2024 Arctic Cat Catalyst 'Chassis' details?

[EvilBird]

13 minutes ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

no, not a badass.  hard no on the backpack or shovel, no flat brim hat either.

as a comparison I have two sleds that are the same exact year and model but one is modified... in the woods and tight trails I can actually hustle the 85hp version along faster than the 140hp version because it's easier to actually stay in the powerband.  in the fields or anywhere there's a big gap the higher hp sled walks away easily.  does this make sense yet?  

Honest question you always rip on me for my storage rack , but you also claim you dont wear a backpack. Do you not bring anything with you? I ride sometimes 100 miles into the middle of nowhere in VT so I always have drinks , food , tools etc. 

Is where you ride always close to town? 

[Crnr2Crnr]

Just now, EvilBird said:

Honest question you always rip on me for my storage rack , but you also claim you dont wear a backpack. Do you not bring anything with you? I ride sometimes 100 miles into the middle of nowhere in VT so I always have drinks , food , tools etc. 

Is where you ride always close to town? 

tunnel bag with a spare belt, tool kit, first aid kit and a tow strap is all I usually carry... but I have a tunnel.  local loops I do are 60-100 miles after work and much longer loops on the weekends. 

 

[EvilBird]

1 minute ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

tunnel bag with a spare belt, tool kit, first aid kit and a tow strap is all I usually carry... but I have a tunnel.  local loops I do are 60-100 miles after work and much longer loops on the weekends. 

 

On the IQ i only had a windshield bag with tow strap and few tools ...long days I would wear a backpack with drinks food etc and hated it. 

Not gonna lie having the rack now with the big bag is sweet for 200mile days , plenty of room for bee.. I mean soda .

I also can take the rack off and have the small bag for 100 mile days. No backpacks anymore F that. 

Guess Im getting old  

[Crnr2Crnr]

59 minutes ago, EvilBird said:

On the IQ i only had a windshield bag with tow strap and few tools ...long days I would wear a backpack with drinks food etc and hated it. 

Not gonna lie having the rack now with the big bag is sweet for 200mile days , plenty of room for bee.. I mean soda .

I also can take the rack off and have the small bag for 100 mile days. No backpacks anymore F that. 

Guess Im getting old  

how do you keep the bee... soda from getting shaken and foamy?  🤔 

 

[Crnr2Crnr]

but anyway... Textron imo dropped the ball by showing the new chassis without a ready to go bigger bore as that's where the $ and sales in the market seemingly are... especially in the crossover and mountain segment.  their competition seems to have a better reading on the pulse of the market and how to market new products their consumers desire. 

this said, I hope the new chassis is a winner or you can stick a fork in Arctic Cat. 

[J. Jackson]

1 hour ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

no, not a badass.  hard no on the backpack or shovel, no flat brim hat either.

as a comparison I have two sleds that are the same exact year and model but one is modified... in the woods and tight trails I can actually hustle the 85hp version along faster than the 140hp version because it's easier to actually stay in the powerband.  in the fields or anywhere there's a big gap the higher hp sled walks away easily.  does this make sense yet?  

I don't like to bloviate about myself as some do on this site but I have owned many big bore and 600 class sleds and know very well what the performance capabilities of them are and completely understand that it's all about rider skill level on similar sleds. Back in the Open Mod sno-x days, were the racers turning faster laps on the  440's or Open Mod 800 sleds? Doesn't get much tighter or twistier than a snocross track.

Edited December 2, 2022 by J. Jackson

[Crnr2Crnr]

9 minutes ago, J. Jackson said:

I don't like to bloviate about myself as some do on this site but I have owned many big bore and 600 class sleds and know very well what the performance capabilities of them are and completely understand that it's all about rider skill level on similar sleds. Back in the Open Mod sno-x days, were the racers turning faster laps on the  440's or Open Mod 800 sleds? Doesn't get much tighter or twistier than a snocross track.

let's bring in the foremost authority on the subject... paging @fortune46x 

 

 

[Premium]

43 minutes ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

but anyway... Textron imo dropped the ball by showing the new chassis without a ready to go bigger bore as that's where the $ and sales in the market seemingly are... especially in the crossover and mountain segment.  their competition seems to have a better reading on the pulse of the market and how to market new products their consumers desire. 

this said, I hope the new chassis is a winner or you can stick a fork in Arctic Cat. 

Agreed. It's funny because the Textron mantra on the dirt side is that they are going after the heart of the market, and with the 600 ATV motor they probably are doing just that.

