2007 F-8 LXR QUESTIONS................, a little info PLEASE............. Options

[RICH JELINEK]

I have a good friend that asked me to look at a 2007 F-8 LXR today with him, seller is original owner, no real mods, 3000 miles, looks to be in very nice clean solid shape. I know alot more about sleds than he does ( mechanically anyway ) but I am not really at all familiar with the newer 2007 + F SERIES sleds.

Can some of you guys that have them tell me things to look for, the good, the bad, anything and also what are the real differences between the standard F-8, the LXR, and the SNOPRO??? ( I think I have a good idea but what to know for sure )

Also will he be happy with the power/performance of this 800??? (didn't get a chance to ride it yet but he's a little concerned about the weight? )

He's coming off an 03 F-7 EFI SP and last had a 02 ZR 800 carb, he just doesn't want to be dissapointed with the speed / power this F-8 has ( isn't looking to set speed records but doesn't want it to be a pooch either ), but really thinks he will like the sled otherwise as long as it deosn't have any real " issues".


Thanks for any help/input!

[wolterf6]

He will love this machine. The power is there just not like you would think. It is a sneeky power. I have seen 105 with mine. The lxr will have electric start and adjustable seat and handlebars. Snow pro is calabrated stiffer. The ride quality of a f seiries is unmatched. He will forget about his F7 real quik.

[RICH JELINEK]

He will love this machine. The power is there just not like you would think. It is a sneeky power. I have seen 105 with mine. The lxr will have electric start and adjustable seat and handlebars. Snow pro is calabrated stiffer. The ride quality of a f seiries is unmatched. He will forget about his F7 real quik.

Thanks for the reply..........ya, the adj. seat & " on the fly " bar adj. is a really nice feature I think. I really thought it would be kind of "gimmicky" but now that I have seen them they shoud be nice options to have.

So you have not had or know about any problems/issues ( major anyway ) with yours???

Is the Diamond Drive okay on these sleds???

Thanks again,

[RICH JELINEK]

AND..................the sled has the original track, good shape, looks like a camoplast hacksaw, 1" lug, but I didn't even think to ask about the width/length - looked like 15" wide, but is it a 121 or a 128" long???

128" I'll bet since its a cat.................

Thanks again,

[stronger800]

128". look under the secondary clutch by the ddrive for signs of oil residue mixed with belt dust. an oily black mess could be indicative of a gearcase leak that could cause bigtime damage. some of them leaked a bit, easy fix with RTV or the new AC gasket kit, If the owner took the time. open the hood and look down in the very front at each side of the airbox for cracks in the black box piece itself. the powervalve cables rub on the small coolant lines that come off of the head, between the head and the oil tank. I have a 1000 but I believe the 800 has the same lines. at 3k these could be worn thin if they were not protected. again, an easy fix if you notice before it's to late.

[OnThePin]

I have an 07 f8 snopro w/7000 miles on it still going strong, runs out at 105 -107 not as fast as my f7 was,, but as said he will forget about the f7 quick after he rides the F8 and you're right about the adjustable seat and handle bars ,,they are a nice feature that really work .

[wolterf6]

Thanks for the reply..........ya, the adj. seat & " on the fly " bar adj. is a really nice feature I think. I really thought it would be kind of "gimmicky" but now that I have seen them they shoud be nice options to have.

So you have not had or know about any problems/issues ( major anyway ) with yours???

Is the Diamond Drive okay on these sleds???

Thanks again,

This fall I took off the Y pipe. I found damage to my cylinder. Took it to my dealer and cat had hime pull the motor apart. He sent the parts to them and they found that a piece of the cylinder broke off and ate up 1 side and my head. All was replaced under warranty. But the sled ran awesome all year and may have kept going???? But I am sure this is very rare. Otherwise no other problems. Gets about 14 mpg and the weight is not a issue. Steering is effortless. Put a pair of C&A's on if you want it to handle like a firecat. Stock skis suck!

[mrfirecat]

I just bought a new leftover 2007 F8 LXR and had a chance to put about 70 miles on it last week. My previous sled was a 2006 F6 sno pro. I was very worried about the extra weight on the f-series but once you ride an f-series you will see why Cat made the change. I love it. My new sled is extremely smooth and stable and I haven't found the additional weight to be noticable either. The F8 is a strong sled but you don't have the fast sensation that you generally get on an older sled. The speed is somewhat deceiving. I think it is just because the sled is so smooth.

