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Any G4 Doo owners ride the Alpha 1

Snowmow

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Seriously considering Alpha 1, any Doo G4 owners taking the leap after demo ride? Likes and dislikes?

I swore after 2012 would never ride a Cat again...........Been paying attention last few years, the Ascender Platform seems to be the real deal, and now this skid..........

Can you get electric start on these things?

Dealer has no idea........

I apologize if there is a thread on this already.......Thanks



If you SWORE you wouldn’t ride cat. Than be a man and hold to your word.
 

MTsled3

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Man I don’t know - I’d be worried about the new Axys. I’ve heard that 850 motor is 25 lbs heavier then the 800. If that is true where did they cut 20 lbs off that chassis to get a net gain of 5lbs? If Polaris goes as far as hacking up the hifax (seems extreme to me) to drop weight what else did they do?

With the Alpha it’s just a track and skid on an already proven chassis. Super simple to change out if you don’t like. The reason I had no problem snowchecking one.

I'd say more like 12-13lbs heavier than the 800. Only about 5lbs in lightweight parts that the 800 doesn't get and it's 7lbs heavier overall. Chassis is unchanged aside from narrower front end.
 

d1100t

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Future

The next 2 things you'll see from cat is a new chassis and more power!

Textrons pockets are deep and they have lots of access to very high tech stuff.
They'll give cats RND department the money and access to there tech to develope new stuff quicker!
I think the future is very bright.
I just wonder how much it'll cost us?
I ordered a Alpha One 165" and it's the most I've paid for a new sled!!!
 
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d1100t

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Motors

Remember the numbers 862? You will be seeing them again from Cat.

The stroke is longer on that motor. 85mm bore 76mm stroke = 862cc
I'm guessing the next motor will be between 850 and 900cc. 74 or 76mm stroke and a bore between 85 and 90mm
I've got no idea what an ideal bore and stroke combination would be???
Lots of aftermarket cat big bores out there with bigger than 90mm pistons. You don't here of lots of problems with those motors!
I have a M1000 that shakes like crazy. So maybe a 90mm bore and 78mm stroke isn't the best route?

88mm bore and 74mm stroke would be 900cc
90mm bore and 70mm stroke would be 891cc
86mm bore and 76mm stroke would be 883cc
87mm bore and 74mm stroke would be 880cc
85mm bore and 76mm stroke would be 862cc
86mm bore and 74mm stroke would be 860cc

Maybe we've high jacked this thread?
Thoughts???
 
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R
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Am I the only one that owns a tape measure?
Why do people keep comparing the width of the Ascender to the G4?
Skidoo is still behind in chassis width. Hell they were behind compared to the 17 MC
 

d1100t

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Width

Am I the only one that owns a tape measure?
Why do people keep comparing the width of the Ascender to the G4?
Skidoo is still behind in chassis width. Hell they were behind compared to the 17 MC

I agree.
Any idea how the ascender width compares to the axys width?
 

rulonjj

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Am I the only one that owns a tape measure?
Why do people keep comparing the width of the Ascender to the G4?
Skidoo is still behind in chassis width. Hell they were behind compared to the 17 MC

Ya. That’s not true. I owned an axys, an 850 and had a 17 cat in my shop at the same time. Cat was by far the widest. I lost my phone that had all of the measurements on it but if I remember right, cat was 3” wider under the secondary clutch than the 850 or the poo. I do remember that the axys and the 850 were within a 1/2” at the widest point of the belly pan. Quite honestly, it shocked me to find that the axys and Doo were so close as the Doo looks way fatter.

I know you’ll think I’m wrong but since you’re the only one with a tape measure now, feel free to measure them up and let us know how everything stacks up.

Btw, I’m not hating on cat. I just ordered an alpha. Mostly just putting the truth out there.
 
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R
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I just measure an axys, ascender and an 850. The difference between the axys and ascender is seriously 1/4 inch here, 1/4 inch there...
850 running boards are 5 inches wider overall.
 

Old & slow

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The stroke is longer on that motor. 85mm bore 76mm stroke = 862cc
I'm guessing the next motor will be between 850 and 900cc. 74 or 76mm stroke and a bore between 85 and 90mm
I've got no idea what an ideal bore and stroke combination would be???
Lots of aftermarket cat big bores out there with bigger than 90mm pistons. You don't here of lots of problems with those motors!
I have a M1000 that shakes like crazy. So maybe a 90mm bore and 78mm stroke isn't the best route?

