I was lucky enough to ride with Brett today and spend a fair amount of time on the new 800. What a sweet ride!! My only question is do I want one or two. Didn't like the 1100 turbo much but it is fast. I will give my full review when I get to a computer. Typing on the phone is just to painful. I also have lots of helmet cam video if someone can tell me how to post it on here.
Just rode the 2012's
- Thread starter cpa
- Start date
I
Cool... cant wait !
H
im excited cant wait to read it! and you can upload videos to youtube!
S
Took the words out of my mouth. (behave mike!)
I can't wait no, be here but your I'd and see the video. try putting it on youtube and then posting the link. That seems to work pretty well.
schooled with Bret
well I got the opportunity to go demo the 2012 cats with my dealer and Bret Rassmussen. Heres the pics. and wow! TALK ABOUT CONFUSED FOR NEXT YEAR!! I thought I was set on a PRO and was very skeptical about the cats I talked bad about them but I do believe those of you who snowchecked the new cats are going to be very happy and its going to give the Pro a run for its money! I will have a full review on later but heres some pics and another note. I thought I was riding a 153 with how easy it was to ride in the trees and to tight donuts all that but I found out I was on a 162 which I have always hated but man this sled is FLICKABLE! It is balanced perfectly it handles so much better then the M series and handles just as good maybe even better then the pro...Like i said Ill write more about it later.. 800 with a boondocker turbo is what i want..
oh yeah theres video to come too..look for that with the update maybe tonight but probably tomorrow
well I got the opportunity to go demo the 2012 cats with my dealer and Bret Rassmussen. Heres the pics. and wow! TALK ABOUT CONFUSED FOR NEXT YEAR!! I thought I was set on a PRO and was very skeptical about the cats I talked bad about them but I do believe those of you who snowchecked the new cats are going to be very happy and its going to give the Pro a run for its money! I will have a full review on later but heres some pics and another note. I thought I was riding a 153 with how easy it was to ride in the trees and to tight donuts all that but I found out I was on a 162 which I have always hated but man this sled is FLICKABLE! It is balanced perfectly it handles so much better then the M series and handles just as good maybe even better then the pro...Like i said Ill write more about it later.. 800 with a boondocker turbo is what i want..
oh yeah theres video to come too..look for that with the update maybe tonight but probably tomorrow
Ok here goes. Please ask questions if there is anything I leave out that you want to know. First thank you to Brett for letting us tag along, and thanks to Kenny Buttars from Buttars in Tremonton, Ut for inviting me. STR8 UP and M8Chris were there also so I am sure they will have some feedback.
The new sled is everything that I have hoped it would be. The front suspension is completly unlike anything Cat has ever produced for a mountain sled. It soaks up everything that you can throw at it and is sooo smooth. It seems to have endless travel and just flat works so much better then anything I have ever rode. The rear suspension works well but didn't seem to be much better then 2009 and up skids. I have Zbros shocks on the rear skid of my M1000 and the new sled wasn't better then my rear skid but I didn't expect that. The complete suspension package though was night and day different then my 1000.
My biggest fear was the we would loose the nimbleness of the M with this new chasis. I have rode Cats for nearly 20 years now and love boondocking in the trees and have thought that nothing would compare to the Cats for the way i ride. That was until this year and the Polaris Pro came out. I have 2 brother in laws that bought pros this year and I have spent some serious time on them and I am really impressed with what they will do in the trees and the way that they get on top of the snow. I haven't ever felt as comfortable on the Pro as my M though. I got on the 2012 Cat and immediatly felt more comfortable on it then I ever have on the Polaris. The new 800 will lay over easier then the M and will hold a sidehill like the Pro does which I think the Pro does as well or better then the M. After a full day on the new sled and if it was mine and not a hand built prototype that I wasn't worried about smashing a tree with, I know that I could do everything on it and then some then I can on my M. The best part is that just like going from the King Cat to the M, everthing seems to take less effort on the new sled. It will be a great boondocking sled, which was my #1 worry just looking at it.
The snow today was super soft and heavy. It was probably 50 degrees. On all the M's that we had there today it was a chore just to turn the skis on the trail. The new 800 turned so easily I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure that it would push really bad in the corners because it was so easy to turn. It didn't, it would actually push less then my 1000 or any of the 09-11 M8's that were there. I really cant even describe how effortless it was to turn using the skis if you wanted to.
After riding the new 800 I climbed back on my 1000 and I couldn't believe how old it felt. I really don't know how to describe it other then that it just didn't feel right after riding the new sled.
The running boards are super wide. I actually thought that they were a little to wide for my liking. I like have my foot on the edge roll of the running board a lot of the time and the new ones were just to wide for that. I would guess that after a few days on it I will not even notice the diff though. People with really big feet will love the extra width though. The foot wells were really nice and you could get your feet in them a lot further then you can on an M if you needed to really crowd the bars.
