Just leaning towards getting a Z-1, wondering what you guys are getting for gas mileage. I know the 660 is 22-24 mpg, are the Z-1's better or the same. The Yamaha Vector is around the 22-23 mpg range too . Any feedback would help, Thanks in advance.

Mine gets 16-18mpg Canadian. T660 I ride with will get over 20mpg but the only Yamahas I ride with that get 20 are the phazers and they are being ridden by teenagers under 100lbs. I ride with a '08 Vector, '06 Nytro & '07 Attak...none of them hit 20mpg. Sometimes I beat them sometimes they beat me!

dt6957 first off thanks for reply, you are the exact guy I wanted to here from. The sled I wanted to compare to is the 08 Vector, fuel and speed. Can you tell me how the Z-1 and the Vector stack up, is it a give and take who wins in a race or do you wax him. Does the Z-1 handle and ride better than the Vector. Thanks again for any info.

Well I ride with a '08 Vector 136" and a '06 Nytro 121" which are both the 120 hp Yamaha. I would like to tell you the Cat is a far superior sled in every way...but it isn't. Overall I believe it is the better sled but all the sleds are good today.

Fuel Economy: The Yammies are a touch better then the Z1 in easy trail riding conditions. There isn't much difference, maybe 1 MPG. If we start to push it though or ride powder, the Cat is actually a little better then the Yammies, but again it is still very close.

Power: They are very close, the Z1 has never lost to the Nytro but it is very close. The Vector gets me out of the hole normally but I can track it down normally before the 70mph mark. Once again these are very close races there isn't really any distinct advantage. I do feel the Z1 has more grunt from corner to corner though...maybe because of the twin. I also think if the race is long enough the Nytro might have more top end....but it would be a long ways down the lake. The Jag will do 95-97mph in perfect conditions, but is normally a low 90's MPH sled. The Nytro marks 105 mph at times but Yamaha speedos are out to lunch...let's just say they are close on top end!

Ride and Handling: This is where the Cat has a distinct advantage. Ride on the Cat is much better then either the Vector or the Nytro. The Cat steers alot easier. The Cat just does a better job hiding its weight then the Yamaha does. The Yamaha corners as good as the Cat though, but it's alot twitchier on the trail. I find the Cat is more predictable as well when the going gets real ugly.

The Cat is fuel injected which for me is a big plus....carbs are old school and should be left at the race track where they belong. The Cat also has better wind protection and the adjustable seat and bars are something I love.

Most people prefer the sound of the Yamaha but I like my quiet deep sounding Cat....the Yamaha sounds racier no doubt about that.

They are both good sleds but for me the overall package leans toward the Cat because I believe it's in the better chassis. Motors are so close that you can't go wrong either way. The Yamaha guys prefer their Yammies to my Jag but they do always comment about the ride and easy steering of the Cat when we switch.

The Z1 sounds far superior to me, but to each their own. I for one and sold on the AC 4-strokes and am heavily leaning towards the Z1 Turbo. My biggest decision is the LXR or the LE. Decisions, decisions.

Either way that's great news from AC that they come to the game late vs. Yamaha and have a comparable if not better sled. Awesome job AC.

I put 2200 miles on my Z1 Nightfire this year. I would say I averaged 13-15 mpg. We ride pretty fast and I love hammering the Jag from corner to corner. I haven't driven the Yamaha's but do like their fit and finish. I love the ride of my Z1. I put on quite a few 200 miles days this year and could have gone 200 more. It handles bumpy trails like a dream. I agree with everything DT6957 said. Unless you are a big backwoods rider you won't notice the weight. I rode all the different F8's and an F1000 Sno Pro this year. The extra weight actually improves the ride. The Jag is one awesome trail sled. Mileage isn't my priority. I don't miss that expensive two-stroke oil though or the stick. If you want more power. Spring for the turbo.

