5 Mountain rides in, pros and cons

[richardderkevorkian]

Sled,


Original sled, 146M with E start, Rode it twice with the 146 2.6 before swapping it to a 154 2.6, it is an absolute blast as a 146 and I plan to swap it back to a 146 for the spring time. Wheelie monster but it is to short for the fluffy December/January Alaska snow.

Last 3 rides have been with 154 2.6 swapped into the sled. This sled is extremely capable. It handles better than the Ascender in every way (I've had twin rail, Alpha, and Alpha elevated ascenders)

Pros
-It's extremely light feeling while riding.
-The Alpha rail works 10X better in this chassis and doesn’t randomly try to eat your lunch like it did in the ascender.
-Intake and plastics are awesome, rode in 3' of blower pow yesterday with no issues. My buddies boosts were falling on their face all day from snow on the belt and powder bogs.
-It's dang near impossible to get this thing stuck with a 154 and the 146 tunnel. Just pin it and pull it over backwards.
-Track swap is 10X easier than Ascender
-I’m getting 46/47 MPH track speed on climbs with some clutching and a Speedwerx l2 can which surprised me. this is similar to my 2019 ascender 800. 2,500' elevation
-Removable hood is very nice, I’ve had the hood off 10-15 times and it's great
-Overall the sled is easier to work on and pretty much everything seems more accessible than on previous cats.

Cons
-The plastic running board gussets in the back aren't going to cut it for mountain riders. I would break 3 or 4 of the cast ones on the Ascender a season, I've broken 5 of the catalyst ones... They are cheap and very simple to replace. If you are an aggressive rider that does hop overs buy the Hardcore boards until someone provides us an aftermarket rear gusset option.
-The stock shock valving is setup for someone that weighs like 150 lbs. geared up... Very soft, and if you try to compensate with spring rate you get bucked because the rebound is way too fast. Big step backwards from the QS3 floats or coil overs on previous sleds. I used to revalve those as well but they were much better stock for stock



Overall this sleds a win for cat. the cons are easily remedied. If I still had my elevated 800 ascender I would never ride it. This chassis with an 858 will be the best sled on the snow in my opinion.

Here's a video of it through the trees.

 

[Solid Turbos]

Sled,


Original sled, 146M with E start, Rode it twice with the 146 2.6 before swapping it to a 154 2.6, it is an absolute blast as a 146 and I plan to swap it back to a 146 for the spring time. Wheelie monster but it is to short for the fluffy December/January Alaska snow.

Last 3 rides have been with 154 2.6 swapped into the sled. This sled is extremely capable. It handles better than the Ascender in every way (I've had twin rail, Alpha, and Alpha elevated ascenders)

Pros
-It's extremely light feeling while riding.
-The Alpha rail works 10X better in this chassis and doesn’t randomly try to eat your lunch like it did in the ascender.
-Intake and plastics are awesome, rode in 3' of blower pow yesterday with no issues. My buddies boosts were falling on their face all day from snow on the belt and powder bogs.
-It's dang near impossible to get this thing stuck with a 154 and the 146 tunnel. Just pin it and pull it over backwards.
-Track swap is 10X easier than Ascender
-I’m getting 46/47 MPH track speed on climbs with some clutching and a Speedwerx l2 can which surprised me. this is similar to my 2019 ascender 800. 2,500' elevation
-Removable hood is very nice, I’ve had the hood off 10-15 times and it's great
-Overall the sled is easier to work on and pretty much everything seems more accessible than on previous cats.

Cons
-The plastic running board gussets in the back aren't going to cut it for mountain riders. I would break 3 or 4 of the cast ones on the Ascender a season, I've broken 5 of the catalyst ones... They are cheap and very simple to replace. If you are an aggressive rider that does hop overs buy the Hardcore boards until someone provides us an aftermarket rear gusset option.
-The stock shock valving is setup for someone that weighs like 150 lbs. geared up... Very soft, and if you try to compensate with spring rate you get bucked because the rebound is way too fast. Big step backwards from the QS3 floats or coil overs on previous sleds. I used to revalve those as well but they were much better stock for stock



Overall this sleds a win for cat. the cons are easily remedied. If I still had my elevated 800 ascender I would never ride it. This chassis with an 858 will be the best sled on the snow in my opinion.

