Curious about what you guys are seeing for top speed (on radar or gps) with direct drive. I don't have one yet, but I have my eye on an 04 efi. Thanks

147 mph................ :burp: :burp: :burp: :burp: :burp: :drunk:

I have been on the pond with many 04-05's,100-105 on hardpack.They get to 100 pretty good but struggle the rest of the way.Our "track" is about 1 mile long.If your buying it for top end runs you'll be disappointed,but they do everything else very well.

ya. right that's a joke ..... it's definately a long way from trailable if you're getting those speed's :banana: :banghead: :div20:

Just tuggin yer leg................agree with the post above, absolute rocket to 100 / struggle from there on up.

how can this be 100 105 top end ? I have heard 120s I am under the impression that the 900 was the one of the only sleds to run a F7 down and my F7 will easily do 115 118mph I do own a 04 900 but just got it and havent had the chance to run it as of now but I have been told by some reliable people low 120s is what to expect with the correct clutching

Were the reliable people be the ones who sold you the sled?Its a really good trail sled but if your thinking lake racing,run your f7.Don't think clutching going to get you 15-20 mph.One member on here who is a diehard zr guy is bossho.He might be able to help you out.

The reason the top end is slow is the Diamond Drive, 2 of my buddies have 05 ZR's and they do about 105-106 .....and thats it. My 03 800 REV actually out top ended one of the ZR's last year. We are doing lots of clutch work to the ZR's to try to get more of it's potential to the snow. :div20:

Thanks for the input guys. I have heard that the diamond drive limits top speed. Has anyone tried gearing one up? I know taller gears for these cost more and require case mods. Also, does anyone see a decent improvement with the 10.4 secondary and 10 tooth drivers? I also have an 04 F7 that runs 115-118 and I would hate to go backwards with a bigger sled. :banghead:

They have a new kit to let you run torsional springs in the seconday that will supposedly let you get full shift. We will see when snow hits as there are many people that have already bought the kit. 100 to 105 is not that hot since there are a couple people on here getting 114 and at least one that ran in the 120's with a couple of mods. The efficiency is in the clutch of the dd sleds not the gear case.

I'm trying one of these this year www.purelogictuning.com/clutch.html They suggest an arctic cat red white secondary spring (which came in the 03 ZR9)with the kit. My line of thinking is if it makes my DD work like the 03 chain system I will get more top end and better back shift.

:div20: also what I've seen



Low 120 is not realistic in a stock 900 clutched or not,, alot of times the 900 won't beat the 7 on top end,, depends which one is clutched the best,, speeds are close on the 03's and some of the newer DD sleds, 05 F7 didn't go as good in many cases also..If your F7 is running those speeds stock it's a good one,,,R2R

My 03 F7 is running those speeds with NO engine mods just a ODS clutch kit 170 studs and good clutch set up alignment and deflection
I agree I have one of the faster 03 F7s but heard that the ZR900 was one of the only sleds that would run down a F7 and NO the ones that told me the 900 would pull those speeds was not the guy I got it from .The 900 I have has the 10.4 secondary and D&D spec clutch kit its running a 1.25 ripsawand I plan on studding it with 1.345 megabites maybe ?? I will surely be upset if the 900 is that slow

I only tried mine once on less then prefect conditions,, and got nowheres near that speed, I might have squeeked 115 in good going but I would have to run it of a cliff to see 118, I saw some good working 03-04's radared and 111-115 was all they ran,, must be a good clutch kit or your geared higher then most,, R2R

stock gearing .the speeds I have seen have been on the digital speedo and not GPS my buddy has a 03 f7 also and I can smoke him and he has a ODS kit as well. the other guys I ride with RX1 warrior XC800 rev 800ho I can out run as well .the only sled that has given me a run was the yamaha long legs . but he isnt a top speed guy and usually gives up

so what can be done to the ZR 900 efi to increase the top end without getting into big things ??

I dont understand it either. I don't have the DD and my buddies 03 f7 has never beat my 03 900. It must be a DD issue??? How does the DD f7's run vs the DD 900's?

In perfect conditions I had my '04 F7 running 112MPH.
Best I saw with my '06 ZR9 was 108, but conditions were not as good as the run I had with the F7.

