05 zr 900 review

[dustrunner]

Anyone have any experience with this model ? Thinking about looking at it sunday....

[atc007]

If you are not HIGHLY comfortable on a sled. Stay away from it. It is a rocketship between your legs. Bad ass sleds. They have hurt many experienced pilots.

[dustrunner]

That' sound's just like what im looking for bill. lol are they reliable ?

[atc007]

Very reliable as far as a 150HP sled is gonna be. Compression check it. Take a can of ether and check the seals at idle. Cat has horrible problems with the asbestos exhaust gaskets rubbing through, then taking out the exhaust joints. Nothing a welder can't fix, but a real PIA> Look very closely at the drive clutch, rollers/pins,slides. Then the Diamond drive,,,check the case oil and make sure it's clear,,,,,,,and there... They only hold 3-3.5 oz.. Check the drive axle splines and lock collar. The entire drivetrain. There are just a ton of wear items on these sleds,and being we hardly ever get snow anymore, they are ridden on frozen tundra.Obviously check the slides,sliders,cross shafts and all idler wheel bearings. Could be a $400 sled,,COULD be a $2000 sled.Not likely lol. But they are a ton of fun if it's a straight one. Very very few riders can use all of that power.

[dustrunner]

Sled is supposed to have around 2k miles ..what would be a good compression read on it ? Could you please tell me what to look for on the clutches...I have no idea about any roller pins or Diamond drives.... You are SMART Sir.

[atc007]

I dealt these all my life is all. Whew, kinda hard to school you on the internet.. I would google ALL you can. The clutches are very common sense, as the weights press out, that wears the bushings in the pins,once worn, the weight can start rubbing/grinding where it shouldn't. Once the clutch is shot. They are $600. Used to be throw a new Comet on it,but they went out of business a long time ago. Diamond drive is a "direct drive" for the 900 only. The power is directly transferred into a transmission { Diamond drive} Instead of the power going through the belt to the driven,across the jackshaft onto a sprocket,down to another sprocket on the axle.
3 and 4 will be worn/shot on this diagram. http://fiche.worldofpowersports.com/wps/showmodel.asp?Type=13&make=arcticcatsnow&a=1017&b=11&c=0&d=-DRIVE-CLUTCH
9 and 10 in here can strip out, the DD only holds 3 oz of oil :(.
http://fiche.worldofpowersports.com/wps/showmodel.asp?Type=13&make=arcticcatsnow&a=1017&b=11&c=0&d=-DRIVE-CLUTCH

Lay the sled on it's side,grab the drive axle and shake it as hard as you possibly can for ANY play. There should be zero. Check the lock collar #9 on the axle for tightness.If it's loose, the DD has started stripping..http://fiche.worldofpowersports.com/wps/showmodel.asp?Type=13&make=arcticcatsnow&a=1017&b=11&c=0&d=-DRIVE-CLUTCH

And drive it. Driving it across the field won't hurt anything. Make sure it launches good and strong=Wheelies,,,with NO stripping or grinding. Fuelies are MUCH better than carbed. Their batteryless EFI has been perfect from day one. Any problems are usually simply dirty wiring connectors. I have a 09 Ski Doo SS,all blacked I'll sell for 3k. That is a steal. That sled is probably? over 100 pounds less than this cat. Handles like a dream. Electric Start,reverse,mirrors,studded,serviced and ready to ride. Also have a 03 Cat 800SS,EFI, I can sell that for $1650,new seat and drive chain,all gone through. Good luck!

[dustrunner]

WOW, Thanks fer schoolin me.... How do you feel about the 4 stroke sleds ? I know they are heavy but ?

[atc007]

I haven't had many 4 strokes. Most guys that get them like them,understanding they are a different sled. Most of my friends that have them have boondocker Turbos on them,but they live where there is snow from Nov,and are riding as we speak :( Lucky bastards..

[Evan Hagenow]

A friend has a 2014 yamaha viper 1100 four stroke with the 136 track, it looks nice but it is heavy and the computer limits it to only 84 mph. Which is not near fast enough to keep up. You also have to tear every single body panel off of it to change the oil, which is a PITA.

[dustrunner]

would 150 psi in each cylinder be ok ?

[atc007]

Sure is ! ...

[dustrunner]

I can't believe this...I swore I would never buy another sled