99 Artic Cat ZRT600
97 Artic Cat ZRT600
97 Atric Cat ZR440
96 Artic Cat ZRT800
Some of my personal tips, for Artic Cats of course...
One of the first things I do when get a new snowmobile is synchronize the carbs and jet them down. A 2-stroke runs hotter when lean (opposite a 4-stroke) therefore produces more horsepower.
The drive chain usually is on the tight side, so I loosen it to reduce friction. The angle of your skid frame is important in determining the top end of your sled (difference of about 5-8 mph). You should tighten the 9/16 bolts that adjust your limiter straps. Doing this picks up the front of the skid frame and reduces the angle of the track. This really helps the hyfax (slides) last longer. Trust me, I wore through brand new track clips in 150 miles until I realized the angle was way to steep.
The secondary clutch has shims between the two halves. These shims are of various thicknesses, and are used to adjust the gap between the two halves. The correct shims should be removed or added to guarantee the two halves don't rub, yet the belt sits as high as possible on the clutch when reassembled.
Rebuilding shocks...
This is the most ignored part of our snowmobiles. Fox shocks must be rebuilt every 2000 miles or every season, which ever comes first. This year, I bought my own shock rebuilding tools. The going rate for rebuilding shocks is around $50 each so as you can see, 4 sleds adds up to a lot of money. The main components can be bought at Hi-Performnace Engineering. Carter Performance also sells this kit and all necessary rebuild components and replacement parts. These guys are great to talk to and know shocks better than you know your parents. If someone would like me to rebuild their shocks, please email me.
Sledding destinations...
I travel to Munising, MI almost every weekend. This area I know like my backyard. I highly recommend this area to riders, but do admit some weeks the trails get really bad. If you would like some info about this town, email me. If you visit Munising, look for me, white 97 F-350 with a white 4-place Haulmark. This year, I reserved every weekend at the Munising Motel.
Houghton-Hancock has good snow and nicely groomed trails, yet gas is tough to find.
Grand Marais is by far, the greatest trails i have ever been on. Unfortunately, there are no hotels there, only a few shacks for rent. This is 60 miles from Munising, so you may want to stay there.
I could go on, but I only want to talk about my favorite areas.
Pictures soon to come...
