Bontz Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 8 minutes ago, mnstang said: Look at the intro videos from the 90's, that shit was HOT. This was really boring and almost somber. Just like, a formality. Well another year I guess we have to do this. Oh look 60, yay. You're taking me down memory lane with the AWESOME ads they had back in the 80's and 90's (heck, even the 70's for that matter). Cat marketing in those days ... absolutely GENIUS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnstang Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 2 minutes ago, Bontz said: You're taking me down memory lane with the AWESOME ads they had back in the 80's and 90's (heck, even the 70's for that matter). Cat marketing in those days ... absolutely GENIUS!! That's what got people hooked. I was a teenager in the 90's. The 90's for cat was a special time and I was ALL about it. 2022 launch... Not QUITE the same... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palu49 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Just now, Bontz said: You're taking me down memory lane with the AWESOME ads they had back in the 80's and 90's (heck, even the 70's for that matter). Cat marketing in those days ... absolutely GENIUS!! Even into the 2000s. The 03(?) firecat “where’s the freakin green one” commercial is one of the only ads that o remember clearly from my childhood lol. Whoever they have doing their marketing now now is horrible, they need some serious advice in that department from their old friends up the road in Roseau. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bontz Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 4 minutes ago, mnstang said: That's what got people hooked. I was a teenager in the 90's. The 90's for cat was a special time and I was ALL about it. 2022 launch... Not QUITE the same... Yep - me too. The combination of my uncle always having the latest & greatest BAD ASS sleds (the 88 and 89 Wildcat in particular) combined with the ads ... there just wasn't another brand even worth looking at. Now? To steal your quote .... Not QUITE the same!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crnr2Crnr Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 what's really a shame is they squandered all that brand loyalty and the $'s that came with it away 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdsky Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 1 minute ago, Crnr2Crnr said: what's really a shame is they squandered all that brand loyalty and the $'s that came with it away Definitely a shame as it took half a century to earn it and then to just piss it away over the last decade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legend Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Never understood brand loyalty Why limit yourself to an inferior product just because you "have always had a"..... Would skip that perfect prime rib because its not at McDonalds??? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnstang Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 1 hour ago, Crnr2Crnr said: what's really a shame is they squandered all that brand loyalty and the $'s that came with it away I wonder.. their sales may be lower, but there's still a shit load of used cats that people ride, probably more than any other. I wonder how much they make on parts sales? Guys like me buying parts for five fucking cats is damn near a new sled a year. Yes you can still get cat parts contrary to what you read on fagbook 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taperk600 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 2 hours ago, Crnr2Crnr said: I'm curious to hear what @taperk600is going to Doo... Spending a day riding a Matryx next week. Definitely not a DOO..... Maybe a RR and a VR1 or XCR ??? Or maybe even really stir things up and take next year off...........I can honestly say I haven't missed not having a sled since selling mine almost a month ago........ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deephaven Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, Palu49 said: As @mnstang said cat “diehards” pissed about textron owning cat makes absolutely no fucking sense to me. Arctic cat was out of business, they were completely fucked and now they’re at a “sustainable” place. The only thing sustained is the way they are circling the drain. 3 hours ago, mnstang said: That's pretty damn optimistic. I would bet as soon as they are in the red for a quarter, two tops, they pull the plug. If it weren't for Covid, this years release may make that a reality. 3 hours ago, Bontz said: Dude please don't make us feel like you're a relation to that Ramstad guy ... quotes like this one, don't help!! LOL Didn't you say you invited him over here? 3 hours ago, Crnr2Crnr said: Greg B's RR has been sitting at his dealer waiting for chassis parts a long time, and nothing. Customer service, parts availability and the way the Textron supply chain works (even without Covid in the mix) is god awful. Amazing though how the same parts he needs are being used to produce 2022 demo sleds showing up at dealers. Of all the things that I personally find as a consumer that's a big turn off is customer service and parts availability. Textron has laid a giant turd in this department. And stang says it was Cat that brought them down not Textron. Seems to me that Cat put the company in a monster financial bind, but Textron is doing its best to isolate the green faithful. 2 hours ago, Legend said: Never understood brand loyalty Why limit yourself to an inferior product just because you "have always had a"..... Would skip that perfect prime rib because its not at McDonalds??? I find it absurd as well. I've owned more Cats than the other brands and would again if they would make a new sled I want to own. Edited March 4, 2021 by Deephaven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taperk600 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 41 minutes ago, Deephaven said: I find it absurd as well. I've owned more Cats than the other brands and would again if they would make a new sled I want to own. Did a quick count tonight..... I got 63 Cats that I have owned.....and I probably missed a couple....... This year.........well...... All I got is it was a sad sad sad sad sad 60th release.