Oct. 15, 2007 – Snowmobile Report

LynnKeillorOctober 15, 2007

Arctic Cat Announces Production Changes
Before 2008 Arctic Cats hit the assembly line, they underwent some final tweaks.
The F-Series machines received these updates:

The honeycomb intake bezels have been replaced with a screen-type filter. The bezel was changed to prevent snow buildup.

EFI mapping has been revised on 500, 600, 800, 1000 and Z1 four-stroke engines for better run quality and driveaway.

F1000s will have a three-post drive clutch with 85-gram weights. The secondary clutch gets a 46/40 helix. The engine will run 7250 rpm (down from 7400 rpm last year).

F8s have been regeared from last year’s 62/58 to 64/56. The goal is to increase top-end speed.

The Z1 four-stroke engine will have iridium spark plugs to improve cold-weather starting.

Hardware in the rear suspensions is metric. The track adjustment bolts will remain SAE.

Front limiter straps have more adjustability with the addition of three holes, spaced a half-inch apart.

“Arctic Cat” has been added to snowflap for a more finished look.

A gasket kit will be available for the ACT Diamond Drive gearcase. This will be available to correct recurring case leaks.
Fastrax Buys Union Bay
Washington-based Union Bay Racing, known for its high-performance drag engines, is under new ownership as of Aug. 1.
Mark Wolfe, who’s owned the shop for the past few years, decided to get back into car racing and is now competing in the NHRA circuit. Union Bay was absorbed into Fastrax Motorsports, based in Puyallup, Wash., but it won’t go away, said Curtis Bleile, manager and soon-to-be-owner of Fastrax. “We’re still producing engines and supplying parts,” he said.
Fastrax, which opened shop last year, specializes in custom chassis and suspension systems, including a tube chassis. “So far, I’m really happy with the purchase,”?Bleile said. “The engines just complement the other work we do.”
Ski?Company Purchased
Lance Kozumplik of Grantsburg, Wis., has purchased Mike Olde’s Dynamic Skis, a company based in British Columbia that produces aftermarket, deep-snow skis.
The skis are now under the name Mods Skis, and are a tri-keel design weighing 7.5 pounds each. Kozumplik says he made some initial changes to the skis before bringing them back to market. Each ski is totally rebuildable, and replacement skins, spine brackets and ski loops are sold separately. The skis are $390 per pair with runners or $435 per pair with carbides. psb

LynnKeillorOctober 15, 2007