ok i have heard from a lot of different people that triples are bad. why could they be bad. what problems do they have. i know they make good power when they run. i dont know if any of the bad things are true. some people say they are hard to keep tuned and the carbs to operate togeather properly. so can anyone tell why some people dont like them. thanks

If you get a triple with flatslides they open and close together and have an easier throttle pull. Triples are notorious for bad water pump seals and eating stators. Most stock cats also run hot water temps. Put a water temp sensor on a factory cat and you'll be very suprised at how hot they run. We add heat exchangers to the rear tunnel of our sleds to keep the operating temp at the 120 degrees that the thermostat opens at. Triples are heavier, but not much more than the new twins coming out. The old F-series is light. Keeping a triple tuned is no harder than keeping a twin tuned. A lot of the older triples don't "run with" the newer sleds mainly due to the fact they are a little heavier and they have the origional factory track on them. Put a 1.25", a 1 3/8" or a 1.5" track on your older triple so you can get off the line and you will run right with most anything. I have a big bore factory cylinder triple in my sled and I outrun most any trail sled. The only guy who beats me is my engine builder with his sled.

so they arnt really bad you just have to check on more and make sure everything is ok. and the weight difference isnt really that big but are they making more power than the newer twins? if a sled is making this much power do they get good enough traction with the stock setup

thanks

BUY A TRIPLE!!!! I love mine, the power, the torque, the mental advantage, THE SOUND!!!! If you want a sled that needs no tuning, no tinkering and don't wanna get your hands dirty then no triples aren't your thing. But then pretty much any 2 stroke won't be either. If you don't mind a little tinkering and setup to get the sled working 100% and then pin it and hear that triple rip, no twin will ever replace it.

i have to disagree with them eating stators. last year i replaced about a dozen on zr 500 and zr 600's. my 1997 and 2000 both have 5500 miles and are still going strong. regular maintnence on any sled will make it last longer. i also recomend changing and flushing the cooling system on any sled antifreeze eventually breaks down and starts electrolosis. which in tern causes leaks. the tripples are heavier and handle differently. i definatly don't feel the bumps like i do on my zr 500 le. the tripples need to have the carbs sychronized for best performance,(regular maintnence). i don't agree with the tripples not performing like the new ones either, my 1997 would walk all over my friends 2002 zr600 efi. both sleds setup my a certified cat master. so to each there own they all have good points and bad. just need to look the sled over good and do your home work.

Other than regular maintaince, cleaning carbs yearly, changing wateroump seals every 3k or so , these motors are bullitproof! they are the 426Hemi of snowmobile motors, biggest crank/ bearings in the buisiness, you can big bore over 1400cc ! Look in the different mfg's threads and you will se each motor has it's problems. It's a personal prefernce, if you like the scream of the big cat, and the feel of you arms being pulled out straight at 100 plus then you're hooked! I'm addicted!

ok thanks for the info
the 426 hemi of snowmobiles thing is making me want one
im really into mopars too

I just jumped on bored the triple band wagon 2000 zrt 600 I love the looks and the sound. Unfortunately I bought it after the snow was gone so I'll have to wait until next year to let her rip. See my post below this as I'm looking for advice on how to set up the suspension. Thanks.

Me too, I got out only once with my 96 this year.Now I have my list of things to do to it for the summer!

Some people love em,,some people hate em,,I must be in the first group,,I just bought a third old zrt 600..most fun I ever had with my pants on..As far as working on them ,it's like working on an old John Deere A,,keep tinkering til it runs the way you like..Have a ball...

hahaha ok thanks for the help.
thats kindof what i though there are always going to be good and bad things about everything
i havnt every riden a triple or been around one. but thanks everyone for giving information

You sure about this? I thought you could only go around 1132. Unless you get new clyinders and stroke it also?

It's still the same crankcase and crank bearings, thats what I meant. There was extra strength built in from the factory, wreight was not the main concern back then. With weight being so important now in the new sleds, the mfg's are making the cranks and crankcases lighter, wich is not good for the high hp high rpm modd motors.

So far, the only people that I've caught bashing Cat triples are women, Gay men, and Trannies. (a couple little kids too who's balls havent droped yet). Cat triples are amazing. Once you buy one, its the only sled you will ever want to ride. Who gives two shits about weight and handling. They corner nice becasue there heavy and hard to roll over! They do tend to run a little hot and are only as reliable as the owner lets them be. Take time to look over the sled and keep an eye on things, and youll be ok.

hahaha thats funny and u got the last part right no matter what it is thats true

Drill four 1/8" holes around the outside of the stat which will cool them down and also bleeds out the trapped air in the system.

