I know lots of others have posted their 1st time REV experience before. But I finally got my chance on one so I'll make this as quick as possible. For the last ride of the season I rented a REV 500SS instead of bringing up my '02 MXZ 600. Did 200 miles on Saturday starting from Musining, MI. Many trails were long fast stretches, many were rough twisty trails.

What was good-
New rider position combined with suspension made an unbelievable control on hard bumps, ruts and moguls compared to my MXZ. I was able to ride harder and faster with more confidence then ever before. The thing really does suck up those deep ruts with ease. Better than I anticipated. This is a great sled frame to get for the wife or girlfriend who is hesitant to go sledding with you because of the bumpy rides.

Cornering was much better as the rider position lets you shift your weight with little effort and get out over the bars to drive the skis through the corner. Less ski lift than my MXZ.

REV as comfortable to ride long hours as my MXZ. At 6'3 I had no problem with sitting higher and further forward. In fact it took almost no time to adjust to the new frame style and I never hit my knees on the panels.

Very stable at high speeds probably due to the dual runner Precision skis. Those were awesome.

Overall the sled was lighter and much more nimble than my traditional sled frame.


What was bad-
Fuel gauge absolutely useless. You cannot read your fuel level while riding and even when you stop you have to wait a few minutes for the gas to stop sloshing around to get an accurate reading. I also hated the curved fill neck inside the tank. I would rather have the stick float gauge on my MXZ. This needs work.

Slightly colder than my MXZ but that is minor, dress appropriately.

High beam switch is constantly pressing into my left thumb due to it's position. Not a big deal but could be moved inward some. Really liked the grip/thumb heat control switches that lit up though.

The 500SS got poor mileage. However the sled was poorly maintained by the rental company and that probably contributed to it. I get better mileage on my 600.

The red backlit gauges are OK to read at night but why does the speedo go up to 220mph? Unless the speedo can be re-set to read in kph?

Finally, the legs are very, very sore today. I never get sore legs on my current MXZ. Did not see this coming at all. Most likely that I'm not used to this riding position. Not that worried about it, I would adjust in time I'm sure.

I give the Ski-Doo REV a strong 3 out of 4 stars overall. Whether you think the REV style is ugly or not, the fact is this design works like they say it does. Regardless of the minor bad things I listed, the is no denying the fact that this thing makes for the best handling trail sled I have ever ridden. And I have spent much time on my MXZ, a late model Yami and the AC F7. It made an average skill sledder like myself into a better rider. I will without a doubt be upgrading to a REV next spring. Good job Ski-Doo on your contribution to improve the sport of snowmobiling.
'02 MXZ 600

I had about the same thoughts w/ my first ride on a Rev except for the sore legs. The gas gauges are absolutely useless, never ever work. My 500ss sucked the gas and oil down but evened out after about 400 miles on it..thank god! Got to remember that it is a 600cc machine. The speedo was on KPH. The thing I noticed the next day was very sore shoulders.?? What did you think of the throttle response and clutching? Glad to here you had a good time.

Same thing with mine on a good day i get 80 miles to a tank of gas on mine and it sucks oil alittle. But it has a 9.8 gallon tank alittle smaller and the carbs are alittle bigget than on the traditional zx 600s. My first impression when i bought mine im 6'1 at 200 lbs. I had no problem with my legs, my shoulders alittle were alittle sore but after a couple rides u get used to it and when u do everything else feels uncumfortable to ride cause u get glued to the different ridin style i dont think i could move to anything else but a Rev. Good luck this spring karl u wont be dissapointed Next winter.

Throttle response was good but the rental location had poorly maintained the sled. The 2004 500 SS had 3,500 miles on it and probably had little service done in that time. The motor seemed to need a tune up and the clutches were so mis-aligned that the sled squeaked loudly at low idle which was annoying. In fact if I started the sled without sitting on it, it would roll away from me at idle because the belt was grabbing the sides of the clutch.
Not to mention a few dings here and there from other renters running into each other. Overall the throttle response seemed much like my 600, little less power though. When I buy a REV I'll be looking at the 600 HO SDI which I'm sure I will like.

'02 MXZ 600

My legs got sore my first ride on my rev as well, my back felt great but my legs took a beating about two days after they where real sore, but never happened again after that, maybe using muscles that don't get used too much? :(

My legs got sore too when I first started riding...They are getting sore because your legs are "catching" you on the big bumps and acting as shock absorbers...LIke Jaws said, you are just using muscles you are not used to using. It goes away after a while.

Nice post Karl27. Sounds like the Rev chassis would be a good choice for someone with a wonky back, as the legs absorb most of the bumps.
I would love to rent one around here to try, but with the insurance problems no such luck.

