2024 catalyst
- Thread starter SnoPro1000
- Start date
Media got to throw a leg over them today. Should be some more impressions coming. Even if they are only on the trail and ditches.
snowgoer.com
I want to hear mountain impressions and a walkaround video with engineers and riders. AND GIVE US SOME NUMBERS!!! If it's lighter and more efficient I want to know how much.
First Impressions Riding The Arctic Cat Catalyst Chassis | SnowGoer
We just got done riding snowmobiles in the new for model year 2024 Arctic Cat Catalyst platform, and came away with strong first impressions.
snowgoer.com
I want to hear mountain impressions and a walkaround video with engineers and riders. AND GIVE US SOME NUMBERS!!! If it's lighter and more efficient I want to know how much.
Looks like a supplemental under hood intake vent/powdervalve on the mid right. Cool.
Anyone notice this....looks like whoever is behind the design of this sled may have actually ridden a mountain sled in deep snow before....
Man iam embarrassed but I don’t know what that is!? Also is the hood hinged like a car lol? The deal up front looks like a hood striker? Iam dumb sorry! I dunno why I just think they are handsome. Hope you all get what you want and they are back in the chase soon!
Im pretty sure that a version of an SLP Powder valve. When your normal intake starts to clog up it will start drawing air through there from under the hood.
That is one mean sounding 600. Can't say I've ever seen a 600 mountain sled do a 12:00 wheelie on flat ground either, although that is at low elevation.
600's have enough power to do wheelies at sea level with the right skid underneath IE like a Khoas or summit. I can even manage to do them on my 2008 600RMK once in a while.
Sled looks really promising. Hopefully they surprise us with a bigger motor in a "limited" mountain sled.
Only thing I would nitpick so far is the bars/controls, who knows though maybe we will see that cleaned up on the higher end mountain sleds.
One other thing, those quarter turns on the hood suck... might not be so bad if they line up easy though. Like stated above... nitpicking. Can't wait to ride one.
Only thing I would nitpick so far is the bars/controls, who knows though maybe we will see that cleaned up on the higher end mountain sleds.
One other thing, those quarter turns on the hood suck... might not be so bad if they line up easy though. Like stated above... nitpicking. Can't wait to ride one.
Right now its, u gotta be at the right place at the right time and know the right person.
I wouldn't be surprised if late February/ early March, they announce a tour.
I also wouldn't hold my breath expecting one.
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Another review from one of the few that won the chance to test them early.
They just got off them in island park I think. Christopher is posting but he’s a tight lipped ambassador lol!
I was a little concerned about the steering post angle, looking at this, but it appears the mountain sleds have a different setup. Just looking at my old Pro, I can see where they could easily have done a straight shot and simplified things a lot, but they didn't. Polaris spent a lot of time working on just the right angle when they developed the Pro, and the extra linkage was/is a necessary evil. It's pretty much impossible to get less than a certain angle (call it around 30 degrees) unless you move the engine forward and the post behind it. I can't say for sure what the mountain Catalyst has, but the angle and position sure look different from the trail sleds. A single-piece post like the one pictured would be nice from the standpoint of simplicity and weight savings, but would probably ham-string the sled off trail.
Going back to the engine, the thing I can see turning me away is if Cat builds a 9R competitor (especially at 9R pricing), with nothing between that and the 600. I don't see them doing that - I'd think they'd stick with something more along the lines of the current 850s, or offer two motors on the same architecture. If it is just two motors, I'd far prefer a motor that meets or exceeds the longevity of the Doo/Poo 850s, plus they'd have a hard time swallowing a ton of warranty claims if they push it too far. For better or worse, it's going to be a long "wait and see" on that, but I see the 9R and turbos as niche products. For Cat to win, they need to attack the core of the market, which I believe will be NA 850 (give or take), for a while at least.
Been on an aftermarket N/A 900 since 2014. If it's a niche market, consider me pigeonholed!
I'm not sure what the numbers are, but after the initial rush of sales, I'd bet the 9R and Boost end up at no more than a third of Poo's sales. Just in terms of offering something to everybody, I'd like to see them do what Polaris is doing. The 850 has been a pretty good motor (I'd still prefer a little more bulletproof, but it's way better than the Dragon/CFI 800s), and it's great they're offering the 9R for those who want it. It's hard to tell if Cat can justify more than two motors though, and it seems to me that 900cc is at the point of diminishing returns: you do get more power, but you're trading off a significant amount of engine life. Where you're at on that trade-off depends on your budget and priorities; for me, even 50% longer engine life is worth more than another 5-10 HP. And that's based on the weight of something like my Pro. If Cat can really undercut Polaris on weight, an 850 would feel the same or better than the 9R.
I do see a strong possibility in what @summ8rmk suggested: maybe if they made a 900-ish motor, but not significantly oversquare, more like the Doo 850. Imposing a strict RPM limit (say, 8000) could allow for a bigger motor and bragging rights with it, but similar life to either 850. That would probably leave them down five or so horsepower to the 9R, but give it similar, possibly better, mid-range and responsiveness. It's hard to predict because the rush of big motors fifteen years ago didn't produce anything you'd want, but maybe the technology just wasn't there yet.
I do see a strong possibility in what @summ8rmk suggested: maybe if they made a 900-ish motor, but not significantly oversquare, more like the Doo 850. Imposing a strict RPM limit (say, 8000) could allow for a bigger motor and bragging rights with it, but similar life to either 850. That would probably leave them down five or so horsepower to the 9R, but give it similar, possibly better, mid-range and responsiveness. It's hard to predict because the rush of big motors fifteen years ago didn't produce anything you'd want, but maybe the technology just wasn't there yet.
