Very Cool stuff! I rode a 97 ZR 440 for years and still have it in the garage! What a machine, definitely a pure-bred racer. When conditions were right and it was in the correct state of tune, it was the most fun sled on snow. The sound, the high revving performance, the suspension and handling, the looks...oh man I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it! It was a finicky sled though, it needed lots of maintenance to keep it on the snow and the 9 tower primary clutches on these generation Cats were absolute garbage - the one on the ZR 440 literally exploded while I was riding it!! But the amount of fun I had on that sled far overshadows the issues had with it!
I had the same sled for a few years, finicky as all get out, but when it was on, it was on! Debating hunting my old one down somehow and seeing if I can buy it back haha
@@brianvoth6515 You nailed it right on the head, when it was on it was ON! It definitely held its own in the twisties and the rough stuff (in its time) and was definitely a "giant killer" when it came to taking on sleds of larger displacement. I went to a Firecat F6 Sno Pro after the ZR 440, which I still ride and love too! The Firecat needed a bit of tweaking and a pair of C&A pro skis to handle like the ZR but the EFI equipped F6 just runs so good in all conditions and has been far more reliable and durable overall then the ZR 440. The fun factor...it's a toss- up, both of them put huge smiles on my face and that's all that matters!
@@adamm2837 agreed, I could take my brother on his 2000 ZR600 up to 75-80 mph everyday, just didn't have the top end. Became a pro at trailside rejetting because you had to do that for about every 3-5 degree temp change (celsius). Also hilarious because I also went to a 2004 F6 after the 440, and it was a game changer, totally changed my mind on EFI, I won't go back to a carbed sled again, short of buying back one of my old ones for nostalgia haha. Now I'm on a 2015 ZR6000RR (Tucker Hibbert edition), and the handling is out of this world. Not nearly as fast as my F6 was though, that platform was out of this world.
@@brianvoth6515 Oh yes, we messed around with the jetting quite a bit (though always kept it on the rich side for the most part, just to stay on the safe side for trail riding) as well as the clutches. Those 9-tower primaries on the Cats in that era were junk. One exploded on me while riding the 440. How amazing did that 440 sound when it was matted to the bar? What a coincidence that you went to a F6 after the 440! The 2004s, especially the early builds (my buddy had one of the early builds) were incredible performers. There were often times that machine gave 800 REVs trouble out on the lake! My 2005 has the ACT Diamond drive and it goes plenty fast enough for me..way more then enough. I was kind of hesitant going for a Firecat at first as there were some horror stories, mostly about the 2003 models, but the 2005 has been pretty much flawless other than a cracked filler neck on the gas tank (big recall on that) and the speedometer only works when it wants to (says it has 4400 miles on it...it has WAY more then that!!). Looks wise, I still think the Firecats are some of the coolest looking sleds out on the snow till this day. 2015 Tucker Hibbert 6000!! Those are beautiful machines!! I have been kind of keeping my eye out for a Procross 6000 of some kind, I am not really into the 8000s and it seems like the 8000s are the only ones that ever pop up for sale around here. And half the time the Procross models around here that are for sale are stupid ones, like Mountain sleds and such. Don't need that here in Western Mass.
@@adamm2837 haha my 440 ran the absolute best and sounded most wicked... for the last 30 seconds before it blew up on me. Disintegrated the connecting rod to crank bearing, piston shattered against the head, and punched the pieces through the bottom of the crankcase 🤦♂️. Dropped a replacement motor in after that one, but a learning experience nonetheless. I was working for AC from 2001-2004, and when the Firecat got released it took a bit to get used to, but I loved the look. My brother got a 2003 F7 and I got my 2004 F6 at the same time, we lined up on radar runs a couple of times. He ran 99.7 mph, I ran 99.1 mph, but as a 600 I beat all the 600’s, half the 700’s, and a couple of 800’s! Top speed I ever saw was 113 mph, I still kick myself sometimes for selling that sled. The new sled is awesome, the race chassis is a sweet setup, but still nostalgic for my old sleds!
Fun to watch! Brought back a lot of childhood memories. We had the ZRT600 , cougar, and two Pumas. When I first saw the ZR580 with the green hood I wanted it so bad.
