Finally Picked Up An Alpha One

[Frostbite]

I know I asked enough damned questions of you guys but, I finally quit messing around a bought a used 2020 Alpha One. I picked it up today. It was a great buy and it's a 2020 Hardcore 165 with Electric Start and 349 miles. It came with the full heavy duty Cat skid plate installed and a rear Sled Solutions bag with Linq brackets. I really love the electric start. It nice the sled was broken in for me. I will be sealing up the intake. Replacing the stock heavy battery with a lithium one. I have some mod plans in place but, I do have some questions for those of you in the know.
1. I know the stock exhaust canister has to go but, what's the best option to replace it with? I am looking at a Diamond S or BDX Titanium Cans, a modded stock pipe or a full pipe system. How about the Y pipe?
2. I keep reading the front track shock needs some attention. Should I get a heavier replacement spring for the shock, send it to Nextech or something else?
3. The stock one may be OK in the end but, Is there a taller Arctic Cat green bar riser available?
4. Should I even mess with the clutching or just try it the way it is first?
5. Skis - how are the 2020 Cat Mountain Skis? I would probably look at Mohawks, Grippers or Powder pros as replacements.
6. ECM tunes - Who's ECM tune do you recommend?
7.What are the the best shock settings for 170 -175 pound rider (without gear).
8. I will be replacing the front and rear bumpers as well. Suggestions?

That's probably plenty of questions for now. Thanks again for all the help guys.

 

[Octanee]

You can spend a lot of money on all sorts of "upgrades" but truth is these new sleds are pretty damn good from the factory. For me and my years riding sleds, the factory clutching is spot on, maybe not perfect for some but never blow a belt and run it hard all day?.


Ecm tune wise there is so little info or dyno on it to prove anything. Precision efi?, I was talking with a fella who went with a bike man flash, he was not too happy overall with it, If I remember right he did pipes on stock flash which he gained more rpm, then went to, the bike man flash and lost rpm, didn't felt it pulled as good, I guess they didn't care to help him out at all on the customer service side.


If you want power, a turbos the way to go. I didn't plan to turbo mine and I may not, but I picked up a kit for $1000 cad or like 700 usd?, will have to get ecm flash done so $500 there but for ~ 1200 usd I'm sure a full exhaust set and the flash will cost much more and your adding a small amount of power VS guaranteed power.


I'd leave it alone and just ride it and go from there

 

[summ8rmk]

Clutching is great from the factory.
Expect the belt to last 3-5 times longer than ur 15.
Check for cracks in the primary after every ride. It may last 500mi or 5,000mi but u do not want it to explode. Its just the outer sheave u need to inspect. But be very thorough. I can send pics of mine if u want.

The bar height feels good to me at 5'11" and a 6'1" wingspan. Tilt the riser forward, u want it 90° to the floor. That moves the bars forward almost 2" and is very comfy bombing down the trail and boondocking.
Much better than my 14/16 with telescoping riser.
My 20 Khaos, i had to raise the bars 1.75"and move them back 1" and the Alpha still feels better.

U will be amazed with the deep snow traction. Smiles for miles.



Sent it

 

[boondocker97]

About time! A lot of things are personal preference. Ride it first then decide what you like or don't like, decide what the goal for the sled is, and then focus your mod budget accordingly.

I haven't seen medium or hyper green accessory risers from cat. Only Team Arctic green which won't match.

Some of the BDX stuff is designed and prototyped here and then produced in China. I would ask them where their silencer is actually produced.

Congrats on the sled!

 

[sno*jet]

my first mods on that sled would be the accessory mountain seat and relocating the lightweight battery up by the can probably.
I would order a glide washer kit from thunder products and some Ti cover bolts from ZRP. Just use 1 glide washer on the cover side unless you want to raise engagement 50 rpm by putting one on both sides of the spring. It will help clutch life.
while the spring is out, check the range of the clutch. Hold the clutch cover on and push the sheeves together. sheeves should contact eachother before anything tries to push the cover out of place. If that checks out you will not need to be concerned with exploding clutches imo.

