You should have came down. We rode Alpine on Saturday and the snow up high was unreal. Best snow of the year!
I like the new chassis. Wish I could have taken one for a test ride. Overall they feel and look smaller. The cockpit is way better for a taller rider, so that will be good for you and I; more leg room and you don't feel like you're falling off the back of the seat. One of the design engineers is 6'4" and had a lot of input on the cockpit. The seat and tank are a lot narrower. I think that will be a huge plus technical riding. I can't remember how much lower the engine is, but man it sits low in the chassis; looks significantly lower then the Ascender. The new steering system looks promising. Why it took so long to improve that is kind of stupid. I'm hoping the new steering setup can be retrofitted on an ascender (I'm keeping my current sled regardless). It does feel like you can get more forward, but need to ride one to make a final conclusion. The footwells are more open. I think I will like the stock boards, felt like plenty of traction. I did specifically ask about the boards and the tech said it's pretty 50/50 which version people liked, stock/composite vs the accessory tube version. The composite versions might flex a bit and the tube boards will feel more rigid, assuming. A lot of small things that look a lot better. You can tell they put a lot of effort into simplifying things. Hopefully they release a twin rail version. But honestly, I would give the alpha version a try first. From all reports the alpha setup works better in this chassis and the alpha traction is untouchable. The current twin rail setup will bolt right in, if they make a bad decision and not offer it. I'm sure all the hill climb racers are advocating for a twin rail option. From everything I'm hearing the bigger motor is impressive, power inline with the 9r. Hopefully they have that motor all figured out and setting up the supply chain now. I think it will be a big seller next year.
However, if snowchecks are restricted and pricing is anything close to the 9r/turbo prices, I'm out. Prices are stupid right now and I'm not paying $20K for a sled. There is nothing I don't like about my current sled. Slap some new pistons in it and letter eat for a few more years. Wait for the economy to go boom and get things back to reality. It's coming, not a matter of if, just when. Frankly, the sooner the better. Already starting to see signs of it in housing and automotive. Recreation vehicles will get hit hard, so hopefully they don't get cocky. See what next year brings!