I'm sure this has been discussed before but I'm bored and decided I'd like to hear what people think.
My question is mainly directed at those who have previously owned Cat sleds but have gone away from the brand, but even if you haven't had one, or currently have one, I'm curious on your thoughts as well. What would it take to get you to go snowcheck a new Cat next spring?
Personally, I'm planning to snowcheck for the first time next spring so i've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to get. I currently have an 800 Axys and the fiancee has an 850 Expert.
The new Doo would need to be a drastic improvement over the Gen 4 for me to consider it, and I don't think they changed enough to convince me to go back ( I used to have a T3 xm).
As for the Cat, I do really like the Alpha sleds, but to me it still falls just short of the Axys and now Matryx for handling and overall fun factor, especially comparing to the Khaos model. I know there are handling improvements such as elevate kits and similar things you can do, but I'm at the point where I just want to keep things simple and keep my sleds mostly stock and just ride them.
For me to snowcheck a new Cat next year, I think they'd need to do a good chunk of the following:
Lighten it up a bit, especially the front end. I feel like the intake could be simplified, and some re-engineering under the hood to centralize the mass more would be beneficial. Better skis wouldn't hurt either. Current ones aren't bad but there's room for improvement.
Narrow the body up a bit. Just slight body panel improvements can make a bigger difference than you think. Plus a more refined, updated look would be cool to see after 6 years of the same thing. With the new narrower clutch they released last year, I have a feeling the next generation sled will be a fair amount skinnier than the Ascender.
Improve the steering. My cranky shoulders are dead tired at the end of a day on a cat compared to a Polaris or Doo. It's better than the early days of the proclimb but I feel like the handlebars should have more swing to them also. Maybe I'm just used to the Polaris steering but I feel like the bars (not necessarily the skis) need to turn 25% further before that "slamming" feeling you get when you turn all the way. BTW I have no experience on elevate kits so if that improves the steering, I say go that route.
Some sort of a power bump. Slightly bigger 850cc-900cc motor would be my preference. Turbo would be cool. I don't need a ton more power but just a nice little bump up from the current 800. (Yeah I know my Axys 800 isn't any better, I wish it had more power too).
Better running boards. I like a stiffer feeling board like the BM Fabs or similar tube-style. Even the extruded cat accessory boards would be a good improvement.
Fancy gauge. Yeah, I know it's not necessary and you never see it and blah, blah, blah... but the 7s gauge on the new Polaris is extremely cool. First, I do watch my gauge a bit to make sure I'm hitting rpms and adjust my clutching setup. Second, being able to track your rides and see your riding buddies on the screen in real time is an awesome feature. And it just modernizes the feel of the sled.
Short(er) tunnel. Yeah I know it's been "bobbed" since 2009 but they can afford to go another 3 or 4 inches shorter.
3-4 year factory warranty. I don't think I'd take the gamble on a first-year model unless it had some decent warranty with it. If cat only does the 1 year, there's little chance I'll be a buyer.
That's all I can think of right now but I'm sure there's some more areas for improvement.
What do you guys think?
My question is mainly directed at those who have previously owned Cat sleds but have gone away from the brand, but even if you haven't had one, or currently have one, I'm curious on your thoughts as well. What would it take to get you to go snowcheck a new Cat next spring?
Personally, I'm planning to snowcheck for the first time next spring so i've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to get. I currently have an 800 Axys and the fiancee has an 850 Expert.
The new Doo would need to be a drastic improvement over the Gen 4 for me to consider it, and I don't think they changed enough to convince me to go back ( I used to have a T3 xm).
As for the Cat, I do really like the Alpha sleds, but to me it still falls just short of the Axys and now Matryx for handling and overall fun factor, especially comparing to the Khaos model. I know there are handling improvements such as elevate kits and similar things you can do, but I'm at the point where I just want to keep things simple and keep my sleds mostly stock and just ride them.
For me to snowcheck a new Cat next year, I think they'd need to do a good chunk of the following:
Lighten it up a bit, especially the front end. I feel like the intake could be simplified, and some re-engineering under the hood to centralize the mass more would be beneficial. Better skis wouldn't hurt either. Current ones aren't bad but there's room for improvement.
Narrow the body up a bit. Just slight body panel improvements can make a bigger difference than you think. Plus a more refined, updated look would be cool to see after 6 years of the same thing. With the new narrower clutch they released last year, I have a feeling the next generation sled will be a fair amount skinnier than the Ascender.
Improve the steering. My cranky shoulders are dead tired at the end of a day on a cat compared to a Polaris or Doo. It's better than the early days of the proclimb but I feel like the handlebars should have more swing to them also. Maybe I'm just used to the Polaris steering but I feel like the bars (not necessarily the skis) need to turn 25% further before that "slamming" feeling you get when you turn all the way. BTW I have no experience on elevate kits so if that improves the steering, I say go that route.
Some sort of a power bump. Slightly bigger 850cc-900cc motor would be my preference. Turbo would be cool. I don't need a ton more power but just a nice little bump up from the current 800. (Yeah I know my Axys 800 isn't any better, I wish it had more power too).
Better running boards. I like a stiffer feeling board like the BM Fabs or similar tube-style. Even the extruded cat accessory boards would be a good improvement.
Fancy gauge. Yeah, I know it's not necessary and you never see it and blah, blah, blah... but the 7s gauge on the new Polaris is extremely cool. First, I do watch my gauge a bit to make sure I'm hitting rpms and adjust my clutching setup. Second, being able to track your rides and see your riding buddies on the screen in real time is an awesome feature. And it just modernizes the feel of the sled.
Short(er) tunnel. Yeah I know it's been "bobbed" since 2009 but they can afford to go another 3 or 4 inches shorter.
3-4 year factory warranty. I don't think I'd take the gamble on a first-year model unless it had some decent warranty with it. If cat only does the 1 year, there's little chance I'll be a buyer.
That's all I can think of right now but I'm sure there's some more areas for improvement.
What do you guys think?