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Bearcat 570

A

alaskajohn

Newbie
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
10
Location
Fairbanks/Tanana, Alaska
I own a '08 VK and I'm looking for a second machine for my wife. The Viking is too much for here to ride. Also I'd like a lighter, better handling trail sled when I get tired of fighting the VK.

What's your thoughts on the Arctic Cat Bearcat 570? What does it weigh?
 

I tried the Bearcat Z1 XT 4 stroke and it felt very nimble on the trail but I never got the chance to try it in tight woods or the deep stuff. Weight wise its not much lighter than the VK. The 570 would be much lighter being a 2 stroke and is not a widetrack so I imagine it would be much nimbler and easier to throw around.

How you fighting with the VK? You sure you want to go to a 2stroke?
 
longtrack,

The Viking is a horrible beast on unbroken trail. Top heavy, little flotation. It is a real problem to get unstuck due to it's weight. It's ok once a trail has been broken and it is a great freight hauler. I've learned to a accept it's limitations, which are many. I want a much lighter, nimble utility sled for the wife to ride and for me to use riding back country trails. I feel the two-stroke would be considerably lighter. The Viking will always be there to take care of serious freight hauling. I would like to stay with Yamaha, but there isn't any models that seem to fit what I need. Arctic Cat is my next choice, as that is what my dealer sells and the price of the 570 seems reasonable. I really don't want to spend much over 7 grand. I'm open to any suggestions what would work for me.
 
Have a friend with one and she owns a lodge at Shell Lake by Skwentna. I rode it a couple of weeks ago grooming her runway and pulling her son's viking out of a hole. It definately did not have the power of a viking- which I have time on- but it was comfortable to ride, liked the electronic reverse, liked the sit-up/rider forward seat. Huge rack on the back which you can get a 3-up seat for. Not sure about a heavy load in powder- I was pulling a drag and got into overflow and got into trouble.

Being 2-stroke, it had electric start and pull start so if you're going remote something to consider. You're right- stay Yamaha and your only choice is the BRAVO- no fun on a long ride.

David :yam:
 
Wanna,

Power is not an issue. When the wife and I are on trips together, the VK will pull the sled and haul the cargo. I want a machine that is capable of breaking trail ahead of the VK that she can handle. We live in remote Alaska on the Yukon river and it's 120 miles downriver to the next Village. The trail blows in often and has to be rebroke, if one can find it at all. The VK doesn't do well in those conditions, but can effortlessly pull a huge load on a broken trail. The VK is also quite hard to start at -30F or colder. Considering the remoteness of where we go, it is nice to have a 2-stroke along that starts easily in those temps. Could be a life saver.

I go into a remote cabin about 40 miles on an extremely rough trail. Really not a trail at all, just a track a guy breaks out with a Bravo to his cabin. The VK is not the right machine for the job, not alone anyway. Two or three time a year I go in with a couple guys who ride skandics and haul freight. The VK does well then as freighter as long as the other machine are breaking a good trail and can assist me when I get stuck(I'm usually pulling the heavy sled). It would be nice to have a second machine I could jump on and take a quick ride into the cabin to check things out, without a lot of trouble. Again the 570 may be the wrong machine, but the Bravo is certainly not the answer. We plan a ride to Kotz this spring, 800 plus miles, would not be fun on a Bravo.
 
Wanna,

Power is not an issue. When the wife and I are on trips together, the VK will pull the sled and haul the cargo. I want a machine that is capable of breaking trail ahead of the VK that she can handle. We live in remote Alaska on the Yukon river and it's 120 miles downriver to the next Village. The trail blows in often and has to be rebroke, if one can find it at all. The VK doesn't do well in those conditions, but can effortlessly pull a huge load on a broken trail. The VK is also quite hard to start at -30F or colder. Considering the remoteness of where we go, it is nice to have a 2-stroke along that starts easily in those temps. Could be a life saver.

I go into a remote cabin about 40 miles on an extremely rough trail. Really not a trail at all, just a track a guy breaks out with a Bravo to his cabin. The VK is not the right machine for the job, not alone anyway. Two or three time a year I go in with a couple guys who ride skandics and haul freight. The VK does well then as freighter as long as the other machine are breaking a good trail and can assist me when I get stuck(I'm usually pulling the heavy sled). It would be nice to have a second machine I could jump on and take a quick ride into the cabin to check things out, without a lot of trouble. Again the 570 may be the wrong machine, but the Bravo is certainly not the answer. We plan a ride to Kotz this spring, 800 plus miles, would not be fun on a Bravo.
 
Sorry about the double post, guys.

Long,

The Venture MP is more money than I want to spend and I'm not sure if I want the 500 engine. A friend had a 500 and found it hard to start in temps below 0F. Do you have any info on the weight of the MP? Again, I've yet to get a weight of the 570. Seems Arctic Cat likes to keep weights a secret.
 
the 2007 bearcat 570 is 560 pounds with the older chassis and a 2 up on it. Search powersports network
 
AlaskaJohn,

The one thing that was not so good was turning radius. You couldn't stand on 1 side and get it to turn in a short radius.

The person I know is a 70 year old women running the lodge on her own and she's liking it. She's had tundra forever. Her son stuck his viking on a vertical slope at the edge of the lake. We put a rope on them I started snatching him out and it only took a couple of pulls and he was out.

Call Zoe at Shell Lake Lodge (907-733-2817) and ask her how it is doing. She only had it a couple of weeks but was really enjoying it. There's a couple of them on the lake and others were looking at getting them.
 
I'm kinda in the same boat you are although my snowmobiling needs arent as extreme as yours. Been debating on buying a VK but opted instead on another venture tf, the 2010 updated model. The TF is a utility version of the venture, with the wide skis, 151" track and flip rail. Its still a big heavy machine but not the beast the VK is. I love the ergos on the VK and the storage, but I dont pull heavy loads and do quite a bit of trail riding. When I'm ready for another machine I'll probly keep the TF and buy a small, light utility to break trail in those faraway fishing holes and play in the woods around my camp.
 
Long,

I'll always keep the VK. I see no need to upgrade the machine, as it does what is was designed to do, pull big loads. As it becomes more battered, I'll do some major mods to lighten it, exhaust changes, maybe turbo if fuel economics seem reasonable($5.80 per gallon gas in Tanana).

The second machine I'll run a couple years and trade if something better comes along. Still haven't decided if the 570 is the one. Momma is in Fairbanks today, she's gonna go take a look at one. Really no way of knowing if it's the right machine until she takes it on rough, unbroken back trail.
 
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