วีดีโอ

That's a great idea, thank you!

@@yamajammer76 That's a great point. The fun of snowmobiling is not related to how much we spend.

I also picked up the locking cord.

That's a great point about being able to see the helmet. Do you have a preference for color?

@@ponycarfan I run green…each person has a different color (arctic cat guy). They are all bright and easy to see.

That's good to know! I don't have a lot of experience following someone with a lighted helmet and wondered if there was a difference in color (when it comes to visibility).

@@guyincognito1431 Thank you! I'll pin this, so more people can see it.

@@guyincognito1431 It does resolve that. Some people seem to be able to tune their way out of it, but the Adapt is a better solution in my opinion.

@@StreetersGarage Thanks for the advice!

@@jimellis8051 I wondered if you used yours. It’s going to be a great winter!

@@daveyoungman652 That’s very reassuring!

@@BrockoM You might consider the Thundercat with EPS, because of the shorter track. The Riot 9000 is a great sled, but it does push a bit - that long track really likes to go in a straight line. The trails I ride are generally tighter and twistier, and any Riot is going to need a bit more attention than the shorter-tracked sleds. For rail beds, the longer track works as an advantage, because it’s more stable at higher speeds. EPS makes steering on both the Tcat and Riot so effortless that you can take it for granted. The Riot needs you to anticipate turns and get ready ahead of time. I made a video titled “1,000 subscriber special” and I tell a story about someone else’s misadventure on the Riot 9000, and I think part of the problem for him was forgetting to plan ahead, something that’s required on the Riot. He probably would’ve been fine on the Thundercat. Arctic Cat has made steady improvements to the ProCross chassis and you may be fine with either, but the Tcat would probably be my preference between the two.

@@ponycarfan Thanks for the excellent explanation! I am curious if you have ever ridden a sled with Snow Tracker carbides? I have had them on my last 3 Arctic Cats and they are amazing! The virtually eliminate darting and are much more predictable in the corner because they are so aggressive. I would definitely be buying a set of those if I got the new RIOT, so I think that would drastically improve the handling. Any thoughts?

@@BrockoM I haven’t tried them, but am always looking for something to improve the handling on my 8000 Riot. Thank you!

@@ponycarfan Definitely try a set! You won't be disappointed. If you do, let me know how they work for you.

@@KyleKAP Awesome! I'm hearing reports about 858's showing up at dealers, hopefully you'll get yours soon!

@@Eighty8Fitter I did order one, but from Thomas Snosports. I think both dealers have both radio and non-radio kits in stock right now. Mine is sitting there waiting for me to pick it up, can't wait to install it.

@@joshcarlson8429 That's great to hear!

Yeah, that got my attention, too!

It's some kind of rubber airbag. The announcers were talking about how much one of those cost, and it was astronomical - $30,000-50,000.

Cool! This was the first year we went on Sunday, and there's a good chance we'll do that again. The crowds can get a little overwhelming on Saturday. Hope you had a great time!

@@jimellis8051 yup! 👍

@@paddyg56472 Absolutely!

@@JeffGeorgalas Thank you for taking the time to write that, I sincerely appreciate it.

I'm not as familiar with those, but have no concerns. I think that would be an excellent choice. Edge Touring means you'd get an updated suspension, both front and rear. The "Edge" suspension was the best in the industry before the advent of "rider forward" chassis designs. Those are really flat cornering and handle the bumps as good or better than anything before it from any manufacturer. As far as the engine goes, it's still the same Liberty 600. Polaris used essentially the same block for the 600 when they switched to fuel injection, even though they changed the name of the engine when they did that. To me, that's proof of how good the engine was/is - it took a long time to develop something better. Depending on price, of course, you can't go wrong with a sled like that - it will just keep running and running.

@@ponycarfan awesome good to mow it's a good machine only 2200 miles and it's only $1500 will get today

Great question. As a general rule, always match red-to-red and black-to-black. Depending on the age of the machine and if anyone has repaired those wires in the past, it's possible that both wires will be black. In that case, you'll need to trace them back to where they came from. A battery cable that goes back to something that looks "electrical", like a starter solenoid, will be the red positive wire. If it goes back to something bolted to the steel frame, then it will be the black/negative wire. I don't recall where the Sportsman's wires go, but that's a general rule of thumb for virtually any engine that has electric start.

That sucks. Are you wearing a balaclava? I wore the Fly Ignitor Air under the 509 helmet and that seemed to help. Otherwise, if there’s still too much pressure on your ears when wearing the helmet, try removing either the ear cups or the air bladders underneath the ear cups. Those are just held on by Velcro. The air bladders have little air hoses attached, but those are way to unplug. Worth a try, hope you can figure out how to make it fit better.

@@ponycarfan I tried the balaclava with no luck. The helmet itself just crushes my cranium and the rubber rims forcefully grab a hold my ears. I even noticed that my ears were bruised for a few days afterwards. Besides that, my bottom half was actually a perfect fit to this size. Disregard 509’s size chart. I definitely recommend getting a helmet that’s one of even two sizes larger. The website says it’s designed more for oval-shaped heads, but I’ve noticed the helmet has been more forgiving for riders with a more round-shaped head instead, despite it pushing their cheeks together as seen from various TH-camrs. Truthfully, for any rider, it’s a hit or miss when it comes to the fitting of this helmet. I have an oval-shaped head, and like I stated, the original size I put on had already fitted to my lower half perfectly. I know for certain that if I go one size up, the lower half of the helmet will be too wobbly due to slack.

The season was so short that I never got a chance to try that.

Your video was a game changer for me .. seriously as trivial it sounds, I was about to give up on the helmet for this very same reason .. thanks again

Thank you! It was terrible all over, which is very unusual. I spent a few decades snowmobiling in SE MN and when the snow is good down there, I loved it. The problem has always been that you never know. Northern MN should in theory be better off, but it wasn’t this year. I believe it will bounce back next season.

I can understand why you’d say that, it does look aftermarket. However, Polaris offered a longer skid to accommodate a 133.5” track and the extended tunnel on the Trail Deluxe - it came from the factory that way, believe it or not. On the original Indy chassis, other models were offered as an “SKS”, and it was the same thing. www.vintagesnow.com/Polaris_files/85%20models.pdf

@@ponycarfan Wow, I would have guessed that was an aftermarket Frankenstein job. Good on you for knowing what your were getting in to. I would have bailed on that one.

Good point! Can-Am did a great job on the new Outlander

I hadn't really given that much thought. From last year's photo shoot until today, every Catalyst I've ridden does that. I'm not sure if it's related to the new belt drive (that replaced the chain case), or if it's on the other side of the drivetrain. Congrats on the new sled!

Thank you for that info!

Thanks for the extra details, very helpful!

That's kinda what I was thinking. Pretty inexpensive to give it a try.

Thank you very much! Any requests?

There's something magical about that 998 Turbo, but I think you made a great purchase.

I agree. Let's hope there's more snow next winter.

I've been thrown from a sled but never injured. The last few years, I've wondered if I should be wearing one anyway.