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Ski-Doo issued the challenge back in '05 with the introduction of its next super sled, the Mach Z, (aka Mr. Nasty). The challenge, basically - "Bring it on!"
Little did the industry know that Cat already was hard at work on its own big bore monster. Naturally, we were all guessing at what Cat was concocting. The boys at Arctic even had us media types guess what its next sled would be just a couple hours before they unveiled the '07 line.
Answers ranged anywhere from big triples to small 4-strokes. But when we finally got a look at the new Cats, the 999cc liquid twin F1000 cranked the questions into high gear. If folks weren't asking it out loud, everyone was thinking - will it beat the Mach?
While we don't have Real World snow tests quite yet, we've got the next best thing: independent third party dyno results from our friends at Dynoport.
We want numbers!This was a heartening production dyno test because it mirrored what we have felt and seen with the pre-production models. The F1000 pulled a strong 163.9 horsepower at 7,300 rpm. This is just over 1 hp short of the top figures for the Mach Z we dynoed back in 2005 at 165.2 hp at a higher 7,800 rpm. However, the F1000 held its nearly 164 horses another 1,000 rpm through 7,400 rpm.
The torque numbers for the Cat also were interesting. They showed a very strong mid-range pull with a peak torque of 120.3 foot-pounds at 6,800 rpm. Compare that to the Mach, which was significantly less torquey, netting 115.2 ft.-lbs. at 7,300 rpm. The F1000 held more than 116 ft.-lbs. from 6,600 through 7,400 rpm. So the F1000 is holding more torque than the peak torque on the Mach for a huge section of the power band.
Is this the end for the Mach as the run-what-ya-brung lake drag-race king?
One thing's for sure: the new F-sled has a mighty wide, strong power band!
Straight up So to answer the Cat devotees' big question, yes, your F1000 will run with, or beat, your buddy's Mach on the lake, at least until you reach the very top-end.
However, much of it comes down to correct sled set-up, weight, conditions and other factors that a dyno test just can't tell us. We know that the base version of the F1000 weighs in at 518 lbs. dry and the Mach tips the scales at 529 lbs. dry. So, if we are looking at power to weight, that gives the F1000 a miniscule advantage of 0.316 hp per lb. vs. the Mach's 0.312 hp per lb. That's pretty darned close, so you may want to look at some aftermarket parts if you simply gotta be No. 1 on your lake.
To support this report, preliminary tests from other notable performance shops have stated 164-165 hp as the standard stock power range of the F1000. There are also plenty of aftermarket products already being developed by places like D&D who offer a Y-Pipe, single pipe, silencer, twin pipes or big bore kit.
Black Magic Racing also has been working on single and twin pipes, Y manifolds, canisters, control boxes, big bore kits and more for the new F1000s. There will certainly be no shortage of aftermarket parts to make the new Cats even faster.
Check out these healthy Cat power stats!Cat F1000 999cc EFI twin 2-stroke
RPM Horsepower Torque (ft-lbs.)
5,800 108.8 98.5
5,900 111.4 99.1
6,000 113.1 99.0
6,100 114.8 98.9
6,200 116.3 98.6
6,300 120.2 100.2
6,400 135.4 111.2
6,500 142.0 114.8
6,600 147.6 117.5
6,700 152.5 119.5
6,800 155.8 120.3
6,900 157.1 119.6
7,000 158.7 119.1
7,100 160.3 118.6
7,200 162.8 118.7
7,300 163.9 117.9
7,400 163.9 116.3
7,500 161.9 113.4