The majority of my riding is fairly aggressive ditch riding in decently deep snow. The two things I would like to see changed are the suspension and the track. I wish the suspension was a bit stiffer. I actually wish I had my fox float shocks back that I had on my F6 sno pro. I also think a deeper lug track would be great for my type of riding. The 1" stock track would be fine if you only rode trails but when you get into deeper snow there is a tremendous amount of track spin.

[SirCATchAlot]

Ok everyone hit all the good points......I will point out the one bad point. The Twin Spar chassis does not stop nearly as good as the Firecats do. I should know as I have both Chassis's, Firecats from '03 thru '05, and Twin Spars '07 thru '09. I swap between them and the Twin Spar just does want to get whoa'd up as easily as the Firecats do. I am running 1.5" or 1.7" paddles with 102, 1.74" Megabites on all. Just doesn't make any differance.

The long distance racers here in Alaska call it the old mans race chassis and they are very comfortable to ride long distances fast. The chassis is very predictable once you get use to it. It is made to go fast......just doesn't top end like the Firecats do.

[bigshooter]

they are like riding in a Cadillac.......I second the ski comment....put C&A's on my 07 f8 pro and what a difference it makes on the corners, was like on a rail this weekend!!! The oem ski's are dangerous.......They really blew it in 07 with the skis...

This post has been edited by bigshooter: Dec 13 2009, 11:58 PM

[RICH JELINEK]

I just bought a new leftover 2007 F8 LXR and had a chance to put about 70 miles on it last week. My previous sled was a 2006 F6 sno pro. I was very worried about the extra weight on the f-series but once you ride an f-series you will see why Cat made the change. I love it. My new sled is extremely smooth and stable and I haven't found the additional weight to be noticable either. The F8 is a strong sled but you don't have the fast sensation that you generally get on an older sled. The speed is somewhat deceiving. I think it is just because the sled is so smooth.

The majority of my riding is fairly aggressive ditch riding in decently deep snow. The two things I would like to see changed are the suspension and the track. I wish the suspension was a bit stiffer. I actually wish I had my fox float shocks back that I had on my F6 sno pro. I also think a deeper lug track would be great for my type of riding. The 1" stock track would be fine if you only rode trails but when you get into deeper snow there is a tremendous amount of track spin.

I see you are in northern Il - where did you find the brand new left over???

Sounds like you would have liked the SNOPRO model better, but I'm guessing you couldn't find one so got the LXR??? My friend thinks he would like the SP better also, but when buying used it's hard to find exactly what you want.

[RICH JELINEK]

THANKS for all the replies guys.

I did read thru all 7 pages in the pinned thread about the 07 F sleds above .

Did anyone ever find out the real deal and / or which models/runs of the sleds had that BIG problem with the A-arms braking apart ???

That's a pretty scary deal there!

I have a pretty good Cat dealer near me, I'm going to give him a call an try to get some info.

Thanks again,
Rich

[mrfirecat]

I see you are in northern Il - where did you find the brand new left over???

Sounds like you would have liked the SNOPRO model better, but I'm guessing you couldn't find one so got the LXR??? My friend thinks he would like the SP better also, but when buying used it's hard to find exactly what you want.

A dealer in Colorado had it on ebay. I had been looking for the sno pro version but this sled was too good of a price to pass up. Even if it is the LXR it is still the nicest sled I have ever ridden. I am very happy with it and wish I would have switched to the f-series sleds a couple years ago.

[RICH JELINEK]

A dealer in Colorado had it on ebay. I had been looking for the sno pro version but this sled was too good of a price to pass up. Even if it is the LXR it is still the nicest sled I have ever ridden. I am very happy with it and wish I would have switched to the f-series sleds a couple years ago.

mrfirecat you have a PM...............................

Thanks,

[RICH JELINEK]

Here we go again..........................my bud just came across a 2007 F-8 STANDARD he is more interested in ( diff color and nicer ).

What are the diffs between the standard and the LXR???

Any issues the standard might have had that the LXR didn't???

Thanks again everybody!

[wolterf6]

Standard = no electric start, No adjustable seat, No adjustable handlebars. Also not sure but lxr might have mid height windsheild vs lower on standard. I like my standard. But do wish it had electric start. The 800 is kinda a pig to start cold. The seat is good were it sits, And i dont think the handlebars realy ever get adjusted. But taller windshield is nice. Switched to mid this year. Otherwise there are no shock differences or engine. Just LXR is more a luxury sled.