But the 600 class isn't the heart of the market on the sled side and hasn't been for awhile.  I worry that if the Catalyst doesn't bring something unique to the table, the proposition is simply: we've caught up to the competition....buuuttt there's no big bore, sorry. I don't get it. 

[Premium]

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?

Edited December 2, 2022 by Premium

[Crnr2Crnr]

9 minutes ago, Premium said:

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?

the jury hasn't even been on it yet... 

normally the rags get a preview ride.  aside from Herf who's spent any time on it that isn't under an embargo not to talk about it? 

I agree with the notion of your 'we caught up' assessment.  But we all know BRP and Polaris have likely started working on their next new chassis and engine package before they even launched what they have now.   

this new chassis from the little we've learned will be very much different from the aged Procross chassis.  should be interesting to hear how people like @taperk600 @favoritosand others like yourself who have owned several react to it.

[Sled_Hed]

2 hours ago, EvilBird said:

Honest question you always rip on me for my storage rack , but you also claim you dont wear a backpack. Do you not bring anything with you? I ride sometimes 100 miles into the middle of nowhere in VT so I always have drinks , food , tools etc. 

Is where you ride always close to town? 

Seat riser. Problem solved.

[p51mstg]

The snowmobile press might get a sneak peak, as soon as there's rideable snow in TRF.  Unfortunately, the first to ride them might not be the first to talk about them.  Regular people like us might be the first to talk, since we don't have deadlines to meet and columns to fill.

I'm in software development, and we always have a list of things we want to put in the next version.  There's always a roadmap, looking ahead several years and what are the big improvements slated for each new release.  Beyond that, the smaller things we try to fit in when there's room.  So, I'm sure they all have a chart somewhere that looks out past the current chassis toward incremental improvements and probably well past the next new chassis.  I'll never share what I know, and I'm sure they'll never share what they know, either.

 

[mnstang]

37 minutes ago, Premium said:

Agreed. It's funny because the Textron mantra on the dirt side is that they are going after the heart of the market, and with the 600 ATV motor they probably are doing just that.

But the 600 class isn't the heart of the market on the sled side and hasn't been for awhile.  I worry that if the Catalyst doesn't bring something unique to the table, the proposition is simply: we've caught up to the competition....buuuttt there's no big bore, sorry. I don't get it. 

 

1 hour ago, J. Jackson said:

I don't like to bloviate about myself as some do on this site but I have owned many big bore and 600 class sleds and know very well what the performance capabilities of them are and completely understand that it's all about rider skill level on similar sleds. Back in the Open Mod sno-x days, were the racers turning faster laps on the  440's or Open Mod 800 sleds? Doesn't get much tighter or twistier than a snocross track.

 

First, a snocross track is all loose, churned up snow.  Vs a groomed trail that is hardpack.  The snow conditions alone on a sx track will heavily favor and require higher HP.  Obviously.

Second,  trails are far more twisty than any sx track ever.  Hell that's the problem with sx, the tracks are boring AF.  And a wooded trail is also way tighter than a sx track.  Especially factoring in that you should be staying on the right side of the trail, they are incredibly tight, not even two sleds wide.  Everything you just said goes against the point you're trying to make.  On a smoothed out sx track my 50hp jag would have no chance of keeping up to an 800 in a million years.  But on a tight trail an 800 can't even keep up.

I don't know where you ride but it gets way tighter and twistier than freaking snocross!

37 minutes ago, Premium said:

Agreed. It's funny because the Textron mantra on the dirt side is that they are going after the heart of the market, and with the 600 ATV motor they probably are doing just that.

But the 600 class isn't the heart of the market on the sled side and hasn't been for awhile.  I worry that if the Catalyst doesn't bring something unique to the table, the proposition is simply: we've caught up to the competition....buuuttt there's no big bore, sorry. I don't get it. 

Do you actually worry about that?

I don't get how you don't get it.  There is more hype around the catalyst right now than anything in snowmobiling.  And that will likely continue for the whole next year.

Besides all that, there is a bigger engine coming for the slower riders.  Everybody knows that.  So you can stop worrying.

[EvilBird]

4 hours ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

how do you keep the bee... soda from getting shaken and foamy?  🤔 

 

Oh they do lol ....pack em tight with a towel but I had a few explosions last year . was better than my previous tunnel bags tho with the rack 

[Premium]

1 hour ago, mnstang said:

Do you actually worry about that?

I don't get how you don't get it.  There is more hype around the catalyst right now than anything in snowmobiling.  And that will likely continue for the whole next year.

Besides all that, there is a bigger engine coming for the slower riders.  Everybody knows that.  So you can stop worrying.