 

[Old & slow]

I know I asked enough damned questions of you guys but, I finally quit messing around a bought a used 2020 Alpha One. I picked it up today. It was a great buy and it's a 2020 Hardcore 165 with Electric Start and 500 miles. It came with the full heavy duty Cat skid plate installed and a rear Sled Solutions bag with Linq brackets. I really love the electric start. It nice the sled was broken in for me. I will be sealing up the intake. Replacing the stock heavy battery with a lithium one. I have some mod plans in place but, I do have some questions for those of you in the know.
1. I know the stock exhaust canister has to go but, what's the best option to replace it with? I am looking at a Diamond S or BDX Titanium Cans, a modded stock pipe or a full pipe system. How about the Y pipe?
2. I keep reading the front track shock needs some attention. Should I get a heavier replacement spring for the shock, send it to Nextech or something else?
3. The stock one may be OK in the end but, Is there a taller Arctic Cat green bar riser available?
4. Should I even mess with the clutching or just try it the way it is first?
5. Skis - how are the 2020 Cat Mountain Skis? I would probably look at Mohawks, Grippers or Powder pros as replacements.
6. ECM tunes - Who's ECM tune do you recommend?
7.What are the the best shock settings for 170 -175 pound rider (without gear).
8. I will be replacing the front and rear bumpers as well. Suggestions?

That's probably plenty of questions for now. Thanks again for all the help guys.

Congrats on the new sled, excellent choice.
When sealing the intake i found that when reassembling the top piece where the screens go it is best to disassemble the screen from the cover and set everything in place and reassemble. I know I am not explaining this very well but i have seen where guys just muscle the cover on over the headlight and the screens under the frog skin will come apart. It is hard to see when they are not in right. I am sure you will figure this out when you do the work. Basically you need to take out 3 screws on each side and reinstall when the top cover is in place. I would also recommend installing the air defender or one of your own making as a secondary filtering.
I am not sure if a green riser is available but a black one is.
The clutching is pretty good out of the box, can it be improved for sure. How much ??? I don't know and the cost well that's up to you. Personally i would try it first and learn the sled these Alpha's take a little getting used to. Get your suspension dialed in and get comfortable with how this thing works and handles first. They are pretty amazing in stock form. Depending on how and where you ride you may want an elevate kit over all the other stuff you listed. Enjoy your new ride.

 

[Frostbite]

Thank you guys, I know it's about time. I wanted to be able to pay cash, so it took me a longer time than I thought to save up the money.

I plan on keeping my 15 Proclimb for now so I have a twin rail available in sketchy snow conditions. However, I look at the belt drive on it and am contemplating stealing it and putting it on the Alpha. I talked to Tom at TKI and he said I just need an upper pulley and something for the oil pump?

I already put a $200 deposit down with Iceage for an Elevate kit.

I could steal the Grippers off my 2015 if the stock 2020 Cat mountain skis aren't any better than their previous versions.

As far as pipes. My last two Cat Suzuki 800's has SLP full single pipe sets. This time I am more interesting in saving weight and keeping the sled fairly quiet. Hence, my interest in titanium silencers. I think I may be able to get where I want to be with a Diamond S titanium silence, stock pipe mod, an ECM update and high compression heads?

I will also probably be adding a raised handle rear bumper and a front Mountain Bumper of some sort. The stock Snow Flap has to go as well.

With the Hardcore, do I need to do any tunnel reinforcements?

I will be building a prioritized list and killing it off as I can afford.

 

[MTN_VIPER]

Congrats Frostbite, I think you'll really like it especially after you get some miles on it. I would recommend playing around with the suspension settings and getting a good feel for the machine. The front skid spring/shock pressure makes a huge difference on how the sled handles. You can make it as lively or tone it down for your preference.

I have a Diamond S Ti can and really like it. Yeah they are expensive, but it is the quietest can I have ever owned (barely louder then stock) and is well made. Plus they are made in the USA, which I feel is important.

