well, from my 1700 miles of on and off trail, lake racing experience i would say that the book is full of shit. I think the firecats handle great, especially the snow pro with the floats, if you know ur goin high speed corner to corner take a little air out, lower ur center of gravity and hang on. i would say if ur gonna sit in the middle of the sled and turn, they may be tippy but if ur into leanin hard, its a fun ass sled. whoops: i think it takes them great as long as you dont over jump alot of shit and bend the rear suspension like did then it sucks, but yes the sno pro suspension is stiff.

I love my sled and wouldnt ride anything else, unless it be a 440 racer, for racings sake.

later

 

I have an 04 and it did not ride all that well when i first got it. I made a few very minor changes to the suspension and a new set of skis and it became a great sled to ride and really stable in the corners. I now have an 05 and rode several last year and they were even better than my 04, so I have no idea what they are talking about.

Jester

 

That guy is a jackass,once you get your suspension set up to your liking,you will feel like your on rails,a nice aftermarket ski,like slp powder pro's,a little ski presure up front and you will be rocking,take the time to set it up right and you will be fine,I did'nt like the way mine handle when I first got it,it was unstable and did'nt feel right going into corner's,but mess with the suspension a little and get it where you like it and you will be a very happy camper. :div20:

 

The guy must have something against Firecats (maybe beaten to many times by them) because my F7 sno pro handles moguls without a problem. Cornering is a bit of doing, but can be corrected with aftermarket skis. I'm telling ya, the sno pro sucks up bumps with no problems, and I have no idea about this pitching forward thing. I can ride across stutter bumps without even feeling a thing. This guy is smoking crack, because you'll get abunch of responces backing up what I just said.

 

I threw on a pair of simmons skis and played with the suspension a bit. I love how it handles. I really like the feel of the narrow track, now that I'm used to it.

 

I think the big thing here is that you dial in the suspension to your likes and i also went with aftermarket skis and a good carbide,made a big difference,i put on some usi progect X ski's.and added ski pressure.I think you more less need to be an aggresive type of rider on the firecat,the harder you attack things,the better off you are.And no worries going across lakes.was up north on lake of bays in the muskokas (ontario) huge lake,no prob running across that with one hand.so i think set up is key here. and rider style! :celebrating:

[attachment=94589:attachment]

 

I don't have the SP but, I can rail even with the sway bars taken out. Yep it took some getting used to riding that way. I just learned to hang my ass off the seat a little farther with a few pinches on the binders at appropriate times. I think the F-cats are built to be beat on. I got pissed once and found out how much better mine handles in the moguls when you mash the throttle. Just skipped right over them. (I have the 144")

I believe with every new sled there is an adjustment curve for you to learn how it handles and get the suspension set right. Don't worry, once you ride one you'll be happy... If not just send it to me, I'll be happy to take it off your hands and give it some punishment!

 

One man's opinion

Like the saying goes.

Opinions are like assholes everyone has one!!!
:div20:

As for the jump from a ZR to a firecat. Yes, it is different. But once you are used to it.. Look out!! I can run at speed much better on the fcat than the ZR. Yes the ZR rails corners better, but get in a washboard and the fcat will ride right by you.

 

F the chassis needs some rider input. You can just stay in the middle of the seat and expect it to turn by itself. Properly set up suspension and a good set a skis really help. Lean into the corners and you'll rail around the corner.

 

i think the guy should maybe have rode one for awhile longer cause last winter i went from a mxz600 to a 05 f7 sno pro and the f7 i a hell of a sled. my buddies have cats too but they arent sno pros and when we get in the rough shit im gone and they are taking their time over the bumps. the suspension has to be played with until you get it dialed in but once you do the sled handles awesome.
ill probly al;wys ride a sno pro know i love the float shocks and the sled is great for jumpin with. :luxhello:

 

Ive had both Sp and standard and Yes, you should dial it in to your taste and style, mine required a bit more rider input than the Zr, But are a lot more agile and can throw aroung better.. That retard should learn how to ride first. :wut60:

 

Yup, the FireCat is one hell of a fun sled to ride. It might not rail as good as the old ZR's, I'm talking old like 95, but with my F6 on the tight and twisties I can lose my brother on his 02 ZR800. Every sled needs suspension adjustments for your likeing, I don't think the FireCat is any different then the rest.

Before I rode my FireCat I thought I was going to hate untill I got it dialed in, but that wasn't the case, only minor adjustments needed.

