1997 arctic cat thundercat
Amsnow
Beware the Thundercat! That's the best advice we can give. Little else can match the outrageous power contained in this beast's 896cc liquid-cooled triple replete with a trio of tuners and high performance 38mm Mikuni carbs. It all adds up to a claimed 156 horsepower straight out of the box! You can almost guess how our test results shook out on this high-powered point and shoot sled. Engine performance rated very highly; handling (what handling?) rated significantly lower.
The improved drive clutch manages all that power very well. Its wider rollers and new material bearings in the moveable sheave and cover are more durable than in the '96 version. Clutching has also been recalibrated to provide smooth response in a number of conditions.
The driven clutch takes the power and transfers it straight to the 121-inch track. What the .74-inch lugs do with it from there is just a snowy white blur. If you are brave enough to goose the throttle from a dead stop, hookup happens after you grind down the snow about an inch or six. It was crazy enough to be fun. It was powerful enough to be terrifying. It was good enough to be rated a 9.0. Thank heaven (or Arctic Cat engineers) it has a Wilwood hydraulic brake on it. Anything less would invite disaster.
The air cooling duct works well enough to provide consistent flow for cool-headed performance. We're grateful that corners weren't cut with this system. It scored 8.0 points.
The Thundercat sports Cat's new FasTrack with Extended Travel Tunnel (ETT) rear suspension system. This setup features stamped aluminum slide rails to reduce the number of individual parts, which both simplifies and lightens the suspension componentry. Ryde FX gas shocks are right for this sled. They absorb the bumps that aren't launch pads, and assuage those tenuous landings. The ETT aluminum chassis keeps you at the same ride height as last year, but still allows extra space to accommodate all 13.5 inches of rear axle travel- that's two inches over the '96 model, for those keeping track. This is good when you remember that this big Cat is at least 575 pounds dry, without a rider. Overall, the rear suspension handles well and appears quite tunable. We rated it 7.0 in both categories.
The front end was a slightly different story. The 41-inch ski stance keeps the T-Cat plenty stable and a torsion bar keeps the plastic skis firmly planted on the ground. The AWS IV double wishbone suspension rode fairly well. It took the 7.2 inches of travel like a man and came up looking for more. The Ryde FX shocks did an adequate job damping the jolts, and were easily accessible for tuning. However, on the down side, it didn't handle for anything. We weren't surprised. When you have this much machine going somewhere, you are going to need power steering, a huge body mass to throw around or a long, straight trail. We had none of the above. The AWS IV is a good suspension, no denying it, but with the weight and speed of the T-cat, handling is not its strength- it scored 5.0 points.
Ergonomically, the Thundercat fared decently with our test staff. It earned high marks for seat and footrest comfort and position. We were in a good place on the sled when seated and locked in. Also, the handlebars were a good height for handling the machine (read: hanging on tight). On the down side, we still think the throttle and brake levers are out there a bit too far. But for the big guys riding T-Cats, we'd guess that the controls are probably about right.
Style-wise, Thundercat has the ZR chassis. Its black base color with bold orange and slime-lime highlights are striking, and it fits well with the rest of Cat's pride. So does the fit and finish. While overall it is not bad, Arctic Cat, Inc. would do well to spend just a little more time making sure all access ports line up with the parts they were intended to access (i.e. that Tab A fits into Slot B without a sledgehammer). Both style and fit and finish scored 7.0.
On the whole, the Thundercat is a kick-ass sled- an overall 7.72, in fact. It really packs a wallop on the snow and through the air. It is massive and powerful. On the up side, the T-Cat is all straight-line power, best suited to lake racing and drag events. On the downside, anything not in a straight line is sketchy; the handling on the front end just can't do the rest of the package justice. Cat isn't kidding when it pitches this sled with the line "If you have a need to tame the beast, the 1997 Thundercat is for you. Tame it or be eaten alive." Maybe they should offer a whip and chair as standard features.