Here's a video of it through the trees.

Very nice write up. Anxious to try this out with our Solid Turbo on it. We should be able to get it up to 190-200hp at elevation.


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[richardderkevorkian]

Very nice write up. Anxious to try this out with our Solid Turbo on it. We should be able to get it up to 190-200hp at elevation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

these sleds with 190 hp will be insane! if you need some sea level mt testing done let me know

 

[turboless terry]

Awesome but your sled is obnoxious. Excited to try my daughters sled out. Shocks will be fine for her. If i could've found a 154 i would have bought it and boosted it. I'll wait and see what i think and boost an 858.
Hows the ride. The alpha was always the worst ride ever in the ascender. Also curious on washout but your snow looks right up the alphas alley.

 

[richardderkevorkian]

Awesome but your sled is obnoxious. Excited to try my daughters sled out. Shocks will be fine for her. If i could've found a 154 i would have bought it and boosted it. I'll wait and see what i think and boost an 858.
Hows the ride. The alpha was always the worst ride ever in the ascender. Also curious on washout but your snow looks right up the alphas alley.

I tested the speedwerx trail can and l2, the trail can is much quiter but also a bit heavier.

Ride as in on bumps or how it handles? It sucks on the bumps because of the shocks. Handling is much improved over the ascender alpha. I can ride across ruts and old snow no problem. It's way more predictable

 

[boondocker97]

-The Alpha rail works 10X better in this chassis and doesn’t randomly try to eat your lunch like it did in the ascender.

Handling is much improved over the ascender alpha. I can ride across ruts and old snow no problem. It's way more predictable

I'm glad to hear this. My biggest gripe with the Alpha skid was the unpredictability on old ruts/holes and crusty snow conditions.

Second gripe is rail durability. I guess we'll see how that goes.

 

[kanedog]

Sled,


Original sled, 146M with E start, Rode it twice with the 146 2.6 before swapping it to a 154 2.6, it is an absolute blast as a 146 and I plan to swap it back to a 146 for the spring time. Wheelie monster but it is to short for the fluffy December/January Alaska snow.

Last 3 rides have been with 154 2.6 swapped into the sled. This sled is extremely capable. It handles better than the Ascender in every way (I've had twin rail, Alpha, and Alpha elevated ascenders)

Pros
-It's extremely light feeling while riding.
-The Alpha rail works 10X better in this chassis and doesn’t randomly try to eat your lunch like it did in the ascender.
-Intake and plastics are awesome, rode in 3' of blower pow yesterday with no issues. My buddies boosts were falling on their face all day from snow on the belt and powder bogs.
-It's dang near impossible to get this thing stuck with a 154 and the 146 tunnel. Just pin it and pull it over backwards.
-Track swap is 10X easier than Ascender
-I’m getting 46/47 MPH track speed on climbs with some clutching and a Speedwerx l2 can which surprised me. this is similar to my 2019 ascender 800. 2,500' elevation
-Removable hood is very nice, I’ve had the hood off 10-15 times and it's great
-Overall the sled is easier to work on and pretty much everything seems more accessible than on previous cats.

Cons
-The plastic running board gussets in the back aren't going to cut it for mountain riders. I would break 3 or 4 of the cast ones on the Ascender a season, I've broken 5 of the catalyst ones... They are cheap and very simple to replace. If you are an aggressive rider that does hop overs buy the Hardcore boards until someone provides us an aftermarket rear gusset option.
-The stock shock valving is setup for someone that weighs like 150 lbs. geared up... Very soft, and if you try to compensate with spring rate you get bucked because the rebound is way too fast. Big step backwards from the QS3 floats or coil overs on previous sleds. I used to revalve those as well but they were much better stock for stock



Overall this sleds a win for cat. the cons are easily remedied. If I still had my elevated 800 ascender I would never ride it. This chassis with an 858 will be the best sled on the snow in my opinion.