88mm bore and 74mm stroke would be 900cc
90mm bore and 70mm stroke would be 891cc
86mm bore and 76mm stroke would be 883cc
87mm bore and 74mm stroke would be 880cc
85mm bore and 76mm stroke would be 862cc
86mm bore and 74mm stroke would be 860cc

Maybe we've high jacked this thread?
Thoughts???

We may have hijacked but there seems to be no demands. I believe we may have maxed our bore size to achieve proper combustion. There is a reason both Ski-Doo and Polaris increased stroke and not bore. The technology for the fuel delivery may need further development or combustion chamber design. AC has been a leader in this and may have a head start. AC tested different engine displacements during the C-tec development. There are aftermarket guys with bigger bores but they are not EPA regulated. I like that AC went with efficiency in developing the Alpha skid. Extra power will hide deficiencies but when you add power to an efficient design your gains are significant. I had heard 5 extra hp on a track dyno and 7 mph track speed with the Alpha. AC is in the drivers seat now imho they can go with a few more cc or turbo or both. AC has added money into R&D I read 500 M that was company wide I am not sure how much ended up on the snow. The next few years will be interesting I hope we can afford it.
 

clutch

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Ya. That’s not true. I owned an axys, an 850 and had a 17 cat in my shop at the same time. Cat was by far the widest. I lost my phone that had all of the measurements on it but if I remember right, cat was 3” wider under the secondary clutch than the 850 or the poo. I do remember that the axys and the 850 were within a 1/2” at the widest point of the belly pan. Quite honestly, it shocked me to find that the axys and Doo were so close as the Doo looks way fatter.

I know you’ll think I’m wrong but since you’re the only one with a tape measure now, feel free to measure them up and let us know how everything stacks up.

Btw, I’m not hating on cat. I just ordered an alpha. Mostly just putting the truth out there.
He said 17 mountain cat. The mountain cat was narrower than the standard Proclimbs.
 

hobbes

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He said 17 mountain cat. The mountain cat was narrower than the standard Proclimbs.

Depends on if he was measuring an early release sled or not. Obviously he wasn't as the ascender chassis is almost identical in width to the axys.
 

89sandman

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I just don't see why everyone is so down on the early Proclimb. My 12 was soooo much better than my M8, but I never had any of the belt or other problems some had. The only thing I really didn't like was the wide front end, put a 36 inch on a 12 and I could ride it and be happy. In it's original form it might not have been the greatest mountain sled but it was still a huge step up from the M.

I guess with the Pro raising the bar and the 12 falling short of that new standard, then the teething pains it had people were just disappointed. But it in no way deserves the reputation some have put on it...
 

turboless terry

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I had a 12 but sold it before I rode it. I rode a buddy's. Trenched like a mother. A pro would kill it on a hill and everyone thought they were under powered. Heavy, bulky, wide feel. Steering swing was messed up for playing in technical stuff. Gained weight over a m8 when everyone else is going lighter. The list could go on. Traded a guy straight across for a brand new pro.
 

F_ast

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Textron has some deep pockets for Cat to play with, a chassis change built around the mono-rail would be interesting. I agree with the listed improvements you have, some of which you'd think would have been addressed by now.

I thin Textron has done a good job releasing funds to a relatively new purchase of theirs. I personally thought they were going to have a tighter leash on new products this early in the game. Pretty excited to see what's next..... unless they just put all their eggs in one basket.

I will says, after completing the Cains Quest endurance race in Labrador, 2200mile race on my 2018 Highcountry 8000 153, they sleds are amazing. Power, performance, oil consumption. Great product. They still drink the fuel when you're on the flapper, but these things are still built bullet proof from a chassis perspective. And the new motor is a monster

20180309_230611.jpg received_2000830726906486.jpg received_10160182468130486.jpg
 
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Old & slow

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I heard Polaris had this in development but scrapped it. Any truth to that?

I heard that too, also heard the Cat engineer got the idea when he was digging through the Polaris metal bin and found it. I forgot to add this is all from a reliable source.
 
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