We wonder if we’ll ever see the previously rumored introduction of a limited build E-TEC 800 in Ski-Doo’s XP chassis.
This has been talked up for almost a year now (see: Limited Build Ski-Doo 800 E-Tec) and dealers appear ready to move their customers into the “next step” in direct injection technology – an 800/850-class rooster.
We’ve been anticipating Ski-Doo landing a limited-build E-TEC 800, but market conditions might affect these plans and other new sled intros too.
Question:
Dear Motorhead,
I have 2 Polaris IQ LX (a 2007 and a 2008) with 128″ x 15″ tracks on both. I want to stud the tracks on my own and being a mechanic of 45 years I think I can get it done.
Can you recommend the best pattern, brand, what tools I’d require, etc? You’ve helped me before and I value your opinion.
Thanks,
Jerry
Response:
Thanks for your email!
It would be fairly unproductive for me to expound on how to stud your sleds with the expert advice available from SNOWSTUDS.COM. I absolutely recommend visiting snowstuds.com or call 1-888-234-9822 to get all the info on the “how to” of studding.
Here is some advice from my own experience: Do not stud the outer belts of the track. Do not exceed three studs per pitch – I would recommend a max of only two per pitch. Make sure you have good carbides on both sleds after studding as a studded track takes more leverage to turn thus making runners critical. Go to a six inch carbide or ideally a dual runner.
Hope this helps,
Motorhead Mark
Question:
Dear Motorhead,
I have an Arctic Cat Wildcat 700. The waterpump leaks, but only after it warms up. I replaced the O-ring and the seal but that didn’t help. Any thoughts?
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Bob Carlton
Response:
Thanks for your email!
Can’t really give you any help without more specifics. Have you pulled the pump off the block and used a new gasket?
Hope this helps,
Motorhead Mark
Question:
Dear Motorhead,
You guys in the media were way off about how good the 2009 800 SP was going to be. 15 mpg plus? not even close and the long legs you all said it had? Give me a break.
Its not bad, but not what everyone said it was and still continue to say. Its too bad the media won’t get out of bed with the big four and actually report what we all now know.
Now that Supertrax owns SnowTrax and Dirt Trax, why not tell that Lester guy who claimed it was the best 800 he has ever ridden to try again.
I would have thought that someone with that much experience would choose his words a little more carefully. Not to mention the fact it was stated on the highest watched snowmobiling program in the country.
Andrew
Response:
Thanks for your kind and objective remarks! Cough!
Okay, here’s what we know is true. We received a limited build 800 IQ last spring. We had ridden a number of them on different occasions from January thru to the end of the winter. These sleds all – without exception – ran super strong, were good on fuel (as reported) and impressed us.
What you’ve experienced with your IQ is not what we experienced. I don’t doubt you’ve had problems. However, I’ve had many emails and comments from 800 IQ owners which are overwhelmingly positive.
Our IQ’s have over 2000 miles on the 121 and over 4000 miles on the 136. The 136 got a re-flash and it’s been great. Sled runs fast, fouled plug issue has been completely resolved. The 121 has never had this issue. Our only real complaint is the electric starter. It is not powerful enough at minus 20.
I would agree that gas mileage has been somewhat less than we originally reported but here where we ride, there’s been precious few days where a sled could deliver good fuel economy. It’s been rare to have hard pack with all the snow we’ve seen this year. This has been consistent with all our press feet – mpg is down from what we’ve seen in previous winters.
No, we are not in bed with the big four. In fact we’re often in trouble with them for saying what we experience. In this case, the IQ 800 has not caused us any heartache.
I wish you good luck in getting your problems solved so your 800 makes you happy. There are many 800 owners who are just that.
Good luck,
Mark
Press Release –
Bauerly and Mees Tangle, Opening the Door for Tremblay in Semi Pro; Gulla Pulls Away with Kaufman and Crapo in Tow in Pro Super Stock
Warm temperatures earlier in the week, followed by a freeze turned the already technical track at the Hayward 300 into one of the toughest challenges of the season as the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series nears the end of the season.
