Here’s my take. First off, full disclosure, I’m a Polaris guy. Love seeing Cat release some iron that should at least get the industry buzzing and bring them into this decade! Everyone’s ragging on them for releasing a 600cc engine only…. Do we all forget that Polaris did this in 2010 with the Rush? I’d argue that the Rush / Proride chassis was crucial for Polaris to get them out of the dark days of the Fusion / IQ chassis and the Proride needed to be a success. It was. I think the 2010 Proride pointed Polaris in the right direction which led to the Axys and Matrix. My point is the 2010 release for Polaris needed to be a home run and they only gave consumers a 600cc. 2011 they gave us the 800 and the 2012 model year we finally got a 137” track. It took them a while to. At least Cat has got 3 models ready to go (or will be) and they’re not limiting the Catalyst to one model with one engine. Sure an 800cc, 850cc or bigger would have got more people talking but I do think the chassis alone is enough to get peoples attention and if they ready a large displacement engine and release it then people will really be interested! Overall this is great for the industry and it FINALLY signals Textron / Cat is serious about their snowmobiles division! I’m all for it. Although I will stay with Polaris as I have since 1996!
Every sled Polaris has ever made is under recall and people are slamming AC? Give that some thought. As for wait time Doo and Polaris snow checks get delivered just in for lawn mowing season the following year…….
My thing would be the motor wasn't ready yet... don't think they want to have a massive recall if something isn't right with a new 800+ motor, that's the last thing they need. People always find something to complain about, just be happy Cat did something with things on the horizon coming up.
Cat has failed. They are years behind on their motors, finally come out with a new chassis which looks good but in a 600 lol. The alpha rail has been a huge failure too. I rode one for two years and it’s terrible.
Thanks, Colin. My two cents. Name: I like it but the call for submissions was almost certainly just a marketing gig-Catalyst would have been on their list from way back. Belt drive: good quick way to diet. Tool-free panels: great. Running boards: finally. Bag attachment system: finally. Alpha rail: It’s their thing and no going back. Small motor: going to cost them thousands of lost sales, no matter how good the higher capacity models are when they eventually appear. In summary, then. For the last few years we figured Cat would eventually show us a competitive new sled but we didn’t know when. Now, after the launch, we figure Cat will eventually show us a competitive new sled but we don’t know when.
450 pounds wet with a tall skinny chassis with the Alpha rail and the best track on snow should do the job. I will even ride the 600 with a 146 and have a shit load of fun on 3 day old snow and save my 165 Turbo for deep days. I have 4 turbo Alphas in 146, 154, 165 and have been totally satisfied after riding turbo Polaris’s for 5 seasons.
THE BIGGER CC MOTOR ISN'T READY YET! Hell I don't think the chassis as a whole was ready but they had to release something they are losing customers. By cats own admission they were reluctant to release this sled when they did. But I'm glad they did and I commend them for it. It took balls to release something that isn't quite finished but kick ass none the less. It would make sense that Global Parts shortages and a bad economy would have something to do with the situation. But underwhelming? I don't think so, I think we need to understand the situation cat is in and cut them some slack on this one. I was concerned textron was gonna shut the sled division down so I believe this is a big win for the cat guys.
@@ColinMcEvoy all about you colin.... We know. Here in WI, 600 is faster on the trails than an 800. Yes 800 is fastest on the lake, but gotta beat me to it. Haydays crowd looked really underwhelmed.... Not.
I do agree they could have done the release better. I wonder if they held off on the release of a new motor until next spring. That way they can drop a new turbo 800cc or bigger engine to get people excited again… I would probably do it if I owned the company. That way people get all pumped up to purchase one this spring.
AC not developing a larger motor at the same time developing Catalyst is another Textron blunder. There's NO reason Catalyst couldn't have been released with the new big motor. We're talking about 2 stroke engines, not reinventing the wheel. My m1000 is still going strong, big cc isn't new. Since you mentioned it though, I have an Alpha turbo with 1200 miles on it. ZERO rail issues or any other issues.
Taking about being disappointed, I am in shock you did not bring up the Huge Polaris recall.... Regarding AC release I am excited about it... And they did say larger bore engine will be ready one year after initial release. Arctic cat is more conservative then Polaris when it comes when they are willing to release something...I look at that as a good thing.. look no further then what just happen to Polaris... Glad AC is back in the game this I hope will improve Polaris quality control.
