2026 Models!!!
- Thread starter Chewy22
- Start date
I didn't say it did. "Better" is subjective depending on what criteria it is based on. Better to some means greater overall performance, some care only about deep snow performance, someone else might think it means simpler with less to go wrong, someone else may prize durability above all else, another may think lighter weight is paramount, etc. That Boost clawed out of a lot of stuff and he liked the handling. It never went out on a rope but had some recurring bog issues when it was super deep. He thought his supercharged Alpha felt heavier in comparison. My supercharged Alpha was down for a month with a cracked primary clutch too so I can't say too much.
Polaris stock price is definitely hurting from all their recalls. I've heard of some shady practices they do with their dealers on warranty work that doesn't impact their bottom line as hard. However, neither Polaris nor Ski-Doo have had to be sold twice in the last few years. That says a lot about what sales volume can do for you.
I think Cat paid out on some 858 motors last year from the sounds of it.
It must be nice to live in a 3' bubble.
Polaris stock price is definitely hurting from all their recalls. I've heard of some shady practices they do with their dealers on warranty work that doesn't impact their bottom line as hard. However, neither Polaris nor Ski-Doo have had to be sold twice in the last few years. That says a lot about what sales volume can do for you.
I think Cat paid out on some 858 motors last year from the sounds of it.
It must be nice to live in a 3' bubble.
I too ride cat because I’ve had good luck with them and don’t care what I see all the cool kids on facebook/youtube riding, I ride what works for me. Unfortunately nowadays that’s not what matters to most of the younger generations. They want what the cool kids ride. I’ve seen numerous people make comments along the lines of “Polaris must be the best because that’s what burandt and kesterke and the like ride” they don’t understand the fact that those guys ride those sleds because they’re paid too. Hell, I’d ride a Polaris if someone else was paying for it. So while social media isn’t relevant to people like us, it is to the younger generation, and if cat doesn’t get in on it in the near future they’re going to continue to struggle. It’s just the way it is. What’s interesting is how many of Polaris riders were on cat when they were paying for their own sleds
The flip to the statement that many of the Polaris riders were on car prior to Polaris sponsorships….
Rasmussen and doo is another to add, cat ran the sponsorship programs, weren’t getting the return for it that it took to justify it.
I’ve been on marketing commitees.
Throwing money and videos doesn’t have as linear an effect as YouTube leads us to believe.
Rasmussen and doo is another to add, cat ran the sponsorship programs, weren’t getting the return for it that it took to justify it.
I’ve been on marketing commitees.
Throwing money and videos doesn’t have as linear an effect as YouTube leads us to believe.
If you listen to interviews with Burandt and Bret R., they have both stated Cat didn't want to listen to the input they were giving around that time. Then the 2012 proclimb showed its face 
. They didn't want that turd like everyone else that got one. Polaris and Ski-doo capitalized and picked them up.
The average age of a snowmobiler is 54. A lot of young folks are engaged entirely through screens now. Social media exposure is a tool to at least get younger people thinking about the sport. YouTube is even waning now because people don't have the attention span for a 5-10min video. Have to cut it into Facebook and Insta reels along with TikTok videos.
If everyone wanted just a solid, reliable snowmobile and didn't care about advancements and better performance, we'd all still be riding sleds with 100hp, 6" of suspension, and 136 1.5 lug tracks. Or akin to still riding XR 250s in the dirt bike world lol.
I am curious Spud...if you were at the helm for Arctic Cat, what WOULD you focus on for the next 5 years?
. They didn't want that turd like everyone else that got one. Polaris and Ski-doo capitalized and picked them up.The average age of a snowmobiler is 54. A lot of young folks are engaged entirely through screens now. Social media exposure is a tool to at least get younger people thinking about the sport. YouTube is even waning now because people don't have the attention span for a 5-10min video. Have to cut it into Facebook and Insta reels along with TikTok videos.
I didn't say I expected them to be perfect either. Just pointing out Cat has its share of warranty payouts too. But for how long it took to get an 850 N/A mill on the snow it should have been close!
If everyone wanted just a solid, reliable snowmobile and didn't care about advancements and better performance, we'd all still be riding sleds with 100hp, 6" of suspension, and 136 1.5 lug tracks. Or akin to still riding XR 250s in the dirt bike world lol.
I am curious Spud...if you were at the helm for Arctic Cat, what WOULD you focus on for the next 5 years?