You still found the Sno-Pro suspension quite trail friendly?? That is good to know, I was hoping with the heavier weight of the 4-stroke that it match up real good with Sno-Pro suspension. My Z1 rode better then anything I'd ever been on before but I would give up a little ride to take the ditch banging style riding a little better. My Dad rode my Jag and is taking that so I am just trying to decide between an '08 Nightfire Z1 & a '09 Z1 LXR. Just not sure what to do yet!!

Today on a 350 km ride I burned 14 liters per 100 km for you in the US that is about 17mpg US, Vector I rode with got 21 mpg US. Average about 40-45 mph on hard pack trails with 2 inch crusty lube on top and some lake running. Last week rode in deeper snow and went about 450 km burned about 17liters per 100 km or about 13.5 mpg. The difference was the type of trails, more twisty means on and off the throttle more and that seems to take its toll. The sled has been in this range all year with well over 3000 miles so that is it. Range is anywhere from 125 miles to 160 miles just depends and with the shitty gas guage that shows empty long before it is, it becomes tough to determine how far you can go. I carry fuel in the trunk, it will hold a 1.3 gallon US jerry can in the trunk (2007) worth changing the trunk if you have an 08, and I ran out of gas 200 yards from home today , my fault as I knew I was pressing my luck but wanted to find out how far I could go. The cost diff between the Vector and the Jag on a 3000 mile season up here is about 200 so all things considered IMO I would sacrifice some fuel and range for the much better chasis, however the wife may get a venture.

Hi Catrider;
Glad to hear you are making the most of your Z1 Nightfire...it is an awsome sled, I also have the same sled and have a couple of questions for comparison.
I find the Z1 Nightfire great at speeds above 40 mph although when riding with my wife, sometimes we are doing 20 to 35 mph while she is following, and the Z1 is a little stiff....have you noticed the same? My weight is about 210 lbs .

I am changing the oil in the skid shocks to a lighter oil as someone had suggested.
The springs are the same on the Nightfire vs. LXRs

Also what is the pressure in the fox floats---mine is at 60 lbs

Have you made any suspension adjustments?

I still have a wine in the direct Drive above 40 mph---is yours quiet?

Also I get a little ringing at differens speeds from the primary clutch..do you get any odd sounds?

Thanks

i get the ring from the primary at about 25-30 mph. I changed my belt last weekend because I couldn't adjust the squeal out of it at idle. I put a new belt on and no idle squeal but now i get the clutch ring (very very low). I don't hear the DD at all. 1900 miles.

my bud had the t660 in 06 and it got great mileage and he rode a jag for 07 and he never saw the kind of mileage he got out of the t660.. he switched to a ski doo this year and on our last ride together he got 17 mpg with it.. he likes the doo but never felt comfortable on the twin spar for some reason? in fact he normally gets a new sled every year or so(33 so far in in 40 years of riding) and said he would keep the doo for a another year, i rode his doo and it was nice. anyways to answer your question, the 660 is better on fuel.. he just never felt good on the twin spar jag though for some reason but he is an old fart!!74! still rides 50+ on the trails though. the other weekend we were drag racing back and forth all day running well past 80 mph several times!!

A lot of guys like the jag though.. and I love the twin spar. everybodies different though

Hi Frank;
RE the belt Squeek/ Screech at Idle to start...another way to solve that is to remove a shim washer in the secondary, or replace it with a thinner one......I had too much belt deflection according to Jake at pj's and he added a thin washer -- he cautioned me that if it squeeked to remove it....turns out it helped by starting moving a little quicker and no squeek.

I had them change the DD oil and motor oil today....but won't get to ride until later next week. Jake also noticed a noise in the primary, and registered the DD noise with AC......he is a great guy to take care of your sled! He is also trying to dry out the console electronics which went dead after riding in the rain.

Glad your getting good use of the Z1---Bob

I changed the oil at 600 miles at the camp. It took me about 20 minutes. I can probably do it in 15 now. I will service my DD when I haul it home before I store it for the summer. I really love this sled and will look for a leftover this fall for the wife as she likes it much better than her T660. I would even consider a 07 leftover at a good price as I have had zero issues with mine.

I was in PJ's sunday for a new shield and noticed all the speedos missing on the floor models...lol