@@ColinMcEvoy ,to relate it back to Arctic Cat, you being upset about it not being completely ready, sometimes when you push a bit to hard like Polaris does, it can be costly.. More important to get it right
I love everyone laughing at a 600 when they can’t even ride an 800-850 to its potential. Most the guys I see on the biggest baddest should be on a 440 going down the trail.
It's to my thought that it's designed better then a Rev 4 chassis, if the engine is closer and lower on its side, and the gas tank is pretty much on top of it and your right behind the gas tank the battery is behind the seat, it must be alot more comfortable then a Rev chassis according to that information
I get that a 600 seems disappointing, everyone wants more power.. But most people can’t even ride a 600 to its full potential. If a person is under 180lbs I think 600cc would be fine for the majority of people, on most days. But the extra power is definitely fun on the deep days which is why I stepped up from an Axys 800 to the Boost this year. Haha. Great video.
Not mention nearly every tester said they could barely tell the difference form their personal 800. 50lbs less and more efficient driveline and more power in the 600 is a pretty solid combo.
Hey Colin I’m a trail guy and snow checked an 850 Blizzard this year would I get a 600 yes. I have rode the Arctic Cat 600 RR an it was fun, this 600 has been upgraded so it’s going to be good. 850-900 in that chassis after next year’s reviews are positive would make it a formidable machine. I’m wondering about the thunder cat where it fits in and the Yamaha lineup ?
Well done on the video, as a cat owner since 1997 I have been waiting for some positive stuff out of the factory. I do agree the 800 would have made more sense and the 600 come later. He'll I own a 2008 f8 sno pro that people claim is the ugliest sled they've seen, but it's a beast and has been low maintenance overall for me. I think Polaris hit it out of the park with their debuts the last few years. Yhey has their factory riders chiming in about the new chasis and motors. Unfortunately, cat did not really do much of that. Unless I missed it. Thanks for your time
Definitely agree Brian! Thank you for your input, but yea I don’t foresee a lot of the factory cat riders and high level riders on cats switching to the new chassis until they put a 800 or bigger into it. And it’ll make it way more competitive and attractive to the target mountain audience
It will be a good sled, they will have bigger engine options than a 600. Why let all the cats out of the bag (no pun intended lol) when it’s not even going to be out for a couple years. A guy would think new motors will be announced next year/2024 I just hope that this chassis will be able to make up for the the past decade. But if you think about it, it’s clearly going to be the lightest chassis on the market currently, it is going to be narrow with that new primary setup, it will feel good to ride with the laydown engine basically underneath you and all the weight centralized. If it’s a good sled at the end of the day people will buy it. Your paying for the machine not other peoples opinions.
I'm VERY interested to see what the weight of it will be if they release a 800 or 850/900 motor with the new chassis. They said its a big reduction but with how light polaris's are, its gonna be tough thats for sure.
Iv raced cats for 15 years unbelievable sleds nobody helps the small guys out like cat why ill always be loyal. But yes 600 little disappointing for sure. That being said i love my C tech 600 great engine. Ok what disappointed me more than only 600 engine was still using the slide action rear suspension. Still a great suspension for high speed racing or ditch banging it holds it own or maybe still has a edge on competition. That being said there is definitely better suspensions for moderate speed riders or even slower speed riders. Come on time for something new been using that skid on trail sleds since 07 and race sleds before that. Still awesome to see new cat chassis at least we know cats not going anywhere soon be around for a few years hopefully for ever of course. The Catalyst isn’t my favorite either just sounds dorky to me lol!! I sent some names in either pro Boss or Boss pro was my suggestion. Coming from the name boss cat from cats sled in the 70’s mixed in with pro cross of course. Please let me know what u think sounds better my names or Catalyst idk. Like how u mentioned people saying Polaris copied ski doo with turbo sled. Guess what they all copy each other I could go on and on with examples but i wont. Cat did say new engine coming just isn’t ready yet but who knows. I believe the 600 was released so they could get new chassis out to the XC racers. Witch is smart so they can maybe get suggestions from racers on new chassis to improve it maybe find week points. But couldn’t throw 800 in it until new engine is ready think thats a mistake for sure. Grew up on Polaris had many threw 90’s last one was my 2000 RMK 800. Bought F7 in 2003 started SX in 04 then to pro XC in 2010 all cat race sleds. But ill always have a spot in my ❤ for Polaris. if money was no object id own a sled or 2 from every manufacturer all good sleds today. The confusion 900 lol!! I remember racing a hill cross in maine in 04 Polaris was there with there new confusion 900. Asked rep what to expect he looked at me said eats up F7’s. I new then it was a joke that and how ugly it was lol!! But Polaris come long way since then very impressed nowadays with Polaris great sleds very sharp also. Great video keep up good work. Thanks Josh G.