The placement of the guages is perfect for stand up riding. I never realized how hard it was to see my tach until I rode the new sled and didn't have to duck down to read things.
We had the new 1100 turbo for a little while this morning also but it had a coolant leak and we only got a few passes in a meadow with it before it had boiled out all the coolent. I couldn't believe how deceptivly fast it was. I wasn't impressed until my dad lined up to race me on it and it walked away from his 1000. With that being said there is just no way that I could ride it everyday. The stearing is terrible for the way that I ride and it is heavy. The vert post kit could change all of that but you just couldn't lay it over and boondock with it even if you really wanted to.
There are so many more thing but please just ask and I will answer questions.
Once again thank you Brett and Kenny for letting me get some seat time
The new sled is everything that I have hoped it would be. The front suspension is completly unlike anything Cat has ever produced for a mountain sled. It soaks up everything that you can throw at it and is sooo smooth. It seems to have endless travel and just flat works so much better then anything I have ever rode. The rear suspension works well but didn't seem to be much better then 2009 and up skids. I have Zbros shocks on the rear skid of my M1000 and the new sled wasn't better then my rear skid but I didn't expect that. The complete suspension package though was night and day different then my 1000.
My biggest fear was the we would loose the nimbleness of the M with this new chasis. I have rode Cats for nearly 20 years now and love boondocking in the trees and have thought that nothing would compare to the Cats for the way i ride. That was until this year and the Polaris Pro came out. I have 2 brother in laws that bought pros this year and I have spent some serious time on them and I am really impressed with what they will do in the trees and the way that they get on top of the snow. I haven't ever felt as comfortable on the Pro as my M though. I got on the 2012 Cat and immediatly felt more comfortable on it then I ever have on the Polaris. The new 800 will lay over easier then the M and will hold a sidehill like the Pro does which I think the Pro does as well or better then the M. After a full day on the new sled and if it was mine and not a hand built prototype that I wasn't worried about smashing a tree with, I know that I could do everything on it and then some then I can on my M. The best part is that just like going from the King Cat to the M, everthing seems to take less effort on the new sled. It will be a great boondocking sled, which was my #1 worry just looking at it.
The snow today was super soft and heavy. It was probably 50 degrees. On all the M's that we had there today it was a chore just to turn the skis on the trail. The new 800 turned so easily I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure that it would push really bad in the corners because it was so easy to turn. It didn't, it would actually push less then my 1000 or any of the 09-11 M8's that were there. I really cant even describe how effortless it was to turn using the skis if you wanted to.
After riding the new 800 I climbed back on my 1000 and I couldn't believe how old it felt. I really don't know how to describe it other then that it just didn't feel right after riding the new sled.
The running boards are super wide. I actually thought that they were a little to wide for my liking. I like have my foot on the edge roll of the running board a lot of the time and the new ones were just to wide for that. I would guess that after a few days on it I will not even notice the diff though. People with really big feet will love the extra width though. The foot wells were really nice and you could get your feet in them a lot further then you can on an M if you needed to really crowd the bars.
The placement of the guages is perfect for stand up riding. I never realized how hard it was to see my tach until I rode the new sled and didn't have to duck down to read things.
We had the new 1100 turbo for a little while this morning also but it had a coolant leak and we only got a few passes in a meadow with it before it had boiled out all the coolent. I couldn't believe how deceptivly fast it was. I wasn't impressed until my dad lined up to race me on it and it walked away from his 1000. With that being said there is just no way that I could ride it everyday. The stearing is terrible for the way that I ride and it is heavy. The vert post kit could change all of that but you just couldn't lay it over and boondock with it even if you really wanted to.
There are so many more thing but please just ask and I will answer questions.
Once again thank you Brett and Kenny for letting me get some seat time
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WTH!!!!!!:face-icon-small-fro
All these utah guys get to ride but I don't!!!!!!
I'm going to attack everything you guys say!!!!!!:face-icon-small-win
I need to Buddy up to Kenny a little more.
Probably good I didn't get to ride them..........It would cost me 11 grand.:face-icon-small-ton:nod:
All these utah guys get to ride but I don't!!!!!!
I'm going to attack everything you guys say!!!!!!:face-icon-small-win
I need to Buddy up to Kenny a little more.
Probably good I didn't get to ride them..........It would cost me 11 grand.:face-icon-small-ton:nod:
S
question for ya cpa...
Awesome review. couple questions...
one of the few things that I wasn't crazy about on my m's was that the seemed to trench everywhere. It seemed like they would go thru powder with the track down and the skis up....a lot of people use the term "getting up on top of the snow", I felt like my m didn't do this very well....How did the proclimb compare?
