2012 Arctic Cat Awsome !!

[Sasquatch]

Oh I have to throw this in the mix. Let the public test in the real world! Seems like all the testing that is done before Joe Public gets it still misses the real world problems that come up after the release! That has always puzzled me!

 

[low slung]

talked to Glen hall. this sled has been tested for four years. Plus they tested a lot of stuff on the snowcross track.

there could be issues but they have a lot riding on this sled. I hope they have the bugs worked out.

True,but they don,t race there four-stroke on a snow cross track(Yamaha had the guts to do this and win there second race in 2007 on the nytro).

 

[stopdropanroll]

Just an observation from last night reading about new cats (wife had tv on HGTV so I grabbed the coputer). They do look really sharp especially black 50th with retro paint job, love it. Looking at the perfornance line and the crossover line there are 23 sleds offered. Of the 23 sleds there is (1) 500 model, (5) 800 model, and (17) 1100 models. Of the (17) 1100 models (7) of them are turbo. If I'm not mistaken the 1100 without turbo is like a 600cc class sled. So I've heard a lot of hype about how cats are going light, ok. Thats (6) sleds out of (23) lighter. Here is the part that makes me smile and why I'm holding on to my '06 RTX. On a swedish site the cat weights were posted and 1100 turbo at 550 lbs dry and my apex is 560 all day long w/ oil gas (how much gas I don't know.) They really aren't offering anything to me that I didn't get six years ago. Don't get me wrong I think it looks like they have some nice sleds, but in this economy, I'll keep my Apex. The prices for all new sleds are crazy. Just my thoughts.

I will bet that the new Cats are far more "balanced" then the Apex, when your talking 4s there will always be a wieght factor, but you also have to understand that the turbo and all things related are going to add some weight as well. I have seen the chassis and they really have got that motor slung very low, which is one thing Yamaha should be doing with their sleds, I think it would make a huge difference. I hope that this new chassis provokes Yamaha into re-thinking how they are building their sleds, if you dont want to make them light, then make them balanced better, one of the main reasons I am jumping ship is because of the Nytro handling, on trail it is unpredictable and nervous, and off trail it is very difficult to handle. I want something that dosent require so much money, time, and effort to do the things I just stated correctly.

 

[MarkRTX]

I have been brand loyal to Yamaha for many years. That said I ride with skidoos and a few cats and must say I'm impressed with the cats. They ALL have issues but will say that out of the three Cat at least does recalls and fixes the problem. Are they as tight in the fit and finish well thats can be up for debate. Just how the plastic fits isn't all that I consider fit and finish. I say that out of the box as far as everyday use yamaha has just as many if not more issues. The Nytros suck without skis and other addons the Apexes well since 2006 till what 2009 the rear suspensions sucked as far as calibration and being able to hold up without breaking. The skis suck without spending the extra to get 250 dollar runners or new skis altogether. And for the average joe who takes there sled in for service the going rate of 250 or so for a full service well in a skidoo thats alot of oil and the cats too. I do love my Apex LTX the power and sound. And I don't mind doing small stuff but for the price and all the other add ons that REALLY need to be done its like Yamaha just doesn't care or wants to listen. If Yamaha doesn't change the tide in the next 2 to 3 years for the first time I will be trying another manufacturer most likely Cat. And I ride very aggressive and my friend with a F7 is right there with me with less mods and has over 5k miles and still going strong. Yeah it'll blow up sooner or later but the 1500 or so to rebulid it will still be less than all the necessary stuff the Apexes need. Skis, revalve, clutch kit, updated rear suspension, broken RA cables, slides, wheels hand warmers worth a crap and some other stuff I'm guessing too. So add up the cost and figure it out. Not as good as we all think. My 2 cents

 

[favarcat]

Good post. I put 8200 miles on an '04 F7 and lost 1 idler wheel. I wanted a 4stroke and Yamaha was the best 4stroke at the time, so went '06 Attak and I'm glad I did. BUT, In the first 8200 miles on my Attak I replaced every idler wheel twice, 1 slide rail cracked, shocks rebuilt to ride good, handwarmers not warm, $100 carbides to stop darting, exhaust gaskets, cracked oil tank, 3 sets of slides, broken ground wire to fuel pump, RA cable broken so many times I finally took it off and blocked the hole, and cracked y-pipe. Even after all that it is still a reliable sled, but they are far from maintenance free or set-up well. More maintenace than the Cats I had and more adjusting and money into the Yamaha to get them to work out of the box. I'm riding my Attak 1 more year because I have a job right now for 1 more winter that gives me not much time to ride. But when I'm retired the following winter, I will be back on Cat.