 

[Frostbite]

Thanks MTN_VIPER, time will tell which way I will go but, I am looking forward to riding this sled!

 

[Dam Dave]

DO NOT buy MDS weights for a 2020, wont work, something binds , went back to stock clutching and it rips, just adjust weight for elavation

 

[Frostbite]

Thanks Dam Dave. I read that a while back.

It's really strange how they work great on 2018 and 2019 models but won't allow the sled to make RPM on the 2020's.

I wasn't sure if the stock weights could be greatly improved upon with another aftermarket set of clutch weights?

How about clutch springs? Are the stock clutch springs optimal or can they be improved upon?

 

[goridedoo]

BM Fab leads the industry in quality of ANY aftermarket parts IMO, I would buy their bumpers.

I would also buy Diamond S over BDX all day just for the quality, but that does come at a cost.

 

[ullose272]

Diamond s ti can, running boards are a must imo, elevate kit, and tki belt drive. I am going to find some grippers over the summer, i feel the stock skis have maybe too deep a keel and too grabby/hard to steer.

 

[kiliki]

Diamond s ti for the win and I have had all the others
Grippers YES!
you can get a riser from cat I took off all the green so I just went with the black one.
clutching is good from the factory
Did the silber flash on my 19 and was good my 2020 got a 2* key and thats it

 

[F7arcticcat]

I have a 14 bb with nitrous, mod after mod after mod, i like tuning and dinking around like everyone else. then bought a 19 alpha and I've managed to only put an hps can and ssi adjustable magnet weights in it. I am 100% satisfied and love riding this sled. This motor is awesome and so smooth. I have no ambition to change anything else. Get a can and some adjustable weights and ride it. You will be blown away. Keep the skis as well. I've had powder pros, currently have grippers on my 14 and these new cat skis are just as good. Congrats, awesome looking sled! You will need to adjust your brain to realize you dont need to spend another three grand to get it to perform!

 

[Frostbite]

That's great input guys. If I don't have to mod a sled to make it work, it will be a huge adjustment for sure.

What measurements should my ski and track shocks springs be set? I see a whole thread on Fox shock air pressures but very little on setting up Hardcore suspensions.

I see my skis are set at about 35 1/2" center to center. That seems a bit narrow to me. I tend to like 37" on my twin rail sleds and I am thinking that I should be at least that wide on an Alpha?

I just briefly read some of the manual and I see the primary spring looks to have a nice low engagement with a 85/260 rate.

I have to check the track tension as well. I see the tension adjusted but, how do you adjust the track side to side, or do you even have to?

 

[summ8rmk]

Loosen the axle bolt and tighten the one adjustment bolt. Very simple. Make the track tighter than any arctic cat track u have ever ran, almost polaris tight.

Other than that, gas and oil till u get a few rides in. Then decide if u need to change anything. U will be pleasantly surprised.

Sent it

 

[xpturbo600]

I have built a lot of sleds. To be honest, you need to ride it first before you change everything. The reason is you dont know how the sled is balanced, what bugs you, what you like, how a change will affect your comfort level, etc. Unless you want an big increase in power, you would be wise to save the money until you know whether the sled makes you happy or not. Everyone has opinions based on their weight, biomechanical advantages, skill level, etc. The feed back you get may be great or way off. Be patient and just take it for a ride first. The new sleds are really capable. You may be surpirsed.

Also, from a weight distribution sense, do not relocate the battery forward if you can avoid it. Most of the weight is forward. Your better off by shifting weight rearward if you can.

 

[summ8rmk]

I second the battery location. Leave it in the seat, don't move it forward.
My Alpha is much lighter at the back bumper than my Khaos and much heavier at the front.

Sent it

 

[Fredrik]

I have tried both slp mohawks and powder pros on a rmk a prefer mohawk great ski just a little to wide, on cat a single keel works best the skis tilt when turning so sidekeel will push center keel loose if you turn to much, grippers are a one year ski and push to much but stears easy, i prefer powder pros on cat perfect with single keel but you need to train if your riding multiple days.