So the 1100t really felt that heavy huh?
Awesome review. couple questions...
one of the few things that I wasn't crazy about on my m's was that the seemed to trench everywhere. It seemed like they would go thru powder with the track down and the skis up....a lot of people use the term "getting up on top of the snow", I felt like my m didn't do this very well....How did the proclimb compare?
So the 1100t really felt that heavy huh?
I really couldn't tell because of the snow being so heavy and wet. I really haven't felt that with some suspension set up the Ms trenched though. My last 1000 didn't get up on the snow well but it was an 07 153. The 09 and up seem to float much much better and the 2012 seemed to do as well as my current 1000.
S
I was also on the ride, and again thanx to Kenny and Bret. The snow was such that you couldn't really tell how it got on top of the snow. The snow just kinda sucked. I didn't mind the seat, but like CPA said, I didn't want to ride it hard enough that I was really hopping back and forth for fear of screwing up the day for everyone and smacking a tree. Sled rocked though. Way smooth, way easy to ride, way easy to flip on its side. I always thought that the Pro RMK rolled on its side easy, but I don't think that once its on its side it has as nice or broad of a sweet or spot as the new Cat, and the Cat is as easy to roll up on a side as a RMk!! Its just so easy to ride. Way impressed. If someone wants too buy me one, I will ride it and you can have my M8 turbo....
I did think that the seat was way to soft. Height wasn't to bad plenty heigh but not bad. The handle bars actually go so high that the seat seems low sitting on it with the handle bars all the way up.
Sorry Ty I forgot to mention you were there in my first post.
Sorry Ty I forgot to mention you were there in my first post.
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NOw what.. Cat or Poo???
Well I went into today being stoked to ride with bret and get a chance to ride the new sleds but I didn't think I was going to fall in love with the cat. I was all about the pro and wanted to snowcheck. I'm glad I waited but its making the decision harder.
The cat 800 was so flickable I couldn't believe it. I took it into the trees(hoping I wasn't going to smack it on a tree) put myself in a few hairy situations and got out of them a lot more comfortably on the pro climb then on my m. The sled feels like it gets on its side a lot easier then the pro does. I have noticed a few times the pro did wasn't as comfortable but I think its due to the handle bar length I don't like my bars up high. I like having them low for more leverage. It also feels like it holds a sidehill as good if not better then the pro. Theres no doubt its better then the M series.
I hate absolutely hate 162 m sleds. I have tried them and hated them never got used to them I could for sure feel the extra 9 inches when I rode an m8 with a 162. Today I jumped on the 800 did some really tight donuts on the meadow as tight as i've done with the pro...tighter then with my m8 and then took it in the trees picked my lines sidehilled with the sled and only to come back to find out I was on a 162 i was literally in shock I couldn't believe it I didn't believe them until i went and scraped the snow off the tunnel and sure enough it was a 162 i couldn't even tell. My thought now is that if I was able to do such tight turns with that 162 which I've never been able to do imagine HOW FLICKABLE THE 153 MUST BE!! wow Talk about much more of a boondocking tree riding sled then the pro. I know people think 162 is better for that but I love how easy a 153 is to throw around. but hey with this new pro climb chassis a 162 feels like a 153. I can't wait to try a 153 perhaps the one i have next fall..we'll see...
The 1100 Turbo was a fast sled I loved the power. ONly thing I didn't like was the horizontal steering post. If I can swap that out with the vertical steering post I'd be a happy rider. To me the weight didn't seem to bother me I really think it was just the steering post making it a little more difficult. theres no 4 stroke out there that compares to this sled thats for sure. My mind is wanting the 1100 turbo swap out the steering post with a vertical one and spend a little money to lighten her up and have a 4 stroke tree boondocking sled. Sorry if my review wasn't as clear but like said above if you have questions just ask....
after riding the turboed sleds like the 11 with a boondocker turbo and the 1100 turbo it just makes me want one so much more. I see how its addicting.
I recommend the pro climb to anyone. This is coming from a guy who was set on the pro and thought the new cats were retarded. One thing i learned from this experience don't judge a book by its cover. Arctic CAT did a GREAT job on the 2012 sleds and theres going to be a lot of surprised people out there. I'll have some videos up tomorrow.
Thank you Kenny and Bob Buttars for giving me the call to go ride the 2012 cats and chill with Bret! Buttars Tractor check them out for you cat sleds!
Well I went into today being stoked to ride with bret and get a chance to ride the new sleds but I didn't think I was going to fall in love with the cat. I was all about the pro and wanted to snowcheck. I'm glad I waited but its making the decision harder.