A huge crowd was on hand for Saturday’s main event, and the finals didn’t disappoint as restarts and crashes played a roll as the year-end championship point battle tightens.
Semi-Pro Open proved to be the race of the day, as multiple crashes and a mid-race accident characterized the outcome. Dan Ebert (Arctic Cat) entered the race as the number one qualifier, followed by Paul Bauerly (Ski-doo) and Darrin Mees (Ski-doo). While Ebert grabbed the immediate lead, he soon began to fade and Paul Bauerly went to the front of the pack with Darrin Mees in second.
By mid-race it looked as if it was Bauerly’s race to win, but then the tide turned quickly as Paul crashed in a rutted turn and Darrin Mees slammed into him with a viscous “t-bone”. That opened the door for then third place rider Tim Tremblay (Ski-doo) from Ste Jeanne D’Arc, Quebec.
Tremblay had come oh-so-close to capturing his first National podium several times earlier in the season, and now the opportunity was upon him to capitalize. And capitalize he did with Dan Ebert following and the Swedish talent of Christian Salemark (Arctic Cat) in third as they crossed the line.
TJ Gulla Wins in Pro Super Stock; Kaufman Unable to Hunt Him Down
When the top guns on the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series came to the line for the final race of the day, it was veteran rider Garth Kaufman (Arctic Cat) who held the number one qualifying position with TJ Gulla having the second pick at the line. However the start of the race was marred with a red-flag incident, which saw DJ Eckstrom (Polaris) unable to continue for the day due to a damaged race sled.
At the green for the second go-around, it was Gulla who shot out for the early lead, and one he would not relinquish. Following the Vermont rider was Kaufman in second and Shaun Crapo (Polaris) in third.
Further back, the point leader coming into the race, Levi LaVallee (Polaris), found himself mid-pack and dealing with a swarm of riders. Up front, Kaufman made several runs at Gulla but was unable to complete a pass. Crapo held fast to the third place position, and crossed the line 2-seconds behind Kaufman.
More importantly, the year-end point battle tightened dramatically when Levi was forced to pull of the track on lap 8 as his front suspension gave way. That put Kaufman in a dead tie with LaVallee for the year-end championship with one race to go. Just ten points behind them is Ryan Simons (Arctic Cat) and only one point behind Simons is Gulla. This spells a dual of epic proportions as the season concludes in Lake Geneva, March 20-22 with the Nielsen’s Grand Finale.
About ISOC – The International Series of Champions (ISOC) is the premiere snowmobile race sanctioning organization in North America and sanctions a national snocross tour in addition to three regional circuits. Visit www.isocracing.com for more information, fan and racer memberships, schedule details and more.
By: Harold McAdam
Although Labrador traces its roots to the early Vikings, the earliest recorded explorers were the Portuguese in 1498. But, it was on one of Jacque Cartier’s many trips to North America when he called Labrador: “The Land God Gave to Cain”. Hence, the reason behind naming one of the world’s most grueling cross-country snowmobile adventures, Cain’s Quest.
The race distance covers 2300km (1426 miles) and is entirely run cross-country from Labrador City to Churchill Falls, Makkovik, Postville and Goose Bay, then back to Labrador City.
The length of the event is measured in days, not just hours or minutes, although winners are decided on best times to checkpoints and every hour and minute becomes critically important.
March, 2008 saw 27 teams of two from all over North America assemble to try and tame this rugged terrain. All were fighting for a very substantial $50,000 monetary award, but more important, the bragging rights that come with being dubbed the winner of the Cain’s Quest Challenge.
27 two-man teams entered but only 14 finished. It gives some insight into the kind of challenges these seasoned racers were faced with. As in any long distance race over snow, there were a variety of mechanical failures, but it would be ridiculous to gloss over the significant physical hardship endured by the participants.
Safety played an incredible part in the planning and running of this event with helicopter support, GPS locating and tracking devices on every team. Also, Labrador West Canadian Rangers were posted along the route, providing their assistance. However, as a participant, you are given a map, GPS coordinates of the checkpoints and essentially, that is it for the timing of the route.
