The impact of the new Viper has raised a lot of questions about where Yamaha will go with the Cat platform and its own list of powerplants.

Certainly, no one expected the Viper’s 1049cc triple to work so well in the Arctic Cat ProCross chassis. It truly does though, and that brings up the rumor Yamaha may be working on another group of 3-cylinder engines to cover more markets.

We specify three cylinders because we’ve spoken to several engine experts and they all agree the Apex counterbalanced 4-cylinder is simply too large to fit the ProCross without major retooling of the chassis. Even if it could be done (we believe it could), there’s the issue of extra weight.

By bringing a new triple based on the 1049 – likely bored and stroked to about 1200ccs – Yamaha could offer a 4-stroke hypersled making about the same horsepower as the current Apex. The advantage would be weight.

We think this is a viable guess because of Yamaha’s likely resistance to turbocharging any of its engines.

Although Yamaha has done this with factory authorized “kits” made available through its own dealers, we just don’t see the Big Y getting on the bandwagon with anything other than a naturally aspirated engine.

Here’s another crazy rumor. The mountain market comprises about 25-percent of the entire snowmobile market. It’s no secret mountain riders prefer the low weight and agility of 2-strokes.

What if Yamaha developed its own big-inch (800ccs) DI 2-stroke exclusively for mountain riding? The company already owns the patents and has the technology to do it – and it’s been well developed and consumer tested in the outboard marine biz.

This would open up Yamaha’s snowmobile appeal to a significantly larger share of the market. Yeah, we think we’re crazy, too.

With the recent focus on Arctic Cat’s CTEC-2 EPA certified 2-stroke and the company’s supply relationship with Yamaha for 4-strokes, competitor Polaris has been somewhat overshadowed.

So what’s coming from Roseau, Minnesota? For the past five years, Polaris has made no bones about the fact it has felt the future of snowmobiles lies with 2-stroke engines.

Although its Weber-supplied 750 has been an excellent and surprisingly powerful engine when turbocharged, the brass still feel snowmobilers want the lightness and efficiency of 2-strokes. Recent info from ISMA (the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association) seems to indicate this strategy may be flawed.

Fully 25-percent of the market is now 4-stroke and no OEM can afford to walk away from that many prospective customers.

We think, without saying much, Polaris has been working on both 4-stroke and 2-stroke development for a few years now. We fully expect to see direct-injected Polaris 2-strokes by MY2016 and a line of built-in-the-USA 4-strokes even sooner.

Polaris has had incredible results from its DOHC parallel twin 4-strokes used in its ATVs and SxS vehicles. There are already two that could be utilized as snowmobile engines and both are pretty impressive. The just-released 1000cc version produces a naturally aspirated 107-hp and there’s a completely under-stressed 900 that makes easy power in the 80-plus range.

By utilizing Polaris’s deep knowledge of turbocharging, these engines could cover a lot of bases and make power in ranges from 110-hp upward into the 180-hp stratosphere.

Both Cat and Ski-Doo have set the bar high for 2-strokes and you can bet Polaris is well aware of it. We think there are big things brewing and Polaris knows full well it won’t gain market share without major upgrades in engine development.

Our crew just returned from an exclusive tour of BRP’s impressive manufacturing facility in Finland. To say our guys were impressed is an understatement of heroic proportions.

This is where BRP builds the complete Lynx snowmobile line and some utility models for Ski-Doo and the sophistication, attention to detail and quality at this plant is amazing.

Let me seed your mind. Lynx is the number one selling snowmobile in Europe. Interestingly, Lynx participates in and is highly successful in European Sno-X racing.

Euro snocross is considerably different from what we see on this side of the pond. Our version is better compared with motorcycle Supercross while euro snocross is more similar to natural terrain motocross.

It’s no secret North American snocross has been struggling with both participation and spectator attendance the last five years. While this has been going on, a significant rejuvenation of interest in Cross Country snowmobile racing has emerged.

Legendary stories associated with events like the International 500 Winnipeg to St Paul XC are capturing the imaginations of a significant group of participants.

Here’s my point. Lynx snowmobiles are crazy good on natural terrain; in fact they rock. They’re very similar to Ski-Doo XS and XP models; the drive train is actually identical, however the rear suspension is completely different.

