Your experience & opinion wanted: M1 900 Carburetor

realgraverobber · Jul 30, 2013

Found a fair deal on a M1 900, and I read that the 800 has EFI.

Is the carbureted 900 good or excellent, or should I wait to find the rarer 800 EFI?

I like reliability (like most of us) and am not into modding things etc. Just like a decent performing sled that I don't have to work on (rejet, etc =

)

Thanks!

ccpowder · Jul 31, 2013

I have had more problems with EFI sleds than I ever have with Carb'ed. Buy the 900 and don't look back. You will want to keep the clutch clean and parts fresh.

av8er · Jul 31, 2013

the 900 runs strong- about 150HP

the only negative to the carbed would be if you ride over large elevation changes. ex. you normally ride 5-8K. but then you go somewhere that is like 3500 feet.
when you mention 800efi are you referring to an M8 or the older 800 mountain cat. you can ride a M series down a rough trail at 2X the speed of the older 1M chassis, there is that big of a difference between the 2 Chassis. the low end grunt of the 900 is it's biggest feature. unless it's a great deal around $2000, I would hold out for a m7 or m8 you will get a lot more bang for your buck. FYI I have owned 2 1m's, one was stock, the other was modded to the hilt, ported, polished, piped, NOS, etc.

mountaincat 800 · Jul 31, 2013

The carburated 900 motor if jetted right runs crisper than the EFI. You can also find EFI 900s out there in the 1M and King Cat Chassis. If you are talking about the EFI 800 motor in the 1M chassis I would diff. go with the 900 carb or EFI. If you found an EFI 800 in the M series than I would go with that. All depends on condition of course.

realgraverobber said:
Found a fair deal on a M1 900, and I read that the 800 has EFI.

Is the carbureted 900 good or excellent, or should I wait to find the rarer 800 EFI?

I like reliability (like most of us) and am not into modding things etc. Just like a decent performing sled that I don't have to work on (rejet, etc = )

Thanks!

Meatman · Aug 1, 2013

go with the carb, keep it simple. If you are worried about it, install a set of powerjets in it.

BikerPepe` · Aug 3, 2013

been pretty happy with my 1M 900 carb. Was sold to me as a king... but when I found out the hard way (bought some ice-age rails and ended up cutting them down 3" to fit) that it's a 159 and not a 162, I started to doubt what was stock and what was replaced.

Either way... my '04 carbed 900 pulled away from another guys '05 900 EFI, racin' across a frozen lake. I was shocked, he was pissed. The thing climbs like a tank and makes it seem effortless with my 165 lb. *** hangin' on. Upgraded to an assault seat and raised the bars a few inches. Looking forward to trying it out this year.

I did get the reverse kit and had it installed. $500 dollars well spent, in my book. I'm a gimp and those tanks are 11ft. long and rated around 500lbs. The reverse has been real nice... but I still need to clean out or rebuild my carbs. Not running bad... but pullin' that 900 over can be a real task when she's cold. Once she's running and warm... 1 or 2 pulls.
There is an electric start available too... but it's not worth the money, in my opinion.
Picked mine up in 2011 for $2500. Will never see what I have back out of it... but I didn't buy it to sell.

Also... I'm no mechanic and if I have problems out in the toolies, I'd rather tinker with a carb than deal with EFI stuff. Just my opinion though, and probably not a real popular one.

mountaincat 800 · Aug 9, 2013

There is one thing I found that made it easier to pull a cold 900 over in the morning. If the sled is going to sit over night killing the motor with the choke the night before washes the oil off the cylinder walls and makes it easier to pull over in the morning. Try it, it works.

realgraverobber · Aug 9, 2013

That is a great idea! Probably helps the engine having slightly more oil fogged into it (bearings, cylinders, rings).

My initial title of this thread is to ask about problems, and how people like the sled. I just bought one and have learned of some problems the model had. Like anyone on a sled, I hope to know what things to keep watch on so it doesn't blow up on me in the woods and cost thousands to fix after-the-face :mmph: , where a lot less cash may prevent a problem beforehand. :face-icon-small-coo

-Recoil rope breaks -- replace with stronger rope or buy adapter to put newer recoil starter on.

