Where the 7000 beats the 6000 is on the bottom and mid-range, where its extra 10 hp makes the difference. I was wrong.įirst of all, let’s get the chest-thumping out of the way… Drag race these three sleds for a quarter-mile and the 7000 will win by a few sled lengths ahead of the 6000, with the 5000 more than a few sled lengths behind the 6000. lighter than the 1100 non-turbo, it’s still a 4-stroke and thus you can feel the added weight up front.īefore I compared the two side-by-side, I thought the 6000 would have out-accelerated the 7000. Engine braking is minimal except when it really idles down, like during those moments just before you come to a stop.īecause of its sweet sound, instant response and strong punch, it accelerates and behaves more like a 2-stroke than the Suzuki 1100 and Turbo. The sound is great, but it’s definitely more muted than on the Nytro. Peg the throttle and it jumps to around 8500 rpm and then builds up around 8800 when it gets its full legs. My first impression of it was that it was strong (especially on the bottom and mid-range), but that it seemed tame compared to what I remembered it feeling like on the Yamaha Nytro. Like the 600, the first time I rode the Yamaha triple in the ProCross chassis was month or so ago in TRF, in the same group mentioned above. Of all the 2014 models I rode, I could go the hardest on it. The sled is light, flickable and so dang much fun. Not an 800 H.O., but more like the first-gen Suzuki 800. If I had gotten on the sled “blind” and was told that it was an 800 twin, I would have believed it. It feels strong from the bottom through the top.

The sound is strong and typical of a 2-stroke spinning at 8100-8300 rpm. It’s easy to pull-start and idles with less ski-tip-vibration than the 800 (and with much less exhaust smoke).

My first impression of the engine there was confirmed when I rode it again in Island Park for four days: It rips! The first time I rode the new 600 was about a month ago with a group of Arctic Cat engineers in TRF. Thanks to several days riding them in Island Park, Idaho (plus a day in Thief River Falls), I have some answers. Those have been the questions swirling through my head ever since learning of the two new-for-2014 Arctic Cat powerplants. What do the new 6000- and 7000-Series engines ride like? How do they compare with each other?

2014 arctic cat zr 7000 ski runners