Thank you for your input Josh! Appreciate it! Full respect you’ve been on cats your whole career and your loyalty to them 🤘🏼 good luck on your race ventures, hope you can bring home more trophies!!
My first Polaris was a Fusion 900 and I rode that thing for 5k hard rough miles in Alaska till the engine decided to go, other than that the chassis was bulletproof. Been a Polaris rider since then lol
Per the engineers, "The "larger displacement " engine is not ready for production yet." They didn't say how large it would be, but claim it will be a game changer.
I agree with you it was a let down I am a backcountry mountain rider and ride 90 percent in that terrain, only 10 percent on trail to get to the mountains. That said, my wife has 2019 Alpha 600 and I ride a 2019 Alpha 800. Believe it or not (look up the specs) there is only 4.7 pounds difference in the two sleds. I have rode both sleds and I am here to tell you there is a huge difference in power and capability between the two sleds. I am sure AC will put out a bigger motor but until then I am disappointed and will call it the "Catless"
Good job I was stoked being an arctic cat rider looking at a new platform with belt drive and actually a little lighter I just assumed it was an 800 thanks for popping my bubble now just another year disappointed not to bad though kinda getting used to it not easy riding cat.
Forgot to mention that the sleds at haydays didn’t even have motors in them. Not even running examples… total rush to reveal…not a reveal in my opinion if you can’t even jump on and pull the cord
The 600cc version isnt out until '23-'24, so that 899cc wouldnt be available until '24-'25, and may not even be turboed. By then Polaris will likely have their 9r engine turboed and Ski Doo with have their own 900 or 950 engine.
People will be ridimg that sled this winter. The media will probably have some and then can still race one in the open class in cross country this winter
do you just go around commenting on peoples videos not expecting them to write back? I have a channel with 4k subs. I see your dumbass comment but these kinds always make me giggle since you have nothing better to offer 😂
Put a pro rider on a r x c 600 and put joe blow homeowner on a 850 and have them race 60 miles thru the wooded trails / my money is on the 600 all day every day
You guys make this kind of argument Everytime and it always the dumbest argument lol in that situation you’re comparing the rider, not the sled. The pro rider has 50 days on snow and racing experience and training, the Joe blow homeowner has 5 days on snow, no racing experience or training.. well no shit who woulda thought. That’s like comparing a 120 to an 850 turbo, wonder who’s gonna win!
Ok and? People aren’t allowed to comment on other brands? I made a video about the turbo skidoo.. guess I have to take that video down too then.. guess you’ve never heard of the first fucking amendment 🤷🏻♂️
shouldn't you be more worried about the open recall on your Polaris vs smashing a new release with your bias Polaris driven opinion, who has more marketing lingo then the local kiosk cell phone salesman.
first off I haven't seen a cell phone kiosk in years to be honest, but your comment tells me you obviously DIDNT watch the whole video. you just come on to youtube, find someone you think is talking shit about a brand and decide you'll write a comment trying to bash on them and think you have the moral high ground somehow? I fall to see how my "bias" showed in the video unless you'd like to watch it through completely this time and give me an example... or maybe youll be like many others ive responded to and just delete your comment after I call you out.
We all know skidoo is the best snowmobile made today. They are the leader in technology. Always going outta the box before anyone else to make a better sled.
@Chester Copperpot who the hell says skidoo is nervous about polaris dropping new tech? Polaris always drops new tech after skidoo does. Nobody riding a skidoo or skidoo in general worried about polaris.
@Jonathan Souza nothing wrong with iso flex crank bearings. Obviously they doing well these days, skidoo that is. Polaris is recall nation. Cat and Yamaha in the dark ages.