Auggie

I'm confused.

Outside the stat?

On the edge of the stat. Some come with no holes, some have 1 hole and some have 2 holes. Sometimes if you have 2 holes it will flow too much water and it takes longer to warm it up especially if you have adde cooling and you have to be careful not to cold seize it.

You want to see the fastest zrt800,go to N.H. forum under Backlake on page 12.THe purple cat is a 800 that won the race,the ski doo got sec. was 800 by Mickey and the other cats were 1400,hooper and psi.

1132 with stock snowmobile cylinders. You can go to 1220 with stock crank and another set of Cat cylinders...

The word I seems to have a trouble with, is STAT. I'm from Iceland and speak English not so frequently.

ps. Mine has extra cooling back in tunnel.

Stat = Thermostat

I'll chime in hear as well. I have pretty much always had twins myself and then went to the Ext Firecat a few years ago and really liked the better ride, that was a nice compromise for me, still somewhat fast and the ride. Then I bought my Mtn Cat last fall not really sure if I'd keep it or not but thought I'd give it a try, more because of the longer wheelbase (better ride). Well all I can say is once I got it dialed in the ole F7 spent most of the time in the garage the last half of the season and I only rode the big sled. Yeah it gets worse mileage and is heavier but get her in a straight line and hang on. Plus it was rock solid all season. Never fouled a plug one or had any issues, just kept getting faster with more tuning time.

This man is not afraid to tell the truth!!!

Thank you, Now its time to tell you the truth, You need to buy a tripple. lol jks

Blaine u can put a 1270 cc on stock stroke.hooper has a 3 port exhaust one that was very fast,crushed hoopa 1108s but was a good ways behind our zrt 800 by bohne.

Need help. Literally, Just bought a 96 ZRT 600 Trip and I bought it with no spark. The guy I bought it from brought ti to the motorsports shop and they by passed the sensors on the carbs and got spark. They got changed and still no spark.
When I got it I tried to jump the 4 wire plug coming out of the stator,(Yellow,Yellow,Brown,Black), I jumped the Brown To the Black and still nothing, which is supposed to tell you that the stator or CDI box is the problem.

How do I check the stator, what is the color combination?

Anything I over looked?

I love the triples. Once you ride one it's hard to go back to a twin. I've put thousands of miles on my Cat triples with zero problems other that regular maintainence. They are easier on clutches than the thumper twins, also. Run good oil & gas & they will run forever.

I bought my 00 t-cat in 2006, I rode my first t-cat in 1995 and was hooked, Triples make the best power in my opinion. It took me 11 years to get one. My best friend ask me what was is like to ride so we went riding this last Feb. and he rode it for about 20 miles. he lit the candle on a long straight road. He shut it down after about 1000 ' I pulled up along side of him. he was laughing out loud and telling me that it scared the f&*% out of him. (WHAT A RUSH). Thats the reason I will hoped to always be able to run a triple.

triples are the shit until you burn one down. Thats a pain in the ass. If you are going to break a sled, try and do it at the end of the season.

1220 cc max with a factory cylinder.

The plug that you were testing is for power to lights and shit...That one you go yellow to yellow from the engine..should read between 0.11-0.17 ohms

To test the charge coil
1 Disconnect the 4 wire plug from CDI to the Mag.
2 Set the selector on X100 position.
3 Connect the red meter lead to the green wire in the plug; then connect the black lead to the black/red wire in the plug
4 Charge coil (1) resistance must be between 29.6 - 44.4 ohms ..

Charge coil 2
test in the same plug..
1 set selector on X 1 position
2 connect red meter lead to the green wire in the plug; then connect the black lead to the white wire in the plug,,,
Charge coil (2) resistance must be between 360-540 ohms ..
Do yourself a favor and systematically test things ,,eliminating things as you go..another thing; 96 s are famous for having bad ingition switchs,,, check your tether too ,,,remember these models have a closed ignition systems on them.. If you put the wrong switch in ,your ignition switch will work backwards..on is off and off is on..( I got caught on that deal once; makes you feel like an ass) good luck and check everything...