As a team, you are able to select the cross-country route you think will be the fastest, most successful way to get from point A to point B. Sometimes, the most direct route is not the fastest.
Because the start occurs just outside Labrador City, it’s the one and only time the racers get to operate on closed White Wolf Snowmobile Club trails. Unfortunately, the start was not without drama for the team of Bill and Bunk Boisvert from New Hampshire.
Within five miles, Bunk had the misfortune of encountering a group of native hunters returning with a sleigh full of caribou who were not aware of the race and the fact the snowmobile trails were closed. The snowmobile fared much worse than Bunk, although after a hospital stay and 12 stitches, he was able to come back and participate in the race.
Considering the condition of the sled, for a normal participant, the race would have been over but his team had brought a third complete snowmobile in its support trailer. It took about eight hours to dismantle and replace the damaged parts on the sled – almost perfectly coordinated with Bunk’s hospital stay. Later that week we were completely shocked to see them finish in third place overall on this grueling adventure.
Another near legendary participant in this event had thrown two sleds in the back of a pickup truck and driven all the way from Idaho. Rex Hibbert (Kirk’s brother) and Paul Dick, names synonymous with Arctic Cat racing, had simply gone by the factory in Thief River Falls, Minnesota and picked up two pretty standard issue Arctic Cat Crossfire 600s to compete in a race that was dominated by 800cc and higher machines.
The benefit on their side was the fact they had competed in some of the biggest cross-country snowmobile races in the country and felt that this was ‘just one they had to see’. Hibbert and Dick managed to compete in the top five for the entire race and it’s especially amazing considering the bottomless snow conditions and the fact that, in this race, horsepower is your best friend!
The eventual winners of the race, Gerard Rumbolt and John Efford, were from Labrador City and had custom built their own Yamaha Nytros. The tunnels had been lengthened, deep lugged mountain tracks and enhanced fuel tanks were added to meet the journey.
The bottom line for competitors in this event is they see some of the most amazing countryside that exists in the world and the training and significant skills that are required to compete set you apart in the snowmobile world.
Having personally had an opportunity to participate in what is deemed to be the toughest cross-country snowmobile race – Iron Dog in Alaska, it may be interesting to see if Todd Palin, as the reigning champion, would like to challenge for what is undoubtedly the toughest, longest snowmobile event in Canada.
Cain’s Quest 2009 takes place in Labrador on March 14th, 2009. Visit www.cainsquest.com for all the details.
Press Release –
March came in like a lion for the Team Arctic terrain program, with its cross-country corps riding roughshod over the competition at the USCC Munising 300 while the snocross contingent roared at the ISOC regional in Hill City, Minn. All totaled, Team Arctic notched 17 wins in two races during the weekend.
Two of the cross-country wins came from standout Semi Pro snocrosser Cory Davis at the two-day, 300-mile event in Munising, Mich.
Looking to avenge an unsatisfactory experience at his first-ever cross-country race earlier this season, Davis (of Soldotna, Alaska) returned to his second USCC event intent on winning. And win he did, turning in the fastest times each day in the Pro 600, and in the second day of Pro Open, to take convincing victories in both classes.
When the times were tallied, the highest finishing Polaris (Gabe Bunke, fourth) was 15 minutes off Davis’s pace, while the highest finishing Ski-Doo (Bryan Dyrdahl, fifth) was 17 minutes back.
“The Munising course was easily the most brutal of any race this season,” said Team Arctic Team Manager Mike Kloety. “Eight feet of snow on the ground meant the holes got six feet deep throughout the 14-mile course. That was perfect conditions for Cory and our Sno Pro 600 race sled.”
Team Arctic racer and engineer Brian Dick (of Thief River Falls) backed up Davis with second place in both classes, while Ryan Huston and D.J. Ekre’s third place finishes culminated in a podium sweep of both classes. Five additional individual class wins meant Munising was another huge success for Team Green.
