2019 Cat "Alpha One" ??? thoughts ???

[FatDogX]

Okay guys with the release of the Cat Alpha One, what's everyone's thoughts ????

Gimmick or the next best thing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPKtsEvDsg0&t=1s

It looks super interesting but I have questions........

If some guys complain about the Ski Doo flex edge not sidehilling, this offers even more side flex? I could see it possibly working well in powder (great snow) but set up snow or marginal may be a different story?!?! In theory, wouldn't you want a solid edge to dig in or "grip" the side of the hill? If the track flexes and contours to the side hill, how is it suppose to grab and dig in?

Again just thoughts ......

 

[High Voltage]

I would need to try it before I buy into it. Does look interesting though.

 

[NWPOWDERBUM]

I can only speak for my area but AC needs to do a lot more than a skid change to gain back any market share from Polaris and Ski doo. I don't know a single person that rides AC and its rare to see new ones on the mountain. From what I've heard, dealer support has been a big problem for them in the past as well. The new sled may work great, imo it looks terrible and I couldn't buy it. Swing and a miss from my pov but hopefully the new design works out if nothing else to push the bar and move the sport forward.

 

[turboless terry]

I am guessing that in less than stellar snow, on a steep sidehill, it will slide out. You will want a twin rail skid. In milder terrain it will still be more fun. I don't know many playing on the insane sidehills when snow is hard. If you have to go down and a spindle won't dig in you are in trouble. I played on one with a poo and wasn't leaving much of a track. It held the line. If I had to go down I would have trashed my sled. A buddy followed on his xm and it swapped out right now. He almost wrecked but just barely salvaged it. I wouldn't try it with a flexy skid. Most of the people don't play on this with good snow. I wouldn't have if I would have known it was that hard. Good snow no problem. I think you need to way out what you are doing and the conditions you ride in. Kinda like the flatlanders debating short track, long track or crossover.
This isn't to take the place of a twin rail suspension. It is to open another option for snowmobilers to have that want a more straddled up experience similar to a bike. I believe it will be more fun in most conditions. It is kind of like comparing a gen 4 to an axys. The gen 4 is more fun and effortless in most circumstances but the axys is just flat out better in the trees on a steep sidehill. The gen 4 will still get her done but not as easy imo.
Probably my most favorite thing to do is go off some insanely steep hill in the trees with deep powder and just rail through the trees straddled up like a ski course . The 850 is more fun than the axys at that and the alpha is supposed to be more agile and responsive.
All in all, I think it will do everything but probably won't do everything great. It's s tradeoff that you will have to way out for yourself.

 

[FitShaced]

http://www.snowmobile.com/manufacturer/arctic-cat/2019-arctic-cat-alpha-one-mountain-cat

Here's a pretty nice article about the alpha 1. Its definatly outside the box thinking. I say well done arctic cat. Now it would be sweet to rent one for a week in some nice powder!

 

[FatDogX]

I think you hit the nail on the head with dealer support!! No dealer in our area....it quit carrying Cat, no dealer to the north of us.....they quit Cat as well. The nearest is 100 miles east of us.

I can only speak for my area but AC needs to do a lot more than a skid change to gain back any market share from Polaris and Ski doo. I don't know a single person that rides AC and its rare to see new ones on the mountain. From what I've heard, dealer support has been a big problem for them in the past as well. The new sled may work great, imo it looks terrible and I couldn't buy it. Swing and a miss from my pov but hopefully the new design works out if nothing else to push the bar and move the sport forward.

 

[89sandman]

Closest dealer is over an hour away from me in any direction. Wouldn't let one touch my sled anyway and if I had to I would redo anything they did. Who would trust their sled to a kid making $10-15 an hour??? Don't think I've ever seen any dealer that took pride in the mechanics they had enough to pay them a living wage.

 

[Mafesto]

I think you hit the nail on the head with dealer support!! No dealer in our area....it quit carrying Cat, no dealer to the north of us.....they quit Cat as well. The nearest is 100 miles east of us.

One single Cat dealer in MN has ruined it for other dealers in the Dakotas and MN while totally killing any resale on late model Cats.
Sad deal.

 

[smoking_powerstroke]

I think you hit the nail on the head with dealer support!! No dealer in our area....it quit carrying Cat, no dealer to the north of us.....they quit Cat as well. The nearest is 100 miles east of us.

If you are serious about getting a cat, do yourself a favor and visit Jeff in Wishek.

 

[sno*jet]

i just think its funny all the people who think it has to sidehill like an Axys to make it.
I was a big nay-sayer of the Revs when they started putting long tracks on them. those chassis were impossible to sidehill. yet they still got into our secret spots somehow and laid impressive marks down.
New sleds, New lines IMO. I think this will catch on. like twin sliderail suspensions and a-arms did, both cat firsts.

 

[turboless terry]

Cats paved the way with all the riding we are doing with the m. The revs would outclimb an m all day long but you couldn't sidehill like an m. People thought they would until you showed them. Same with xp. They will all get to the same places rider dependant. Mountain riding is not just one big sidehill. Far from it.

 

[FatDogX]

I think all the comments are so interesting and only time will really tell. I think the mono rail is definitely interesting and I cannot wait to see how it does but......I'm not going to jump up and down and say this is the greatest thing!!!

"Real" world testing in a variety of terrain and conditions as well as "unbiased" feedback is what I want to hear!!!

 

[KMMAC]

Depends

After some thought and watching the video again, I think as long
as you like to ride fast on a shorter track the Alpha skid will probably do Ok. What remains to be seen is how will it do in technical
riding at slow speed..... The whole high speed short track thing is fine as long as you are young.

 

[turboless terry]

Camso has something similar and all the reviews state more agile, more responsive and more fun plus better traction. My buddy has one. When I said I was worried about the alpha sliding out or downhill he said he thought the same thing on the camso but it doesn't. His kid might get to ride one tomorrow at west.

 

[revrider07]

If you are serious about getting a cat, do yourself a favor and visit Jeff in Wishek.

No cat dealer in wishek anymore