Back in the day this F-5,
was a runner, you know,
there had to be a time and a place,
Cross-country here we go
now your messing with,
the "Hair
of the CAT!" |
Sitting out of fuel
for several years on empty we put her
On the Hook!
Part of the
F-5
speed was her monster sized fuel cap and gas gauge, and acting
on SnowTechMagazines tip been calibrated with a felt marker. I
never filled the F-5 up all the way unless I knew it was
necessary. When you have a 50 Liter tank, it is pretty easy to
run 50lbs lighter than Full. 50lbs is 50lbs.
=SPEED! |
Back
Packed with bulrushes or cattails yea mowed 1 million of those
down cresting banks surrounded by cattails! |
Tuning Adjustments
-Out of the box
Dealership mechanic thru in
new plugs and gave carburetor
screws a 1/4 turn out! (*)
Further Adjustments
made
After our first
ride 03-07
I knocked the main jets down 1 size,
=SPEED!
this would be the last time I ever touched the main
jets or had the bowls off in the next 16 years.
Fuel screw turned back to
stock
Studying my new
issue of SNOWTECH Magazine I examine the fuel screws.
Fuel screws turned in 1/4 turn
to a leaner position instead of the 1/4 turn richer condition
set at the dealership.
The secondary
adjustment made
(*)
It is important to note that this
was Cats inaugural introduction to Mikuni Flat side carburetors.
Mikuni Round slide carburetors used for many years on
snowmobiles have an "Air Screw". The Mikuni Flatside carburetor
(which gain immense popularity until wide spread fuel
injection introduction), has a fuel screw in this position.
The initial error, in which the fuel screws richened the
carburetors instead of leaning them was a factor for many years
operation.
Note to self..."$^%#%$#"
(*)
This adjustment was a mistake, there were other
adjustments made to correct this that impacted the sled for
several years to come.
The Firecat Track &
Drivers
--The STD
Firecat and Sabercat series are all equipped with the 128" x
13.5" wide tracks. These tracks, especially in the 1" variety are
truly part of the equation in this models fast acceleration and
exceptional top end.
You may say ya
ya but this was only a 500, a 500 that saw low 90's on the
digital in the right conditions maybe even 95 once
ACCURATE
?
-Yes a narrow track is
going to push less wind and snow.
=SPEED!
-Larger drivers allow the track to make a shallower curvature as
the track rolls around. In a nut shell less rolling
resistance.....
=SPEED! |
Suspension
Adjustments
--03-07
Day one in the Nisbet Forest area, I questioned my purchase. Man
The sled felt narrow, unstable, infact mentally I compared it to
the feeling I had many years ago when the handle bars "broke
off" my SS540 at MACH speed while I was racing buddy's truck. I
was in the ditch and had just cleared an farm field approach.
The seat suddenly feels pretty narrow when you find yourself at
110KPH with the handle bars limp and unconnected in your hands.
Riding it out, yup a pretty bumpy ride, and when she heads for
the fence line I bailed, off we go. She rolled back down to a
stop in the middle of the ditch! So I compared my new Firecat to
that. Then my February issue of SNOW TECH MAGAZINE came in the
mail!! And they felt the same way and experimented until they
had settings that made a drastic difference. The adjustments
made the sled feel like a completely different machine.
-- New slides and end caps
were replaced often until the next adjustment is made. The
result, never changed slides again.
-- Front straps were drilled
for extra holes and skid was pulled up a reasonable "maximum"
amount.
--- I was hard
on the original track, not viciously spinning on dirt or
abrasions but the nature of the sled being the sled was
so light, was if you were standing on
one side or the other, "to let ER rip" W.O.T. and she would
stand on one ski for an eternity, these sideways take offs
eventually chewed the outside lugs off. at 6000miles a like new
replacement track had been procured and was waiting in the
wings. I got a little lazy even noting that a couple track clips
had parted company...should of just changed tracks ASAP
but...nope I waited till it was killed and this cost me a
couple other components all at the same time.
-ANY ONE NEED A 16T TOP
SPROCKET? The front
drive was
also "Bent" in the sudden stop, a vibration that I noticed
following the track change. Note to self..."$^%#%$#"
--Back to the drawing board out with the skid out with
the drive and reinstall.
-- front straps were changed
to factory provisions not in the owners manual and now
discovered above on top of the rear skid.
-- With the skid out grease
nipples
installed on front arm-to-chassis bushings.
-- A suspension coupling
scissor adjustment in 2004 A night and day change on the trails and
a surprise benefit was the improved cross country speed and
attitude in the off trail cross country snow, ride
04-08.
Feb. 7, 2004.
The change was very noticeable on the semi rutted semi frozen up
Nisbet Forest trails, there was a way less ski lift and you
could notice the settling down and more controlled nature of the
sled. The sled reacted more like our old ZL 500 than a tall
awkward feel that I felt initially on purchase.
More speed in the fields, less
throttle required to maintain 60-75 MPH cross country.
=SPEED!
|
Clutch0'NoAdjustments
-- The primary
clutch weights are re-bushed, then again every 600-900 miles. At
least until the heavy '04 Saber Cat clutch with set screw pins
was installed. This is the clutch I understood the sled was
going to come with in the first place. Apon delivery it was
apparent that the '03 Firecat clutch is the same P.O.S. that my
'98 ZL 500 had O.E.M.
--This clutch
was in full operation until I had the main bushing pressed in.
Shortly after this the primary broke in half and exited thru the
top of the hood landing "across the road" in a field.
09-03.Note to self..."$^%#%$#"
-- Just bite the bullet and
change the whole clutch or buy a new movable sheave with the OEM
bushing simply that OEM. Pressing in a new bushing is not Childs
play, how much force did the 20 Ton press exert??
F-5 Belt Tension
Do you have to shove your secondary "in just a bit" in the
morning when your sled is idling thru its warm up...to say if
you don't shove the secondary in a hair first thing during the
longest engine warm up of the day...that "hamstring tight" belt
is gonna just start (RIGHT CLICK) squealing
and squealing....when idling
extensively at warm up, the squealing will give away just how
"tightened up" your set up is!! =SPEED!
Major Adjustment
---The secondary
adjustment made during our ride to the open prairie after a warm
weather blizzard, 03-19.
The secondary spring was tightened "one notch" over OEM setting.
NIGHT and DAY,
=SPEED!
The engine swung to
8700 RPM her power peak every time the flipper was planted,
warm, cold, hard pack or powder, NIGHT and DAY,
=SPEED!
--- On this day and for the life
of the sled short of a secondary bushing failing and the
resulting damage requiring the secondary to be completely
replaced.
|