Lynx uses a skidframe called PPS, which stands for Pauli Piippola Suspension. Paulie Pippola is a real guy at Lynx and his suspension is the bomb for rough terrain. Since its introduction in 2006, PPS has evolved to 9 variations and spans the entire Lynx snowmobile lineup.

Let us paint a clearer picture: What if BRP brings Lynx to North America and uses Cross Country racing as its only venue, leaving Ski-Doo to compete in snocross.

The two brands never end up nose-to-nose but they cover both disciplines like a blanket. BTW, which form of racing do you think consumers identity with?

Our guys were profoundly impacted by this reality while in Finland. The Lynx brand is built tough and looks unique as a result of slightly different bodywork on some models when compared to Ski-Doo.

Their crossover models are not 137s but rather 144s. The brand is techy, imposing, and we think has the potential to immediately garner the cache (to North Americans) of an upscale import car – think Porsche or BMW.

While this diatribe is mostly idle musing about something we think is pretty cool, do you think North American’s would be attracted to the Lynx brand if made available on this side of the globe?

It’s not new news anymore that Cat and Yamaha have formed an agreement together to share in chassis and engine development.

However, this makes for some pretty incredible opportunities for AC to get into some markets it hasn’t had strength in before.

Example? Yamaha has a menu of great 4-strokes, not the least of which is the already-in-use 1049cc triple used in the ProCross 7000.

However, two Yamaha engines that could be put to use are the Apex 998cc 4-cylinder and the 500cc twin used in the Phazer.

By utilizing the ProCross platform in different track lengths and variations, the 500 4-stroke could be used as a trail-happy mid-range sled in the 80-hp category or used to power a line of super-economical utility models.

The 998 4-cylinder is a different matter and its wider dimensions may not fit inside the ProCross bulkhead without creating a completely new front design.

Frankly, we wouldn’t bet against Cat shoe-horning this great mill into one of its sleds. A year ago no one would have guessed the 1049 would fit in a Cat chassis but the company is extremely resourceful and when it gets an idea, it knows how to run with it.

Then there’s the whole thing with Cat’s 2-stroke program. Yes, the company needs to use C-TEC2 in more displacement categories. Building a DSI 800 is almost a no-brainer – but think about this one: What about a 570 with C-TEC2?

Think about it. So far all fan-cooled 2-strokes in the industry fail to comply with EPA regulations.

The fairly economical-to-build C-TEC2 system would enable Cat to come out with the first EPA certified fan-cooled line of sleds for utility and trail use.

Not only would the pricing be way cheaper than using lower horsepower 4-strokes but it could open doors for Cat to get into new markets – much like Polaris is doing with its fan-cooled Indy series.

Ski-Doo’s been leading the industry with great direct injected 2-strokes and some truly innovative developments in 4-stroke snowmobile power, too.

Frankly, the company is so far ahead of everyone in 2-stroke technology, it could leave everything the same for the next five years and still be leading.

There’s always a wrench thrown in somewhere though and Arctic Cat has come up with a new 600 C-TEC2 engine that may outperform Ski-Doo’s DI engines in more than one way. The jury is out on this but from what we’ve seen so far, the new DSI Cats are doggone good.

So would Ski-Doo go to a different version of E-TEC in the near future? We think the technology already exists and its called E-TEC II and is used in the outboards built in BRP’s Evinrude Division.

This highly stratified (very fine) fuel charge used throughout the whole combustion cycle makes these engines even cleaner and a bit more powerful. We’ll see.

As far as 4-strokes go, we think Ski-Doo’s been working on a high performance 4-stroke program for about two years now. It’s 1170cc triple is an incredible engine and with the largest displacement in the industry and only one throttle body, is certainly very under-stressed.

We think this mill could safely and easily put out 150-plus ponies without supercharging or turbocharging. The question is, would a revamp up into this range be enough for the adrenaline-charged masses? We think the goal line is closer to 175-hp and that would mean supercharging.

Here’s another one: The new 900 ACE with a turbo could easily hit the 150-hp mark. After all, Polaris gets 140 ponies out of its turbocharged 750cc Weber twin and this engine feels as strong as any hypersled we’ve ever ridden.