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For sure. Not like it's been sitting for years and pitting the pump shaft either.

The water pump would piss me off as well. How many miles?

Cat needs a more competitive 600 engine in the Catalyst, particularly for XC racing which has become heavy on the lake events. Polaris has a very stout "race-specific" engine in a chassis that is completely dialed (it's 10 years old now). The shoptalk boys have said on the podcast that the Catalyst has great speed with old Suzuki 600 race motor.

Tell that to Hypersports

I gotta imagine that it was a factor.

Wasn't there something with some of these OEM helixes no longer having a "rolled" bushings vs hard edged? Maybe some do some don't hence different P/Ns? I know it was implicated in some of the inconsistent RPM issues some were having, myself included. I switched to BDX for a helix which def has a rolled bushing. My issues disappeared along with some other minor clutching changes.

Only 18 sleds nationwide, none listed in Michigan and the closest one is in Wisconsin, almost 100 miles away from me as the crow flies (But a 6hr drive). For kicks I used the same search parameters you used for Polaris and got over 500. That's wild.

I'm not easily finding any leftover 858s in lower Michigan. A handful of 2024 600s and that's it.

Well, the good news is if you don't want anything fancy on your sled you can save yourself 4 grand

Yes. It's right there with a 2026 Polaris 850 Dynamix G8 display, EPS, ATAC, stock C&As....

.....And here comes the bitching about pricing. That 858 sno pro 129 is almost exactly on par with a 2010 F8 sno pro adjusted for inflation. My experience on these sites and FB groups is the ones who complain the loudest about price were never going to buy new anyway.

Referring to my previous post, I think this could be the biggest possible advantage. Right now the ratio steering on the Catalyst makes for a very light bar feel, but it's also the opposite of the EPS being described above. You have a mechanical advantage, so you actually turn the bars more with less movement at the ski. The EPS sounds like the exact opposite, yet still very light steering.

Interesting that Leach rated the RZ and the XCS as similarly aggressive on the Catalyst. That tells me apples to apples the Catalyst chassis + ratio steering definitely is contributing to the light bar effort I feel vs my buddy's XC 850.

He claims he doesn't mind it

Yeah the XPT skis are what C&A recommends for rider forward trail sleds vs the RZR, but the RZRs still steer so light on the Catalyst I'm planning to try some C&A XTs that I have on the shelf for comparison. That will be a good litmus test since they're pretty much the most aggressive ski you can buy haha. Also have Mohawks to try out too.

As for the power steering, I rode my buddy's XC850 129 equipped with C&A XCS back to back with both my Catalyst 858 129 (with C&A RZs) and 998 Turbo 137 (no PS, SLP Mohawks) and was astonished how heavy that XC 850 turned. Heavier steering than my turbo without a doubt and the Catalyst was in another league of light steering. So I'm not sure the Catalyst really needs power steering, however one potential advantage is the bar turn vs ski turn ratio. Langaas stated with the new EPS calibration, a 37 degree turn at the bars will now be akin to 62 degree turn. That's a whole lot less arm movement for the same turning radius.

I like what I'm hearing about improved engine mounting. My 858 is definitely vibey... not enough to make your hands go numb or anything but it's very noticeable and one of my chief complaints outside of the factory clutching being way off.

I like the simple ATAC system and use it all the time

^Me, now that I don't have to join the Poo or Doo camps

Yep I hear ya there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8hQI0Pi6N4 Latest rumor is an announcement this Friday. Sounding like possibly Brad Darling and a group of investors are purchasing the brand separate from Argo. Damn, that would be cool.

If Cat disappears I may have to go out and snag a Polaris leftover for cheap. As much as I love the Catalyst, it may be worth more (not just on the market, but sentimentally) just to retire it after 1 season. I have no regrets buying one. It's an awesome sled and I did my part to try and keep an iconic brand alive in spite of Textron's BS.

Yeah definitely throw some spacers in there. I have a 150 mm pike and was crashing through the travel when I first got it. Put some spacers in and it solved the issue. I prefer a stiffer and more lively/efficient ride.

That sounds absolutely brutal. One of our employees just had a month off due to stones. Sounds miserable. Yeah the lack of elevation in my immediate area makes for good endurance baseline training where you need long rides with a consistent heart rate. I use my road bike (and peleton in winter) to build that foundational endurance. Get plenty of climbing on the mtb.