My ZR has the D&D clutching as well, and being an '06, the newer secondary. I was a bit disappointed since there was a lot of talk that Cat had the speed worked out for '06. It over revved bad all stock.

My 2005 zr 900 standard carb,was doing an honest 115 on gps bone stock.
Now after some bolt on mods 122 mph.

Not really sure how they compare, 04 900 and the 05 F7, seems like 105 mostly ties them up , but some of the newer DD sleds are said to be better, I didn't trust the DD so I went with the R, My buddy has a modded 03 900 and we trade wins in 660, don't know about top end, I have only saw a couple DDsleds radared and the non DD sleds were killing them,also the F7's were beating the 900 badly this day, my main reason for going with the F7,, but that was also in 05 so I don't know how the 06's work and I've never run any ,,,R2R

My 03 with 24/39 tops out at 108. Pulls all the way and then levels off at 108 like a light switch. It doesn't creep up, slowly climb - it is a solid pull right to 108.

Conditions don't matter.

Lots of HP, just runs out of gear.

My preference is corner to corner not top speed so I'm very happy with the set up.

My sled also has 24/39,, less power and I've seen 112 in a short run in not so great conditions,, R2R

What mods ? and bolt ons ?? inquiring minds would like to know

It will be interesting after I get my sled out in the snow. My 26/40 gearing really helped with some top end last year. The BMP head, pipe and Y-pipe mods along with my own clutching and VFIII's may be what my ZR9 needed. I figure the RPM is higher this year 7200 vs 7700 and the slightly taller gearing and added power to pull it all will get me in the 115 mark??? And at least I can lie my ass off because it looks totally stock. :smilielol:

I should say on the radar, the ZR9 will bury the speedo!

but we are talking diamond drives

Speedwerx head, slp single pipe.Boysen reeds,10.4 sheeve,torque arm,bikeman clutch kit and jetted just about perfect.

[quote name='ready2race' date='Oct 28 2006, 12:36 PM' post='1997132']
My sled also has 24/39,, less power and I've seen 112 in a short run in not so great conditions,, R2R
[/quote

I went through the gearing for this sled last season and that's it. I've got lots of HP, just no more clutch. I have not ran it out beyond where she drops off. I was concerned with walking the belt. My scrub lines were wiped all the way. I was told the max I can run is close to 110 at that's the maximum period. I have not done a long pull before to proove that wrong. It is almost like a switch at 108. Pulls like a banshee through a hundred and then at 108 the pull drops off and goes into cruise mode.

Anyone know for sure the maximum speed with the 24/39's.

Has anyone walked a belt on one winding em flat out on a long pull.

I'm pretty sure it's not out of gear,, my bubbys F7 with the same gears was radared at 112 also, I am pretty sure on the right conditions I may be able to squeek a couple more MPH out of it, conditions and drivers weight also play a part in it too..R2R

But the narrow track on the F7's may be the difference...

The track on a firecat is thinner but longer and has the same overall footprint as the 121 X 15 its got to be in the clutching lets hear from the guys with these sleds that have seen higher top speeds and how they got there ...

1" track,196 Goldiggers,SnoTek Tourque strap,remove foam from airbox,(93 Octane pump),BMP stock pipe mod,85gr Daltons and a 07 f10 Sec. spring,middle hole,/ on a Dynoe'd 161 hp 06 EFI=115mph ()!?

The narrow track does cut down wind resistance,, but the 10 extra HP of the 900 should more than off set it,,R2R




Only thing I change on mine is no reverse and changed the helix,,R2R

Keep in mind it's not the diamond drive limiting the top speed.It's the new size/style clutches.

How does the 07 F10 secondary differ from the 06 900 secondary ?

The power to weight ratio is better on the f7 also. My buddies that run f7's have never beat me but there close...