Here's a video of it through the trees.

Nice pull! Please post more wfo pulls with no blips, it ruins my orgasm when you blip the throttle on a big climb hahahahaha

 

[Daner1978]

Very nice write up. Anxious to try this out with our Solid Turbo on it. We should be able to get it up to 190-200hp at elevation.


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Does this one not have the solid Turbo’s or was that a stock catalyst 600?

 

[richardderkevorkian]

Does this one not have the solid Turbo’s or was that a stock catalyst 600?

This sled has a stock motor with a speedwerx can and clutching

 

[GoBigParts]

That is great to hear. I had a feeling this was going to be a great sled. I believe others may want to know as well but has anyone that has one owned a Axsys or Matryx mountain sled to compare it to. I know many said it would take a lot to be better on a first year new sled. From the reviews I've seen it looks like Cat has a legit winner on their hands.

 

[ijstjohn]

Have not owned but spent a decent amount of time on Axys and Matryx. My first impressions of the Catalyst are very good. One thing that actually came to mind is that I think those that are familiar with the Matryx chassis will like the Catalyst chassis and it would be a pretty easy transition between the 2. Nimble and light feel to it. It feels like they built some "rigidity" into the chassis. It seems to have a more stable/predictable feel when sidehilling compared to the Ascender. As others have said, for a 600 it runs good. I don't think it will have a problem getting around at all. Motor wise, it's obviously not going to walk all over, nor outdo an 800 or 850 but it will hang in there. Low end doesn't have the snap of the 800+ but has a strong mid and upper range so as long as you are in it, she'll get you most places.

Other notes:

-Suspension is a bit soft for me but not horrible. I'm probably 205 all geared up
+Fit and finish appears to be pretty good. Panels and hood fit good, over all look is awesome.
+Heated goggle storage area is super nice
-Gauge got some condensation in it on yesterdays ride
-The rear gussets that Richard was talking about above ^definitely look to be a weak point. If you break on its not like you are dead in the water but could get annoying. I think BM Fab has some goods on the way.
-The seat is probably a touch high for preference. It sits you up pretty tall which is nice if you are sitting alot I guess but overall not that big of deal.
+I will say jumping between my 2023 Mountain Cat and the Catalyst, it makes the Ascender feel dated for sure.

Keep in mind snow conditions were super low, just barely enough to get off trail in some spots but pretty sketchy so no "real" riding to give a proper review. I've got in just over 4 hours. In general this chassis is definitely an improvement and if first impression hold true an 858 would make this sled pretty wild. Once we get some snow and I can actually push it, I'll try and do a follow up post.

 

[hansenmac]

how do the hand warmers work. i see they show 4 different positions on the guage.

 

[richardderkevorkian]

how do the hand warmers work. i see they show 4 different positions on the guage.

Really hot.

 

[inspectorgadget]

I just hope I will be able to rent an 858 Catalyst next season. The 600 looks amazing.

 

[Albatroz]

How is everyone liking their catalyst?

 

[Turbo Thompson]

Has anyone had their catalyst out in over the hood pow this year? I know one local guy got his out on a super deep day at 10k feet and was pretty disappointed. I think this pow snow year is actually doing cat favors. I will be looking to possibly add a boosted 6 to my fleet next year, but I really love for the deepest of days.

 

[kanedog]

Need more info. Was he disappointed in power? Does he suck as a rider?

 

[boondocker97]

More importantly, where was this super deep snow at 10,000'?!!!

 

[kanedog]

Apparently it was “super deep.” The lack of deets and the word super proves this info is unreliable.

 

[Solarguy]

And of course the 600 will become more disappointing the more elevation you gain.
Same with all na sleds and especially with a 600.