new material. No matter what you guys always have good honest opinions no matter what the brand and they all stand behind you. In my opinion, I think you guys have it figured out. Thanks guys. Maybe see you on the trail one day. Cheers from tweed
I love watching comparison videos bc no matter your opinion at the end (biased or not doesn't matter) you not only give us enough information to let us make the decision ourselves; but you also have testers push the products! snowtrax and dirt trax are awsome!
Thanks very much!
I switched from 25 years on skidoo and bought a snowcheck assault this year. I love the sled but I am not a fan of the valving on the walker evans shocks. I find it interesting you guys gave them the one up over the BCX over the shocks. Everything else I pretty much agreed with.
The backcountry x needs :
3 things for 2019
1. Pro 36 piggybacks
2. Shot
3. An updated gauge
It got all 3!
I'm a skidoo guy but I totally agree with their comparison. When a sled costs as much as the BCX it has to have the shocks for the job and skidoo just didn't perform
Dusty Desserre that's not the point. With The price point of the BCX it should come with the shocks without having to buy aftermarket
Couple things guys. They have been making the backcountry x non stop since it was introduced in 2010. It was 137” x 1.75 up till and including the 2015 model year. 2016, and 2017 were still in the xm chassis but were stretched to 146 with t-motion. Starting in 2016 the option of a 1.5 or a 2” track was also given. Don’t know why you think they didn’t make the backcountry x but you are mistaken. Also the Freeride 146 uses the same 38-40” Ras 3 front end except has the better pro36 adjustable shocks.
Thought this was a great shootout. It would be cool if you guys could take it a step further and recommend some aftermarket products to improve the performance of the sleds in areas that you found lacking. For example, maybe a different pair of skis on the front, or just different skegs. I've heard that the backcountry can push a little in the corners, so id be interested in seeing how a 6" or 8" skeg effected this, or a different ski all together like a C&A XCS. Got my 2019 BC XRS 850 coming in a month and will definitely be looking to upgrade it after some time!
Thanks for all the great content, big fan!
Congrats to Snowtrax team for another awesome episode! I bought a Switchback assault this year cuz of the last year review! The only thing though, you guys never had issues with pushing into corners??? What was your suspension setup?
why not do a Q&A live on facebook or youtube sometime for fans?
I'd be interested in seeing the Freeride 137" vs. the Switchback Assault. I wonder if that model of Freeride may be a better crossover than everything else BRP makes.
the thing about the Freeride is that its geared to off trail with its mountain front end, ergo's and minimal gauge package, I don't quite understand why they have the Rmotion on that sled anymore because unlike previous models it has nothing to offer for on trail much like the New Back country X in all honesty I feel like BRP is going to start losing market share here soon, the New Gen4 platform is proving to be just like there other models with still having bulkhead issues and I think there claim of reliability with the 850 Etec 2 is BS I have personally seen a whole fleet of them in the shop out In the mountains with crank issues and even some of them have started on fire and they also have belt issues. I would also like to see BRP have premium piggy back shocks on all of their prime models such as the backcountryX and also have LED headlights such as Polaris and even Arctic cat now has LED headlights on premium models. Bottom line is skidoo is saturating there own market with all these different models that nobody knows what they are actually for anymore I honestly wanted to buy a new skidoo this year but there bulkhead issues and price tag scared me away as well as the reliability if there motors so I opted for a Polaris axys 800 H.O. good to hear from you and hope to see more videos from this year buddy
Interesting - I haven't been exposed to any 850 engine failures but I haven't been out looking for them and Nate is the only guy with one in our group with very low miles so far. You know what kind of sled I like, and because they got rid of it after 2015, the Freeride 137" may be the next best thing for me if I were to upgrade today - but maybe next week they'll fix that issue with their 2019 releases. Unfortunately we lost our Polaris dealer (and Yamaha) and I'm about as far away as can be with the idea of buying an Arctic Cat. The good news is I'm still extremely happy with my BC's. I'm about to roll 16,000 km's on the original 600 E-TEC motor. Impressive is an understatement. Wish I could spend a week on a new SB Assault, but those days are dead with the dealer gone. New vid Sunday and more comin'! Cheers!
YK awesome to hear glad your backcountrys are still treating you well also can’t wait to see what BRP and Polaris have to off for 2019!
I would imagine that the switchback could be improved on, imagine if it had something simalr to the skidoo shot sytem, or maybe an engine upgrade to something like the skidoo 850, but these would still be very minor improvements
The rumor mill says an engine is coming--not sure which first year configuration/chassis. That "the Polaris motor are junk" rap is now officially laughable. Because I believed it--I opened up my Poo AXYS Switchback with 4500 miles (About when 800 ETECS give up their cranks--been there--done that) and installed "Durability kit" pistons. It doesn't cost that much. however--while doing THAT--throw on a Terra Alps head, drop your running temps down to 100 on trail and hang on. You won't even care if you put a pipe/mapping on it. It's strong. Back to point: the opened up motor still had cross-hatch on cylinder walls and the pistons looked perfect. The new 800 is sorted. YES--I have owned them ALL and ONLY the Cat and the ETEC burned down on me. Yes--the CAT BURNED DOWN. Granted at 6400 miles. But after my "Girlfriend" sled--a lowly Indy 800 towed the Cat home 3 times--that was that. Then the Indy ran ski-to-ski STOCK with the Cat which had a 17-HP D & D "Riot kit" on it--I decided to drink some AXYS kook-aid. It tastes pretty good! And like I said--New engine coming. Lastly--Doo has complete junk shocks and why are the control switches in the dashboard--like a 1972 Dodge Dart? I was THIS close to adding a BC this week (For $10,5000 OTD with 6% MI sales tax)--NOT an X (Not available generally and: Why spring for a X even if available if you have to replace or rework either shock almost immediately?). I have an Assault and its SO just...fun. Isn't that what it;'s all about?
