'98 Cat 500, pro's/cons

[maj16]

Replacing my son's sled and looking primarily at the ZR/ZL 500's. Any pros/cons to be concerned with? Good/bad motor?

 

[lincolnwood]

stator

I know the `98-`99 600`s were notorious for stators going bad so I would assume the 500`s were the same. The dealer told me they hadn`t had the replacement stators go bad so it was kind of a one time fix. I`m sure thats not guaranteed but it made me feel better at the time. So if the stator has been replaced that would be a good thing.

 

[mefroe]

i had a 99 zl500 efi ,loved that sled had great mpg around 14-15,good ride for its style, and a very good turning sled would be a great young adult sled

 

[jim_golding]

My son has a 98 ZR500 with about 5000 miles on it. No problems other than the clutch went out at 3000 miles. Lots of power for a 500. Easily lifts the skiis as the supension is not fully coupled. Overal a nice riding sled.

 

[ezra]

only down side I can think of is that vintage had some bulk head issues if abbused ther were a few fixes from cat but a young boy away from dad is more likly than not to try to clear drivways and sutch.I would think a 02up z570 could prob be had for around the same money better skid and bulkhead. the 570 built before 05 with twin carbs is just as fast if not a tad faster than a lc cat 500 with less things to break

 

[lotoftoys]

AC 500s

It killed me to sell a 98 ZR and a ZL last week but five sleds is too many. These were the most dependable sleds I ever had.Other than normal maint. the only problem was a drive clutch at 3400 miles on the ZR. Comfortable, fast and good handling rides.

 

[rkw]

I have a 99 Zl 500 carb I bought new and have over 10,000 miles on it. It's been an awesome sled with the exception of 2 bad stators. The first one burned up around 4k miles, I replaced it with a Cat stator and it burned up at 10k miles. Put in a re-built this time.
I've had to keep on the routine maintenance like clutch replacements and piston rings and such, but over all it has been a great sled and I'd buy another in a heartbeat. The only negative is the mpg, it sucks.