Nouveau modèle hybride de Arctic Cat: le Crossfire [Archives]

Ping Pong

11/01/2005, 07h30

Article de MaximumSled sur le CrossFire:

http://www.maximumsled.com/maximumsled/snowmobile/articles_layout.asp?articleid=627&zoneid=1

Maybe the Cat crew was watching us last spring at Snow Shoot, or maybe we’re just on the same wavelength as the product planning team. We took an M5 out with us when we rode the hybrid class of 2005, just to see how the 136-inch M chassis would handle the trails. Afterall, the other brands had a 136 sled for the trail and it was something that Cat had skipped over in running from the 128-inch F-Cat to the 144-inch S-Cat EXT. What we learned by experience was that the M-Class sleds were strictly mountain marauders, with trail usage to be kept to a minimum. What we surmised was that the front end just wasn’t up for the challenge of hard trail charging. Most notably, the narrow ski stance and the lack of a sway bar gave us and the sled fits.

But we surmised that with a little engineering love, there was the making of a wicked fun trail sled in there somewhere. And it turns out we were right! The new Crossfire 700 seems to be the solution we had hoped for. It combines all of the cool rider forward ergonomics of the M-Class chassis, 15x136x125-inch Rip Saw track and the AWS VI front end of the Firecat.

The Crossfire 700 uses the fuel injected version of the 140 hp Suzuki twin. It transmits its power to the track through the ACT Drive planetary gearbox instead of the jackshaft and chaincase method.

The front suspension sports lightweight aluminum ACT gas shocks. The Crossfire comes standard with saddleless plastic trail skis and the stance is adjustable from 42 to 44 inches. The swaybar is a standard feature.

Ergonomically, the Crossfire benefits greatly from the M-Class machines. The wide runningboards are star punched for awesome traction and the stirrups are shallow angle for better standing comfort. Cat uses its mountain handlebar on this model, giving it height and plenty of grip options for a full day of exploration.

The Crossfire comes in black and green or orange. There was no immediate information about pricing or availability, but we’d guess that they’re already on the way to dealerships in very tight quantities. For more information, stop by your local Cat dealership.