I just bought a 01 ZR600 APV carb early release :banana:



Anyone have a good set up I like midrange :div20:

Being 6'5 should I go 2 or 4 inch risers?

With risers do I need cable/brake line extentions?

Can I run a high windshield with risers?(I am old and do not like the cold sometimes :no_bashing: )

Hooks or balls for handle bars?

Mountain Grab bar?


Green seat has black marks or scuff in it,any cleansers out there that won't harm the green

Belt had grenaded before so belly pan has a couple of cracks,do not want snow ingestion there so is there a skid plate type thing that can cover the clutch area,aka I am pretty sure I seen some in pics :cn:

Why do Cat rear ends sag so much ,I notice that on the 02 ZLSS and 05 ZR900 I rode and looking at other Cats

My SC-10 hardly sagged on my STX 583(SC-10 was off 98 MXZ)

I guess I am going to need stiffer springs I am 250 roughly,any aftermarket stiff springs or do I have to go Cat :cn:

Not sure if I am going to remove the all stickers and just put ZR in black and yellow aka want something diferent looking then the rest :div20:

I have the same sled except efi. Your risers should be fine without extensions. I have firecat risers im not sure how tall they are but i didnt use extensions. Will measure tomarrow. Welcome to the green side :banana:

i sold you the 4.44" riser.

ill answer a few questions.
you should be able to run a 5" riser with firecat bars with no cable problems. after that you might be pushing it. thats as far as i could go with my zr. i would deffinatly go with the 4" over the 2".

you should be fine with a higher windshield if you go with the riser, i dont see a problem.


Maybe you could just rivet a piece of tin into the inside of the belly pan, i dont know of any skids that go that far over, i had a orange holeshit skid and it didnt cover directly under the clutch. i would deffinatly go with hooks.


those are input to some of your questions, i answered the ones i could. well atleast the ones i had input on, hope i helped thanks.

you can purchase brand new rear springs that are stiffer right from arctic cat. i put them in mine when i purchase it new gives you a lot better ride! :arctic_cat_rules:
make sure you clean your apv vaulves

You might want to check and make sure your blocks are set in the strongest setting for your weight, you can also move your rear sisors back to stiffen the susp, should be able to get quite a bit out of it. The rear will sag a certain amount, thats normal, The new ZR's are the best riding sled I've owned so far, just need to be set up for your weight. Good luck with the ZR, I think you will like it. :div20:

I also have an 01 zr6. I am sure you will enjoy yours. I know Carlson's
in North Bay had a bunch of new used pan part's the last time I was in there,
not too far from you. Those guys are excellent whenever I have needed them up there. I have been running shell advance synthetic oi in both my valved sleds
with EXCELLENT results - valves are always clean. Enjoy!

I don't think you'lll get more than a 3" riser to work w/o extensions for the cables. Remember that the firecat bars are straight and your ZR bars have a rise in them.

The high windshiled should work fine w/ the riser. I believe the interferance comes from the hand guards not the bars themselves.

New rear springs are cheap. Buy the thickest diameter you can find. Measure the arms and coil to make sure they will fit/reach.

There is a skid plate for the sides of the belly pan along with the center. Check out a cat catalog, they should be in there.

You may need handguards if you add a riser. A taller windshield won't necessarily provide higher protection for the hands, just for the body and head. I was extremely pleased with the 2" riser I put on my old ZR last year, but I did have to get handguards to keep my hands from freezing.

Do searches on the various forum sites to find out about rear springs. There has been many discussions and many posts with part numbers for various applications. The rear end is supposed to sag a fair biut when you sit on it. That gives you better handling and allows for suspension fall out to improve ride quality.

Ya the previous owner has been using Shell Advance Synthetic for the past few years

He use Cats APV crap the 1st year and they gummed up all the time he said,since he switch to Shell had he says it has been much better

I also went from Doo to Cat. Had the sc-10 on the mxz 670. The Cat is a 1000 times better. Night and day. I used to get off the Doo and be beat up after a 200 mile ride. With the Cat I can go all day and never feel spent. Best sled I've had so far. Good luck with the sled. ZR8RIDER

Couple more question if ya all don't mind

Is the plastic rear bumper strong enuff to leave on a stand :cn: seems flimsy IMO compared to the steel rear bumpers

If I put hooks do I have to be carefull of wires in the handle bar?

HOw do I find the Arctic accesory(sp?) catalogue online,I tried the AC site and can not find it,maybe I am blind

How many zerks in skid frame? or for the whole sled for that matter

Are they made for 87oct?

