Snowest 858 Pod Cast!
- Thread starter Chewy22
- Start date
I wonder if Cat was being too conservative by just changing the stroke of their motor and not increasing the bore. I have an Alpha 800ctec, 9R and 858 on order and was shocked to hear them say the Ctec 800 had more grunt down low that the 858. We wanted the 858 to compete with the 9R because Cat's 800 is in the same class as Doos and Poos 850's.
I just hope the Catalyst chassis is as good as I keep hearing it is because it is hard for me to ride my Alpha anymore after now owning a 9R.
I just hope the Catalyst chassis is as good as I keep hearing it is because it is hard for me to ride my Alpha anymore after now owning a 9R.
How about when talking lightest weight and one of the guys mentions cat being the lightest then Harris chimes right in and says nope it’s Polaris 9r 
also mine weighs 505lbs and others have weighed around the same but there catalyst is 513? Ya right!
also mine weighs 505lbs and others have weighed around the same but there catalyst is 513? Ya right!
C
Chad_Brochill
Active member
The funny thing is the Polaris that they said was lighter was a 9R with no options, non powder-coated tunnel, rails or spindles and non 7s with base model shocks and a 2.75 track, which sucks compared to the cat 3". The most fair comparison is the Polaris 9R 155 3.25 track with the 7s compared with the mountain cat 154 3" with the G8 gauge. I'm waiting for Muskoka Freerider to ride his M858 next year to get the real consensus on the sled. I don't trust Snowest and their ability to be unbiased after being sponsored by Polaris at the level that they are.How about when talking lightest weight and one of the guys mentions cat being the lightest then Harris chimes right in and says nope it’s Polaris 9r
Also funny Dave McClure posted today on Instagram saying the bottom end on the 858 feels great
. Granted he is a black cat rider, but still funny.On the podcast they also said the 858 was hard to pull and was usually two pulls, the 800 Ctec is also the same way for the most part, especially hard to pull compared to other brands. I'm not a sissy so just pull it.
Yep Dave’s new one sounds and looks much crisper off the bottom. They changed something compared to the demo sleds in West. And the sleds in earlier videos. We may never hear exactly what, hopefully they discuss it. But clutching or whatever was way off on the demo sled I rode! Great to see.
And no from the factory it will probably not be as snappy as the full hillclimb mod engine/clutching Poo puts in the 9r. But there is a reason Poo is only offering a 2 yr warranty on that motor compared to 4 on the 850. But I bet with some clutching and timing adjustments we can get very close.
Now I’m really questioning my 165 decision versus the 154. I prefer 150s but in the ascender liked the 165 alpha better.
Going to be a long ass summer!
And no from the factory it will probably not be as snappy as the full hillclimb mod engine/clutching Poo puts in the 9r. But there is a reason Poo is only offering a 2 yr warranty on that motor compared to 4 on the 850. But I bet with some clutching and timing adjustments we can get very close.
Now I’m really questioning my 165 decision versus the 154. I prefer 150s but in the ascender liked the 165 alpha better.
Going to be a long ass summer!
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On part 2 they said the 858 rides heavier than the 600 did. Then complained about the shocks being to stiff, I wonder if the 2 are connected? I am no suspension expert but i do know that in order to get weight transfer you need to be able to compress the rear shock. The other is complaining about e start weight, again with a stiff suspension everything feels heavy. They didnt complain about e-start on the 600 just the opposite. I know if you leave your rear shock in the lock position on the trail it only takes a bump or 2 to remind you. I think they were reporting on what they were given, it won't be the same as final production. As i said earlier A/C will be making changes right up to final production. I like how A/C is reacting to the gauge pocket filling with snow or at least how the podcast said they were. Now they just need to clean up the bottom end and shock calibration and were good to go.
A special guest sent me a message this morning. AC is still working the mapping, Dave's sled has the most current update and it sounds and looks significantly better!!!! Keep the faith you all, next year is going to be a fricken riot. You will not be disappointed. Order one now if you have not already done so!!!!!!
