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Whats The Best All Around Trail Sled

6K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  Steven Hohman 
#1 ·
:D I AM SELLING MY WILDCAT 700 2-UP AND GOING TO A NICE TRAIL SLED AROUND THE 95'S-97'S RANGE . I WANT SOMETHING THAT I WILL NOT GET BORED ON , TAKES THE CORNERS WELL AND IS ALSO PRETTY FAST. SO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK AS IN THE BEST ALL AROUND TRAIL SLED . ALSO I DONT WANT ONE THAT HAS A BAD MECHINCAL HISTORY. THANKS
 
#3 ·
95-97 range

I would go for a 96-97MXZ 583/670,FZ 583 or 97 SX 700 they are known to be able to take 10,000+km and still run great with no majar bugaboos are they are great on gas

Since you are coming off a 700 touring Cat

If you really want Cat Try the 97 ZRT 600,
the ZRT 600 engine will last longer then the 580s of that era

580s are clutch and piston skirt eaters

Those would be my choices for that era

:)Hope this helps

Not all of us can afford new sleds yet some of the older ones are still great sleds :devil:
 
#4 ·
Everyone here is going to recommend their favorite brand, which is to be expected so I won't be any different. In that year range I would recommend a 97 xc700 or step up to a 98 xc 600 or 700. Here's my reasons:
1) The 97 (as well as the first few 98) 700 was a screamer and about the fastest non-valved 700 you'll find. (they changed the porting in 98)
2) The domestic twins are bullet proof
3) You mention "all around trail sled" and "takes corners well", to me this spells coupled suspension and in those year I think that means xtra-10 or M-10. Coupling the suspension makes a huge difference in keeping the skis down and not fighting the bumps. Maybe thats why they all have it now?

Then again opinions are like ...
 
#6 ·
you can get a 97 zrt, a 97 z 440 wouldnet be bad if you want a really nice trail sled get a 00 zr anything

or you can get 97 srx or a polaris xc the ski doo mxz 670ho is nice just try to stick to something that is in a newer model chassi you wont regret spending a few extra dollars if you have to
 
#7 ·
You could go with a yamaha sx either a 6 or a 700. They have tons of torque but also have a serious lack in top end for what they are. I rode a 99 700 a while back...it handles well but is still very comfortable. The only problem is that you are looking in the 97 range and those have a different suspension from what I rode. I would also look at the ski-doo but IMO they handle like crap. I worked hard to get my 95 mach to handle but it never came close to my SRX (which is comparably to the SX I rode).
 
#9 ·
thanks i will look at all the sleds you metioned i am going to the sled auction in bronson mi, next saturday they allow you to do complete checks before bidding. i even did compression checks on the one i got las month do you have any oppinon's on things to check for that i may have come up and bite me down the road. that i may be overlooking. with the type of sleds you metioned thanks again :hallo3:
 
#11 ·
Got snow! be careful in bronson....We've heard its a great place to sell (unload) a sled, not a good place to buy one!! A guy in our group bought a 98 out of there a few years back and the track was bad after one ride..............

If your going to buy there, doing the compression check is good, I would have it on its side and slow roll the entire track looking for weak points or damage..... and lastly ...does the mileage on the odometer "add up" for the condition, and year of the sled........ there's a lot of low milage race sleds that have been ridden hard, with no speedo hooked up, or with a different race hood on it....... that now look great with the stock hood back on, but in reality the 8 of the 9 lives of the sled are used up!!!

You see a lot of this at the Haydays swap meet as well......buyer be-ware!

just my 2 cents....... ??? ???
 
#12 ·
yea but would'nt you say if i go and check them over pretty good my odds are at least better then buying them on ebay because you atleast get to start them and do a quick cold comp test before you bid!!! all the sleds in the trader mag's and sell books are way over priced so the really good deals come by at the auctions ( but i guess you get what you pay for). hopefully my luck holds out. OK I THINK I HAVE MY CHOICES NAROWED DOWN SO HERE THEY ARE 1995-1997 ON ALL OF THESE POLARIS XLT, ARTIC CAT ZRT, AND THE ARTIC CAT GREEN ONE THE 580CC, POLARIS XCR 600. OUT OF THESE SLEDS WHAT IS SOME GOOD'S and bads,
 
#13 ·
lets see here...

starting with the XLT 600 they handled pretty good and didn't ride to bad for that old of a sled it probably had the Xtra 12 suspension but if you do get an XLT make sure to get a newer one because some had crank problems from lack of lube on the PTO bearings from what i know of the sled some people had major problems and others have had not at all so its just a toss of the coin

same goes for the XCR 600 which was an entirely different motor i believe in the laters year but still had some crank issues but wouldn't recommend for trail use because they are pretty heavy

about the ZRT 600 they are very quick especially the 96's and even the 97's which were the fastest ZRT 600's ever the 96 even faster than the 97's there is such thing as a 95 ZRT 600 but they are rare and wouldn't recommend one one thing you have to look out on the ZRT 600's are the motor mounts which like to break the motors are pretty much bullet proof just as long as you dont jet too lean and the suspension isn't too bad but in the suspension department i would recommend the 97 which had the ETT tunnel with 13.5 advertised inches of travel but still rode fairly rough due to the weight of the machine but i suppose if your used to that 700 it wont feel much different

the green 580 that you speak of is a 97 ZR 580 EFI which is by far the best handling sled that you have narrowed down to but unfortunately some were plagued by engine problems, some would throw rods or fry a piston or drop a skirt mostly due to leaking intake boots which leaned the motor out and caused the problem the 580's have pretty good power it should be faster than the XLT and is pretty light


all of these sleds have problems it just depends on previous ownership of the sled and if they were cared for. all of these sleds should last a while just as long as you keep your eyes on things and do regular maintenance

if you dont care about speed so much i would definitely try and find a 97 ZL 440 they were pretty snappy if ya kept the clutching up and they had bullet proof motors that were good on gas it just depends on what you are gonna do with the sled and whether you will miss the power or not
 
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#14 ·
Originally posted by FreezerBurnt@Oct 25 2002, 03:43 AM
95-97 range

If you really want Cat Try the 97 ZRT 600,
the ZRT 600 engine will last longer then the 580s of that era

580s are clutch and piston skirt eaters

Not true, depends if you keep aneye on your intake boots. The 580 has proven to be a workhorse. The ZRT motor I think is just about bullet proof.

96 ZRT=125hp stock
97 ZRT=118hp stock
 
#16 ·
Well out of those sleds

97 ZRT 600 hands down,it has ETT 13.5" of travel and a bullet proof engine

If you can find one try a 97 EXT Triple 600,same as ZRT 600 but with Ryde FX shocks instead of FOX

Still think the MXZ 670 or SX 700 would be better :D

Yet I see you want to stay Cat or Poo

XLTs are ok but many blown pto bearing around here

Check out all of them and see which ones look better after 4000miles

This is the reason I bought a Doo :p
 
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