yall Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I'm looking at an 89 Arctic Cat Eltigre tomorrow. Anyone have any thoughts about what I should look for beyond it being able to start? Supposedly the motor has been rebuild and the ski's are in decent shape. Anything in particular i should be looking for on the track? Rotting, missing studs, etc? It has 4900 miles and the guy is asking $500.00 which seems reasonable. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molson_golden2002 Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 The engine was rebuilt after only 4,000 something miles? Or is that the miles on it since it was rebuilt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I'm looking at an 89 Arctic Cat Eltigre tomorrow. Anyone have any thoughts about what I should look for beyond it being able to start? Supposedly the motor has been rebuild and the ski's are in decent shape. Anything in particular i should be looking for on the track? Rotting, missing studs, etc? It has 4900 miles and the guy is asking $500.00 which seems reasonable. Thanks Look for something newer . ZL line came out around 96 or 97 . Good dependable machine . 89 is a little old if you are not mechancially inclined . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justnzane Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 the only tip i can say is that you better not call it a snowmobile in Alaska. They call them snowmachines there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yall Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 Look for something newer . ZL line came out around 96 or 97 . Good dependable machine . 89 is a little old if you are not mechancially inclined . I'm actually fairly mechanically inclined. I used to work on sleds when I was a little kid. I'm assuming something around 96 or 97 would be about $1000.00 or so, right? A bit more than I want to spend right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 the only tip i can say is that you better not call it a snowmobile in Alaska. They call them snowmachines there. Wear a helmet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yall Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 Wear a helmet? Buying tips, not riding tips. Although, negotiations might lean in my favor if I wear a scary looking helmet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Wear a helmet? That reminds me a kid I went to High School with. He was snowmobiling in the fields in Eden one winter, farm field to farm field. He never saw the wire. Decapitated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I'm looking at an 89 Arctic Cat Eltigre tomorrow. Anyone have any thoughts about what I should look for beyond it being able to start? Supposedly the motor has been rebuild and the ski's are in decent shape. Anything in particular i should be looking for on the track? Rotting, missing studs, etc? It has 4900 miles and the guy is asking $500.00 which seems reasonable. Thanks http://www.snowmobileforum.com/arctic-cat-...r-problems.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVUFootball29 Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I'm looking at an 89 Arctic Cat Eltigre tomorrow. Anyone have any thoughts about what I should look for beyond it being able to start? Supposedly the motor has been rebuild and the ski's are in decent shape. Anything in particular i should be looking for on the track? Rotting, missing studs, etc? It has 4900 miles and the guy is asking $500.00 which seems reasonable. Thanks As a rider I would definitely suggest looking at something newer for many reasons. One, an 89 is going to be pretty beat up, especially if the engine has been rebuilt. Two the older models are a pain in the butt when it comes to keeping them running. Three, the suspensions between a 89 and 96 are worlds apart. My first sled was a92 Vmax and later that winter I got a steal of a deal on a98 skidoo mxz. The suspension on the 98 was amazing. I could finally ride most of the day without the aches and pains and back jars that I would get from the Yamaha. However, if you're really looking to get something cheap like this. Make sure the track is in good condition and not cracked or missing rubber anywhere. Also check the play with the steering, make sure the killswitch and handlebar warmers(if they are even on it) are both working. Also, have the owner show you how to start it, sounds silly, but the older sleds all had little quirks when it comes to getting them running. All I can think of off the top of my head. Looks like we are going to get a good winter for riding for change. can't wait til the trails open Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Buying tips, not riding tips. Although, negotiations might lean in my favor if I wear a scary looking helmet.... Why dint you yell at justinsane, he started it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zona Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 That reminds me a kid I went to High School with. He was snowmobiling in the fields in Eden one winter, farm field to farm field. He never saw the wire. Decapitated. That happened here in phoenix to a guy on a motorcycle. Riding along the canal, hit a chain that he didn't see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 That happened here in phoenix to a guy on a motorcycle. Riding along the canal, hit a chain that he didn't see. Sorry to get off topic yall... But speaking of stupid stuff that people do and the above post jogged my memory what people do on the water and a canal. Towboats will normally push barges that are about 200' long by 35' wide... They usually configure their tows to have anywhere up to 15 barges... Normally here they are 6 to 8 barges... Now the "rake" of a barge is a long sloping end (usually used as the