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

[Crnr2Crnr]

34 minutes ago, Premium said:

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

I'm just glad there's some snowmobiling threads/posts/squabbling going on... lord knows we can't rely on @Bontz to start any quality threads any longer.

[Not greg b]

December 6 cat is releasing the rest of the details on this unicorn of a sled

[Crnr2Crnr]

1 minute ago, Not greg b said:

December 6 cat is releasing the rest of the details on this unicorn of a sled

F7 Pond Edition is coming... 

[Not greg b]

2 minutes ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

F7 Pond Edition is coming... 

they giving a free mullet and assless chaps with every purchase of the f sevened edition 

[Not greg b]

Tune in for more pictures 

[AK440]

The new Cataylist will bring back long time Cat riders who jumped ship that past few years simply because it is new and exciting. The Cataylist will bring some badly needed attention and innovation back into the trail sled class.

This spring and next season more riders from other brands fed up with Polaris snowcheck BS and recalls and Doo’s high prices and  homo ways of designing sit on the front bumper sleds will also go back to Cat.

[mnstang]

2 hours ago, Premium said:

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

Right now there is no anything bore.  No small bore, no medium bore, no big bore, no Wisconsin bore.  There is no sled.

Their new engine apparently isn't going to be ready for when the catalyst will be ready.  So there's two options. 

1.)  Release the catalyst asap with an engine they do have.  OR,

2.) say nothing about catalyst for the next year or two while they wait for the new engine to be ready. 

So you can either complain about procross 11, or an all new ground up CAT with a new 600 and with a tbd motor coming in the future.  Imo the better move is to put out the catalyst like they've done.  You can always still buy a procross 800..  Some people will always complain even around the most exciting thing currently in the industry!  Maybe just be happy.

Cat will sell a ton of 600 catalysts the first year.  And they'll sell a ton of catalysts the second year when they have the plus size motor.  You don't need to worry.  

 

[Premium]

31 minutes ago, mnstang said:

Cat will sell a ton of 600 catalysts the first year.  And they'll sell a ton of catalysts the second year when they have the plus size motor.  You don't need to worry.  

 

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

 

Edited December 2, 2022 by Premium

[Crnr2Crnr]

1 hour ago, AK440 said:

The new Cataylist will bring back long time Cat riders who jumped ship that past few years simply because it is new and exciting. The Cataylist will bring some badly needed attention and innovation back into the trail sled class.

This spring and next season more riders from other brands fed up with Polaris snowcheck BS and recalls and Doo’s high prices and  homo ways of designing sit on the front bumper sleds will also go back to Cat.

are you from Georgia?  

what kind of dog do you have?

1 hour ago, mnstang said:

Right now there is no anything bore.  No small bore, no medium bore, no big bore, no Wisconsin bore.  There is no sled.

Their new engine apparently isn't going to be ready for when the catalyst will be ready.  So there's two options. 

1.)  Release the catalyst asap with an engine they do have.  OR,

2.) say nothing about catalyst for the next year or two while they wait for the new engine to be ready. 

So you can either complain about procross 11, or an all new ground up CAT with a new 600 and with a tbd motor coming in the future.  Imo the better move is to put out the catalyst like they've done.  You can always still buy a procross 800..  Some people will always complain even around the most exciting thing currently in the industry!  Maybe just be happy.

Cat will sell a ton of 600 catalysts the first year.  And they'll sell a ton of catalysts the second year when they have the plus size motor.  You don't need to worry.  

 

honestly, if I were in charge I would have made damned sure it was a race ready platform for SX and XC this winter so people could see it in action and be assured it has that tough reliable chassis people are accustomed to and expect.  plus, one season of the racers beating the piss out of them is likely to get as many bugs worked out as possible before they turn first year customers into guinea pigs.  think 2012 Procross or nearly every first year Polaris big bore.  at this point the quality had better be top notch because if it isn't... they'll have shot themselves square in the foot. 

I feel everyone here wants the new chassis to be a success, even those who've been away from Cat for a while.

[mnstang]

4 minutes ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

are you from Georgia?  

what kind of dog do you have?

honestly, if I were in charge I would have made damned sure it was a race ready platform for SX and XC this winter so people could see it in action and be assured it has that tough reliable chassis people are accustomed to and expect.  plus, one season of the racers beating the piss out of them is likely to get as many bugs worked out as possible before they turn first year customers into guinea pigs.  think 2012 Procross or nearly every first year Polaris big bore.  at this point the quality had better be top notch because if it isn't... they'll have shot themselves square in the foot. 

I feel everyone here wants the new chassis to be a success, even those who've been away from Cat for a while.

It'd be great if they can race it this year.  Sounds like they may do that in the XC mod class.