2019 Arctic Cat Snowmobiles News. It is sometimes interesting to follow the evolution of companies, and the history allows us to better understand why… Snowmobile enthusiasts are keen on innovation, style, performance, comfort and I could go on like this for several lines… But meeting these requirements for a manufacturer is an incredible headache…
To implement a new technology, it takes years, there are several strategic steps on several aspects… Everyone agrees that a new thing starts somewhere in a brain that says: “This could work! There, there are some embryonic discussions that start, and just this stage can take months, because before making a first draft on a drawing board, there must be approvals by people who believe in the project. Then, when the first draft is released, engineers, development, marketing and so on, analyze it all to give their opinions, and that’s only the beginning… The development people want to produce a perfect machine, but on the other hand, the financial aspect comes to put a brake on the impulse, yes a perfect car, economical, performing, but not at 35 000$ each…
The new products that we are presenting to you for the 2019 season started 5, 6 or 7 years ago and even more! And I can tell you that the confidentiality of these departments is a condition of employment and survival within the company.
Go back six years at Arctic Cat, the company presented us with the first version of the new ProCross chassis in 2012, which replaced the good old Twin Spare. And here we are discussing the big new features, how many changes are made that are minor for the consumer, but major for the manufacturer, and sometimes without the consumer even being aware of them… It’s constant evolution over several years.
All this to explain to you that the consumer, stingy of novelty, would like something new every season! But on the manufacturing side, it is practically impossible to follow such a pace, the production costs would be exorbitant for the consumer.
Alpha One
When it comes to new products that are out of the ordinary, well, here’s one that took everyone by surprise: the new ALPHA One suspension!
Without discussing performance, we must admit that this new suspension brings a completely different thought process to the world of mountain snowmobiles. Will it perform in all off-road conditions or styles? Probably not, but it brings a whole new dimension to the way off-road suspension is designed…
Mono-Rail
The concept of the Alpha revolves around a suspension with a single suspension rail located in the middle of the track. This allows a very high flexibility of the track when tilting the snowmobile. You will understand that there was a lot of development around the track as well… Weight loss between 10 and 11 pounds compared to traditional suspensions. The track is made of extruded aluminum, its interior is hollow, with magnesium fixing points. Less parts and less weight…
At the rear of the suspension are two rollers, located on either side of the track, which support the track and act as tension adjusters, via the adjustment bolt in the center. Those in the know will notice that there is no adjustment to center the track according to the suspension, it remains in place only with the contact between the two monorail slides and the track buttons.
Like any suspension dedicated to the mountain, there is no coupling system linking the rear part with the front. There are two shocks, one for the rear and one for the middle of the snowmobile. In the central position, there is a Fox Float QS3 shock absorber, with three levels of adjustment. On the rear side, the engineers went with a Fox Float 3 QSL, which has two restricted levels, and also a locked position that prevents the shock from moving.
The suspension has four support wheels, two where the rail changes angle, and two completely in front. A snow scraper is standard for icy conditions.
Chenille Power Claw
With such a special suspension, the engineers had no choice but to consider a new track. To address the overheating of the tracks, the engineers built a track with a single set of openings located in the center, to adequately cool it. The position of the 3-inch studs is strategic to facilitate the torsional movement of the track.
New iACT suspension
Snowmobile enthusiasts are consumers who like to keep things simple and fast. The new iACT suspension adjustment system allows you to change the shock resistance from a button on the handlebars. Featured on several models, the system controls both ski shocks, and the rear shock. In fact, it’s the same adjustment range as a FOX QS3 shock, with three firmness settings, but with electronic control. This allows the driver to modify the resistance of the shocks while riding.
Safety cord
In 2019… This is not a luxury, finally a magnetic emergency stop switch with cord. All models will be equipped with it for the new season, easy to use, it brings a safety aspect that became a necessity…
New button for the electronic recoil
We’ve been asking for it for years, finally we have a brand new button to activate the recoil. The simplistic little grey button, very difficult to reach with heavy gloves, is now a thing of the past. Arctic Cat offers us a better positioned button, located on the left side of the handlebars that is easily operated with gloves… Thanks!
Emergency stop button
Une autre modification diteergonomique, on remplace en 2019 le bouton d’arrêt d’urgence à bascule, par un bouton poussoir plus standard. Faut l’avouer, en situation d’urgence, l’ancien bouton demandait un peu d’attention pour l’actionner. Avec ce nouveau concept, c’est rapide efficace et l’on réduit la possibilité de s’y reprendre à deux fois lorsque l’on est en situation d’urgence…
Rear axle with three wheels
Sometimes it’s hard to explain certain changes over the years. Sometimes you have to go back to the basics, and I think that’s the case with the rear casters on the ZR and Cross Country models for 2019. The Slide-Action suspensions in 129- and 137-inch versions now come with three rear support casters.
New main cylinder
For 2019, Arctic Cat snowmobiles will feature a new master cylinder and small brake handle. With a Stealth design, the combination of the lever and master cylinder offers more braking power with less force to operate it!
On the trail
I’m not a very experienced off-road rider, I only ride two or three times a season where I tackle the powder as best I can. I base my opinions on my own knowledge, but also on some of my American colleagues, who are very experienced in the mountains, with whom I had a lot of discussions after the tests. There is no doubt that this suspension is unanimous on the ease of riding in powder. It is extremely easy to maneuver to initiate a turn, just put a little weight on the footboard and pull back on the handlebars, and you are in a turn fully laid back in the powder! The maneuvering is more linear with this suspension, the blow to lean the snowmobile is much less demanding than a more traditional suspension, which allows a better control. By requiring less effort to initiate the maneuver, this gives the rider more time to react with the throttle when initiating the turn.
One question came to the lips of many: how does it feel to be on the side of a mountain or on a steep hill? On this point, opinions were divided. In powder conditions with relatively light snow, no problem, the suspension keeps the rear in a good position and the snowmobile remains very stable. In harder snow, it is a little less stable and the rear of the sled stalls more easily.
In most conditions, a snowmobile equipped with this suspension is truly a charm to operate!
Lorsque l’on parle de faciliterla vie au pilote, que dire de mieux que le nouveau système d’ajustement de la suspension iACT! Directement à partir du guidon, on modifie la vitesse de compression des amortisseurs du bout des doigts! Combien de fois en sentier les temps de grattage entre deux clubs changentet que l’on passe d’un sentier fraîchement surfacé à un qui date de quelques jours!Le besoin d’amortissement change à plusieurs reprises dans une journée, et Arctic Cat ont facilité la vie des motoneigistes avec ce nouveau système, il suffit de presser le bouton et le tour est joué, on se retrouve avec une suspension plus ferme, sans arrêt, sans retarder le groupe nise geler les mains! Bravo!!
The American company has a long history of excellent braking systems, and for the new season, engineers have added to it with the new Stealth braking system. The shorter lever is very easy to operate, even taking some getting used to, as it is very easy to lock the track completely. It can be used with one or two fingers, which allows you to keep a better grip on the handle at all times.