THis is true,, :div20: but it can change if the heavy rider is on the F7 vs light rider on the 900,, ,R2R

Your right there. Most are with in 10 lbs of each other. :smilielol:

Strict diet is a must during the winter so I don't upset that power to weight advantage,, :lol2: ,,That can be the biggest power gain there is and doesn't cost a cent :smilielol: ,,R2R

I have been advised(by a rep shop) that the spring seems to react better to load,and is of better quality.It has been tested in 900efi's and seems to pull heavy clutch wgts better(IE top speed)... Ill soon find out when good ice is avail. :div20:

Does any body have a formula for top speed, like Arctic Cat has in their manuals for chaincase models, to figure out top speeds for D-Drive sleds? From what I here they are limited by gearing.

You know I have a question that might sound weird, if the DD is so slow and junk and the F7's are so fast and they are still running the DD, then what is the differance that makes the f7 faster? My 900 hits 100 like right know and to me that is plenty fast with the group I ride with. I also drag race cars in the summer and I would rather have the torque of the 900 and get to 100 quick. Anybody can go fast if you have enough room, but not anybody can get there as quick with out the big torque of something like the big twin. So what is the diff. between the f7 dd and the 900 DD?

04ZR9 only has enough gear for 111mph@7200 and thats with the 10" secondary, will be slower with the 10.4. Now we did hit 111mph on gps on my buds 04 zr9 with the stock gears. Then he got 68/52 gear set, still would only go 111mph. Sled was always strong in the low-mid, at about 85mph the 03 zr9 begins to just flat out check out, at 105ish damn rev 800's begin to creep by. A good running 03 ZR9 with 26/41 gears will embarrass the 04 on the lake after 80mph, the 04 is the better trail sled, feels much more nimble, better brake, essentially really feels like a different sled. The 04 ZR9's did have Diamond drive issues, I think my buddy went through at least one gear case and drive shaft each season. A stock 03ZR9 should gps in the 115-116 range and should nip even a good running 03F7 in the top 03F7's typically make mince meat out of 04ZR9's.

You would think that, but the day I saw them radared, the 03-04 F7's were whipping the 03 900's and killing the 04's none of the 900's broke 108mph, F7's were running 110-112mph, on this same day conditions,,,R2R



From what I've seen in a 660 race the F7 will most likley come out ahead, unless it's a real good working 900,,R2R

Biggest differnece is the F7 has 10 tooth drivers and slightly lower gearcase ratio, ZR9 has 9T drivers and slightly higher gears. Overall, the F7 because of the 10T drivers is pulling more gear, also the additonal operating rpm of the F7 makes it act like it even has more gear compared to the ZR9.

And people don't think to factor the 10 tooth drivers vs the 9 tooth. Anyone try the 10's on a ZR9?. Will they fit?

Im running 26-40 gears in my 03 ZR9 and with the BMP mods 7700 RPM. I know going from 26-41 to 26-40 gives me a little more top end ratio with out giving up too much off the line and the added RPM will help some too. I marked my dream meter last year and with out radar or gps I will have to see if the speedo will get a little farther on the "Arctic Cat" on the bottom of the speedo.

I just saw that D&D is selling 10tooth drivers for the diamond drive axle I am going to try a set and see how they work . I would imagine that they should give the 900 a little more on top as well as giving the TQ the 900 makes something to work against

You can run 10T drivers in a 900, but you likely will not have the clearence to run studs, well you will have the clearence but its scary close.

i had a customer run them and he said he didnt dare run them?? but he had a 1.375 track! if you had a 1 inch you might get away with 1.075 studs not sure though???

room is close up front for 10 on the 8-900 seen a few punched rad just from to long a stud with 9T,,R2R

Good point... I run studs on my F7 170 1.5 with a 1.375 track. and the 900 has a ripsaw so I will probably not stud it this season and see how it goes

my 04 zr900 has all the updates from the factory on the diomond drive. i put on the 85g wieghts from hot seat and the 10.4 secondary. at 7200 rpm this snow machine did not run well at all, it did not pull hard and no top end. the next day in warmer conditions i decided to increase the spring preasure on the secondary, it was a totaly different machine it pulled hard and top end was the fastest yet. @ 7600 rpm. i did back it off to 7500 rpm just for the cranks sake. the primary and secondary were both marked and it was the first time that the belt wore out both marks top to bottom.
this is a completely stock machine, so either my instrumentation is out or the recomended power band is wrong. the true test will be against my buddys f7 efi with gps on a cold day he gets 116mph.