Most snowmobilers have a hard time saying nice things about snowmobiles that were made by companies other than their own chosen brand.
“Hey, Bob. Your Arctic Cat looks really cool from this angle over here on my Polaris. I like the ski loops.”
“Well thanks, Jim. You know, I really like what Polaris has done with that suspension thingy back there. And last weekend, I was so jealous of Ted on his Yamaha. He’s so lucky to own one of those beauties.”
Nope. Nuh-uh. That trailside conversation ain’t going to happen. But when it comes to accessories that work as well as the Ski-Doo LinQ system, how can a rider help but toss out a compliment or two?
Snow Goer magazine staffers like the set-up because accessories that clip in place are easy to use, they’re sturdy and they’re well integrated so add-on parts look like they were installed at the Ski-Doo factory. Thanks to companies like Up North Technologies (UNT), LinQ accessories can be used on Arctic Cat, Polaris and Yamaha snowmobiles, too.
Brackets like UNT’s LMP-1 are necessary to mount Ski-Doo LinQ accessories on Arctic Cat, Polaris and Yamaha tunnels because Ski-Doo tunnels are wider, and the LinQ accessories have pre-set mount locations to reflect that wider dimension. We put the UNT bracket behind the seat of our 2016 Arctic Cat XF 6000 CrossTrek demo sled, and since it’s a one-piece design, the job was straightforward.
We positioned it on the tunnel, traced the bracket’s four pre-drilled holes with a pencil and then drilled holes in the tunnel: first using a 1/8-inch bit to help ensure the hole would be centered right where we wanted it, then 3/16-inch and finishing with a 1/4-inch bit before installing the included hardware. To determine the specific location, we fastened the LinQ loops on the bracket, clipped our Medium LinQ Premium Tunnel Bag to it and then set it on the tunnel as a dry run. Putting it as far back as possible maintained easy access into the stock bag that was mounted directly behind the seat.
The bracket looked nice – which was important for days when we didn’t need a LinQ bag, causing the bracket to be exposed for the world to see – and provided a solid, reliable mount for our favorite accessory system.
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