Arctic Cat 660 Touring 4 stroke

[Shack]

It has about 800 miles on it and is fully loaded. It is also at a great price. Heated seats, remote start and all the bells and whistles the factory had to offer. I have read reviews and nothing bad has come up on them, yet!

Anyone have anything bad to say about a non-turbo factory 4 stroke?

I will admit, my back and I have come to the decision slow/touring riding is all I am into now. No more ditch pounding and getting from point A to B in record time.

I can go with an 03 AC touring 2 stroke with about 4000 miles on it for about half the price and use the extra funds for GPS and other ice fishing junk and sleep at night .

The plus side to the new sled is it would be "new". I have owned many sled in the past, but nothing this new.

Pull the trigger or pass and wait for a nice early 2000's touring sled to come around?

If I go with the 2007, I would have to pretty much sell my current sleds to off-set the priced, which is really no biggy. They are late nineties and non-touring. Is it time to update?

[DEADhead]

pull the trigger. you'll be glad you did and never look back. 0-30 in the non turbo is real torquey, 40-55 is a different story without the turbo.

You will get spoiled by the non fumes of the 4 stroke, and the quiet is bliss. you can even listen to an mp3 player while riding. I've got a 2004 T660 and Fisherdog picked up a 2007 last year. Great sleds. If the sled has remote start, pull the fuse on the sled during the off-season so it doesn't drain your battery dead.

[Shack]

Thanks DEADhead!

I would not even ask in here, but I wanted just a little more feed back on the 660 4 stroke.

What I have been reading is they can get 10,000miles on them and still be running very nice.

I possibley see a T660 in my near future

[Deep_Sinker]

4-stroke is the way to go IMO...no experience with Cat though. Cost of per mile of operation is much less and engine maintenance is almost nil. I know my suspension will wear out long before the motor on my Yamaha quits.

[DrJ]

Deadhead, I have a 2005 660 Touring 2-up I use for Ice fishing and had never been on a sled till then. It's a great machine,my buddies all think it's great. My problem has been dead batteries,replaced batteries and with no pull start I have been starting it up every few hours while fishing. Arctic Cat was no help with the battery issue. I have a remote start(I don't use it). How do I find that fuse to disable the remote start for good? It sounds like this has been my problem all along. Any help would be great. Thanks DrJ

[DEADhead]

My problem has been dead batteries,replaced batteries and with no pull start I have been starting it up every few hours while fishing. Arctic Cat was no help with the battery issue. I have a remote start(I don't use it). How do I find that fuse to disable the remote start for good?

Batteries on these sleds don't last long to begin with. Between the vibration, cold temps, and the constant draw by the ECU to control the EFI, you'll be lucky to get a battery to last two seasons. One season is kind of the norm, after speaking with a few folks.

I do not have the remote start, but was made aware of the issue by other T660 owners on HardCoreSledder. Their solution was to remove the remote start fuse from the fusebox when in storage, located next to the battery on the right side of the engine compartment. I'm not sure which fuse it is.

Make sure the electrolyte in your battery is full before the start of the season. If it is low the battery will freeze. Also, be sure to make sure a new battery is fully charged on its initial charge, otherwise it will drastically cut its life. I've been looking for a gelcell to replace the factory AGM battery, but it is difficult to find one of the right amperage, that will fit in the bulkhead.

[Jim Hudson]

Deadhead

Did you look at the Odyssey batteries?

[DEADhead]

Yeah, but they didn't have the amperage or power of the Yuasa. Too bad there isn't an Optima battery for these sleds

[fisherdog19]

Shack, go with the 660, I picked up the same one you are looking at, black with blue details and non turbo. Arctic Cat did not sell a non turbo 660 touring publicly, just supplied them to sled rental companies in the national parks. You will be very happy with it, just pull the remote start fuse!!! My battery went kaput in 45 days

Dead, I have been looking into the battery issue and the factory batteries are wet cell flooded lead acid and not sealed, maintenance free AGM batteries. The ones I found online are sealed, maintenance free AGM batteries which are wayyyy better than the flooded lead acid you buy at the dealership. They are the same amperage and CCA as the factory ones and fit in the sled just fine. 1 year warranty as well, not the 30 days the Arctic Cat dealer gives you on a OEM battery. To to batterystuff dot you know what to find it. There are two batteries that are identical but from different manufacturers.

Below is a little bit about AGM and Gel Cell batteries. It looks as if Gels might be a pain in the rear to charge.

Quote:

More often than not an AGM Batteries are mistakenly identified as a Gel Cell Batteries. Both batteries have similar traits; such as being non spillable, deep cycle, may be mounted in any position, low self discharge, safe for use in limited ventilation areas, and may be transported via Air or Ground safely without special handling.

