I'm riding a 99 MXZ 600 and love the machine. Had to get the MPEM replaced this year because it was damaged in some way and wouldn't read the tether anymore. But other than that it's a wonderful sled.

I've always liked the looks of the Formula III with its CK3 chassis. I'd like to hear what people think of it, how it rides, etc. Is it as bulky and heavy on the trails as many say? How's that Rotax triple/single run compared to equivalent twins? Are there any good Formula III reviews online?

I can blow most all stock twins away from mid range on up. The single pipe make lots of mid range power (which is great for the trails)

I have never driven anything else, but all the trails I ride on are groomed, which get wooped out bad somedays (Sunday night) and I find it pretty smooth, not a rev i would imagine, but on the long smoother trails (like I ride) i think I would prefer my sled.

When I come to a rough section just hammer it and the front end is easy to get lite a skim over the bumps. The extra weight of the triple makes it corner better sometimes (more ski pressure)

All around I have no complaints! @ 60+ MPH is when it pulls the hardest, believe it or not! w00t

I had a '99 and to be honest, it is my least favorite for many reasons. For the trails it is heavy and bulky (537 lbs dry). The ck3 is not bump friendly at all. Hard to stand up in the bumps and not much to talk about on the bottom end. It's good for the lakes but thats about it. Triples are kinda a thing of the past. You can get more power and grunt fron a twin with alot less weight. It might sound cool to you and your friends that you have a "triple" but I would stick to a twin unless you just stay on the lakes. Mods for a triple are alot more expensive as well.

We also have a 97 Polaris XLT Touring. It's a 600 triple. OMG is it a pile. I can't believe Polaris calls that an engine. No pickup, tops out at like 80 on the trail. Pig heavy. There are just zero redeeming qualities to that sled.

But, I've always wondered about the Skidoo triples. Thanks for the input guys. Sounds like a great straight-line sled, but watch out if you are hitting moguls or cornering. Sounds like a awesome engine for its time though. One thing I liked about triples is their sound though. Just a cool, warm sound idling that screams when you punch the gas. Of course my 600 Rotax twin has it's own satisfying growl :)

How does the CK3 compare with the older F-2000, and the newer S-2000? How did the engines evolve over the years?

Gosh, when my FIII 700 was in stock form, all I ever did with it was ride the ditches. I didn't think it was so bad for jumping. Single pipe and slightly more front travel helped. So did ETS bars.

I don't agree that more power and torque can be extracted from a twin. In stock form the 809 is making more power than the 800 twin. There's an aweful lot of big bore triples riding the steep & deep. Sure some twins, too, but the triple still has quite a following. Heavy triples vs light twins is another myth. The 809 is a relatively heavy engine, but not by as much as some think. The 700/600 being lighter yet.

I have a 98 FIII 700 and I absolutely love it. The only "mods" I've done to it are Carbon Tech reeds and dropped 2 teeth on the top. The single pipe makes alot of torque and the gas mileage that I get while trail riding is awesome (just over 16 mpg).

As for jumps, I weigh just over 230 when I'm not suited up, so I have experienced a couple of component failures in the rear skid. One was a cracked front arm, and the other was a broken aluminum shaft, but these occurred after taking some pretty extreme air.

In the tight trails, this is a sled that has to be ridden actively if you are riding fast as it can get some ski lift on the tight turns if you don't lean into them. I've never had any problems keeping up on the trails with any machine....although I've yet to ride in a group with a REV :rolleyes:

Steve

Yes there is better sleds out there for ditch banging, but compared to your mxz 600 it will pull like there's no tomorrow.

CK3 was the same all the way up to '03, so it couldn't have been that bad.

I like mine, that's all that matters :D

The MX-Z is much better trail sled, I notice that you ride in the UP where the trails can get pretty beat up so i'd stick with the twin. I loved my FIII, it was a great sled but no where near as much fun to ride as the MX Z. Riding a CK3 after riding a ZX chassis is pure torture, the same can be said about riding a ZX after owning a REV. If you don't know any better the CK3 can be a fine snowmobile ,after riding the newer technology it's not so fine.

Any of you CK-3 Formulalll guys want to convert it to a MachZ I have everything you need to go to stock triple pipe set up. Their off an 00 Mach. Includes all carb and clutch changes, brackets and manifolds, everything. $500.00