-Avoid 4000 - 5000 RPM speed since the left-most main bearings fail at that speed (maybe more main bearings than that, I don't know). Needles from a ZR will correct this problem.

-The 2003.0 versions have weak chains and tensioners in the chain cases. The 2003.5 models don't have this problem.

-Rear snowflap falls off. Modding to add some larger flat fender washers, adding more mounting holes, or such fixes.

-Hose clamps for the heat exchanger vibrate loose. Add a loop of safety wire going through the slot in the screw head. This ought to help.

-Outer exhaust tip is too long and it crashes against stuff. Cut it to about 1/2" remaining outside of sled. A right-side bog happens when the exhaust pipe tip is sunk in snow. Add a deflector or something aftermarket?

-Silicone the clutch access plug, there was a recall for some time.

-The stock Arctic Cat Clutch spider cracks, breaks, then destroys the original clutch. Get an aftermarket clutch assembly.

-The steering tube bends and breaks. Mine was welded and reinforced by the previous owner and seems ok. People like the WildChild forward-mount steering. (I'd rather buy a newer sled than sink too much cash and labor into an older one, happy where I'm at).

-Roll the sled on its side, and try to rattle/wiggle the jackshaft to check for bearing play. This seems relevant to any sled though. Keep vigilant on driveshaft bearing maintenance. At ~$45 for the driveshaft bearings, it's a cheap thing to change often.

-Watch your jetting closely.

-The tunnel tends to crack up front near the bulkhead. Keep close watch on them.

-Tunnel rivets tend to get loose or break. Seems like an issue on most sleds that are used hard.

Good webpage here, but it has a lot of what seems like chatter/heresay:
http://www.ak2o.org/kshoe/1M_issues.html
http://www.ak2o.org/kshoe/sm_projects.html

mountaincat 800 · Aug 9, 2013

Left side drive shaft bearing usually doesn't get enough grease and should be looked at if not replaced every year. Slide rails tend to crack on 162"s. The air box pulls in heat from the engine bay. Block these intakes off and add a cold air intake of some sort. The '04's have an exhaust exit shield to direct snow away. Seems to work better in deep snow.

Tmann · Aug 18, 2013

The carb models do run hot going down the trail. Bump the throttle or run with the choke in first position every minute or so to cool it down. The steering posts are weak. Rail cracks occur from jumping. I don't leave the ground much and have not had a problem yet. The motors are great....Just run them a little fat on oil and you should be good.

I have a bad right side bog in deep snow. Trying to deal with it over the last 2 seasons. I have not yet added a separate cold air intake yet.

realgraverobber · Aug 20, 2013

Is this how the stock recoil cord should be routed? Bought this sled, and on the 2nd start the recoil rope broke. I replaced it in the way shown in the photo.

Here are more photos of the sled I'm excited to rock this winter:

Great information from you all in this thread.

Haven't had a sled in 4 years, so very excited to ride this come winter!

BikerPepe` · Aug 20, 2013

That is the same way my pull start is routed as well. pretty sure that's how it's supposed to be. Had to replace my rope last year as well.

Good call on that left side bearing mentioned earlier. I got one more season out of mine when I bought it used... but I got lucky it didn't go out on the trails.

Didn't get to ride last year... between repairs (had to replace cracked and re-welded rails... got a new set from iceage, look great and stronger than stock for about the same cash. that's when we found the bearing issue) and then my riding buddy blew his sled up. Just got the WRP Assault seat setup like yours. Looking forward to running with it. I'd recommend you order the matching under-seat bag for it too. I can fit all kinds of recovery gear in there and still have room for trail snacks.

