kingofthehill
Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2009
- Messages
- 31
My local arctic cat dealer just put out a bearcat TZ1 XT 4 stroke and I tried it out today. Very nice handling and comfortable machine. Very light feel on the front end. Great on the trails (better than my venture TF).Soaks up the bumps really well. No deep snow to try it out in. Kind off ugly and not as sweet an engine as the genesis. Much more storage than the VK. Fit and finish not near as good as yamaha.No low gear. Its a great handling machine and I would be hardpressed to pass this one up as a dual purpose snowmachine.
air19
Pro
It may depend on your dual purpose use, how heavy duty your work applications are. I'm a groomer and I won't consider a sled without low gear.
If you are looking for a good riding sled the majority of the time and an occasional pull it could work out.
But for my everyday pulling needs, low gear, good cooling, and lots of torque are must haves.
If you are looking for a good riding sled the majority of the time and an occasional pull it could work out.
But for my everyday pulling needs, low gear, good cooling, and lots of torque are must haves.
kingofthehill
Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2009
- Messages
- 31
I understand what ur saying. You have a very specialized use for your machine. But for the average user who actually wants a multipurpose for trail riding,ice fishing, pulling the odd load around, breaking trail once in awhile, I think the bearcat would be a better machine. The bottom end torque the bearcat has and the pulling torque the VK has in high gear is plenty for most people. Dont get me wrong , I love that VK but the heavy front end and the inferior skid now make it in my view fall behind the bearcat.With that genesis engine and the fit and finish that no one can match, a better skid and a bit of weight loss would make it the one to own.
eric3793
Pro
Don't expect the Cat to be much lighter than the VK. It has a 1000cc 4-stroke and the dry weight is within a few pounds of the Yamaha. The secondary clutch is much larger so the need for low range is reduced somewhat. I ride with a friend who swears by his '04 660 Bearcat and I must admit, it rides nice in the bumps and handles much better than my VK. The VK out pulls it because of the power difference...50hp vs: 120hp.
We looked at the new Bearcat closely last week and came away impressed. I agree that for a multi-purpose machine, it would be a good choice. It is still a very heavy sled and wider skis should be added for deep snow use. Too bad that they could not come up with a better color choice. Both the blue and green colors seem ugly to me but my friend didn't seem to care about that.
The front and rear bumper/rack system is really cool with square receivers for a winch or other accessories. A ice auger mount comes to mind for the back rack. The pintle style hitch is very heavy duty. The brochure said something about mounting a plow on the front receiver??? It would be fun plowing the ice or perhaps a small plow for filling ditches when grooming...I bet that gets air19 thinking!
We looked at the new Bearcat closely last week and came away impressed. I agree that for a multi-purpose machine, it would be a good choice. It is still a very heavy sled and wider skis should be added for deep snow use. Too bad that they could not come up with a better color choice. Both the blue and green colors seem ugly to me but my friend didn't seem to care about that.
The front and rear bumper/rack system is really cool with square receivers for a winch or other accessories. A ice auger mount comes to mind for the back rack. The pintle style hitch is very heavy duty. The brochure said something about mounting a plow on the front receiver??? It would be fun plowing the ice or perhaps a small plow for filling ditches when grooming...I bet that gets air19 thinking!
waynes
Veteran
I don't know if any of you guys are familar with Cains' quest, but it is one of the most severe snowmobile endurance races in the world and takes place in the wilds of Labrador. This is all off trail. You aren't allowed to use groomed trails. The first year it was won by two gentlemen on vk pros. If these sleds are such pigs and cows compared to the other utility sleds you wouldn't think that this machine would be able to perform well enough to even place let alone win. (Unless they were driven by supermen)This is a true test for man and machine. There isn't a utility sled or any other sled for that matter that you can't find faults with. However I don't think my next sled will be a yamaha. I have had far too many problems(Gaskets,clutch problems, bearings, electrical, frozen seats) with the two vk pros that I have owned to purchase another. With regard to handling every four-stroke out there has issues as they are all top heavy.
air19
Pro
eric3793 said:
This sounds like a great idea. I would have a winch for sure that I could pull the sled out from the front, or pull my groomer from behind if I dropped it at the bottom of a killer hill. I have a friend who grooms with a tracked ATV and he has a plow set up front. Uses it mostly to clear the parking lot, but I'll have to ask him if he has ever used it on the trails.
Thanks
greg sellentin
Veteran
I would be very interested in hearing about plow mounts on the front of a VK. We get so much snow here, that sometimes it is easier to plow it off the dog trail than to render it several times and then pack it down. Also if anyone has pros/cons about a plow on a tracked atv.
eric3793
Pro
waynes said:
To be fair, I cannot complain about mechanical issues. I am close to 4000 miles and all I have done is change the oil and grease a few fittings. I'm still on the factory belt. I have not had a machine this trouble free and this good on gas. I'm not using it hard every day but I do groom trails and haul heavy loads of firewood and water. Most of the miles are riding on groomed trails in Aroostook. I used to bring at least one can of gas with me to camp when I had Polaris WTs but I don't need to anymore.
