Hopefully the new chassis will be a capable trail cruiser as well.   I think anyone who has ridden the Matryx or latest Doo's will tell you they perform very well in both roles as a banger and cruiser.  

The new motor looks good, not as good as an ETEC, but exactly what I was hoping for out of Cat.  Got to spend some time talking with one of the Cat engineers on Sunday.  The new 600 has the 800 bottom end in it plus other mods for increased durability even though it was pretty much a bulletproof engine.  Not much on the 600 for additional power.  I like the dual piston ring setup on the 858.  When asked about durability, the engineer said it was looking good and their goal with the new engine is the same long term durability Cat has been known for over the years.

Doesn't sound like Doo or Cat are interested in going any larger than 850.  The weight and physics just don't work out, too much vibration.  Polaris is having plenty of issues on the 9R.  You won't see or want the 9R in a trail sled any time soon.

All weekend I was asking the factory reps and engineers about engine reliability, testing, and maintenance.  A couple things that were consistent was using the factory oils and letting the engine warm up and then shut off and let heat soak to allow everything to come up to temperature.  Polaris was ~6000 miles on the 850 before looking to freshen up the top end.  Cat wouldn't say but thought I did ok freshening up at 8500 miles.  Compression tests and looking at the skirts through the exhaust provide a lot of information on the health of the engine.

Doo tests their 850 to 400 dyno hours (compared to old engines at 300 hours) which was around 20,000 trail miles.  As long as compression is good and the engine runs fine, leave it alone they said.  Replace plugs every year regardless of what the manual says, especially after fogging, makes sense to me.  Exhaust valves don't need cleaning when running Doo oil unless the valves don't move freely by hand.

For those of you with the POS Polaris electric starter, they are working on a new one for next year.

Good stuff out of all 3 camps.  Last year for Yamaha before they shut it down.

5 minutes ago, teamgreen02 said:

For those of you with the POS Polaris electric starter, they are working on a new one for next year.

Sounds like you had a good day up there .. nice!!

On the quote above ... it's about friggin' time!  The sound of Polaris' electric start is absolutely cringeworthy.  

2 minutes ago, Bontz said:

Sounds like you had a good day up there .. nice!!

On the quote above ... it's about friggin' time!  The sound of Polaris' electric start is absolutely cringeworthy.  

Went both Saturday and Sunday for the first time this year.  Got to watch the finals for the grass drags Sunday afternoon.

It helps when @Potatodigger1 has a swap spot and keeps us fed with good food and cold drinks.

The Polaris starter is a legacy design from the early 2000s so they are long overdue for a redesign.

On 9/10/2023 at 9:02 AM, f7ben said:

That 2020 Polaris is 100x the sled compared to any procross 

I will agree with this. I have a 2020 Polaris shit pile 

On 9/10/2023 at 11:50 AM, ACE said:

2020+ RR is a trail weapon 

No they aren’t. The older rr are. When they went to qs3 they killed the rr. The best rr ever built was the 2015 tucker edition which I had. 

Edited September 12, 20231 yr by Not greg b

9 hours ago, Not greg b said:

No they aren’t. The older rr are. When they went to qs3 they killed the rr. The best rr ever built was the 2015 tucker edition which I had. 

You’re literally retarded but thank you 

On 9/8/2023 at 10:53 PM, DriftBusta said:

No Colleen obviously not. Talk to Steve, he seems to wanna break down what I mean by paying cash..  Are you guys dating now?

Lmao!!  The new cat engine is 858cc and it's lighter than the current 600. Watch the video, it explains why...

 

 

Fast revving stroker....hmmm.

13 hours ago, GreenStreak said:

Lmao!!  The new cat engine is 858cc and it's lighter than the current 600. Watch the video, it explains why...

 

 

Electronic power valves, pretty novel.

On 9/11/2023 at 8:55 AM, Highmark said:

Hopefully the new chassis will be a capable trail cruiser as well.   I think anyone who has ridden the Matryx or latest Doo's will tell you they perform very well in both roles as a banger and cruiser.  

Cat came right out and said the new chassis is not a cruiser. You need to have more of an “active” riding style to enjoy this one. I thought that statement was king of odd considering the average age of sledders.

 

33 minutes ago, Edmo said:

Cat came right out and said the new chassis is not a cruiser. You need to have more of an “active” riding style to enjoy this one. I thought that statement was king of odd considering the average age of sledders.