Reeb · Aug 20, 2013

Idacatman has a upgrade recoil spacer to run the M1000 recoil which is bigger and easier for starting.
4Z has phantom rope that WILL NOT break. These two upgrades will save you time and some choice words in the long run.
Replace all the driveline(jackshaft/driveshaft) bearings for a piece of mind if nothing else.
The bogging issue is remedied by different jetting/cold air intake(SLP works fine) and if you are so inclined, the newer style front dump exhaust.
Mid-range lean spot is corrected by ZR needles, this will fatten it up and you will not have to worry.
Clutches are a problem, as are PTO bearings. I've made the swap to Comets over the years and have seen no ill effect. The only thing I recommend is to get the clutch balanced as Comet doesn't have the greatest of tolerances. Fastrax was also doing a P-85 conversion that many have upgraded to.
A forward mounted steering post goes a long way with that seat upgrade as well. Look at CR Racing or wwildchild on the 4m's with regards to that.
Jumping does reek havoc on the rails, upgrade to Ice Age is a welcome one.
There's just so much you can do to make these sleds so much better than they were....The list is almost endless.

Rixster · Aug 20, 2013

I owned them both at the same time. a 04 mountaincat 900 EFI and a 04 king (carbed) the efi motor would run circles around the carbed motor. Not to mention the easy throttle pull of the efi throttle bodies. I LOVE EFI wont ever go back to a carb motor.

realgraverobber · Aug 21, 2013

Great comments by everyone on this thread. Yes, like so many other machines ~10 years old a person could replace about every piece of it to 'modernize' it up slightly ... but then you'd be into it with cash and time so much you ought to just buy a much newer sled.

What I and some others riding the 02-03 1M are out for is a good enough, solid, and affordable sled.

Really specifically wanting to hear about the weak points, and how to address them so a guy doesn't get stuck in the backcountry. Points such as:

-Stock needles too lean from 4-5000 RPM and will burn down the engine.
-Ripcord rope breaking.
-Stock Arctic Cat clutch spider exploding.
-Jackshaft bearings being easy to wear out.

Other less-critical aspects are useful too (easy hop ups), but the critical things that can be fatal are what we are mainly after in this thread.

Thanks and keep the info coming!!

Bowfisher · Aug 21, 2013

My brother is still riding a carbed king cat. Not sure what year 04-05. It has been a very reliable sled. Other than breaking the chain he hasn't had any problems with it. I'd recommend replacing the chain with a hyvo chain and sprockets. He replaced one broken chain then I think the next year it was already stretched with less than a thousand miles on the sled so he upgraded to the hyvo chain. Looking at the two chains side by side you can see the hyvo is a stronger built chain

Reeb · Aug 22, 2013

realgraverobber said:
Really specifically wanting to hear about the weak points, and how to address them so a guy doesn't get stuck in the backcountry. Points such as:

-Stock needles too lean from 4-5000 RPM and will burn down the engine.
-Ripcord rope breaking.
-Stock Arctic Cat clutch spider exploding.
-Jackshaft bearings being easy to wear out.

Other less-critical aspects are useful too (easy hop ups), but the critical things that can be fatal are what we are mainly after in this thread.

Thanks and keep the info coming!!

I believe we mostly covered these areas already.

mountaincat 800 · Aug 22, 2013

Bowfisher said:
My brother is still riding a carbed king cat. Not sure what year 04-05. It has been a very reliable sled. Other than breaking the chain he hasn't had any problems with it. I'd recommend replacing the chain with a hyvo chain and sprockets. He replaced one broken chain then I think the next year it was already stretched with less than a thousand miles on the sled so he upgraded to the hyvo chain. Looking at the two chains side by side you can see the hyvo is a stronger built chain

If you keep the manual chain tension adjusted correctly and stay on top of it the chain really is not an issue.

Slednadz · Aug 24, 2013

Rixster said:
I LOVE EFI wont ever go back to a carb motor.

What he said !!

MT Backcountry · Aug 24, 2013

carb over EFI

You will love the sled they run Hard. Make sure your jetting correctly for the winter and elevation your at, then the spring if your a spring rider you will need to drop a size or two over 50 to 60 degree days (afternoon riding in the spring). Be very careful in the morning @ lower elevations on the way in as it is cooler in the morings (spring riding again). loved my 1M 900 carb wish I wouldnt have sold it.

Your experience & opinion wanted: M1 900 Carburetor

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Modding mini's

Well-known member

Well-known member

Modding mini's

Well-known member

New member

Well-known member

Similar threads