S
snowmobiler
Well-known member
if its 13k.guess im out until china makes one or rent one.LOL
2017 Arctic Cat SVX 450
- Thread starter christopher
- Start date
So say this cat bike is 12 out the door with warranty. If hawks came back to life and they offered them with an 800 for the same price and a warranty which would you choose? Would people give hawks a second look now that snowbikes have become so big?
I know they are two totally different machines but the hawk is definitely more of a "purpose" built snowmachine than a snowbike.
I feel like Polaris(or any of the big guys) Should grab a hawk and some hawk riders along with bike riders and design a machine from the ground up. They have the tech(and$) to make a lightweight hawk. Guess well see what the next few years bring
I know they are two totally different machines but the hawk is definitely more of a "purpose" built snowmachine than a snowbike.
I feel like Polaris(or any of the big guys) Should grab a hawk and some hawk riders along with bike riders and design a machine from the ground up. They have the tech(and$) to make a lightweight hawk. Guess well see what the next few years bring
sure
I would bet cat had to go shopping for a bike donor among the small potatoes companies.
Cat is a 700 million dollar seller
Yamaha is a 47 billion dollar seller
Corporate image is critical for Yamaha. They can't see risking a bomb project to sell 500 half bikes and get bad mouthed if the total package is junk. There'r going to sell a couple thousand 450's for snow bikes anyway at full wholesale price without having to disrupt assembly lines and dealers won't be howling about CAT cutting into their bike bussiness. Who knows Yam may not be able to sell bikes in the US without their dealer participation.
French Sherco small ma and pa outfit with hardly any US presence or market penetration. For them to sell 500 motors and frames in the US, likely a win win............not the case for Yam.
Like the original 3 wheel / ATV bussiness in the late 60's and 70's, it was small mfg specialty units, then Honda made the little 3 wheelers, it took off, then everyone had to bail in and its been a longer run that I thought it would be.
I would bet cat had to go shopping for a bike donor among the small potatoes companies.
Cat is a 700 million dollar seller
Yamaha is a 47 billion dollar seller
Corporate image is critical for Yamaha. They can't see risking a bomb project to sell 500 half bikes and get bad mouthed if the total package is junk. There'r going to sell a couple thousand 450's for snow bikes anyway at full wholesale price without having to disrupt assembly lines and dealers won't be howling about CAT cutting into their bike bussiness. Who knows Yam may not be able to sell bikes in the US without their dealer participation.
French Sherco small ma and pa outfit with hardly any US presence or market penetration. For them to sell 500 motors and frames in the US, likely a win win............not the case for Yam.
Like the original 3 wheel / ATV bussiness in the late 60's and 70's, it was small mfg specialty units, then Honda made the little 3 wheelers, it took off, then everyone had to bail in and its been a longer run that I thought it would be.
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Einar74
Well-known member
Why would anyone buy this snowbike from Arctic Cat?
They are offering the same configuration that has been around now for years, and they are teaming up with Sherico that has no market share in the US.
Just another conventional 450 dirt bike with a track. how uncreative can you be.
These 50 hp motors with conventional gearbox have no steam in the mountains. Maybe ok in the meadow and on the trails.
But at high elevation and in powder snow they are way underpowered, and to have to play with a gearbox kills the momentum when powering up a hill in deep snow.
They are offering the same configuration that has been around now for years, and they are teaming up with Sherico that has no market share in the US.
Just another conventional 450 dirt bike with a track. how uncreative can you be.
These 50 hp motors with conventional gearbox have no steam in the mountains. Maybe ok in the meadow and on the trails.
But at high elevation and in powder snow they are way underpowered, and to have to play with a gearbox kills the momentum when powering up a hill in deep snow.
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There are still so many details that need to come out before we should be passing judgement in my mind... Warranty, cost, and maintenance schedule are the big ones I'm curious about. This really is only going to help the consumer in the end regardless in my mind.
I wonder how they will handle warranty with regards to the Sherco bike aspect of it because it's not like Sherco has a one year warranty on their bikes and maintance would be probably be the same as what Sherco already recommends on the 450 SEF-R bike. My concern with AC using the Sherco platform is that the motor isn't very aggressive or powerful for that matter. I'm will to bet it's down horsepower compared to all of the big name 450 MX motors.
Now that I think about it, didn't Yamaha use to at least supply the engines for the Sherco 250f bikes?
Actually I think that was Gas Gas that Yamaha was supplying 250f engines for.
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Yes we don't know many details... And what we have seen is probably far from the production bike we will see next winter.
... I feel like cat is wasting their time. You can already buy a dirtbike and put a track on it- and this is exactly what this is, except you cant ride it in the summer. Its not purpose built at all, its a dirt bike with a track and a ski. I also think that Polaris will be giving us a snowbike in the near future- and I like to think they are smarter than to give us a dirt bike with a kit that allows it to run on snow. I dont think they have any reason to get in bed with KTM to build a snow bike, they will build their own, and it will have a narrow track and a single ski, be PURPOSE built for the snow, and not cost an arm and a leg. Hopefully two stroke, 100+hp, and cvt clutches... One thing we can be sure of is that it will be FLICKABLE and provide INSTANTANEOUS LIFT
Kudos to Cat for being the first, just wish it would have been approached differently. Atleast the fire has been lit under Polaris' arse... The factory snowbike battle has begun.
