A couple of our readers were upset because I wrote a ““what if” story about Yamaha’s YCCT engine being used in the Cat 7000 this year.
Apparently these “expert” commentators don’t like us making assumptions about what could happen – they just want the facts.
Here’s why we write stories like this: We have an incredible track record for being right! At this time of year we frankly don’t know where the OEMs are going with new product.
No, surprisingly, they don’t call us up and ask us what we would think about using “this engine in this chassis” or “do we think consumers would like a sled like thus or so?” I know – it’s shocking, isn’t it?
However, because we are well-known in the sno-mo-biz we do have a lot of inside info on what product planners may be thinking.
Our ability to guesstimate and opine about what may be coming has been pretty accurate over the years. It’s one of the reasons Supertrax is the number one mag in the business and this website gets so much traffic.
We’re not saying this is what WILL happen – it’s just an educated “maybe”.
So, here’s our latest “what if”: Suppose Arctic Cat wanted its newest engine to be a Yamaha direct injected 800 2-stroke.
Here’s our defense of this pipe dream:
FACT 1. Such an engine would get Yamaha into the 2-stroke mountain market immediately.
FACT 2. An 800 DI engine would meet all EPA criteria for pollution in a category where it’s very difficult to get certification.
FACT 3. Cat already has an engine agreement with Yamaha and is going full speed ahead with it.
FACT 4. It would save Cat zillions of dollars getting another 2-stroke certified.
FACT 5. Yamaha would be a serious player in a category it hasn’t had strength in for a decade.
FACT 6. Yamaha owns 2-stroke DI technology (only one of two snowmobile OEMs who do) and isn’t using it in the snowmobile business yet.
Even using this kind of logic, the fact is, we just don’t know for sure.
Certainly it would make huge sense for Cat to come with a slot-injected 800 like the DSI 600 and not a DI Yamaha-built 800 twin. However, the resources are right there for the taking and it wouldn’t be the first time Cat has taken a completely unexpected twist in the road and blown us away.
Just thought you guys would appreciate some facts.
