With a large crowd gathered around a small stage Saturday at 1 p.m., Arctic Cat continued a Haydays tradition by unveiling a new sled, with a twist. This wasn’t just one snowmobile, it was two.
Expanding the use of the two-stroke, DSI twin it unveiled in the ZR 6000 El Tigré last winter, Arctic Cat introduced a 2014 ZR 6000 Sno Pro RR and an 2104 M 6000 Sno Pro 153.
Two weeks ago, managing editor Andy Swanson predicted the RR model here on snowgoer.com, and as expected it showed up with aggressive suspensions setups that mimic Cat’s race machines. In fact, engineer and cross-country racer Brian Dick said the sled would have the same basic setup as Cat’s cross-country version of last year’s race sled. It’ll come with competition spec Fox FLOAT Evol X piggyback shocks up front and Fox Zero X remote reservoir shocks in the racer version of the Slide-Action rear. Reinforced running boards and an upgraded brake add toughness and functionality to the sled and, in case anybody missed the sled’s intention, it gets a graphics package to match the race sled.
Racing attitude comes with a racing price – this super-sporty 600 carries an MSRP of $12,349.
The release of the M 6000 Sno Pro 153 puts Cat back in the 600 two-stroke mountain class for the first time in several years. The newest M benefits from all of the upgrades that Arctic Cat put into its ProClimb M series this season, including weight saving throughout – from the seat to the skid to the drive sprockets to the brake. Even the base ProClimb chassis got lighter with aluminum spars replacing steel and an HCR-style heat exchanger system. Fox FLOAT 3 shocks are used in the adjustable width (38-39 inch) front end, while Arctic Cat IFPs are in the rear suspension which was repositioned lower and rearward for better performance in deep snow. The track will be the 15- by 153- by 2.6-inch PowerClaw.
Freerider David McClure said members of Cat’s backcountry mountain team were “fighting to see who got to ride the 6000” during testing last spring. While it doesn’t quite have the power of the 8000, he said the 6000 is “so flippable and so light and so fun to ride in the trees.” It carries a class-competitive MSRP of $10,949.
