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We did a 1000 mile, 5 day saddlebag trip last winter in the UP. I honestly could've kept going another 1000 I think...these modern sleds are really good high milers. One Cat, one Doo, two Poos. All were flawless except one of the Polaris broke twice: grenaded a chaincase and blew a jackshaft bearing. We were actually able to get the chaincase fixed up but the bearing ended his trip. So if anybody saw a coupla bros haulin' ass and riding butt-to-nut on a tuned 998 near Greenland, MI....

Brutal

Currently 6 degrees, about 5" of new snow since yesterday evening. Supposed to keep snowing until Sunday.

Put roughly 50 miles (mostly breaking trail) on the turbo here in west Michigan Sunday. We got about 14" at the house. Was awesome to get out and try the new ADAPT clutch. If this predicted storm is anywhere close to what they're saying the whole state will be in nice shape!

Ahhh the good old days of the more the merrier....passion, models, race wins, displacement, suspension travel, attitude, advertisments, dealers....... It's so much better now with corporate Textron transplants at the wheel though...LOL

The "ugly Doo photoshop" is "as good as ordered"

When referring to the steel I was thinking of the other OEMs use of a cast aluminum bulkhead in an effort to save weight. I agree steel does have unique advantages, so to match or beat the competition on dry weight while employing steel in critical areas is definitely a plus. A buddy of mine with an Assault broke a motor mount which apparently attached to a tab on the cast Al bulkhead...whole sled had to be taken apart. Fortunately for him it was still under warranty. I'm also curious about the belt drive...wish they had more technical info for us on this "deep dive"

Really no new info here. Cat website has poorly phrased anecdotes and ACi is still the premiere source of Cat related content. Was hoping to get some engine and belt drive details as well as some more specific rear skid info. Confirmation of 10% weight loss is great but still vague. Impressive they dropped that much while going with a steel bulkhead

Yeah I hate that too. Polaris was doing something similar with suspension travel specs on their SxS....they were listing "wheel travel" even though the actual suspension travel was less.

I like the sound of that! When everything officially launches I'd like to see dry weight on the website again.

So do you think Cat will give us a dry weight on this thing tomorrow??

One dealer, which is run by one of the most committed Cat guys out there with Cat heritage, does not in any way represent the reality elsewhere. Now I'm starting to understand your incredulity that Textron has made serious missteps.

Never seen a single Blast on the trail personally. This is where the online order only model backfires; is a newcomer really just going to drop $8700 on a sled they can't even see? Man, back when dealers were everywhere and you could see one in person this might've worked. My area has 2 major multi-brand dealers servicing the municipal area; one dropped Cat completely and the other is now dealer-to-driveway only. So the potential customer has no choice but to "ride a spec sheet" and what they'll find is: Cheap clutches, cheap shocks, cheap headlight, cheap gauge, cheap switchgear....ironically the only thing that isn't cheap is the price. I applaud trying to grow the sport, truly I do. But the execution here is questionable at that price. Especially when you could go out and buy a used 85hp sno pro 500 for 4k and have 10x the sled that's both suitable for a novice and an absolute weapon in the hands of a pro. That skidoo Neo+ is one aftermarket program away from 85hp...same powerplant used in the MXZ sport. Not to mention it looks nearly identical to its full size brethren.

For sure. I tried to find a different lens mid season last year and everything was back ordered. Found a smoke one randomly back in July and I'm thinking I'll like it much more.

I agree yellow is versatile and I like them for goggles. Given that with the Mission has a clear shield, for the flip down lens I wanted something that cut down on the bright light better while still providing contrast on flat light days, so I picked up the smoke lens.

Have you considered swapping the tinted lens? I wasn't a fan of the yellow it came with. Thursday I picked up a new CKX balaclava that's better suited to the helmet style. Between the chin curtain and the rubber breath divider there's no need for fabric over your nose or mouth.

Whoa whoa whoa, pump the brakes there chief.... you mean to tell me, that Textron mishandled a company they acquired!? Proposterous!

TDS that's actually hilarious It is actually possible that Textron has improved Cat's bottom line AND completely botched its handling of the brand, its perception, and its presence. It is actually possible to want to see Cat do well AND criticize its parent company. I've said before the game has changed. All brands are now divisions of billion dollar parent companies. How these companies handle these sled brands matters.

Well let's see: Hype for the 60th?? You must be joking. The heat from the Cat faithful was fierce enough to actually motivate Textron (after the fact) to produce some 60th memorabilia. Dropping the Cat name on the dirt side immediately (wow, that's arrogance) When that failed they rebranded the ATV line as Tracker (smart business move to be fair). Doesn't mean anything for Cat tho Hocked their aviation pedigree to the masses, but none of their corporate transplants know a damn thing about snowmobiles Eviscerated the dealer network. I looked recently, there used to be twice the dealers in my vicinity in the last 5 years Continuous loss of athletes Elimination of racers and employees that brought real impact to the brand Outsourced clothing for both Arcticwear and Motorfist No emphasis on innovation Pushed single cylinder 400s down everyone's throat that no one asked for and for prices that were 1-2k too high Corporate transplants had to reference "market impacts" off of an ipad on sledding's biggest stage Shall I go on??? And all there is to show for it is a new chassis that's arguably 2 years too late and it's only available with a 600. LOL

You forgot slapping TEXTRON SNOW on the side

No promises on future rants but for now I digress

The spirit of this sentence is what made me take a hard look at Textron's Arctic Cat. As Cat guys we always kind of had a chip on our shoulder. The little company that did the most with the least. The die-hards from other brands regularly took shots on the Cat guys out of a mixture of their own brand loyalty and a tangible bit of envy. Not so anymore. The envy is gone and pity has taken its place. That change was a wake-up call to me and I have zero issues making my thoughts known about Textron's handling of the brand.

They'll sell every one they make.... But thanks I'm glad I don't have to worry anymore, the internet assured me Cat will regain all of it's lost marketshare with a 600. In fairness, I am honestly excited about this sled

I do worry, because I'd like to see the brand thrive (Cat is all I've ever owned) But the last 5+ years have been anything but. Yes there's been a ton of interest and hype, myself included. Biggest complaint I hear: no big bore (also mine). Yes we know a big is coming....Releasing an 850+ NA 2 stroke 7 years after the competition isn't gonna help grow the brand. Releasing a 2 stroke turbo 3-4 years after the competition isn't going to help the brand. Having to wait another year to get what you want isn't going to help the brand. My opinion is that Cat has been behind the ball for many reasons. One of those is a hardcore fanbase that's unwilling to acknowledge they are playing catch up (I used to be one of those guys). Another is Textron. I'm looking forward to finding out some more details on the Catalyst. If it checks the boxes for me I'm ready to buy. But I'm done drinking the Kool-aid, Textron made sure of that

And it is very possible that this chassis does bring something magical that numbers alone don't convey. Or, that over a few model years it proves to be just a little bit faster, a little bit more durable, a little bit more fun to ride etc vs the competition. But will that be enough to revive the brand?