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecube Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, Legend said: Never understood brand loyalty Why limit yourself to an inferior product just because you "have always had a"..... Would skip that perfect prime rib because its not at McDonalds??? part of the dynamics that comes with loyalty is the people you put your trust in at the dealer... the guy that you actually pay, the guys and girls that know your name, and your name is not F$#% You, the guy that has the power to save the day when your ride is on the trailer not the snow in such a short season, because they know, you know it’s a two way relationship. Don’t get me wrong, if it comes down to I’m the one paying the bigger price to stay on board... I will move to something and someone better. All of what I said above will not make any sense to the FU, I don’t care about anything but the ME person. Most of the world is on that train, happy trails, I choose another way. Peace 🧤 Edited March 4, 2021 by Icecube 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecube Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) Ops Edited March 4, 2021 by Icecube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayward Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 8 hours ago, mnstang said: I wonder.. their sales may be lower, but there's still a shit load of used cats that people ride, probably more than any other. I wonder how much they make on parts sales? Guys like me buying parts for five fucking cats is damn near a new sled a year. Yes you can still get cat parts contrary to what you read on fagbook You can get em, but how long does a body want to wait? It's a 2 month season here. Maybe the other manuf. are just as bad, I don't know. But having to wait till June 1 for a primary clutch is a bit absurd I think. Unless you own multiple sleds for back-ups, which I now have that covered. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sled_Hed Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bontz Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 8 hours ago, taperk600 said: Spending a day riding a Matryx next week. Definitely not a DOO..... Maybe a RR and a VR1 or XCR ??? Or maybe even really stir things up and take next year off...........I can honestly say I haven't missed not having a sled since selling mine almost a month ago........ x2 on the bold .... I thought I'd be going nuts this year, not having my sled since January. But the truth is, the only time I've missed it is the handful of times we've gone to the cabin and I see/hear/smell them up there. The lack of snow at home has certainly helped me get through the season too. I'm going to visit with my Polaris guy later this week to talk about a couple different sleds ... and this $1000 Golden Ticket promotion to confirm it's legit. If that's on the table, I've officially changed my mind from the XC 650 and will be looking at a VR1 or XCR. Funny to see your VR1 picture, Tom, as this is the one I built the other night!! LOL 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambroski Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 9 hours ago, taperk600 said: Spending a day riding a Matryx next week. Definitely not a DOO..... Maybe a RR and a VR1 or XCR ??? Or maybe even really stir things up and take next year off...........I can honestly say I haven't missed not having a sled since selling mine almost a month ago........ I've been out of snow country this season so, sledless. I can say I've missed the shit out of it! But...I am glad it appeared to be a shitty winter I missed at least. Northern MN didn't start to pile up until mud Jan and it appears by most reports that even after that, trails were "off". By most accounts, trails in my area were snirty, dirt and rock dodging two weeks ago. Wow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune46x Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 So I've been on cats for more years then I can remember , I work for the factory arctic cat UTV race team, I usually buy a sled every other year, and sometimes one inbetween (bought a sx racer for the hell of it , then a mod from CBR etc). Since 2016 I have been riding the same iron for one simple reason : A new engine making the same hp or less than the zuki , same suspension package and plastic changes does not justify 15k+ for me to ride it maybe 90 days of of the year. My 16 (which was built over 3 years) is I'm guessing 50% or more aftermarket, top of the line shocks, belt drive rather than chain chase ,speedwerx engine/clutching etc. Why would I "upgrade" for BNG , less power than I have now , and bottom dollar shocks. Ataac is neat and all but I really do not care as an "aggressive" trail rider if its getting rough ill change the clickers in two seconds on my QS3's. All of these upgrades happened with what most would agree were boring product releases in the flat land category ( I will say the idea of the blast, the 200 etc was a great idea to suppor the up and coming sledders) Covid screwed things up I know, but not even a limited product release of XX amount of sleds will be sold in this offering type of thing - That would have had me on my phone to my dealer first thing this morning telling him to make it happen and the hype and faith that it would inject into the brand would be wild it would also strengthen the fact that the brand isnt dying slowly and is actually continuing to move forward. This is disappointing. I bleed green , but if I upgrade, it wont be to anything cat is offering. Also for the love of god get rid of Ben White - he is scripted it seems and is not a powersports guy and its over the top apparent. Kudos to having Brian Dick breaking down the sleds and talking about everything - someone with credibility and genuine substance. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecube Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 24 minutes ago, Bontz said: x2 on the bold .... I thought I'd be going nuts this year, not having my sled since January. But the truth is, the only time I've missed it is the handful of times we've gone to the cabin and I see/hear/smell them up there. The lack of snow at home has certainly helped me get through the season too. I'm going to visit with my Polaris guy later this week to talk about a couple different sleds ... and this $1000 Golden Ticket promotion to confirm it's legit. If that's on the table, I've officially changed my mind from the XC 650 and will be looking at a VR1 or XCR. Funny to see your VR1 picture, Tom, as this is the one I built the other night!! LOL ‘Nice ride... just not a big fan of purple, I was scared by my 1996 XCR600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnstang Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 2 hours ago, hayward said: You can get em, but how long does a body want to wait? It's a 2 month season here. Maybe the other manuf. are just as bad, I don't know. But having to wait till June 1 for a primary clutch is a bit absurd I think. Unless you own multiple sleds for back-ups, which I now have that covered. I'm not saying there aren't any parts issues but I've got everything I've needed from cat this year in 1-3 days at my door and I'm getting a cat box once a week all winter. 1 hour ago, fortune46x said: So I've been on cats for more years then I can remember , I work for the factory arctic cat UTV race team, I usually buy a sled every other year, and sometimes one inbetween (bought a sx racer for the hell of it , then a mod from CBR etc). Since 2016 I have been riding the same iron for one simple reason : A new engine making the same hp or less than the zuki , same suspension package and plastic changes does not justify 15k+ for me to ride it maybe 90 days of of the year. My 16 (which was built over 3 years) is I'm guessing 50% or more aftermarket, top of the line shocks, belt drive rather than chain chase ,speedwerx engine/clutching etc. Why would I "upgrade" for BNG , less power than I have now , and bottom dollar shocks. Ataac is neat and all but I really do not care as an "aggressive" trail rider if its getting rough ill change the clickers in two seconds on my QS3's. All of these upgrades happened with what most would agree were boring product releases in the flat land category ( I will say the idea of the blast, the 200 etc was a great idea to suppor the up and coming sledders) Covid screwed things up I know, but not even a limited product release of XX amount of sleds will be sold in this offering type of thing - That would have had me on my phone to my dealer first thing this morning telling him to make it happen and the hype and faith that it would inject into the brand would be wild it would also strengthen the fact that the brand isnt dying slowly and is actually continuing to move forward. This is disappointing. I bleed green , but if I upgrade, it wont be to anything cat is offering. Also for the love of god get rid of Ben White - he is scripted it seems and is not a powersports guy and its over the top apparent. Kudos to having Brian Dick breaking down the sleds and talking about everything - someone with credibility and genuine substance. I don't care what dynos say, the ctec is stronger than the Suzuki. Another reason I don't put much stock into these numbers that float around, meaningless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnstang Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 2 hours ago, Sled_Hed said: I'll never let go, Cat 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) Come on MADCATTER'S where is the enthusiasm here. 60th year anniversary, BNG and a rebirth of Yamaha's power steering. Ranstad need to pay a visit that there is nothing more needed and that power steering is just over the top. Edited March 4, 2021 by Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune46x Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 1 minute ago, mnstang said: I'm not saying there aren't any parts issues but I've got everything I've needed from cat this year in 1-3 days at my door and I'm getting a cat box once a week all winter. I don't care what dynos say, the ctec is stronger than the Suzuki. Another reason I don't put much stock into these numbers that float around, meaningless. but again , the sled I have and owe nothing on makes substanally more power then the ctech 2. The dyno I have seen with my own two eyes puts the suzuki slightly ahead of the ctech 2 stock vs stock (not the 2021 though admittingly) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnstang Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 7 minutes ago, fortune46x said: but again , the sled I have and owe nothing on makes substanally more power then the ctech 2. The dyno I have seen with my own two eyes puts the suzuki slightly ahead of the ctech 2 stock vs stock (not the 2021 though admittingly) I'm not saying you should buy a ctec sled. But they are stronger than the Suzuki, especially down low and below wot, corner to corner, etc. In my opinion the ho Suzuki is a turd until you're above 3/4 throttle, then the two motors are at least comparable but I think the ctec will still out pull it then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sled_Hed Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 I'm not in the position to purchase a new snowmobile, so my opinion is probably not important. If I was able, I'd have to look hard at other brands. In my opinion the ONLY thing going for cat currently is I have an awesome dealer 30 minutes away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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