Thought you’d all like to see some of the photos taken at the CATALYST media event held in Thief River Falls, MN. This set of the RIOT 146 is from Brody Boese who owns Broken Arrow Studios. Brody is the smiley guy behind the lens at all the ISOC National Snocross races, Sledhead 24/7 Television and Champ Offroad events. I added some more insight in the captions. Enjoy. -Kale
Roger Skime’s Ranch house provided a great backdrop for the 2024 RIOT 146 on this snowy afternoon. In case you can’t see it, there’s a tall windshield on this RIOT and it works great. 🙂The rider interface with the console is nicely centered. The center-pull handle works easily for Right or Left hands, tether and key are in easy to reach spot, and my favorite standard feature on all CATALYST models is the helmet shield plug-in, positioned just left of the tether switch.
I shared this video in an earlier post on the CATALYST, but in case you missed it, Ben Langaas, High Performance Engineer, takes us through how to access CATALYST for serviceability. More of Brody’s photos below show some great under hood views. Brody captured some great photos with all the bodywork removed. I enjoy all the little details about the CATALYST that you probably won’t read about in a brochure. The wiring harness was reduced for unnecessary weight and now has 30% less overall length. Thats around 100ft of wire removed. (The height of a 10 story building)The CATALYST one-piece front frame structure is created to be tough. Built from ultra-high-strength steel, it is lighter and exceedingly stronger than the competition. With no joints or fasteners, the one-piece design sheds unnecessary weight and possesses the rigidity engineers were striving for that won’t loosen over time. You also get a good look at the simplified laydown steering post which is centered on the platform and attaches to Arctic Cat’s proprietary variable ratio steering. Developed in snocross, the steering effort is light, but has a precise positive ride eliminating bumpsteer and feedback through the handlebars. (Like Power Steering) Here’s a good shot of Arctic Cat’s ADAPT clutches. The drive belt part #s will change versus 2023 600 models as the Center-to-Center distance has changed. Here you get a glimpse at the Torque Control Link (TCL) shown behind, and between, the drive and driven clutches – which is the link/plate tying together the engine with the jackshaft. A fixed distance between the ADAPT drive and driven clutches are achieved, ultimately improving belt longevity and clutch performance. The TCL is one example of an area on the CATALYST platform utilizing composite materials. Through the use of long-fibre composite technology, the TCL has an incredible strength-to-weight toughness other composites can’t match and improves engine, clutch and belt drive vibration dampening.On this side we get a look at Arctic Cat’s all-new belt drive system which is a departure from the traditional chaincase. Eliminating the rotating mass and weight of a traditional chaincase allows the CATALYST platform engine to spool up quicker providing better throttle response, instantaneous acceleration and frees up horsepower to transfer it to the snow more efficiently. The belt drive pulleys are aluminum for wear and corrosion resistance and offer several gearing options that can be swapped easily via three common tools. Once your belt tension is set, and no more oil to monitor or change like a chaincase, this is nearly a hands-off service item. I just mentioned Arctic Cat’s patented and proprietary TCL…it speaks volumes to me, that (partially) because of it, Arctic Cat has figured out how to utilize a belt drive on all Trail, Cross-Country, Crossover and Mountain CATALYST models, and not just in the mountains. From this side, you can also get a look at the clear oil tank which I literally enjoy seeing. The cap is right-sized, easy to get at, and easy to fill. Thank you Brody for the great photos! And go check out Sledhead 24-7’s website and social channels for more CATALYST information.