I am going to try to find a manual for it ASAP

Is it worth putting the coupling kit? ADbovin or Cats

Moving the scissor back ,is that hard on the rails or suspension?

Sorry for all the questions but this is my 1st Cat

Great choice of sleds freeze! I have same sled but efi and I love it. Until the crossfire came out cat had nothing to convince me to upgrade. I went from a 95 zr700 to my 01 and the only complaint I had is weight transfer and the ski lift that came with it. I found out quick that I had to have the sled pointed were I wanted it to go before I hit the gas or I'd end up in the woods. To some extent you can dial out the transfer but it was a compromise I didn't care for. I put the cat coupling kit in and I have to say it was the best $110 i've spent. I don't know much about the boivin kit but I know it's not adjustable like cats and if you ever want the blocks out it's only a 30 second job. :div20:

Try this for the acc catalog it seems to be only showing the actual center skid not the sides. There is a set of sides sold by AC

http://www.theoutdoorshopinc.com/downloads...accessories.pdf

The hooks in the bars should not be an issue. The heating element is a wrap around the outside of the bar.

I would be careful with the bumper and extended stays on the stand. I don't think you'll see the grab bar break, more likely the plastic where it mounts to the tunnel.

2 zerks on rear scissor, 3 or 4 on front arm, 1 on each spindle. There are fitting for the jack shaft and speedo qand one behind the secondary clutch.

All I ever run is 87 in my EFI with the plug connected.

Moving the scissor shouldn't do anything to the skid or cause more stress. I did not find this to eleminate the sag or bottoming of the suspension. BUY BIGGER SPRINGS. They are like $30us

Try Browns Liesure World for the accesory catalogue online. Brown's It looks like it is only recent model stuff on there, but I'm sure you could e-mail them with questions.

The motor should be like all other Cat motors and be designed to run on regular unleaded. If you want an owner's manual you can get them for free from Acrtic Cat. You have to write them a letter requesting an Owner's Manual for your particular sled ,and it has to be by snail mail, and they will send you one. Brown's should also be able to give you a price on a shop manual, but it would also be a good time to make friends with your local Cat dealer.

I would say that you should ride the sled before getting a coupling kit. I like the wheelie action on mine and I don't have problems with the front end coming up in corners; it's all about technique. I know many guys who have taken the coupling blocks out of later model sleds because they prefer the uncoupled suspension. On articchat there were some good threads about how to modify your current rear arm to add coupling blocks. If I were to add coupling to my skid I would buy the Cat kit because it is adjustable unlike the ADBoivin kit. I'd suggest that you will be needing to rebuild the shocks, so get a caliper and measure the wire diameter on the rear springs to see what you've got and maybe you don't need to do anything. Because it is used machine I would suggest pulling the suspension and doing a complete tear down and rebuild. I would also be temped to replace all the jackshaft and driveshaft bearings just so you know for sure what you've got when you hit the trail. All part of the joys of buying used.

If it has around 3000miles look the primary clutch over closely, these are bad for wear.

You can get a Cat manual on CD off eBay for $6.13 plus shipping, I got one for my 2002 and it's amazing, lots of pictures and you can print it off if you want a hard copy. Covers all models .

got higher windshield and risers yesterday

ordered 2 45degree hooks too

and yellow skidplate

I notice that my carb boots are cracked :augen41:

Though I have notice this to be a problem on Cats with carbs especially the 98-99s

Also is it hard to change the belly pan?

It seems it is screwed on with * type screws and not rivets

Might try green belly pan as the Cat dealer here says they are $128 canuck

Damn when is winter coming

Yeah the belly pan is held in place with torx head screws. Be carefull when pulling them out and putting them back in. The heads round off easily.

use a torx scoket to get the screws out and not the screw driver torxs. Some of the them are in there just tight enough that you cant get them out with a screw driver.

Greg B knows what hes talking about!

Freeze, belly pan is easy to change since there's no rivets...but there's quite a few screws. A little overkill in my opinion. And, I would go with the green belly too. A little harder to keep clean on exhaust side, but looks a lot better than the black.

Instead of the 45-degree hooks, keep your eyes open for a deal on the newer bars from the '02s. Much more comfortable, and heated all the way to the end.

if the boots between the carb and engine are cracked change em asap.
also check the rubber airbox boot for cracks too.

Hey FB, Jim here again, from SW. Lot of great responses so far from these guys, I'll still add my .02.

I remove my bellypan at least once a season. It makes cleaning the engine compartment a helluvalot easier. I've never stripped the screws yet, but I remove them like Greg B does. Remember the order in which you remove them...I believe something like the first two and last two on each side are a little longer than the rest.

