2004 Artic Cat Firecat F7 Efi Ext Reviews
Model year 2003 was when Ski-Doo's REV chassis substantially changed the hereafter of snowmobile designs and ergonomics; it was also the year Yamaha launched the sport'due south first performance-oriented four-stroke sled – the RX-1.
Yet, those weren't the only criterion sleds and chassis unveiled for that season. In fact, Cat enthusiasts might fence that the F Chassis and, more than specifically, the F7 Firecat EFI deserve merely every bit much attention.
The Firecat was alluring for many reasons: It featured an ultra-lightweight chassis design, easy-fitting ergonomics and a unique, paradigm-breaking 13.5- past 128- past ane-inch track. The fun cistron was multiplied in the 700 class by the shockingly powerful 698cc liquid-cooled twin under the flip-top hood.
The F7 Firecat was a 435-pound, fire-animate animal – information technology immediately started whipping not just 700-grade sleds simply besides the 800s in grass drag races during its very first fall and was an incredibly quick snowmobile on trails, lakes and ditches in its first winter.
Just for all of the formal and informal race titles it won, the original Firecat F7 besides collected a long list of recalls and service bulletins. In fact, Polaris fifty-fifty created an ad enumerating the 2003 Firecat's ten service bulletins covering 13 different areas, ranging from the wiring, cooling, fuel, oil and steering systems to the rear suspension and even including the recoil rope and the snow flap.
The biggest engine-related problem was the cylinder not receiving plenty oil to overcome Cat's new reverse coolant fl ow. Once that was fixed, the pistons stopped sticking and the engine has been adequately durable since, according to longtime Cat dealers.
"Once by the service bulletins, it'due south been a very rock-solid two-stroke snowmobile," said Rich Rothmund of TA Motorsports in Francis Creek, Wisconsin. "There are many with over 15,000 miles on them."
For 2004, the Firecat chassis received some reinforcements and the engine wasn't wound quite as tight, which made information technology a bit heavier and slower, but it was withal fast and lite. A carbureted 700 engine was also introduced that year, only those sleds weren't nearly as pop – then or at present – as the machines with batteryless EFI.
In 2005, almost Firecats received Arctic Cat's Deed (likewise referred to as "Diamond Drive") fi nal drive organization instead of a chaincase. The first twelvemonth with the Human activity the F7 was overgeared, Rothmund said, which made information technology slower and likewise created bulldoze belt immovability is sues. By the next flavour, Cat engineers got the Human action dialed-in better and the 2006 models were nigh every bit fast as the original 2003s. Some buyers, though, bought the "R" model with manufacturing plant-installed reverse that required a chaincase just to avoid the ACT.
Also notable nearly the Firecats of this era were the amazing, limited edition graphics packages – sleds could exist spring-ordered in cerise, green, blackness or silverish with graphics similar the Black Widow, Tiger, Joker, Fighter Pilot, Nightfire, Team Arctic and Patriot, to proper noun a few.
"Information technology was kind of a domicile run," noted Tom Rowland of Thomas Sno Sports in Ogilvie, Minnesota, though he said information technology's now left some folks who are restoring the sleds scrambling to notice the right windshield to match their graphics bundle.
When considering a used model, look for the usual signs of wear and tear, including ovaled-out pause mounts, cracked welds, dings in the abdomen pan, pounded-out running boards, etc. Specific to this chassis, the left side of the bulkhead was the weak point, especially in 2003, so exist certain to take an extra look for cracks or bends.
Across that, the Firecat F7 weathered fairly well later a staggering beginning. "The handling was e'er a little suspect due to the two rear wheels and the skinny track, but they're a hoot to ride if you like moving around," Rothmund said. "If yous're willing to move your butt 6 inches and put your human knee down, you could cleave with those things as good equally everything else. They were light enough where y'all could manhandle them but they were very rider-agile sleds."
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Source: https://snowgoer.com/top-stories/used-sled-shopper-2006-arctic-cat-f7-firecat/26507/
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