just wanted some of your guys opinions on the 96 zrt 600 my buddy is thinking about a buying one it has about 1500 miles on it and they are asking $1500 i think that is a pretty decent deal but ive heard from a couple other people that zrts are problematic and he would always have to be wrenching on it. let me know what you guys think


thanks,
troy

suzuki triples have been a proven reliable powerplant as long as they are treated right. (which can be said about most things...) Ive seen many with high miles and running strong. Tend to have no blatant flaws, and do not not have the counterbalance shaft worries the big bore 800, 1000 triples had. It's a good buy if you want a good screamer down the trails, its a lil heavy in today's standards but is a very fun sled.

The only issue I remeber the 96zrts having was problems with the Stator, but all cats from that era had stator issue's. The engine is pretty much bulletproof other then that, very difficult to even burn one down even if you were to try. It is an 12 yr old sled so of course will require some maintenience between rides, the 96's sound super sweet as well, just got to keep the pipes sealed up, which is kinda of a task. $1500 sounds ok if the sled is real clean with a good track and of course runs well. I'd still try to get it cheaper. I sold a 99zrt600LE that was super clean for $2k 2 yrs ago.

as long as you check out the oil and stuff you will be fine i own a zrt 600 i went out checket the oil and the belt the plugs turned the key gave it 1 pull and it started right up

Had a 96 600 . Awsome machine! Traded it off with 6000 miles on a michigan trip and the thing still ran like new! Not a single engine problem!

thanks for all the help guys

troy

I had a 1996,97,2000,2001 and presently own a 2002.Awesome sleds.Only concerns I had on them all is the way the hoses and lines are routed.Make sure you check all of them routinely.I added scuff pads to all rubbing areas.For this I used an old hose and electrical ties.It is the first thing I did to each sled when I purchased them.The reason for this was the 1997 I put 12,000 miles on it and ran into many chaffing situations.The only other issue I remember with the 1996 was keeping the exhaust sealed where the pipes go onto the engine.All other newer models had a grafite donut.Good luck.Just remember ,no matter what your riding,preventitive maintenance is always the best avenue to take,especially with older sleds.

1996 was the first year of the ZRT 600 in production. There were some problems would occure over time with them, but may have already been addressed on this machine. But it is still a good idea to check them. There was a problem with the cast engine mounts cracking. Also the Rubber mounts would de-laminate from time to time. Also the magnets on the carb slides would come un glued and disable the ignition system. Lots of guys just pilled the wires from the carbs disabeling the safety cutout system. Also the the front arm of the read skid was week and would sometimes break up up by the cross shaft for mounting in the tunnel.

Also with only 1500 miles on a sled this old it was not used very much. There are some prevenitive thinst that you should consider. 1st clean the carbs, no matter what the owner said the last time they were done. you would hate to burn down a cyl due to a plugged carb. Check all the bearings in the wheels and the shafts. you will probbaly find a couple that need to be replaced. Just do all the general stuff. It also would not hurt to run some premix in the first tank of fuel just to be sure that all the internals are lubed properly.

One item I forgot to mention was that my 1996 Zrt caught fire the first trip out on the second season with 2000 miles on it while I was breaking trail to my camp.It was perfect conditions out that day for a melt down.The only thing we could figure out for the cause was the pipes got too hot .It was around the freezing point outside and deep powdery snow.It was a total loss.I purchased a 1997 then and ran it on groomed trails that same winter with no problems.The first trip out in 1998 with the 1997 ZRT I almost lost it also to fire.Same conditions.Temp about freezing point and I was pushing it hard in fresh deep powder.Cab and belly pan were warped badly.this time we knew it was a pipe issue.No wrap on the pipes was the problem and not enough silver reflective material insde the cab.From 2000 on all pipes on the 600 ZRTs were wrapped from the factory.If the temp was well below zero I never had any issues on the older sleds while breaking trail through powder.Just something to think about.

i have a buddy that has one and he has a love/hate relationship with it. Great power, good ride if you set up the shocks and put new rear spings in it. Motor has been strong and running flawlessly for the 4 seasons he's ran it. BUT, it is NOT a jumping sled. You do notice the weight, and one of the three pipes has the tendancy to want to pop off if the springs start to wear out. Isn't bad in the deep snow if you have a deeper lug track, but you notice the weight again. If your looking for a sled to do just trail riding and lake riding, its not a bad sled, but, for deep snow, jumping and hillclimbing, this is a heavier sled. You get the same power from a 2000 or newer ZR 600 minus about 40lbs or more. But, its your call and what you can afford. Bottom line, if you don't mine the extra weight, and set it up right, you will have a blast. Happy trails

I sold my 97 zrt last year. It had 5500 miles on it. I had to replace the bearings (the speedo one crapped out.) Once I did that I couldn't get the exhaust to seal properly - it ran crappy and backfired often. So I put on new springs and high temp gasket sealer. That did the trick and it ran great after that.

Then one of the bolts on my suspension popped out and one of the springs got all bent up. So I learned a valubale lesson to check all suspension bolts before major rides.

Compression was getting low with that amount of miles and original piston and rings (about 100psi).

Mine was kind of boggy in low rpms, but had a lot of power in higher rpms. Always started right up though.

i had a '96 zrt and the exhaust was a bitch to keep sealed. also my rear engine mount was non stop breaking. smoothest idling and best sounding engine ever. with a set of stingers it was music to my ears! sold it then bought a '03 f7.

oh i took the entire engine apart at 4500 miles. bearings on crank felt good. the pistons had to be changed. all 3 had skirts that were starting to crack from the wrist pin down.

You're right for sure, that motor was one of the sweetest sounding triples out there. My buddy had a set of Aaen triples on his with stingers and what a sweet note.