... I feel like cat is wasting their time. You can already buy a dirtbike and put a track on it- and this is exactly what this is, except you cant ride it in the summer. Its not purpose built at all, its a dirt bike with a track and a ski. I also think that Polaris will be giving us a snowbike in the near future- and I like to think they are smarter than to give us a dirt bike with a kit that allows it to run on snow. I dont think they have any reason to get in bed with KTM to build a snow bike, they will build their own, and it will have a narrow track and a single ski, be PURPOSE built for the snow, and not cost an arm and a leg. Hopefully two stroke, 100+hp, and cvt clutches... One thing we can be sure of is that it will be FLICKABLE and provide INSTANTANEOUS LIFT
Kudos to Cat for being the first, just wish it would have been approached differently. Atleast the fire has been lit under Polaris' arse... The factory snowbike battle has begun.
100hp is a twin and heavy, look at the hawk, I had one, CVT HeavyYes we don't know many details... And what we have seen is probably far from the production bike we will see next winter.
... I feel like cat is wasting their time. You can already buy a dirtbike and put a track on it- and this is exactly what this is, except you cant ride it in the summer. Its not purpose built at all, its a dirt bike with a track and a ski. I also think that Polaris will be giving us a snowbike in the near future- and I like to think they are smarter than to give us a dirt bike with a kit that allows it to run on snow. I dont think they have any reason to get in bed with KTM to build a snow bike, they will build their own, and it will have a narrow track and a single ski, be PURPOSE built for the snow, and not cost an arm and a leg. Hopefully two stroke, 100+hp, and cvt clutches... One thing we can be sure of is that it will be FLICKABLE and provide INSTANTANEOUS LIFT
Kudos to Cat for being the first, just wish it would have been approached differently. Atleast the fire has been lit under Polaris' arse... The factory snowbike battle has begun.
We are 10 years (maybe more or less idk) ahead of the hawk, its got nothing to do with what can or cannot work in 2018. Look at the CVT bike thread on here, looks to work pretty well. If some guy can build one in his garage and make it work alright... A multi billion dollar company sure as he** should be able to do it and then some.
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capulin overdrive
Well-known member
Yup, and there isn't any reason it can't have a tranny, or even a double clutch tranny.
People have already built a V-twin with CR 500 jugs.
Shouldn't be rocket science to make a V-twin with Zuke or another FI jug.
Bingo Bango you got a 100+ hp for maybe 20 or 30 more pounds?
Yes we don't know many details... And what we have seen is probably far from the production bike we will see next winter.
... I feel like cat is wasting their time. You can already buy a dirtbike and put a track on it- and this is exactly what this is, except you cant ride it in the summer. Its not purpose built at all, its a dirt bike with a track and a ski. I also think that Polaris will be giving us a snowbike in the near future- and I like to think they are smarter than to give us a dirt bike with a kit that allows it to run on snow. I dont think they have any reason to get in bed with KTM to build a snow bike, they will build their own, and it will have a narrow track and a single ski, be PURPOSE built for the snow, and not cost an arm and a leg. Hopefully two stroke, 100+hp, and cvt clutches... One thing we can be sure of is that it will be FLICKABLE and provide INSTANTANEOUS LIFT
Kudos to Cat for being the first, just wish it would have been approached differently. Atleast the fire has been lit under Polaris' arse... The factory snowbike battle has begun.
I almost have a hard time saying kudos for being the first though, because what part of it's the first for them? Is this the first snowbike that they've built? No, because that would have required them building a bike not buying one. The only first for AC is designing the track and ski, really it's no different then what Timbersled/Polaris are already doing. Polaris is just leaving up to you as to which bike you want to use with their kits, at this point AC might as well have just designed a ski and a track setup for guys to use with any bike.
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Yes Gas Gas used it and also Scorpa in their T-ride. Sherco and Scorpa are actually related companies but I don't think Sherco has used Yamaha engines in any of their bikes. Sherco does use WP suspension components and Brembo brakes same as KTM.
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I don't know dick about Sherco, but, in order to survive in Europe I have to believe you need to build a pretty good bike because of the competition. You have two choices, better quality and features or cheaper price and the Chinese have the cheapy market sewn up. Would I buy one, not at hope in hell but at least they are trying.
M5
M5
They are very small and known more for trials stuff as the trail bikes are pretty new. The 450 has more of an 'old school mid range hit to it. So having 0 time on a snowbike (I have tried a Hawk) is that good or bad? They have just started importing the bikes in US and Canada.
Agreed with others on here it better be cheap if you arent getting swingarm wheels and such. Strange choice for bike indeed. At least it's not some Kymco piece of crap like some of AC's ATV's.
Agreed with others on here it better be cheap if you arent getting swingarm wheels and such. Strange choice for bike indeed. At least it's not some Kymco piece of crap like some of AC's ATV's.