AGM Batteries outsell Gel Cell by at least a 100 to 1. AGM is preferred when a high burst of amps may be required. In most cases recharge can be accomplished by using a good quality standard battery charger or engine alternator. The life expectancy; measured as cycle life or years remains excellent in most AGM batteries if the batteries are not discharged more than 60% between recharge. There are some AGM batteries we sell that offer excellent 80%+ deep cycle abilities.

Gel Cell Batteries are typically a bit more costly and do not offer the same power capacity as do the same physical size AGM battery. The Gel Cell excels in slow discharge rates and slightly higher ambient operating temperatures. One big issue with Gel Batteries that must be addressing is the CHARGE PROFILE. Gel Cell Batteries must be recharged correctly or the battery will suffer premature failure. The battery charger being used to recharge the battery(s) must be designed or adjustable for Gel Cell Batteries. If you are using an alternator to recharge a true Gel Cell a special regulator must be installed.

[Shack]

Thanks fisherdog19!

I am very close on pulling the trigger

[landscaper]

how many people are liking the 4-strokes??

[fisherdog19]

What's not to like unless you're racing or love to get to top speed as quickly as possible. No oil, smoke, or poor gas mileage and the engines last forever. The ones in the cat 660 are the same engines used in compact cars in Japan that get over 200k miles. They are Suzuki engines.

[DEADhead]

ditto, the four strokes are sweet. I won't anything but a 4 stroke from now on. so quiet....

[Northlander]

My buddy has a 4 stroke Yamaha 2 up and I think its a 07? Very very SWEAT sled. Quiet, no smoke and very smooith riding. If I ever get another new sled I will get a 4 stroke.

[DrJ]

Fisherdog19, Iv'e looked but can't identify the fuse that controls the remote start. Which one is it. I have a 2005. Thanks DrJ.

[Big Kahuna]

I picked up an 04 Bearcat 2 years ago for a song. Had around 1000 miles. My racing across lakes and down trails days are done. I love this sled! For all the reasons above mentioned plus the fact that this thing chews up deep snow and slush. Actually a year ago I took a trail ride with some friends with trail sleds. They had a hard time keeping up with me because the ride was so smooth for me, they were pounding. I would hate to get this baby stuck though

[Outfitter17]

I have (2) 97 bearcats 2 strokes and they are good ice fishing machines, but I bought a 4 stroke bearcat 660 2 years ago and I will never buy another 2 stroke again. The mileage is unreal, no smoke, nice ride, and with the wide track / long track I can pull and haul anything.

[fisherdog19]

I don't have any idea which fuse it is as I was made aware of the problem after I put my sled in storage and haven't gotten it yet. I will be getting it sometime this week and will call Arctic Cat directly to find which fuse it is. I would image this would allow the battery to last a little longer. You could also disconnect the batter for a short term trip or between uses.

[MerganserBreath]

I ride a Cat 660 Touring (non-turbo) for patrols on the National Forest. I have run it for 4 years and have not had a single problem with it, on or off trail. People are amazed at how quiet it is at idle or take-offs and running. Great gas mileage and no odor. If you want speed you should get the turbo, mine tops out at 65 mph on the best trails, wide open.......... plenty fast enough for what I do.

[Shack]

Thanks guys. All the great info you provided, gave me great confindence on my purchase today:

I sure love this sled and I can pretty much not worry about mis-haps out 4-5 miles on ML now

Man, I love this cargo space when you remove the 2-up seat :

I finally have a nice touring sled, that I can load up and head out to the trails or the lake. I have always had single seats and hauling out a buddy during ice fishing, well was just a little too close for me .

Thanks again for the help. I feel I made a very wise and great purchase, thanks to you guys!!

[Tullibee]

How about a 2002 AC 660 4 stroke?? I found one for sale and am wondering if any of you guys had one in this year and did they have any issues with them?

[DEADhead]

I think the main issues I've seen with any of these T660s was the driveshaft bearing going bad on some of them around 3k. There's been mention of valve lash needing to get adjusted on these motors (especially in the 2005 models) but I haven't been able to determine if this is a widespread case, or just a few bad apples. This motor has been run in cars without much issue, so I don't see why there would be much fault in a snowmobile.

check out hardcoresledder or acrticchat for more info on these sleds.

[Shack]

I the only reported issue I could find on these sleds was reverse going out if you do not come to a complete stop before shifting into it.

[Tullibee]

Thanks for the info guys. I feel like it would make an awesome fishing sled.

[ArcticCat21]

The reverse going out is operator error. If you come to a stop and then shift into forward/reverse it will last several thousand miles. The drive shaft bearing going out is common thing for all sleds. It is inevitable, that a bearing in the wet snow and ice holding all the weight of the turning track in place will eventually fail. It's just a part of life. I would not be afraid of the 660. Its a great motor but when you add the turbo its an Awesome motor. The standard version is fine for most people but for some of us we fish in conditions when you need the power of the turbo to get you through slush and sometimes open water to get out fishing. We all know sping fishing for crappies on Upper Red Lake is the best!!