The industry’s annual Snow Shoot event, a ride evaluation and photo/video opportunity for snowmobile media, is coming up in just a little over a week. Given the seasonality of the sport, the event features next year’s models (2025) from all the manufacturers. I attended my first Snow Shoot in the spring of 1993, and I’ve attended nearly all of them since, either as a journalist or as an event manager for a manufacturer. This year I’ll be going back to Snow Shoot to gather more information and ride evaluations on the new Arctic Cat models and also capture a few interviews with Cat engineers and staff.
As I was making mental preparations for the trip, I wanted to ground myself on my impressions of the new Catalyst platform thus far. Some of you may recall Kale Wainer and myself were fortunate to have three Catalyst models last winter, a ZR 129, ZR 137, and a RIOT 146. In total I logged close to 700 miles last winter on a combination of those three sleds and came away thoroughly impressed. Here are my impressions from those rides.
RIDER UPRIGHT ERGONOMICS – At 6-2 I feel the ergonomics of the new platform are nearly spot-on. Obviously ergonomics can be a fickle thing and the challenge for a manufacturer to make a snowmobile “fit” everybody is virtually impossible, so you aim for the middle. While “old school” riders may view the trend towards narrower and narrower cockpits with a furrowed brow, once you adapt your riding style to the new rider-upright platform, you’ll never look back. There also has been plenty of “talk” about the Catalyst seat…however I never found the seat to be too narrow, too hard, or too short. But here’s the thing…if you ride the Catalyst in the same manner you did a Twin Spar for example, you will likely look at the seat with some loathing. Rider upright platforms, which the Catalyst is in spades, respond best and feel best when you ride with a slight “attack” position. This doesn’t mean you have to be an aggressive rider – not at all. But an extended arm, slouched riding position will not be rewarded with the same level of comfort or control. It doesn’t take much either. So the next time you throw a leg over a Catalyst or you get your first chance to ride one, be cognizant of your riding position for the most positive results.
ALMOST POWERED STEERING – Once you get past that new car smell of the Catalyst platform, the thing you will likely notice first is the incredibly light steering effort. The rack system delivers a buttery smooth, linear, and near effortless steering feel. On several rides we also had a new northern Minnesota competitor 600-class sled along, as well as ProCross models, the difference in effort was significant when switching between sleds. The effortless feel is also two-fold, as the geometry works to eliminate bump steer and as a result the system has very little negative feedback to the bars, making it less fatiguing during long days in the saddle. With the 858 engine package weighing slightly less than the 600 C-TEC2, this same “power steering” should be found in big-bore Catalyst models as well.
A LESSON IN NEUTRALITY – If there was one big takeaway I had from last winter, regardless of which of the three Catalyst platform sleds I was piloting, was how neutral the sled felt. The sled is incredibly well balanced, both in terms of driver input in all four directions and handling. Whereas some sleds feel too “playful” forcing you to adjust more in order to have the sled respond, especially when cornering. Others may feel too “planted”, like a block of cement on snow. The Catalyst is this perfect middle ground – with playful characteristics when you want it, and railing the corners when you need to gap your buddy behind you. Never did I find myself over-steering or counter-steering coming in to or exiting a corner.
MOD SLED IN DISGUISE – While my frame is on the “bigger” side of average, the Catalyst feels compact in nature for just about any rider, yet never did I feel cramped on the sled. If you’ve ever driven a mod sled, one of the first things you’ll notice is how light and minimalist the sled feels. I found the Catalyst to exhibit a similar feel, but with all the refinement, comfort, and quietness of a factory production snowmobile. The compact, weight saving design of the Catalyst is something that appears not only on the spec sheet, but more importantly it’s something you immediately feel while riding it. If the 600 felt like this, the big bore 858 should only amplify those postive attributes.
AN EVEN BIGGER FUTURE – With Arctic Cat already performing demo ride opportunities with the new 858 Catalyst, many curious riders have already taken a short burn on the new buggy. First impressions are a wonderful thing, but having a chance to log some real miles on the new combination – which I hope to do in the coming weeks, should give us a clearer picture. The 600, in my opinion, is one of the most well balanced packages in terms of power, response, handling, and overall ride quality I’ve ever experienced (and I’ve ridden just about every new model sled built since the mid-90s). If the 858 can duplicate those traits with the added punch of more power – we all will be smiling.
If you’ve had a chance to ride either the 600 or the 858 Catalyst let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, if you have questions for me or Arctic Cat, drop them below as well. I’ll have face-to-face time with members of the engineering team while in Montana and I’ll work to get more insight for you. – Pat