Another display of domination marked the ISOC regional event at Quadna Mountain, where Team Arctic racers combined for 10 class wins and multiple podium sweeps.
Dan Ebert of Lake Shore, Minn., continued his amazing season with two class victories at Quadna. A Semi Pro racer on the National circuit, Ebert jumps into the Pro ranks at Regional events and, despite strong pressure from teammate Carl Schubitzke, cruised to an impressive double win.
Even without Ebert, the Semi Pro finals were an all-Arctic Cat affair. Another class-jumper, Cody Thomsen of Nisswa, Minn., proved he’s ready for prime time with a win in Semi Pro Open that stacked five Cats in the top-five.
Logan Christian of Fertile, Minn., returned the favor by winning both Semi Pro Stock #1 and #2 finals, leading a Cat podium sweep of both classes.
“Our racers are firing on all cylinders right now,” said Team Arctic mechanic/engineer Russ Ebert. “With 10 class wins and filling up the podium positions in most classes, Quadna was an impressive display for our guys and gals.”
The next race on the USCC calendar is in Warroad, Minn. on March 15. The next race for most Team Arctic snocross racers is the ISOC National Snocross Series in Hayward, Wis., March 6-8
Visit www.isocracing.com for more info.
Press Release –
11 Wins and a Full Sweep of all 800 Classes
Four races into the RMSHA hillclimb series, a clear pattern has emerged: Team Arctic racers and their lightweight, powerful M Series snowmobiles are on top and enjoying the view. Eleven class victories and two King of King titles at the Afton, Wyo., event prove the point.
In fact, there wasn’t an engine displacement category that Team Arctic didn’t win, however, the crew thoroughly trounced the all-important 800 classes with wins in Stock, Improved and Mod. The M8 HCR finished one-two for the second race in a row, this time at the hands of Chance Buckallew and Todd Tupper.
Aboard a massaged HCR, Kyle Tapio topped the 800 Improved and 800 Mod finals (the latter of which saw Team Arctic racers finish one-two-three), then proceeded to win Improved King of Kings title.
“The 800 classes have the strongest competition and are where people look to determine the best overall sled for consumer riding,” said Al Shimpa, Team Arctic Hillclimb Coordinator. “Winning every 800 category at Afton proves that no matter if you’re riding a stock, slightly modified or full-bore mod machine, Cat is the way to go.”
Like Tapio, Buckallew managed to score three wins over the weekend. In addition to his 800 Stock win, the fiery competitor showed his versatility by taking the 700 Stock class and 600 Improved.
Once again, the Afton raced proved that if you’re going to win a Women’s race in RMSHA, you gotta be on a Cat. Between Christy Frisby, Amy Zollinger and Jan Ottobre, there was little left for the competition except table scraps.
Ditto for the Semi Pro classes, where Landon Archibald won the Stock class and the King title, and where Braiden Colamen took the Mod class.
“Winning the Pro classis is hugely impressive,” said Team Arctic Race Manager Mike Kloety, “But the dominating performances in the Women’s and Semi Pro categories speak volumes about the M Series rideability and performance.”
The next race on the RMSHA circuit is the Lost Trail – David Shepherd Memorial, March 13-14. Go to www.rmsha.com for more information.
Press Release –
Technology Sharing, Co-Development and Supply of Highly Differentiated Work Vehicles
Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) and Bobcat Company today announced a long-term strategic alliance that will leverage the complementary strengths of both companies to penetrate work related market segments globally.
The alliance will include technology sharing, co-development and supply of highly differentiated work vehicles with a planned launch by the second half of 2010.
“We are excited to enter this alliance with Bobcat, a respected leader in the work vehicle industry” said Scott Wine, CEO, Polaris Industries. “This alliance is consistent with our stated strategy of diversifying Polaris beyond our core powersports segments and will enhance our efforts to accelerate the growth of our military and international businesses.” continued Wine, “Initially, Polaris will produce and sell highly differentiated work vehicles to Bobcat for sale through the Bobcat dealer network. The breadth and depth of our cooperative efforts will expand thereafter to include co-developed vehicles for both Polaris and Bobcat and further technology sharing. ”
“We are thrilled about the long-term implications of this alliance.” said Richard Goldsbury, President Bobcat Americas. “Bobcat’s and Polaris’ long tradition of innovation, product passion, and similar cultures complement each other very well. We are combining the strengths of the #1 compact construction equipment manufacturer with those of the #1 off-road vehicle manufacturer to deliver innovative product solutions for our customers. This alliance will enable both companies to extend our customer bases and provide profitable growth.”
Both Wine and Goldsbury stated: “Working together, we will strive to generate increased revenue and profits for Polaris, Bobcat, and our dealer networks. With this alliance, Polaris and Bobcat will be well positioned for incremental revenue growth in 2010 and beyond.”
About Polaris
With annual 2008 sales of $1.9 Billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off road vehicles (ORVs) including: all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), the Polaris RANGER, snowmobiles, and Victory motorcycles for recreational and utility use. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and the Company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock price index. Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.
About Bobcat
More than 50 years ago, Bobcat Company unleashed a way to work better, smarter and faster with the introduction of the Melroe Self-Propelled Loader. That machine evolved into the Bobcat skid-steer loader and spawned the worldwide compact equipment industry. Bobcat Company, headquartered in West Fargo, N.D., is part of Doosan Infracore International (DII), a U.S.-based subsidiary of Doosan Infracore, a global manufacturer of construction equipment. To learn more about the full line of Bobcat products, visit www.bobcat.com.
Press Release –
What was essentially intended to be a weekend of testing the developmental four-stroke FX Nytro® racing sleds turned into a bonanza for Yamaha Factory Racing with a first and second place podium finish by Iain Hayden at the Canadian National Sno-Cross event held in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.
With a weekend off from the ISOC National Tour schedule, Yamaha Factory Snocross team manager Andre Laurin opted to showcase the FX Nytro® 4-stroke performance at the CSRA event.
Unfortunately, Hayden’s teammate Steve Taylor was unable to participate due to an injured foot. He’s expected to be back in action this coming weekend in Hayward, WI.
“It was a last minute decision to go up to Kirkland Lake. But seeing we were in Canada anyway, we thought it would be a good opportunity to further test our sleds under racing conditions, to see if the improvements we made in Valcourt could be enhanced,” said Laurin. “We expected to do well and we weren’t disappointed. As usual the crew worked very hard in the paddock and Iain did a fabulous job on the track. It would have been even better if Steve had been able to race, but I am really pleased with the performance of the FX Nytro® this weekend. It was nice to reward Yamaha race fans in Canada with the Yamaha factory presence and show them, and the competition, that the FX Nytro® is the four-stroke to reckon with”
Hayden, a 3-time CSRA Pro Open champion, came, saw and conquered as he returned to his old stomping grounds. He harnessed the explosive power of the FX Nytro® to grab four heat holeshots and basically put on a clinic leading wire to wire to take the checkered flag ahead of the pack.
In the Pro-Open final, he again pegged the holeshot with another lightning start and looked to be on his way to victory only to have to contend with a mechanical issue on the second lap.
Despite this setback, Hayden saved the day by losing only one position in the 15-rider field to finish in a well earned second position.
In a special Pro/Am tribute race to Blair Morgan, who suffered a career-ending injury at the Montreal Supercross last September, Hayden and his FX Nytro® ran flawlessly.
After quickly working his way into the lead, he charged hard the entire race to finish and impressive 18 seconds ahead of second place.
“My sled ran near-perfect and my shoulder really cooperated this weekend, so I was able to run strong. Winning the Blair Morgan Inspiration Final was really special for me, seeing I was part of Blair’s team for a number of years. It meant a lot to me and I was excited to be part of that,” said Hayden. “I wish I could have taken the top spot in the Pro Open final to go with all the heat wins that I had during the weekend. But to holeshot six out of six and to win five out of six races does feel special. We’ll take it!”
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