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The 858 (yes I watched Daves recent video) sounds and looks like it revs slow, but looks like it pulls very hard. Clearly no issue with bow-tying. The 9R sounds really zingy like it spins up super fast, but seems kind of “flat” mid to top. Just observations from videos. I haven’t ridden either.
They were already Polaris fan boys before they got the sponsorship from them. Now its beyond fan boy.
Yeah, I noticed that they were treading very carefully when talking about clutch reliability issues with "other brands". I tried to gather as much useful information as I could, knowing that they are not going to bite the hand that feeds them.
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It’s honestly sickening, zero excitement talking about a chassis/engine that’s brand new from ground up but you listen to the Polaris 25 review they are all chipper and excited about the throttle flipper
and the factory ifp Polaris shocks!
9r sucks. This was flat ground. Our rotten sugar snow. Never had a 2.75 rare like that before
Apparently the old saying is trueIt’s honestly sickening, zero excitement talking about a chassis/engine that’s brand new from ground up but you listen to the Polaris 25 review they are all chipper and excited about the throttle flipper
Money talks.
It is pretty sad though.
I do like what Polaris has done for 25 with all the reliability improvements. Really nothing much new but a reset on reliability. That being said there’s a reason they are trying to improve their reliability cause it has been less than stellar as of late.
Every test rider I've seen from magazines are so so riders. Take everything with a grain of salt. I've been on all 3 chassis the catalyst is the real deal. Lot's of the arctic cat riders have stated their 858 are still being tuned (running low rpm..ect). What we get in the fall will be different from all the demos. Yes 9R's rev quick, they for sure fall flat on the top and aren't a big difference over an 850. The 9R that Polaris mass produced is not as good as a carls 900, for sure de tuned for reliability which has been poor in my area.
maybe i missed it, but was there a cat advertisement at the start of the polaris podcast ?......snowest can't even give the appearance of being unbiased in their review of cat, rarely ever have....how can i believe reviews with this lack of integrity on the part of snowest staff.....bought and paid for, like our current president, eh !!!
They've reviewed doo, also, with same sponsor list. I've heard them even joke about it. The moral of the story is people don't like to told what they like isn't as good. Obviously they think what they are buying is the best or they would buy something else. The thing about brand loyalty is you don't know what you don't know. The 858 is great if you like the catalyst. It is in the mix. People were being stupid thinking the 600 keeps up with 800s or 850s. Not even close. People's expectations are a little high. 9r is great. That's the sled people wanted for years. They tested what they had and i agree with the feel of front bias and other stuff. Everyone is biased to a certain extent but i don't think they're as bad as you think. It's more that they aren't saying what people want to hear. Also, if you haven't rode with these guys you don't know what they like or how they ride. Take it with a grain of salt.
The latest video of Muskoka Freerider had a Catalyst in it. Only made it about 5 minutes from the parking lot. Yikes!!
They mention plastic running boards in that video too. . . is that accurate?
I think the sled has a great look, but next season will be the one to watch for reliability. All the hype and speculation we hear on this new release is just that . . .
They mention plastic running boards in that video too. . . is that accurate?
I think the sled has a great look, but next season will be the one to watch for reliability. All the hype and speculation we hear on this new release is just that . . .
People want what they buy to be the best and freak out when others say it isn't.
The Cat faithful have a lot to like about the new 858, but it's not worlds ahead of Poo or Doo, and it hasn't spent a year out on the snow in the hands of thousands of riders. Hopefully it does well.
I still think the 858 will never really take a huge chunk of the market share in the mountains though until it offers a twin rail option. Time will tell.
In the meantime, kudos to Cat for bringing a lot new to the table!
The Cat faithful have a lot to like about the new 858, but it's not worlds ahead of Poo or Doo, and it hasn't spent a year out on the snow in the hands of thousands of riders. Hopefully it does well.
I still think the 858 will never really take a huge chunk of the market share in the mountains though until it offers a twin rail option. Time will tell.
In the meantime, kudos to Cat for bringing a lot new to the table!
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Started first pull for one of the Lester boys....
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