1997 arctic cat zr 440

 Cat's ZR 440: it's green. Lime green. Like it or hate it, it's lime green. And, I like it a lot! It's good for my fragile male ego, if you know what I mean?

A quick glance lets you know this machine is all business: great snocross handlebars with a pad of support instead of that plastic cover. There's a convenient device (on the handlebar post) that lets riders adjust the front suspension arm for different snow conditions. There's no ignition key, just a tether switch. Other standards include Fox "clicker" shocks up front, Extra Travel tunnel (ETT) decal across the back of the tunnel, Wilwood hydraulic brake and an aggressive, 41 inch ski stance with plastic skis. All this even before you open the hood!

Under the hood is a new 440cc case reed valve engine that sits extremely low, thanks to "trick" motor mounts that attach in the front and back of the engine, instead of a mounting plate under the engine, if you look closely you can see the aluminum bulkhead, which I'm told reduces the ZR's weight by 13 pounds.

Arctic Cat says the front suspension travel has been increased to 8.3 inches with rear wheel travel on this ETT suspension measuring a whomping 12.83 inches. Oh yeah, they also say the engine is well over 90 horsepower.

So, is this one of those "looks good on paper, but does it work" sleds, or has Team Arctic just leaped-frogged the competition in suspension technology and performance?

I'd say Arctic Cat has done it again! My favorite sled from 1996 test sessions was the ZR 580 not anymore. This new ZR has all the qualities that the ZR 580 has and more! The performance of the case reed 440cc engine is surprising. If you didn't know this was a 440 you'd swear it was 580 or larger. It runs with any stock 600 I've come up against. You can also tell this machine has been on a diet. It's nimble and easy to maneuver, not to mention easier to move around in my garage than my ZRT 800.

The suspension is noticeably different than the other ZRs or, for that matter, any other snowmobile I've ridden. It's flat in the corners and handles the choppy bumps much like other ZRs, but when it comes to those bone-jarring, spine-crushing moguls you'll look back and say "bump, what bump?" So far I've been unable to "bottom out" the suspension, and believe me I've tried! The suspension also seems to land softer when returning to the ground after launching in the air.

The fit and finish of my ZR 440 is better than the other Cats I've seen in the past, but I think Arctic still has room to improve here.

I hope this doesn't sound too much like a paid advertisement for Arctic Cat can, and will bring this technology to the everyday trail machine, and will their marketing guys get the message to the average rider?

I think the answer to the first question is they can, much like Ski-Doo did with the SC-10 and S-2000 chassis. To do it right, Cat will need to use most or all of the technology including the lightweight goodies, but will they? If they do, the answer to the marketing question may be more difficult to predict.

I've always been impressed with the Arctic Cat's "take a different approach" innovative attitude. The AWS front and ETT rear suspensions are just the latest examples. If this is Arctic's future, the future looks good to me.