The skidoo has a better ride and has more power
nova bassin doesn’t matter about power. It’s the rider
nova bassin the the xf 9000 has 204hp and alot better ride
Well of course the doo is gonna have more power it has 50cc more then the Polaris
Caleb Donnelly I don’t know if ur serious. If u are ur not that smart
probably both!!
does the poly come with the rear storage bags, because you can get the same thing for ski doo, and the ski doo one looks more robust that that polaris hookup system. the gps in the poly is cool though
People keep saying the skidoo is ugly just like people say that Lexus is ugly but the younger generation doesn't think this it is the older crowd that has these opinions mostly . If your not pushing design into new territory then you are going to become obsolete!
Bry Guy As part of the younger generations, I can tell you most I know dislike the newer Lexus models (specifically the spindle grill, which is ugly as sin). There is nothing wrong with evolving the looks of products but with that said they still need to be ascetically pleasing to the eye. The problem the the new Ski doos are the akward side panels and the horrible headlight/windscreen design. A way to improve it would be to angle the headlight assembly in line with the hood and smoother out the side panels and it would help. Outside of ascetics the BRP products are helping push the market to improve their technology which is great. They could just use someone on the design team who understands how to actually make something pleasing to the eye.
snowfan0521 to each his own then 😁 go ride 😂
The ski doo needs a shot of wiskey to add some more fun in the ride
So the Switchback assault when's the shootout my question is what is the difference between the Switchback assault and the Switchback xcr and which one is better of those two? Any help would be awesome especially considering a purchase of that amount
XCR is a 137, Assault is a 144, track is different, suspension is different, applications are different. There's actually a fair bit different about these sleds. Hey, we should do a video! We shall discuss...
Why not all 4 manufacturers in this shootout?
Why are you not comparing any of the new cats in these shoot outs? Think the high country would be a great comparison.
Matt Redmond I’m a cat guy all’s I know is I switching to Polaris after lots of years of cat and I have a high country but it dont match up to these sleds
just did some specs and as similarly equipped as possibly the poly comes out a little over a thousand dollars more and the poly does not come with the bag
S Winn it has a bag built into the under portion of the seat where the shock would be on the normal rush versions of the axys.
Did we not see a 174 mountain sled shoot out only because Cat doesn't have a 174 option.
The RMK had the standard gauge, not the IDD with GPS. FFS, BMP
Anyone know of a good mountain sled i can get on a budget of 4k???
Nope Half of the categories are preference based and should not impact the outcome
Should have compared the sks146
Johnny Thornton what’s the difference the Polaris still won
ski doo needs more adjustable shocks
isnt the main audience trail riding? why is it always mountain riding or cross over... id love to see more focus on trail sleds iron dog, xrs, f1100 viper indy rush sidewinder etc...
Kk Jj there's hidden boondockiing in Ontario that isn't well known. Wawa is one, but there's many more that most people don't know about. Using your sled on the trail to get to the location where you want to explore. That's why mountain/crossover sleds.
The main audience is snowmobilers. We do actually cover quite a bit of trail riding throughout each season and let's keep in mind we're only halfway through the current season. Stay tuned!
Kk Jj that is also true sir, yes a lot of mountain/crossover sleds. I think because of our crap weather we all think spring is closer then it actually it!
SnowTrax Television SnowTrax Television i saw the sneak preview! off trail riding is closing the trails everywhere causing clubs headaches because a few guys own a sumit or xover sled it just seems silly to promote it so much and make it seem cool.
Forgot to mention the value of the ski doo when it’s motor keeps going and the Polaris’s is in the shop getting rebuilt. Saw to guys last year blow brand switchback motors. That will more than pay for upgraded shocks, gps on the the ski doo.....
So why no XF Cross Country in said “Crossover” comparison? Not saying it would win but it should be there.
Kickinitnobel its becuse the xf 9000 would definently win
Exactly!! They are super biased to skidoo and polaris this year. They have barely mentioned cat or yamaha.
Atleast put the cat stuff in the running, you guys never make the cat stuff win anyways so whats it matter?
YOU got to be kidding!! A freight ship weight crossover sled LOFL!!!
Dusty Desserre Atleast Cat can build a frame that doesnt need braces out of the box and can build a motor that isnt a P.O.S
Dusty Desserre LOL Cats had better motors then polaris and doo since 1978. Ive rebuilt more skidoos then any other brand and they never have a ton of miles on them.
Why werent atctic cat and yamaha involved in this shootout? It feels lime you guys have given up on them. Fyi thats a mistake
Darrren Betker , like they said in the review, both Yamaha ans Arctic Cat don’t have sleds thats match the description of a true crossover sled.
track is way easir to say and makes more sense than sneaker
i wonder how much Polaris pays this guys
hello just wondering why don't review lynx
Håkon eriksen cuz they only make Europe
Because they r basically arctic cat and not a popular brand
Jackson Zenk they are owned by BRP and are basically the same as Ski Doo except for graphics. Arctic Cat has nothing to do with Lynx
How many belts did it eat hahaha
Am i the only one who doesnt like tje look on polaris sleds?
Your Skidoo bias is ridiculous. You admitted in previous vids that the CMotion was nothing but a copy of AC and Polaris.