bow) of the barge... A "box" is basically a straight down "square" end... A lot of times tows push empty barges which ride high (only draft 2 feet of water)... That gives them about 7 or more feet above the water line... Often they will configure their tow and barges to couple "rake to rake" or "rake to box" (also called an "ice coupling" in the winter)... This configuration creates room of free space in the middle of the tow (a tow that be from a few hundred feet long to over 1000' long by 35', 52-54', 70', 105' or 108' wide). Now back to the stupid things people do... . Sometimes small (and crazy, stupid drunk people) pleasure craft will "shoot" through the middle of the tow's barges... Think of it like running through the open space of the wheels on a moving train to get to the other side... With a tow, it can be done because they move so slow... Maybe a couple miles per hour AND the configuration of the tow's couplings set up to be "rake to rake" gives them the room. Well... One time I heard the story where somebody tried to shoot through the middle of a tow!... They went through the first "rake to rake" coupling... THEN WHAM!!... The next coupling was "box to box!" Should I say nobody knew of the carnage until the wreakage started floating out miles later! Man, some people think of stupid sh*t to do! Again... Sorry for the tangent! And don't do anything stupid on the snow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Considering Global Warming I'd look for a Jet Ski. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Considering Global Warming I'd look for a Jet Ski. Don't even get me started again... The stupidity abounds even more on them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Don't even get me started again... The stupidity abounds even more on them! I totally agree but had to say it anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 I totally agree but had to say it anyway. Crack open a cold one for me and throttle it! What is it with machines and stupidity? And yall... Make a good choice... Some of those sleds can haul ass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yall Posted November 26, 2008 Author Share Posted November 26, 2008 Crack open a cold one for me and throttle it! What is it with machines and stupidity? And yall... Make a good choice... Some of those sleds can haul ass! I actually don't want to haul ass. I've known a number of people who have been decapitated or badly injured on these things. Mostly, I want to take some slow rides around the trails near my house. Sober, slow, and during daylight. Yeah, I'm a sissy. But that is also why I'm ok getting an older one, because for as little as I will ride it, it doesn't make sense to spend more than 500 bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justnzane Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Why dint you yell at justinsane, he started it. I guess I am the rabble rouser here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMannn Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 I'm looking at an 89 Arctic Cat Eltigre tomorrow. Anyone have any thoughts about what I should look for beyond it being able to start? Supposedly the motor has been rebuild and the ski's are in decent shape. Anything in particular i should be looking for on the track? Rotting, missing studs, etc? It has 4900 miles and the guy is asking $500.00 which seems reasonable. Thanks Be sure to get a tow rope...............seriously Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 I actually don't want to haul ass. I've known a number of people who have been decapitated or badly injured on these things. Mostly, I want to take some slow rides around the trails near my house. Sober, slow, and during daylight. Yeah, I'm a sissy. But that is also why I'm ok getting an older one, because for as little as I will ride it, it doesn't make sense to spend more than 500 bucks. That's a 19 year old sled, yall. Engine/tranny/traction belt concerns aside, chassis weldments deteriorate because of stress of long use and cyclic temperatures over time. You've no way to know if this one was launched and crashed down hard repeatedly by previous ownership. Chassis bearings, bushings, metallic or rubber, dry out and wear. A critical control cable may fail even without previous signs of trouble. The steering shaft may catastrophically fail. A runner assembly may fail. Low speed or not - those are serious situations. It's old - what is the repair part status? Availability? Cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yall Posted November 29, 2008 Author Share Posted November 29, 2008 That's a 19 year old sled, yall. Engine/tranny/traction belt concerns aside, chassis weldments deteriorate because of stress of long use and cyclic temperatures over time. You've no way to know if this one was launched and crashed down hard repeatedly by previous ownership. Chassis bearings, bushings, metallic or rubber, dry out and wear. A critical control cable may fail even without previous signs of trouble. The steering shaft may catastrophically fail. A runner assembly may fail. Low speed or not - those are serious situations. It's old - what is the repair part status? Availability? Cost? Any of those things can happen on a 12 year old sled too. I understand your point, but I'm also not expecting much for the age and price. Keep in mind my last sleds were a Moto-Ski Cadet and a Ski-Rule which were about 20 years old themselves at the time. At any rate, I did pick up the sled for $450.00. Started up cold just fine. No apparent rust, damage, anything like that. The only major ding was that the seat needs a new cover, but the guy had one and included it in the deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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