I would also take the skid apart and replace all bearings like mentioned before, unless you're sure the prev owner did it w/in the last season. But if you'll already have it removed to replace the springs, why not replace the bearings?! As for the springs, go with the next largest ones from Cat. Seems to be what a lot of guys on here have done as there are numerous threads about this issue here. I haven't heard enough good about any aftermkt springs to make me not use Cat's.

Definitely replace those carb boots. That might be a sign of the type of maintenance (or lack of) that the prev owner did to his machine . In all my years, I've never had cracked carb boots, but I hear about them often. The ones in my ZR are still very pliable. However, last year on the first ride my sled wouldn't idle for shit. After a couple trailside stops to figure out the problem, my buddy stuck his head over my motor and saw that one of the carb boot clamps was missing...I forgot to tighten them after cleaning the carbs. :drunk: :banghead: Found it in the bellypan, put it back on, and life was good.

I decided on Cat's coupling kit and was not impressed. All it really consists of is another rear arm that has a couple reinforcing plates welded to it...wish I would have gone with AdBoivin's instead. Someone mentioned that Cat's kit is adjustable, I just don't see that. I never have my blocks in any more, and I don't miss them. As mentioned before, the ski lift is a Cat thing, most wouldn't understand. You can either adapt to point and shoot cornering, or if you ride real hard, learn to slide your weight up on the tank in the corners. When my buddy and I ride (hard) by ourselves, I'm sliding my arse up near the tank in every corner and I have no complaints about my sled's handling.

I would not use the bumper for any extended periods of time for lifting the rear.

87 octane is all this sled requires, and the only gas you should run. Running higher octane may actually deminish the performance of this sled.

I know you already have your risers, but for any other curious souls with this chassis, 3" are the max w/out extending cables and keeping the original handlebars.

I use Tuff Stuff cleaner to clean the seat and it does not harm the green. It's in a yellow/red spray can, and I think it's made by 3M, or maybe Turtle Wax???

Oh, and the harder you ride this chassis, the better it gets, literally!!! Like someone else mentioned, I've kept mine because Cat nor anyone else has come out with anything to make me trade. The new Apex has my eye as does the Crossfire. If Cat doesn't combine the Crossfire chassis with the forth-coming perf 4-stroker, I'll be on a new Apex in a year or so...BUT, I will not be getting rid of the ole ZR, it will be in the stable for many years to come.

Great info guys :div20:

I went to the AC dealer today with my VIN and there was only a service bulletin(track adjustement) and no recalls :beerchug:

When taking the bellypan off do I have to take the cab off too

I need to get a maintenance/repair manual as that is what I had with my STX 583 and believe you me :wut60: it was a godsend sometimes when certain parts would not fit :doh: ,I would just look it up and realize what I did wrong :cn:

AKA I do not want to tackle the APV before getting the manual

The airbox seems to be a pain in the ass compared to my Doos/Poos and yams

I hate summer :banghead: its 100F/36c here today so no point working on the sled :cn:

Thanx for the help and suggestions guys :div20:
Jay:)

No need to remove anything but the bellypan

ebay manual best 5 bucks you will spend on your sled (well plus 3 bucks shipping lol)

Here's a quick one t walk you through the power valves

http://www.off-road.com/snowmobile/info/ho...haustvalves.htm

With the 600 you'll need 10mm wrenche and a 4mm allen. Pull the retaining clip on the servo motor holding the cable ends. Pull down on the cable and remove from the servo drum. Take the 4 nuts off the studs holding the cover on. Remove the 3 socket head cap screws holding the plate for the valves. Slide the valves out, clean and replace. If you can, run the engine prior to starting so everything is heated up and free. otherwise a can of carb cleaner works.

Search this sight for power valves and there is numerous discussion. Also a word to the wise PAY ATTENTION TO HOW THE VALVES COME OUT! This way you don't put them back in upside down.

LOL :banghead: I did this last year with one of the valves. I could tell the difference right away when I ran it across the field after getting everything back together, it ran like crap. Thank God I took it apart and realized my stupidity before I got up north.

never did that with my 583 :cn:

well maybe once :drunk: :lol2:

That is why I started to do 1 at a time :div20:

Just remember that the valves have to go around the shape of the piston.

If you are looking for a graphic improvement, look into getting a set of 2002 Cross Country Edition decals for it. Might cost around 250-300 for the whole sled, but it is well worth it in my opinion, best ZR graphics ever.

I like the 03 decals better

If I change the graphics I will try something custom,no point having a sled look like the rest eh :B