Ziemann

Of course- the RS about as polished as a sled could possibly get in the Procross chassis. The Catalyst has to be a step forward for Cat even to be competitive. Like I said- I'm a Cat guy and have more Cats in my garage than you do. But, when I look at it objectively, the catalyst does not have anything to sway me back from Polaris. Regardless of what you say, my Matryx has been great, and I have no regrets about the change. Jim- you have no credibility. You can't be objective, and have zero experience other than being a keyboard jocky.

BTW- my '17 Roger Skime was by far the most incredibly polished and refined sled out of the crate that I've ever owned. It took Cat a really long time to get there. It will be the same for the Catalyst.

How many guys are going to walk in to a dealer and buy because of those features? Ride, handling, price, fit/finish, seating position, available options, reliability.....are what the average rider is looking for. No Polaris or Ski-Doo customer is going to switch brands and gain Cat marketshare because the Catalyst has belt drive or progressive steering. Again- Catalyst will appeal to cat customers. Sales will be up, but marketshare will remain unchanged.... It's a "Me too" sled with nothing innovative to bring back old Cat customers that they have been hemorrhaging for years....

Like I said- no one on planet earth would take your word at face value. You've undermined your own credibility for years. Cat has never done a new product launch without screwing it up. I'm sorry- but your green bias combined with you riding test mules on a closed course tuned by factory folks isn't going to lend itself to an impartial side by side test. Unlike you, I actually have some experience in that arena. In the past, the test mules that I rode even in product testing, were not indicative of the sleds that finally hit production.

You're about as believable as Putin. No one is going to take your word as gospel. Define "everything"....

Catalyst is a perfect example. It's a "Me too" sled and brings to the table the same things that the other manufacturers have already perfected. People? You mean just the cat customers. Catalyst offers nothing exclusive or innovative to bring over a Ski-Doo or Polaris customer. Cat's sales will increase, but the marketshare ultimately will not unless they are able to offer something that appeals to Polaris or Ski-Doo customers. The Catalyst held my attention briefly, but when I look at it objectively (without green glasses on), it's appeal is limited. I used to ALWAYS buy the latest/greatest from Cat. I was kicked in the nuts more times than I can count.....half baked....poorly polished.....flawed in so many ways.

What's a Yamaha? How many sleds did they sell new this year? 8? Why even bother? Can you imagine being a Yamaha dealer or a Yamaha Salesperson? It has to be disturbing.... at least they have great dirt products to carry their dealer network. If you look at TotallyYamaha forums, there is nothing but despair. They appear to have lost their rider base, with almost no enthusiasm for the product release. It seems that most everyone has resigned themselves to the fact that the Catalyst will at least initially be exclusive to Cat. A Yamaha Viper/ZR7000 will obviously be available this year, but is ancient news.... The Yamaha faithful are hoping that Textron offers the Catalyst in a 4 stroke for Yamaha customers, and 2 strokes for Cat customers. That's probably the only good scenario for Yamaha. The Catalyst is nothing but a "Me too" chassis. And it only places Yamaha in a more precarious position if they don't have access to it.

WHAT EXACTLY IS IT THAT WILL HELP CAT GAIN MARKETSHARE? Am I missing the point? I've had 29 new Cats including several Procross chassis sleds, and still have some in the garage. Cat had my attention....briefly. What would compel a Polaris or Ski-Doo customer to switch brands to a Catalyst? From what I can see, it offers nothing that would compel me or anyone else to change brands. It is unproven, comes from a company with a terrible track record of new model releases, and does nothing but replicate what the other manufacturers have already perfected. Catalyst is nothing more than a "me too" model with nothing revolutionary or game changing. How do they expect to increase market share with a "me too" model that is even higher priced? I don't get it, and must be missing the point. I want to believe, but when I look at it OBJECTIVELY, it makes little to no sense..... Maybe if they came in at a really low price they would have my attention, but highest price is comical. My new VR-1 has 3000 miles on it. My dealer addressed the initial quality issues that my sled had in the first 200 miles. And the last 2800 miles have been pain-free. I am satisfied with my purchase, and have no regrets. I spent over 30 years on Cats, and I can't help but still feel a little brand loyal (but not blindly brand loyal like some of you). But when you objectively look at it, what does the Catalyst offer to anyone OTHER THAN a die hard Cat customer? *shrug* It's a bright shiny object that is nothing more than a "me too" offering.....

Meh- The Cat is still half baked.....

...

Huh...Yamaha 2024..... Can ya just feel the excitement in the air? Can you imagine what it feels like to be a Yamaha sled dealer right now????

If you chase the deer, it helps them stay warm. Here in this Wisconsin shithole, we specialize in sleds for the Boondockers:

It is much easier to see the winter wheat if you trench down to it.

I'm triggered and I'll bite. :-) As a trailer trash, toothless Cheesehead that lives in this shithole (that is full of visiting Minnesota riders :-)), I'll stand up on the soap box and beat you all in to submission. I groom and have to secure easements. Whether you Boondockers will acknowledge it or not, this is an issue. Do you Boondocking guys think the off trail riding makes it easy for clubs to secure easements from cautious land owners? I can site countless examples of where I have had to apologize for someone else's behavior. Stay on the fucking trails or go somewhere else. With that said, there are some areas where there is some off trail riding up in the Bayfield peninsula, but those areas are limited. Those areas have become more limited for a reason. Snowmobiling IS a diverse sport, but we have made it less diverse due to poor rider behavior. The only people that tend to argue with me about it are people that don't live up here. They don't have a stake in this like we do. *steps calmly back off of the rickety old cheese crate*

Complete shithole. That is why our hotels are packed every weekend where I live with people from Minnesota. They apparently think it really sucks.

Thank you again for the invite @D-rail ! It was a great time and I highly recommend it to anyone here who is an aggressive rider. We had great trails, and put on just short of 200 miles on Saturday. It's a good way to connect to the HCS and FS crew!

FYI- There are still rooms open at the AmericInn in Silver Bay as of this morning. -Z

BUMP- this is a great ride. Anyone from FS interested? I'll be headed up on Friday evening most likely. Does anyone in NW WI need a ride up?

And it says that Jim was here 1 hour ago....so he IS lurking as well.... @ZR6000RR I see you're here......

Oh @ZR6000RR?? What's the story?? I wrote the following about Jim on HCS today: "As far as Jim? Jim is a legendary troll and he's very good at it. We all seem to be triggered to respond to Jim. VerticalScope loves Jim because he triggers people to click more and post more. So, they are going to give him his vacations, then turn their heads the other way when he comes back. He's good for web site traffic. Jim gets to perpetually come back, but the old mods/admins/core group of this site remain permabanned......"

So....Jim- are ya back here after being banned yet again today on HCS? Asking for a friend.... LOLOLOL

That is fantastic :-)

I spend a ton of time in the groomer. The one that gets me are the wanna be powder riders who stand up with their backpacks and go back and forth across the freshly groomed trail in the road ditches, or even jumping the trail. Most of our tourists are clubs and families, and they are VERY courteous. But there are more and more off trail, wanna be powder riders. Nice avalanche pack..... in Wisconsin...... And they all seem to be wearing Tobe or 509 gear......

I couldn't use my Sno_pro for trail work early season because I would poke brush and sticks through the frog skin intake on the nose. At least they were easy to fix.... A benefit to that sled's simplicity. From a chassis perspective, that sled just begged to be ridden as hard as the little 500cc's would allow. I loved that chassis.....

Hey D-Rail- it looks like I am off that day. I will touch base with the wife to see if "She" has plans for me. Shoot me a text if ya like. I will also reach out to Mac. @Zambroski- Scotty- you in?