I have been away from sledding for 5-6 years....Wife, kids, etc.... Now a friend of mine has a 1999 Mach Z that he will sell me for no less than $2000. Sled is in mint condition and has less than 1500 miles on it. Is it worth the $2000 price tag? How does this sled handle? Thanks

everyone will tell u here, "its not a rev" sounds good to me, those things used to be the thing to talk about, Welcome back tho, wether you buy it or not lol

Not a handleing sled! Fast as hell but not a great ride, well compaired to a rev. $2000 sounds about right!

Not the best handling sled but they are a blast to ride, nothing like the pull of a triple. I put over 3500km on my 98 Mach1 last year and have almost 16,000km on it with very few problems. This year I'm installing a 99 Mach Z motor, should be fun. What they lack in handling they more than make up for on the straights. Price sounds good.

Where are you located, if you don't buy it for $2000 I will.

Send me an email if you dont buy it mps1168@yahoo.com

mps

I had a 98 and a 99 mach z and have had bad luck with them.Stator problems,electrical problems(98),bad crank bearings,cdi failure,fuel pump failure.The people above are right,they are fast as hell WHEN they run right.I wont touch another 809 triple after the last one blew apart.

I am about the most non brand loyal person you will meet. I ride what ever happens to be on hand at any given moment and could care less about what it is.. I have had several of the 809's through the years and REALLY like em. I have also seen them come thru the auction (Canadian Rental Sleds) with 20000 Kilometers on em and still look and run great!
Few key things to look for:
Check the torque stop on the left rear of the motor (behind clutch). Make sure thats been kept up to snuff - engine movement is #1 problem causer for electrical probs..
Check RPM range adjustment.. That sled has a TRA clutch - there are little nuts and bolts on the exteriour of the clutch body for adjusting rev limit. Each increment is 200 R. If the sled has been over revved consistantly this takes toll on motor.. Lift the sled, rev it and see if it tachs out below 8200 - 7800 is best!
Doo had TERRIBLE tracks back then! Check out the track an see if its missing lugs and ready to rip in half? If it hasnt been studded and storage maintenance done (track backed off and stored off the ground your in business!
If the sled is completely stock - JUMP FOR JOY!! In stock unmodded form those sleds were tough as nails.. Problem is, everybody and there brother stuck on pipes and altered clutching (without knowing what they were doing) and THAT is the number one problem with loss of life of lots of those good ol tri powers!!
If its a nice clean stock 99 809 with 1500 miles and you know its complete history and you have been out of the business for a while YOU are in for a treat!!
BUy it and let er rip!!
Oh yea, take the carbs apart and clean the jets REAL good first thing.. Run a 1/2 can of sea foam thru the first tank of fuel..
Ripper

Mach-Z's rock! and haul serious ass. loved mine.

Have had 6 of them and Currantly have 3 99s in the stable 2 Mike Houles and a black and yellow that I did own and my friend has for sale Loved every one of them My wifes Houle has 9k miles on it never been down!

Sounds like a steal to me ... can't get much of a sled for $2000. I've had two Mach Z's and overall they have both been great sleds. The 98 I've had since new and the 99 I bought a few seasons ago. The 809 has an awsome power band ... you definately won't be dissapointed with the motor (just make sure your pointed in the right direction when you hit the flipper!). You'll like the easy pull and throttle response of the flatslide carbs. They are rack mounted and use only one throttle cable so they won't go out of sink from a stretched cable. They're a very easy carb to install a Tempa-flow on which is a cheap add on that basically does the same thing as DPM. Doo triples also come with full gauges which is nice.

Most twin lovers will tell you that the CK3 Mach's are overweight and ill handling but so is a Camaro or Viper compared to a high performance import (I'd still rather have the V8 car ... it's a matter of preference). The CK3 Machs are definately not as nimble as the newer lighter twins but it doesn't mean your going to have a problem controlling it in the trails as others like to think ... if you did I wouldn't have put up with it for the last ten seasons.

The HPG shocks that come on it are a good shock when new but they only last so long and they're not rebuildable so you have to replace them once they're done. Depedning on your weight you may find the rear springs a little soft ... for some reason Doo went one size softer in 99. If you plan to keep the sled a worthwhile upgrade is to put a good set of rebuildable HPG's up front and an SC10-II skid with rebuildable HPGs in the rear (it's a direct drop in, you just have to enlarge the rear mounting holes one size).

Stator problems are not unquie to triples but they do tend to go a little more frequently on the Doo triples vs their twins. I believe this has alot to do with the fact that Doo uses the same cheap coils on their triples as they do on the twins (ever wonder why they run a gap of 0.018"???). Supplying power to an additional coil places extra burden on the stator and as a result it tends to run hotter. There are definately a lot worse sled you could buy ...

A friend has one with about 9000km on it and it runs mint!
And does it every haul (love the triple!!!)