Very Cool stuff! I rode a 97 ZR 440 for years and still have it in the garage! What a machine, definitely a pure-bred racer. When conditions were right and it was in the correct state of tune, it was the most fun sled on snow. The sound, the high revving performance, the suspension and handling, the looks...oh man I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it! It was a finicky sled though, it needed lots of maintenance to keep it on the snow and the 9 tower primary clutches on these generation Cats were absolute garbage - the one on the ZR 440 literally exploded while I was riding it!! But the amount of fun I had on that sled far overshadows the issues had with it!
I had the same sled for a few years, finicky as all get out, but when it was on, it was on! Debating hunting my old one down somehow and seeing if I can buy it back haha
@@brianvoth6515 You nailed it right on the head, when it was on it was ON! It definitely held its own in the twisties and the rough stuff (in its time) and was definitely a "giant killer" when it came to taking on sleds of larger displacement. I went to a Firecat F6 Sno Pro after the ZR 440, which I still ride and love too! The Firecat needed a bit of tweaking and a pair of C&A pro skis to handle like the ZR but the EFI equipped F6 just runs so good in all conditions and has been far more reliable and durable overall then the ZR 440. The fun factor...it's a toss- up, both of them put huge smiles on my face and that's all that matters!
@@adamm2837 agreed, I could take my brother on his 2000 ZR600 up to 75-80 mph everyday, just didn't have the top end. Became a pro at trailside rejetting because you had to do that for about every 3-5 degree temp change (celsius).
Also hilarious because I also went to a 2004 F6 after the 440, and it was a game changer, totally changed my mind on EFI, I won't go back to a carbed sled again, short of buying back one of my old ones for nostalgia haha.
Now I'm on a 2015 ZR6000RR (Tucker Hibbert edition), and the handling is out of this world. Not nearly as fast as my F6 was though, that platform was out of this world.
@@brianvoth6515 Oh yes, we messed around with the jetting quite a bit (though always kept it on the rich side for the most part, just to stay on the safe side for trail riding) as well as the clutches. Those 9-tower primaries on the Cats in that era were junk. One exploded on me while riding the 440. How amazing did that 440 sound when it was matted to the bar?
What a coincidence that you went to a F6 after the 440! The 2004s, especially the early builds (my buddy had one of the early builds) were incredible performers. There were often times that machine gave 800 REVs trouble out on the lake! My 2005 has the ACT Diamond drive and it goes plenty fast enough for me..way more then enough. I was kind of hesitant going for a Firecat at first as there were some horror stories, mostly about the 2003 models, but the 2005 has been pretty much flawless other than a cracked filler neck on the gas tank (big recall on that) and the speedometer only works when it wants to (says it has 4400 miles on it...it has WAY more then that!!). Looks wise, I still think the Firecats are some of the coolest looking sleds out on the snow till this day.
2015 Tucker Hibbert 6000!! Those are beautiful machines!! I have been kind of keeping my eye out for a Procross 6000 of some kind, I am not really into the 8000s and it seems like the 8000s are the only ones that ever pop up for sale around here. And half the time the Procross models around here that are for sale are stupid ones, like Mountain sleds and such. Don't need that here in Western Mass.
@@adamm2837 haha my 440 ran the absolute best and sounded most wicked... for the last 30 seconds before it blew up on me. Disintegrated the connecting rod to crank bearing, piston shattered against the head, and punched the pieces through the bottom of the crankcase 🤦♂️. Dropped a replacement motor in after that one, but a learning experience nonetheless.
I was working for AC from 2001-2004, and when the Firecat got released it took a bit to get used to, but I loved the look. My brother got a 2003 F7 and I got my 2004 F6 at the same time, we lined up on radar runs a couple of times. He ran 99.7 mph, I ran 99.1 mph, but as a 600 I beat all the 600’s, half the 700’s, and a couple of 800’s! Top speed I ever saw was 113 mph, I still kick myself sometimes for selling that sled.
The new sled is awesome, the race chassis is a sweet setup, but still nostalgic for my old sleds!
Fun to watch! Brought back a lot of childhood memories. We had the ZRT600 , cougar, and two Pumas. When I first saw the ZR580 with the green hood I wanted it so bad.