Stuff We Learned While Riding Snowmobiles Instead of Sitting At Our Desks
By: Motorhead Mark
The 121 inch Jag and the 128 inch 1000 just gobble up bumps. The Arctic Cat suspension guys have done a remarkable thing. We feel a little vindicated here after sticking our necks out editorially all fall and getting lots of hate calls from the other OEMs who figured we were wrong.
Handling appears very good however it’s a little early to draw big conclusions with most riding on less than tramped, ungroomed trails.
The Jag has almost 300 miles on it, the 1000 almost 200 miles. We can’t believe how good the moveable seat and handlebar set-up feels. Everyone likes the seat at least half way up or all the way up, even in twisty trails. The comfort from the higher perch is undeniable.
The Jag’s performance is way, way better than what we experienced last year. The sled will pull a solid indicated 95 MPH and is strong past 90 per. Mid-range squeeze is impressive and just about everyone agreed if they were going on a long ride they would pull the Jag out.
We’ve only been able to do rudimentary fuel economy sampling as a result of the conditions – loose snow. However, I did see as high as 17mpg on a very aggressive, high speed run on the weekend. This thing could get 20 on trails.
The anti-engine brake is one of those things you don’t appreciate until you ride all the other 4-strokes. It really works and in loose snow you can quantify its value very quickly.
The 1000’s engine seems a little soft at lower RPM levels but pulls hard at full whack. We were surprised to see engagement up past 3500 RPM. I thought it was under three grand in Yellowstone – more like an old ZR 900.
Everything about the Jag in terms of comfort and handling applies to the 1000. I haven’t had a chance to get full lake-pulls on either yet.