The cat 800 was so flickable I couldn't believe it. I took it into the trees(hoping I wasn't going to smack it on a tree) put myself in a few hairy situations and got out of them a lot more comfortably on the pro climb then on my m. The sled feels like it gets on its side a lot easier then the pro does. I have noticed a few times the pro did wasn't as comfortable but I think its due to the handle bar length I don't like my bars up high. I like having them low for more leverage. It also feels like it holds a sidehill as good if not better then the pro. Theres no doubt its better then the M series.
I hate absolutely hate 162 m sleds. I have tried them and hated them never got used to them I could for sure feel the extra 9 inches when I rode an m8 with a 162. Today I jumped on the 800 did some really tight donuts on the meadow as tight as i've done with the pro...tighter then with my m8 and then took it in the trees picked my lines sidehilled with the sled and only to come back to find out I was on a 162 i was literally in shock I couldn't believe it I didn't believe them until i went and scraped the snow off the tunnel and sure enough it was a 162 i couldn't even tell. My thought now is that if I was able to do such tight turns with that 162 which I've never been able to do imagine HOW FLICKABLE THE 153 MUST BE!! wow Talk about much more of a boondocking tree riding sled then the pro. I know people think 162 is better for that but I love how easy a 153 is to throw around. but hey with this new pro climb chassis a 162 feels like a 153. I can't wait to try a 153 perhaps the one i have next fall..we'll see...
The 1100 Turbo was a fast sled I loved the power. ONly thing I didn't like was the horizontal steering post. If I can swap that out with the vertical steering post I'd be a happy rider. To me the weight didn't seem to bother me I really think it was just the steering post making it a little more difficult. theres no 4 stroke out there that compares to this sled thats for sure. My mind is wanting the 1100 turbo swap out the steering post with a vertical one and spend a little money to lighten her up and have a 4 stroke tree boondocking sled. Sorry if my review wasn't as clear but like said above if you have questions just ask....
after riding the turboed sleds like the 11 with a boondocker turbo and the 1100 turbo it just makes me want one so much more. I see how its addicting.
I recommend the pro climb to anyone. This is coming from a guy who was set on the pro and thought the new cats were retarded. One thing i learned from this experience don't judge a book by its cover. Arctic CAT did a GREAT job on the 2012 sleds and theres going to be a lot of surprised people out there. I'll have some videos up tomorrow.
Thank you Kenny and Bob Buttars for giving me the call to go ride the 2012 cats and chill with Bret! Buttars Tractor check them out for you cat sleds!
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I believe it was called copenhagen it's on the way to montpielier
Well said , and goes back to what I said in a different post. Some people are on the fence from PRO RMK and a PRO-CLIMB. If A/C would have pulled their heads out and marketed like Poo ( i.e. demo rides ) it may sway them towards A/C. Instead just a select few are getting to ride them. Their marketing/sales department needs to be fired ! Good review to you and CPA.
G
Since you had old and new out there, there must have been some head to head pokes and pulls on fresh or trenched hills.
Bottom line that many would like to hear, did the 2012 800 outperform the 11's in performance on a hill? Was there less work to keep the skis at the right hieght or the same? Did the new chassis and drive put more power down and beat up on the 2011 or 2010 800?
I know i will be wowed by the handling (thanks, to all the reviewers). But, should I, after 6 800's, be expecting a wow factor in engine performance from the 800 ( seen a few flatland videos of the 2012 800 outdoing the 2011 1100T).
Bottom line that many would like to hear, did the 2012 800 outperform the 11's in performance on a hill? Was there less work to keep the skis at the right hieght or the same? Did the new chassis and drive put more power down and beat up on the 2011 or 2010 800?
I know i will be wowed by the handling (thanks, to all the reviewers). But, should I, after 6 800's, be expecting a wow factor in engine performance from the 800 ( seen a few flatland videos of the 2012 800 outdoing the 2011 1100T).
M
2012 Arctic Cat test ride - Island Park
I rode the 2012 Arctic Cat lineup in Island Park from the Arctic Cat R&D facility.
"Overall, I’m convinced the Pro Climb chassis is leaps ahead of the 2011-prior M- Chassis. Thanks Arctic Cat for not messing it up. However, please get the correct steering set up on the M1100 and M1100 turbo! I’m not that impressed with..." the full report is at www.sledrumors.com
I rode the 2012 Arctic Cat lineup in Island Park from the Arctic Cat R&D facility.
"Overall, I’m convinced the Pro Climb chassis is leaps ahead of the 2011-prior M- Chassis. Thanks Arctic Cat for not messing it up. However, please get the correct steering set up on the M1100 and M1100 turbo! I’m not that impressed with..." the full report is at www.sledrumors.com
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