Pantera 1000

i have a 2001 pantera and mine is a 580.are you sure yours is a 550??the machine is really smooth and goes better with 2 riders than 1( my opinion).the only problem is that they won't go in a 10 foot enclosed trailer.they're almost 12 feet long.good luck with that-but other wise i like mine.

Jim  The 2001 1000 has has 32 more HP to ofset the weight difference.   are you sure the 800 would be faster?  plus the 800 is a twin and not a triple. also they did not make an 800 panther or pantera in 2001  that was in 2002 and they no longer make the 1000 or the 600 triple touring  I am thinking the triple would be less vibration.
 
Boss  Yes mine is the 550  it is a panther not a pantera.  the pantera for 200l  came as a 1000
and a 580 which were blue and a 600 triple touring  The panthers came as a 550 440 and 370
the 550 is the only panther that had the same suspension and removablel seat as the pantera.  oh it cost less than a pantera also.  and you are right about riding better with two on the sled The only thing I had to watch with two on the sled was don't give to much throttle coming out of a turn I found mine harder to steer.  even with the shock adjusted over halfway to add weight to the skis.  I will have to take up the limiter straps and try that.  
does anyone know of a dealer that has a 1000?  they tell me they made them only two yrs.

I have a Triple Touring 600. (Fancy for a zrt 600 two up.) The sled is awsome when
it comes to all day trail riding. It will hang with any sled wide open and run circles around
all the other 2ups.
I have also had the great pleasure of riding the Pantera 1000. That sled is almost the
same with about 57 more ponies.
If you want to make the shorties look bad on the lake, BUY IT.
If you want to have a great time trail riding BUY IT.

I must warn you, If you think that this sled will hang with any shorty think again.
It is a tank! Don't get me wrong, the sled is a screamer. But it will take control of
you if you want to hang with the "boys".
You need to think about what kind of riding you do and how much effort you want to
put into your riding.
(Perhaps your passenger may want a sled of there own?)
Now that may be money well spent.

I think the 1000cc Pantera would be the ultimate 2up trail sled.  Plenty of power for two people, great gas mileage, smooth ride, broad powerband, tons of torque and top end speed when needed, and you can still go out to the lake and put a hurtin' on some of the single seater sleds!   If I was to ever go to a two-up I would definitly go with that, the triple touring 600, or the powder extreme two-up.