Newb looking for a little advice

[RJ Gleason]

Have you been seeing any ads for Crossfires?
They would be a better choice for you than a F-cat.

[1ninjanina]

Originally Posted by Ultrafrozen

If you're interested in EFI and appreciate four-stroke engines like your ATV, have a look at the Yamaha Phazer. No need to fill up the oil tank every second or third fuel fill-up, just a yearly oil change, again, like your ATV. Only 80hp but a very torquey engine. Look at 2008 or newer if you can afford it as the 2007 was the first year out and it needed a few mods to make it perfect (my wife has a 2007 and loves it). You ride in the more rider forward stance like other newer sleds (and your ATV) instead of the more sit-down older style. This lets you stand-up ride very comfortably as well.

The Yamaha Vector is a 120hp lond distance touring sled (best in class IMHO) that is carburated up to 2009 then 130hp EFI after 2010. I picked one up last year and love it; was a two stroke sled owner since 1983 and will likely never go back.

Welcome to the forum and good luck hunting for that perfect sled.

How does the weight of the 4-strokes compare with the 2 strokes? I thought the 4 stroke machines were heavier.

[Ultrafrozen]

Originally Posted by 1ninjanina

How does the weight of the 4-strokes compare with the 2 strokes? I thought the 4 stroke machines were heavier.

I have an old 1997 Polaris 500 Classictwin cylinder two stroke at 525 lbs. I sold the old Polaris Ultra Touring tripple two stroke that weighed in at 625 lbs. The twin cyl 4-stroke Phazer weighs in at 489 lbs while the mountain version is listed at 420 lbs. The tripple cyl 4 stroke Vector is around 535 lbs. All values are dry weight.

Honestly, for trail riding, the extra weight hasn't bothered me at all. I actually like the stable ride the extra weight gives. I test drove a few new sleds last winter and the lightweight Skidoo sled I took out felt like a toy. The two Polaris sleds we took out felt a little more substantial. We didn't ride Arctic Cat sleds.

One thing I'd like to mention is the different engine feeling you get with a four stroke. Now I can't speak for other manufacturer's sled's but Yamaha's four strokes have a lot of low RPM torque so the engine doesn't have to rev up to max RPM to get the power out. It seems with two stroke engines, they need to rev up a lot to get the needed HP when accelerating.

It's very much a personal choice and there are positives for both types of engines.

[meburdick]

I've had the Indy 500 EFI, Indy 500 Classic, and Indy 500 Classic Touring sleds. All powered by exactly the same motor (difference of EFI versus carb), but with fairly different weights. The Classic and Classic Touring felt pretty much identical to each other in terms of power and the EFI (the lightest of the bunch) felt the weakest.

Gearing, clutching, carb jetting, etc... There are a lot of things that will contribute to the way a sled "feels" in terms of power besides the weight that the motor has to move.

I agree with UF in that having a little extra "ballast" makes a sled feel very stable on the trails to me as well. And, with the negligible difference in the power feeling, I'll take the extra stability.

With the two-strokes, for Polaris specifically, the VES makes a lot of difference for the power. You need to rev a 2-stroke up much higher than a 4 to get to its power band. But, that power band is fairly narrow. The VES allows the motor to keep making power in the higher RPMs by reducing the exhaust back-pressure. The 4-strokes start making good power at much lower RPMs and have a wider power band overall.

[1ninjanina]

I'll look up the values of these sleds and compare them to the asking prices, but other than price, what do you think?

Cheap, good sled? no details from seller in ad, but in general?

http://rochester.craigslist.org/rvs/3417303962.html

2006 Arctic Cat Sabercat 500 EFI LX

2006 Arctic Cat F6 Efi with cover

2005 Arctic Cat Sabre Cat 700, Black

zr600 EFI

[RJ Gleason]

If just price point, I'd go for the ZR.

[Rczr600rider]

I have a ZR600 myself, and it's been a good sled for me. If all it really needs are a seat cover and a windshield you can get both for a couple hundred, so no big deal. The F6 would be a great choice if you prefer a more upright riding position, and they have a reputation as a very dependable sled. It also sounds as if it's been well maintained, which matters a lot. The Sabrecat 500 also souds like it's been taken care of, but at 85 hp it's a little down on power compared to the rest. It's enough to have fun with, and certainly adequate to handle the terrain in your area, but if you don't like getting passed on the lakes you might want the extra horses. The 700 Sabrecat is a nice sled, but the lack of pictures in an ad make me wonder. Still might be worth a look if it's close by. The other ad was removed before I could look at it.