 

Evil ZR- I also came from a 99 zr 500 efi to a 03 F7...best choice I ever made...


at first my sled was very unstable, I have done a few adjustments, but probally not to the extent as others on here, I think my sled handles great, but my friend got on it, took a little jump, going pretty slow, and got bumped off from the sled and dragged a few feet....


at first it will take some getting used to, dont let anyone tell you that it'll improve in every category, because it wont...the zr chassis was a awesome handling chassis....but once you get used to the firecat platform, you'll be loving it....

BTW, every year, the firecats have been improving on handling....04s were way better then 03s, 05 are better then the 04s, not sure on the 06s yet...

 

NO DOUBT YOU HAVE TO DIAL IT IN, ONCE YOU DO IN MY OPINION ITS THE BEST SLED OUT THERE. I RODE EVRYTHING, EVEN THE REV, A DIALED IN SNO PRO ESPECIALY WITH THE FLOATS WHEN EVERYTHING IS ADJUSTED, THE PSI ON THE FLOATS, THE SKI PRESSURE, AND PITCH.... NOTHING COMES CLOSE PERIOD!!!!!!!!!

 

Yeah i went from polaris indy to firecat....100 times better. I also have a zl600 and didnt like it after my F6 EFI. I hope the Crossfire is going to be another step in the same direction. :div20:

 

in my opinion, if you think the sno pro suspension is too stiff then your not ridding it hard enough. yea as everyone has stated All sleds have to be dialed in for ones individual likes and needs but that is accross the board with EVERY sled made out there. you just cant expect to take it out of the box and have it perfect for you what was he thinking

 

I came off of a polaris pro-x 800. I loved that sled except for the motor, I have to agree that the F cat will take a bit to get used to , it will feel tippy untill you just let go of conventional thinking and just let the sled work... it will sort of settle into a turn a little different than a 15" wide track sled, once your used to it, NO BIG deal. I personally found that the coupler blocks had to GO, the rear skid just did not work well with them in. period. you may find different. there is alot of personal prefference in setup.
one area I will complain about on my 05 F-7sp is the front skid shock. It seems very harshly valved, yet it bottoms easily with my riding style( I am probably more agressive than most). overall, dont be afraid of the F-7 at all. you will like it.

 

If you've got studs and good skis, the Fircat is the most stable thing you can ride. Positively NO squirming and NO darting at speed - period. I think the slightly longer skinny track actually stabilizes it more than a fat wide track. The track gets entrenched in the established path.....

 

i love mine,i came off a 99 ZRT 800. so the firecat is way lighter and at first it felt a lil tippy to me, but once i got used to the riding the thing like i stole it it was awesome. whats nice about the sled is it will take the aggresive riding no problem, i think a rev will soak up the stutter bumps a little better

 

Like many others have already stated, the F7 takes a little getting used to but not alot. First time out, it felt a little "weird" until I just realized this thing was meant to be ridden more aggressively. You have to ass hang more in the turns. Definetely get rid of the stock skis. I went with the USI Project X. Made a big difference. Also took out the coupling blocks. I have had it up to 111 mph on the lake and felt very secure. I put 6" risers on so I can stand comfortably and can hit the washboard at 60 mph and feel secure (maybe false sense). No real complaints about the sled. I have not experienced alot of what the article states. My 17 year old son is going to be riding it this year. I would not let him if I felt there were any safety isues.

 

Originally posted by jsteigerptd@Sep 13 2005, 07:35 PM
I think the slightly longer skinny track actually stabilizes it more than a fat wide track.  The track gets entrenched in the established path.....
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no thinking,,, it does!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

so like everyone says... the firecat def needs to be adjusted/fine tuned from stock... just wonderin what are the steps that should be followed? what should be adjusted first and how? and then so on?

 

front ski presure was the first thing I did,then limiter strap( one notch),good pair of ski's(powder pro's)4 wheel kit if it's an 03 like mine,it ride's like it's on rails now. :div20:

 

no mine already has the 4 wheels... its a 05... plus didnt someone say the limiters on the 05 were not adjustable?

 

'03 sno pro, '04 sno pro, '05 sno pro. Unless I'm missing something, the Firecat is the best thing that happened since sliced bread! :div20:
As someone stated, you can't be afraid to hit the throttle hard over the moguls.I believe that the sled's stability increases. These machines were designed for this purpose. If you want stability buy a Bearcat! :frech32: