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28 • October 2023 • Powersports Business

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Ski-Doo MXZx 600RS Snocross sled is updated for 2024

BY JOHN PRUSAK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
After winning 15 of 17 snowmobile snocross national points championships last year , Ski-Doo could have probably rested on its laurels with its MXZx 600RS snocrossspecific race snowmobile . But that ’ s not how Ski-Doo rolls !
Interviewed at the center of a circle of curious fans and racers at the Hay Days Grass Drags & Swap Meet event on September 9 , Ski-Doo Race Coordinator Cary Daku says , “ Some people could say , ‘ Let ’ s just copy and paste and there we go ,’ but we didn ’ t . We went back , realized where we needed to improve .”
It starts with a move to the REV Gen5 platform , which gives the sled a four-point engine mounting system , a quick-change drive axle and some new cosmetics .
But the biggest changes were in the suspension . “ We identified that in certain snow conditions we needed more traction . We needed to get better starts , we needed to get up and over those doubles a little more , and I ’ m confident to say they found it ,” Daku says of the race sled development team .
In the rMotion RS skid frame , “ We brought the front arm down a little bit , changed the motion ratio in the rear skid a little bit and fixed the coupling ,” Daku says . “ It doesn ’ t seem like much on paper , until you ride it . When you ride it , it ’ s a different feeling sled , it ’ s a different animal .”
Under the hood , a reinforced S module improves durability , he said . Larger injectors and updated calibrations on the 600RS E-TEC race engine were also included in the package .
“ Let ’ s be honest , [ a lot of racers ] look at it and think , ‘ Wait a second Cary , this looks a little familiar to what I had last year ,'” Daku says . “ Where the magic is , is underneath the hood . This sled has been in the works for a long time .”
The 2024 MXZx 600RS snocross race sled sat quietly awaiting its unveiling while Ski-Doo officials talked about their mountain snowmobiles . Photos courtesy of Snow Goer

Arctic Cat unveils 858cc twin , high-tech gauge for 2025

The new 858cc Arctic Cat engine was shown to the snowmobile media at the factory in St . Cloud , Minnesota , where it will be built .
BY JOHN PRUSAK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The large-displacement engine that Arctic Cat snowmobile fans were waiting for , the Catalyst chassis , has been unveiled . The low-slung 858cc twin-cylinder two-stroke was shown at the massive Hay Day event in North Branch , Minnesota , on September 9 . Cat officials say the new engine makes 11 percent more horsepower throughout its powerband than the 800 twin it replaces .
Equally important , the Cat engineers stressed , the laydown architecture and the way it mounts in place is specifically designed for the Catalyst chassis . That will enable riders to take full advantage of the lightweight chassis and its centered masses that made first-year 2024 600−class Catalyst sleds so fun to test ride last spring .
The good news : The engine will be available in trail , crossover and mountain sleds in the Catalyst chassis . And the bad ? You ’ ll have to wait until model year 2025 machines to experience it . Arctic Cat also unveiled a new high-tech gauge that ’ ll be available on 2025
The new Arctic Cat 858 engine will utilize VForce reeds that will mount closer to the cylinders for better airflow and also due to space constraints .
models . Dubbed the Arctic Cat G8 Powered by Garmin , it features the sort of on-screen mapping , phone connectivity , group ride capabilities and more that have been available from competitive brands in recent years but not Arctic Cat .
THE NEW ARCTIC CAT ENGINE Cat made a monstrous splash at the 2022 Hay Days event when it unveiled its longawaited new chassis platform . The Catalyst has been a huge attraction , but the 600− class powerplant it was unveiled with was a bit of a disappointment to many . Right at the chassis ’ release , though , Cat officials pledged publicly that a larger displacement two-stroke was in development .
Now unveiled , it uses the same 85mm cylinder bore but a longer , 75.6mm stroke than the engine it replaces . That allows it to reach its 858cc displacement .
Like the 600 and other modern Arctic Cat two-strokes , it features a lay-down design with both intake and exhaust pointed toward the driver / center of the chassis . Cat engineers have long said this design allows the brand to
better center masses in a chassis . This new 858 , though , also mounts 3 / 8 of an inch lower in the chassis than the 600 .
The key is a new crankcase with integrated engine mounts . The reed cage was also moved 12mm closer to the cylinders . That improves airflow while also allowing room for the centerline steering system that is one key to the Catalyst design .
Also unique is a new variable exhaust system with a push-pull actuator that is controlled by a servo that gets its directions from the sled ’ s ECM . That allowed it to be fully tunable for both performance and emissions , according to Troy Halvorson , Arctic Cat ’ s director of snowmobile product strategy .
Halvorson says it provides 250 percent more exhaust port height change than the previous design , allowing it to be nice and tight on the bottom end yet very free flowing on top-end .
The system is also light , he stressed . With the previous design , there are about 30 parts per cylinder in the exhaust valve system . That ’ s been cut in half .
Stripping weight while maintaining durability continued to be a focus of everything tied to the Catalysts . This new 858 twin , Cat officials
add , is about four percent lighter than the engine it replaces . It ’ s also lighter than the 600 twin already in the 2024 Catalysts . Weight was also taken out of the exhaust system .
Cat officials wouldn ’ t release a horsepower number on the engine in discussions with the snowmobile media . Instead , they went back to their pledge of an 11 percent increase . That 11 percent is found throughout the powerband , they note .
THE NEW ARCTIC CAT GAUGE The Arctic Cat G8 Powered by Garmin will get the brand right in the middle of the action when it comes to high-tech touchscreen displays , connectivity and usefulness . It ’ s an increasing customer demand .
“ This has been something that we ’ ve been striving to get ,” Halvorson says . “ We wanted to work with Garmin because they are a very reputable brand and are one of the top companies with it comes to GPS technology .”
The gauge works specifically with Arctic Cat ’ s CAN bus ( Controller Area Network ) system , Halvorson says , to give riders information on the snowmobile at a glance . Beyond that , on-screen trail maps , route planning and cell phone connectivity are included .