jdels

Man time flies. All three of mine came up on a z120 then Z370 or Z570. Now the youngest is 16. My (middle) 20 year old daughter has become an exceptional rider. Both on 2006 SC 500's now. Last few years we've put on a good 1000 miles a season together. I try to take them every chance they have. Pic of the start of an 400 mile overnight trip from two seasons ago. -15 at the start of that day! Wife was pissed we went ahead with it.

A 129 option would be nice. Makes little sense they got rid of it. In over 10000 miles on the F7 I seen the temp light only a handful of times. It's a piss poor design, these things should be engineered for worst case from a cooling perspective. If you can't run a trail on a 20 degree day with 6-8 inches of groomed snow on it there is a significant design issue. I'm glad the scratchers band aided the problem, I really am, but FFS you can't tell me this wasn't an issue in development.

So, scratchers installed. Not entirely thrilled about it but they do work well. Did 212 miles yesterday with no overheating, even with a couple long road runs with little snow on them. My god they are annoying though. Shit hitting you in the back and head, running boards covered in snow/ice buildup and wetter bibs than ever before. Been a Cat guy my whole riding life, 30 plus years. Dealt with a lot of junk engineering, poor fit and finish and build quality. This one takes the cake. Still a little pissy about it, I can't see keeping this machine past this year. Problem is WTF other ch

Was hoping you'd chime in at some point @krom. Any words of wisdom on the cooling deficiencies?

They really are. One year only (2006) with fuel injection for a nice light throttle pull. Kids progressed Z120 to Z370 to Z570 to SC500. In non powervalve form I think they will go forever, and 80HP is plenty. The black one will roll 10,000 this season. Bit of a reunion last spring.

Recently finished a 2006 Sabercat rebuild/Refresh for my son. Rebuilt skid, powdercoat on a-arms, springs and spindles. New chaincase chain and speedo side driveshaft bearing. torsion spring slides and mounts replaced. Studded down the middle with fresh 6'' carbides and hyfax. Added running board plates, windshield bag and he asked for some slydog rear wheels. All four shocks needed rebuilding. Bought it last spring for $1800. 4400 mile machine. All in about $2700. Last pic is of my middle child on the same machine in black that had a similar refresh a couple years ago.

Mine definitely ran about 10 degrees cooler at last of 4 than leading. My riding buddy said the same thing about the snow coming out the back and not hitting the flap. Springs in position 2. I may try the softest setting but, well, gotta go 265 pounds geared up. Flap is about 4 inches off the ground with me on it. Scratchers should be here Monday. I know the 4-strokes have a higher operating temp but how the hell are the T-Cats staying cool?

After just two rides of about 280 miles total I have to agree. There were spots where I could duck into a ten foot stretch of powder hammer the throttle and literally five seconds later would see a drop of 20 degrees. Of course as soon as that cold spot of coolant passed the sensor temps would spike right back up. This suggests there is no where near enough snow getting to the rear exchanger. When there is it seems to work. Not sure of any meaningful way to get more snow up there other than scratchers unfortunately.

I never has much trouble with the F7 unless it was ice or plowed roads. She'd flash once in a while (175 I believe) but I can only remember a solid light (200) a couple times. I will be riding that machine this weekend unless the scratchers come in by Friday. Given the sheer population of this chassis and the common problem I am a bit surprised there isn't a better aftermarket solution available other than scratchers. A bigger or auxiliary heat exchanger would probably be a good seller. Thanks to all who replied, I appreciate the insight.

I would agree, 150-155 to 130 with a 50 foot spin in some powder. Bad design.

Thanks for the reply. Todays ride was not enjoyable. After 16 years and 10000 plus miles on the F7 it was a bit disappointing. Can you give me some idea what temps you see with the scratchers, and what brand do you use?

First two rides on a new to me 2018 ZR8000. 137'' studded down the middle, 2200 miles. About 15 degree weather both today and yesterday. Maybe three inches of hardpack on most of the trails. Struggled yesterday keeping temps below 150. When I got home I raised the front end about two feet up, warmed up well and added about two cups coolant, thinking air pocket. Went out again today and same thing. Unless I dipped into powder frequently, and I mean nearly constant, temps would rise to 160+. A blast into some powder and temps would drop 25+ which suggests the heat exchangers are function

Yes, I have the seat and footrests. Keep in mind it requires the correct 8 pocket bumper for you machine.

Yes, I have the seat and footrests. Keep in mind it requires the correct 8 pocket bumper for you machine.

Except for tunnel bags! Sorry, couldn't resist!