The 500SS has the same motor as your '02 600, just so ya know ;)

I agree the fuel guages suck! I get around 100 miles to a tank on my 800 and when its on e it still has 3 gallons left so I dont know how far I could get on a tank. the sore legs do go away, I am on my second season and that first ride is a killer on the legs. as far as the highbeam switch, I have an x so its got the hooks. maybe I have my hands farther out on them so I have never noticed the switch problem. I am hoping the extra legnth of my new Z will allow me to strech out a bit on long runs. glad you liked it anyway :D

Originally posted by RNM2399@Mar 15 2004, 06:24 PM
The 500SS has the same motor as your '02 600, just so ya know ;)
I knew it was close in size but not exactly the same. I thought it was a few cc's less. None the less my 600 MXZ has more low end pull and a little more top end. But I take pristine care of my sled mechanically. It had to be because of the bad shape the rental was in, specifically the clutches.
'02 MXZ 600

You are probably right. Clutches make a huge difference!

Yes definately true. Its the same as renting a rental car. Once someones gets it they run the livin hell out of it. These new tra III clutches are amazing and heavy duty but when somebody puts 3500 hard poundin aggressive miles on em there gonna need alittle tunin the 500ss should have a noticably amount more get up and go than the regular '02 600 cause of the clutching setup they have and the bigger carbs with more throttle response. But like u said Karl the clutch is out of tune it should purr like a kitten. But as long as u liked the ride is all that matters i have no problems with mine after puttin 1200 flawless miles on her. she runs stronger than ever. Good luck and good huntin Karl.

I had also purchased a rev platform this year. I can't believe how accurate your descriptions were. I thought I was reading my own analysis of the machine. I also hate the tank design, you can't see where you are until it's full. After 75 miles the the gauge reads bone dry, even though there is still fuel. I also have a 03 600mxz, and I feel alot more confident on the rev platform attacking jumps and rough terrain. I couldn't believe that after only 110 miles the oil light starts blinking, this machine uses oil!! I hope I don't have a problem with build-up. Overall, I also am very happy with the rev platform. It took no time at all to adapt to the different riding position, felt natural.

I have a 600HO SDI Rev Renegade and it gets great gas milage. I can go around 150 miles per tank no problem and probably 20 miles on top of that. I figure that I am getting about 17 mpg. For next year I am going to solve the gas guage problem and get a clear gas tank and I will know exactly how much gas I have. If anyone is thinking about getting the SDI motor don't think twice, it is well worth every penny. At first it will suck down oil and gas but once it is broke in its unbelievable.

RNM2399 Posted on Mar 15 2004, 06:24 PM
* The 500SS has the same motor as your '02 600, just so ya know

He is correct the 500SS has a series 3 600 motor in it , the same as your 02 MXZ 600.

Ian

I also recently took my first ride on the REV platform. I bought an 2004 GSX Limited with the 600 H.O. S.D.I. for my wife and I took it up to Michigan for it's break in ride.
What a sled. Took a short distance to get used to, but after that, I kept having to wait for my brother on a 96' V-MAX 600 and my dad on a 99' ZR 600 to catch up to me.
I let both of them take it for a short ride. Once we got home they both put their sleds up for sale.
The very first tank of gas (with 500ml of oil) I got 16 MPG. I sure it will improve as it breaks in.
The only bad things I can think to say about riding one is always having to stop for the others in your group to catch up, and having to stop all the time for the others to get gas and oil..
My legs were a little sore at first but I would rather have sore legs than a sore back! And the end of rides up north my brother and dad were dying to get in the hot tub, I was ready to fill up and head back out!!

I can't wait for my Mach Z !!!!!

I Own a formula 111 600. My dad just recently bought a 500ss this fall.
And he actually let me take it for a ride around the yard. let me tell yah i was all and stuck on the ck3 chassis bfore i got on the new rev chassis and i didnt want to get off of it the ride the comfort and the throttle response was just terriffic, alittle more snappier than my F3.
I actually conned my old man of lining his baby up against my beast and let me tell yah he gave me a run, no doubt dont let the ss fool yah.Spent ours underneath the hood puttin a steeper helix in it and adjustin the carbs alittle cause he threw some smaller air filters on it with 144 chissels. He got me out of the hole by about 3 sleds and took off but i caught him within 600 feet and my sled has alot of work done to her that my dad did before he passed it down to me. I cant begin where to start. But it is a quick sled and i love it. Couldnt get far enough out of sight to jump her on a drift the ol man was watchin me like a hawk. Great sled for me im thinkin about sellin my sled to get the sdi. Maybe some hard work i can afford the MACH.

I got my first time on a 03 REV 600HO this winter to and gotta admit the REV chasis is very nice. To me it was bery comfortable and natural since I'm used to riding an ATV. I only got a few miles on the railbed but did hit a few whoop sections and it handled them with ease and also seemed to do good in the turns. Power was "alright" pretty snappy bottom end but I'm also coming off a 800 triple :wink: . I dont thinkit is better then the Firecat chasis but it is defintly no worse and would be my second choice of sled :thubmsup: .