Arctic Cat 650HI 4×4
- Updated: October 15, 2006
By Brit Mansell
Test Rider: Brit Mansell
Brit Mansell can normally be found doing battle on a sport quad, but this time he found himself extremely eager to try his hand on a race worthy 4×4. Get a good look at him as he waits his turn to ride Daryl Rath’s championship winning machine, this is the last time you will see him clean.
Every once in a while an entire industry can undergo a drastic change. Sometimes those changes are very destructive, and other times they are sparks that ignite the fire of growth that leave the industry thriving beyond belief.
The WPSA ATV Powersports Tour comes to mind. The new series on the race scene looks more and more like that later type of change for the ATV racing industry. Most everyone that reads this article has seen at least one of these events on television. Not only is the SuperQuad Pro 450 class extremely successful, but the Quad Terrain Challenge class has also powered to the forefront of the public eye.
Some of you have probably even thought about what it would be like to ride/race on a track like the ones seen in the Quad Terrain Challenge. About a month ago, we got the invite to participate in a “Ride with the Champ” event hosted by the fine folks at Arctic Cat in Grand Fork, MN. Arctic Cat was the brand of choice for 2006 champion, Daryl Rath. Knowing Daryl and how well he did on the Arctic Cat 650 — we were pumped to get an opportunity to check it out first hand.
The most surprising quality about the 650H1 is its whoop gobbling suspension. While it might handle a set of three foot rollers, the whoops on our mock quad terrain course were more challenging and better handled than you might expect from a 700lb machine.
Artic Cat 101
The stage was set for us at Grand Fork, Minnesota. We couldn’t think of a better setting to test Arctic Cat’s 650 H1 than cold Minnesota weather, large rocks, black mud and a row of massive logs to negotiate. Along with our highly anticipated ride on the H1, we were also fortunate to get a sneak peak into the ATV and snow mobile plant located across the street from the test track.
All of Arctic Cat’s vehicles are assembled at this plant. This was an impressive sight to see to say the least. We have been on tours of other similar plants, but we can’t say that we have ever seen a plant that had such company loyalty as what we saw from Arctic Cat. It was very encouraging to see an Arctic Cat jacket hanging next to almost every assembly station in the plant. Some people may just say that the employees are simply hanging up a jacket and that’s no big deal, but I disagree. What that says to me is that the employees are proud of their job and proud of their role in making quality ATVs, sleds, and side by sides. This company’s pride is evident in the quality product they turn out day to day.
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Arctic Cat has come a long way since their early days of building snowmobiles powered by Briggs and Stratton engines. Their factory is now extremely high tech, but it would be nothing without the hard working men and women who work their daily.
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Brit felt that the Arctic Cat’s power delivery was super smooth and easy to use, on the flip side, the hard core racer in him wished there was just a bit more of it.
Not only does Arctic Cat have their assembly line processes down to a strict science, but the company has recently began producing their own engines. Currently, those engines are only used in their ATVs and side by sides. Due to the amount of innovative equipment and procedures used in the engine assembly plant we were not allowed to take pictures. I will not even start to attempt a description of the attention to detail used inside of this plant, but in the words of the plant manager, “We have the most advanced small engine production plant in the world.” Several pieces of custom made tools were in use at various assembly points throughout the line. Arctic Cat is betting on these innovative tools giving them a competitive edge in the engine department. Only time will tell, but they are absolutely off to a roaring start.
The 650H1 made quick work of the nasty black mud bog but their log sections was pretty challenging. Here we cathc Brit demonstrating the wrong way to get through the log section.
Abusing Daryl’s Arctic Cat 650HI
Now to the good part; the ride. Across the street from the plant was a line of brand new 650 H1’s and a two new side by sides. Along with the stock quads, the quads Arctic Cat’s 2006 Quad Terrain Challenge equipment was shined and ready to roll as well. The test course was made up of one long straight away, a nice bermed corner, a mud straight of about 40 yards, a nice row of about 10 logs, a few smaller jumps, a moderate rock section and a couple of water crossings. It was a very good representation of what might be found at a typical round one of the a Quad Terrain Challenge course.
With suspension designed to ride high in the travel, the Arctic Cat enjoys a higher ground clearance than many highway overpasses. Good ground clearance was a must in winning Quad Terrain events. It’s no wonder the 650H1 excelled the way it did.
We didn’t do much comparing between the stock H1 and Rath’s machine because there is little difference in the performance between the two machines. To show us what went into Daryl’s quad, Arctic Cat took a brand new 650H1 out of the crate and converted it into a Rath replica in just under 28 minutes. Don’t you wish it took so little time to get your 450R ready for competition?
For its size and the amount of ground clearance, the Arctic Cat handled pretty well, although Brit complained of the outer front wheel feeling like it wanted to roll under when riding at race speed.
My first thought after my “parade lap” was one of surprise. I expected the suspension on the quad to be more reactive than it was. This was very inspiring and opened my eyes to the possibility of actually hammering this quad for a few laps. After a lap or two of getting the feel of the unique turning characteristics and power delivery of the continuous drive transmission, I felt I was beginning to get the hang of this quad and the course. After a few more laps, I had a different goal. It was one of improving my “lap time”. This was almost a 180 degree change from what I expected this event to be. I had hoped for a nice quite ride on a smooth, soft, giant ATV. The performance and the thrill of riding this quad on this type of course completely changed my intentions. Suddenly, I felt as if I was in a race. Not a race against another opponent, but a race against the clock (which wasn’t actually there, by the way). My expectation of a relaxing ride was gone. It was race time!
Don’t get me wrong, this is not a machine capable of a 100′ tabletop or traversing a 3′ deep whoop section at high speed, but in no way does that take away an ounce of fun. The Arctic Cat H1 traversed those obstacles with ease, for the most part. The power delivery on the quad was very smooth and managable and the suspension was much better than expected at soaking up the whoop section on the track. All in all the big 4×4 was a blast to ride on the challenging course, although I did notice that there was a slight steering issue. Under sharp turns, the outside front tire seemed to be tucking under the frame for an almost dangerous feel. Further laps on the quad allowed me to expect this condition and prepare for it, drastically reducing the effects of these tight turns.
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Along with checking out Arctic Cat’s Prowler side by sides, we caught a glimplse of their all new ATV just going into production. It’s a diesel powered machine that can be configured for either one or two riders.
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Racing a utility 4×4?
If I could sum this event up into one word, that word would be “surprising”. I was not expecting to have the “race” feeling while riding this quad on the QTC course, but nevertheless, it was there and it has me hooked and eagerly anticipating the beginning of the 2007 QTC season. As a die hard motocross racer, I never thought I would say something like this, but thanks to Arctic Cat, hopefully with the support of one of the major OEMs, I will try my hand at utility 4×4 racing in 2007.
Arctic Cat has devoted many man hours and a lot of money to their factories, employees, racing team all in an effort to build the best ATVs they possible can. And I respect them for their attitude and effort. When we see great things coming from this company in the near future, I won’t be surprised.