 

No doubt the sport is getting gray. I just looked at the WI DNR snowmobile fatality reports for the last 3 years and there were a total of 43 deaths and only 10 of those were under the age of 40.

14 minutes ago, snoughnut said:

No doubt the sport is getting gray. I just looked at the WI DNR snowmobile fatality reports for the last 3 years and there were a total of 43 deaths and only 10 of those were under the age of 40.

I wish some of these younger kids could experience what we did when we were younger.  It's too bad they either can't, or don't want to, enjoy snowmobiling.

13 hours ago, Deephaven said:

Fast revving stroker....hmmm.

Longer stroke is preferred on a 2 stroke tbh 

22 minutes ago, Bontz said:

I wish some of these younger kids could experience what we did when we were younger.  It's too bad they either can't, or don't want to, enjoy snowmobiling.

What kid working a job can afford a 8 inch digital display on a sled?

My almost 6 year old sled still can catch close to $10,000 used...

26 minutes ago, Bontz said:

I wish some of these younger kids could experience what we did when we were younger.  It's too bad they either can't, or don't want to, enjoy snowmobiling.

It's true. When we "broke trail" it was literally making a trail where no sled had gone before. Of course this was back before trail systems existed and 16 horse power was big bore!

1 minute ago, Snake said:

What kid working a job can afford a 8 inch digital display on a sled?

My almost 6 year old sled still can catch close to $10,000 used...

No, I know ... this isn't a cheap sport to play.  Hell, even for the families that DO have the sleds for everyone to use - it damn near takes a part time job to pay for the gas ups.  I've got a couple buddies who will bring their wife and kids (both of their families consist of husband, wife and two kids in their early 20's now) .... and it would cost them $200 just to put gas in sleds.  Thankfully the lodging we have is basically free.  For those that don't have access to a cabin, throw the expense of lodging and meals in there, and it sure as hell ain't cheap.

32 minutes ago, Bontz said:

I wish some of these younger kids could experience what we did when we were younger.  It's too bad they either can't, or don't want to, enjoy snowmobiling.

Ya I'm sure they're Gung ho for oil spitting non suspension death traps. 

2 minutes ago, Steve753 said:

Ya I'm sure they're Gung ho for oil spitting non suspension death traps. 

Well, maybe not quite THAT experience   But the trips, hanging out, riding with dad & his buddies, and all the bullshit stories ... even as kids and just listening to the "older guys".  That stuff was priceless.

Just now, Bontz said:

Well, maybe not quite THAT experience   But the trips, hanging out, riding with dad & his buddies, and all the bullshit stories ... even as kids and just listening to the "older guys".  That stuff was priceless.

Good times for sure.

40 minutes ago, Bontz said:

I wish some of these younger kids could experience what we did when we were younger.  It's too bad they either can't, or don't want to, enjoy snowmobiling.

The snowmobile clubs are also experiencing the ageing problem, I'm sure there's plenty of Geritol at most monthly club meetings. 

Lots of the younger crowd here are 100% into sledding, thing is they couldn't care less about groomed trail riding. They are all into backcountry/powder riding. My boys have a group that heads west every year, that's why one boy has a Boost Khaos. Our trail system is riddled with tracks going off-trail (perfectly legal here).   

37 minutes ago, Bontz said:

this isn't a cheap sport to play.

No kidding, I just picked up 10 gallons of Doo oil at $58 per gallon, Doo the math on that.  Belts are $200 a crack, the good stuff will be $5 per gallon this winter, and you can't even eat lunch on the trail for less than $20 these days.

 

38 minutes ago, teamgreen02 said:

No kidding, I just picked up 10 gallons of Doo oil at $58 per gallon, Doo the math on that.  Belts are $200 a crack, the good stuff will be $5 per gallon this winter, and you can't even eat lunch on the trail for less than $20 these days.

 

That's just inherent cost to be into the sport.

Price out if a couple decided to get into the sport.  Two sleds, trailer, gear and hopefully they have a vehicle that can pull it.  Every if your looking at late model used sleds your between 40k to 45k without the vehicle.

5 minutes ago, Doug said:

That's just inherent cost to be into the sport.

Price out if a couple decided to get into the sport.  Two sleds, trailer, gear and hopefully they have a vehicle that can pull it.  Every if your looking at late model used sleds your between 40k to 45k without the vehicle.

Been there, done that.  Truck, sled, and gear all in one year.  That was back when they were giving away Arctic Cats, oil was $35/gallon, and a good used truck could be had for $10-15K.