YouTube aside, cats complete lack of any sort of marketing the last 10-15 years has done them zero favors. Not just as far as sponsorship or sled adds goes either. They did little to nothing to get the word out on updates and fixes over the years to the point that people still consider a ‘24 ascender as the exact same sled as the problematic 2012 proclimb. Us cat guys know that’s not the case, but I hear doo/poo riders make that claim all the time. I’ve even heard some try and claim the same for the catalyst. There’s numerous things cat has done in that time frame that other brands have started using recently and their riders act like it’s all new. I think whoever was running cat either figured word of mouth was good enough or figured they could continue living off of their diehard fans, but clearly that didn’t work. They need to be better about getting info out. Just look at the recent sale of cat. I get that it’s new and things take time to get sorted out, but I don’t think I’ve seen a single thing about it from cat themselves. Everything I’ve read has been 2nd hand from places like country cat or other dealers.
If you want to look at it that way, then the MFG is going to say it wasn't worth the money to pay or assist riders. Bret made it sound like he didn't want to leave Cat very bad.
I have a hard time believing that it's hurting Polaris's bottom line having Caleb K, Kyle Saxton, Brett Turcotte, Chris Burandt all putting out content, Keith Curtis and others winning all the RMSHA races,1/2 the snocross racing field and winning the pro national championship, and dominating XC racing. If they didn't see the value in it they would already be cutting some of those programs with their stock price being down.
I have a hard time believing that it's hurting Polaris's bottom line having Caleb K, Kyle Saxton, Brett Turcotte, Chris Burandt all putting out content, Keith Curtis and others winning all the RMSHA races,1/2 the snocross racing field and winning the pro national championship, and dominating XC racing. If they didn't see the value in it they would already be cutting some of those programs with their stock price being down.
A real good product does not need a lot of marketing. The Catalyst is a great chassis where it fell down last year was with the vibration, something you could not ignore. To me it felt like a mounting problem from the start. Everyone that tried my sled said the same thing that it vibrated. That was there first impression. It would be in AC best interest to address the vibration issue on the 25 models. I am sure the 26 will be much better. The folks that rode my sled never got to realize how good the chassis is cause they were focused on the vibration or brake rattle. My point is if the Catalyst didn't have those two issues the sled would have been selling it self. Instead it did the opposite. I really like what AC did with the 26 those will be awesome sleds. IMO AC needs to step up and up date the 25 fuel map and vibration issues. The gearing and driveshaft / brake i will do myself i just think the improvement is to big to ignore.
I do know for a fact that several buyers last year were waiting in the weeds for a sold fix for the power valve alignment and spark plug caps -that seemed only to be addressed from people like us that had to trouble shoot the on/off fix. That is still in a lot of buyers minds,along with that vibration that seems to have been improved in the 2026 new builds.
Kinda makes a person wonder fully if that is 100% a confirmed fix in the new sleds. Marketing isn't going to say "the prior years issues have been addressed", that would admit fault.
Kinda makes a person wonder fully if that is 100% a confirmed fix in the new sleds. Marketing isn't going to say "the prior years issues have been addressed", that would admit fault.
Cat is already advertising that vibration has been decreased by as much as 50% with new mounts, etc. It was real hard to mess with the G8 with the vibration that was going on. I'm going to approach it as a warranty issue. I never use manufacturer warranty or the extended warranties that I buy, it's about time I get something in return.
C
crossrider
Active member
AC should go about it like many of the Japanese motor sport companies, build reliable and affordable. The Catalyst chassis is a very good platform, make it "bulletproof" and offer it for less then the competitions offerings of equal build. Many Honda products are middle of the road performance wise, but they carry a strong reputation for reliability and affordability. The alternative would be the KTM model of catering to the performance minded and at a premium price. I don't see AC hanging with BRP and Polaris unless they take a different approach.
I adjusted the power valve bracket when i picked up the sled and never had any issues. Could it be improved sure but for me it is not a concern. As for the spark plug caps simply going to the Ascender caps should solve the issue rubber type compared to the plastic ones on the Catalyst. I do believe the vibration was the root cause for the spark plug caps as I never heard of any issues on the 600 Catalyst.
S
SnöSkoter
Active member
Good idea.
But getting it 'bulletproof' costs time and (more) money. And then time to prove this; buyers need to experience, and attest to, the sleds being 'bulletproof'.
I don't think they currently have that extra money, after the buy. Nor the time.
Us trail rider's would like to see a softer seat on the machines or an optional seat, maybe air an bladder inside.
I don't know how much money AC has or doesn't have, what I do know is their sleds needs to to better than the competition out of the box. That is the only way they are going to gain market share. There are only so many sled buyers and in order to grow they need to get customers back that went to the other 2 or attract new customers. If they don't have the time or money to get it right the first time I doubt they will have either the second or third time. AC is in a tough spot right now mostly due to their own doing. But they have everything they need to turn this around the Catalyst is a winner and the changes for 26 will make it that much better.
Yes they do (AC) have a lot of eyes on them right now.
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