Any of you sidewinder owners ride a zr 800

[Gman25]

Hey All

met a guy on the trail this winter who dumped his sidewinder in favor for a zr 8000! any of you ridden a 2 stroke cat? im wondering if the handling characteristics are close to the same if both sleds are equiped with qs3.
Reason i ask is i have been looking for a sidewinder for my wife, because i let her drive mine and now thats all she talks about. She rides the sidewinder better than some of my buddies can ride!
I tried her on a viper and she hated it! She doesnt need the power of a sidewinder but i want the handling so thought of a 800 cat
Are they essentially the same chassis
Looking for thoughts and opinions.
For what its worth i didn't like the viper much either. The power curve is not smooth like sidewinder and to be fair it was a 2015 viper rtx vs my 2018 ltx le so a 129 with fox air shocks vs a 2018 137 with qs3
welcome all your thoughts

 

[RAMSOMAIR]

I will have my Sidewinder for sale in the fall, or now if you are interested for your wife? mint condition.

 

[yamamarc]

Hey All

met a guy on the trail this winter who dumped his sidewinder in favor for a zr 8000! any of you ridden a 2 stroke cat? im wondering if the handling characteristics are close to the same if both sleds are equiped with qs3.
Reason i ask is i have been looking for a sidewinder for my wife, because i let her drive mine and now thats all she talks about. She rides the sidewinder better than some of my buddies can ride!
I tried her on a viper and she hated it! She doesnt need the power of a sidewinder but i want the handling so thought of a 800 cat
Are they essentially the same chassis
Looking for thoughts and opinions.
For what its worth i didn't like the viper much either. The power curve is not smooth like sidewinder and to be fair it was a 2015 viper rtx vs my 2018 ltx le so a 129 with fox air shocks vs a 2018 137 with qs3
welcome all your thoughts

My wife rides a 2019 zr 6000(129 track ) with qs3 shocks and she absolutely loves it and says it's the best handling sled she ever owned. I tried out a few times and it is a fun sled feel so freeken light

She came off a 2014 zr7000(viper)
She never liked the handling and weight of the sled (fox float 3)
She has no problem keeping up with me with the 2 stroke! With the 4 stroke she was very slow..lol

 

[74Nitro]

You should always give your wife what she wants.

 

[Gman25]

Yes for sure its important to keep the director of happiness aka the wife happy! Happy wife happy life!
Good to know yamamarc i figured a 600 or 800 2 stroke in basicsly the same chassis as sidewinder would be the way to go! A 800 is what i want to find so i can ride it too. Now gotta find a all black one so it will look closer to a yamaha than a cat! Maybe i wrap it up in yamaha colors

 

[yamamarc]

Yes for sure its important to keep the director of happiness aka the wife happy! Happy wife happy life!
Good to know yamamarc i figured a 600 or 800 2 stroke in basicsly the same chassis as sidewinder would be the way to go! A 800 is what i want to find so i can ride it too. Now gotta find a all black one so it will look closer to a yamaha than a cat! Maybe i wrap it up in yamaha colors

Yes get a 800 that's what should have done also then I could have had some fun with it..lol

If you and your wife only ride trail I suggest the 129 track!
Her 600 is first sled that a dealer set up that i never needed to adjust the suspension for her and the stock carbide work very well

 

[74Nitro]

Maybe she doesn't want a wimpy 800. There is a reason she liked the Winder.
It seems many assume that a woman doesn't want 200HP, but that is just wrong.

 

[STAIN]

Try a Viper with some good shocks on it. I had a well sorted Viper and it was VERY similar to my Sidewinder. I was never a fan of the Floats for on trail. The power delivery could be changed with some proper clutching. The low speed power delivery on the new 800 Cat down low is not smooth. It MAY be cured with a flash but I don't know. They are fun sleds for sure. I would own one for the tight trails.

 

[SideHogger]

I've had the 800 since 2012 and I think would be a great sled for wife. 9000 miles on it and haven't touched the motor. All stock with some clutching and my buddy who has a brand new riot and rode it for at least good 1/2 hr and got off it and said" Dont change a F...ing thing on this sled! It's awesome!

 

[74Nitro]

See original post. "I let my wife drive my Winder and now it's all she talks about"
Come on all you husbands, you're not listening again......!!

 

[SledFreak]

I just purchased a 2020 ThunderCat left over in the crate about 2 weeks ago. I have a 2017 ZR 6000 Roger Skime, 129" with QS3's all the way around. This is the best handling and riding sled, I have ever owned. The Motor is awesome and it handles really nice and rides unbelievable. I rode a new 2020 XC 850, an 2018 Pro-S 800 and I did not think that my sled was any worse... IMO, it was either the same or better. The Rmotion is supposed to be the best, but I rode one of them and did not think it was that much better. It was better, but not like a huge difference. All the OEM's with the good shocks are all very close.

Back to the original post, I would look for a 2020 ZR 6000 LTD 129, if you can find one left over. Really nice looking sled, has the IACT with QS3's and an awesome motor. It has the new front end and some small tweaks to the rear skid for even flatter cornering.

 

[maim]

dude, just buy yourself a new sled. trust me, it will be easyer. i tried with my gf to get her off of my 2011 apex xtx (witch i have set up sweet) and she basically told me to go get myself a new sled, so in 2019 i bought a nos 16 apex xtx as i like them and the 4 cyl does not agrivate my carpel tunnel like a 1049 tripple does. not enough hours on a 998 for the jury to chime in yet, so i stuck with what worked for me.

 

[ishpeming fan]

I came off A sweet 2014 viper LTX with fox QS3 shocks and lots of motor mods.(not turbo). It handled as well as any Yamaha. Its all about the set up. Now i own A ZR RR 8000 2019 I bought last summer as A left over. It handles very well with some set up time,however,the 2018 and 2019 800 motors are strange. Some work great stock and others dont. Mine is very quick to 70 miles per hr,but peters out on top end a little to quick. It sucks fuel,and with the small heat exchangers overheats and runs hotter than any sled I have ever owned. Scrathers are a must on the Cat 800. Running quality is very inconsistent in stock form. Im going to get the pression flash,Vtech reeds and a clutch kit to try to get better run quality out of it. It also backfires when it is warm from riding even it you let it idle down for a minute or two before turning off. Talk about nerve racking at the fuel island! The motor is all stock and Artic Cat says they cant help with the back fire issue. Some just do it they said. N ice huh! So long story short,I now have to spend approx 1,000 dollars on parts to get it to perform as it should with fingers crossed it will help with the backfire issue. I dont think your wife will be happy with a 800 Cat. The 2020 and 2021 Cats may perform better.I dont know? I do know the 800 cats dont come with A 129 anymore. 137 is the trail skid for ZR sleds.

 

[slimjim2525]

Gman, do yourself a favor. Listen to the wife. It's all she can talk about, riding your sidewinder. Get her a sidewinder. She will think "I have a sled just like hubby". And, the sidewinder will be much easier to ride slow than the 2 stroke. Sidewinders are very easy to ride slowly, they just crawl along until you nail it.

 

[Yamajon1]

Don't forget the wife's sled is usually your spare so never buy your wife a sled you wouldn't want to ride as if it were your own!