2021 Arctic Cat RIOT X 8000 Full Snowmobile Review
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- Luke's in the backcountry evaluating Arctic Cat's 146-inch 2021 RIOT X 8000 featuring the ALPHA ONE single-beam rear suspension.
#arcticcat #PassionIsPower #snowtraxtv
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SNOWTRAX 2021 evaluates all the top snowmobiles and snowmobile products like the 2021 Polaris snowmobiles, Yamaha snowmobiles, 2021 Ski Doo and Arctic Cat snowmobiles. Some evaluations include such vehicles as the Ski Doo 850 Turbo, Yamaha Sidewinder Turbo, Polaris Khaos 850, Yamaha Mountain Max 2021, Ski Doo Expedition Extreme, Yamaha Nytro, Yamaha Viper, Polaris Titan and more!
I have a 2021 riot X and it does just fine on the trails. It has the 40 inch front end this year to counteract the alpha skid. I rip it on trails and off trails. Honestly the best snowmobile ive been on in a long time. I didnt see any footage of you actually taking it down the trail.
Thats cause it handled so bad I didnt want to make the sled look bad. Im sorry, but as a supposed "crossover", the trail handling of this sled is awful. Now, as a 146 "mountain" sled, its forgivable. I dont know what trail sleds youve ridden before. But they clearly werent setup right if you truly feel the 2021 Riot X "handles fine on the trails"
@@pavmentsurfer13 I don't have a problem with the Riot X on the trails at all, I think its fun and playful, yeah there is some ski lift, but i got used to it fairly quick. I never said it was better than the crossover Polaris or skidoo, I've ridden both and they easily do better on the trails than the Riot X. That being said, That's what the regular Riot is for. I think you nailed it with where this years Riot X shines the most, off trail, I live in the UP and this thing is absolutely perfect for here.
@@pavmentsurfer13 i think its all a matter of perspective. If you love the sled, love what it does off trail and are willing to ride it fast and loose on the trail in forgiveness of its performance off trail its great. Its like someone who daily drives drag radials on a muscle car. Terrible handing on the road and on a freeway exit is worth it for when you want to make a hit off a traffic light. And you make the best out of it the rest of the time. If someone is coming from an old school sled, they probably would think the riot x is a beast on the trail. Am i on track with this thought luke?
@@pavmentsurfer13 I came from a ZR to the Riot X and maybe I had too low of expectations, but I don't hate it on the trail!
I’m loving my Riot x here in Newfoundland. It is a wheelie monster!!
Okay good, I was looking for someone in the comments that has one of these because I need some advice lol. I live on a 100 acre farm, a bit of very technical riding in the trees, some more open forest areas, a lot of valleys with steep hills, and some big flat fields. Even on a bad year, we get minimum 3-4 feet of snow. There's a 2021 Riot X at a dealership that's only about an hour away from me and I will be looking for a new off trail sled. I was also looking at a Polaris Khaos or SKS but I'm leaning more towards Arctic Cat now. Would that sled be good for the kind of riding I do? My neighbour has an M8 but his is a 2012 so it's not the Alpha One. I also saw a regular 2019 M8 at that same dealer, brand new but not the Alpha One. Is the Alpha One skid good for that kind of riding? I would most likely never take it on a trail. Also I'm a younger person and I don't have the strength to take a big heavy sled and flip it on it's side, so is it an easy sled to maneuver?
Snowtrax's production quality is off the charts as of late. Fantastic video footage, camera angles, mix in of slow motion action, solid blend of sound and music. VERY well done Snowtrax.
THANK YOU!!
This sled was designed for the backwoods of UP Michigan :-) If I lived there I would buy this over the ridiculous "Mountain" sleds people think they need up there!
Another great example of a place the Riot X would be awesome. I fully agree.
Just got back from the Keweenaw. This sled is a Riot.
Fantastic snowmobile that is really fun to drive. Have driven about 1000 km with mine this winter. Very much in powder snow, but also a lot on the trail. I claim that it is significantly better on the trail than what is claimed here in the review. Although I sometimes drive with my children as a passenger, it is surprisingly stable. So don’t be anxious to buy it if you are going to ride drive some on the trail. This is the best crossover I've ever ridden.
Awesome comment! Thank you for sharing!!
From my limited experience on one I'd call it a 70 (off) /30 (on)sled. The Alpha was shockingly decent on trail but the vertical steering post and 2.6 track made it not a 50 50 for me. If you havent been on one think HighCountry type trailability. Boondocking its the most fun you'll ever have on a sled and it is the only Cat I've been able to say is flickable. Just my ever so humble opinion but if Cat could market their way out of a wet paper bag this sled would be a bigger deal than it is in the eyes of the public. Give the Cboys boys one for the season and watch them sell like hotcakes. I certainly agree with you of where it would make a great sled (foothills, light sidehilling, deeper off trail type of riding). I'd also include Northern Ont on our power lines and late season deep snow spots like our swamps and riverbanks etc.
the problem here is that you have to compare a crossover against trail sleds and off trail sleds and it has to be relatively good at both. Im sorry, but the apha 1 equipped Riot X... IF its meant to be a crossover, is one of the worst handling crossover sleds ive ever ridden... maybe the worst. BUT, if its an offtrail sleds, its one of the most fun off trail sleds ive ever ridden. Its all about perspective. As a crossover, this sled gets low marks from me. As a low elevation off trail sled, it gets BIG marks from me.
@@pavmentsurfer13 it’s all about perspective man, for me it is the absolute best crossover sled. I can go just about anywhere off trail with it and I can still ride it on trail anywhere I want and not have to worry about it over heating and I don’t experience any tippy issues. But then again I’m not hitting corners at 60mph either. The sled is amazing for what it was designed for, an off trail biased crossover. If you want better handling in the trails you’re going to lose a bit on the off trail end. There is no such thing as a perfect crossover sled. It’s all about what suites your riding style.
Nice information. Appears to be a solid off trail sled.
i have one and i love it, kinda same style as a short freeride imo, very fun sled but i would have liked mine more with a more narrow ski stance for better maneuvering in the deep and tight stuff where i mostly ride, Greetings from sweden 👍
Remove anti-roll bars!
I would buy this for on trail just for that color
Great review on this Riot. It is created in the "New Direction of Playful Mountain Riding" in my opinion. .... long track sleds are less fun and not so "Cool" to have the longest track like it used to be.
That's a cool ass sled. Thanks for the work fellas!!
Just bought one of these after lukes review I live in Maine back country in Maine and typically an average day of trail riding is 30-60 miles with my son on his evo and some family. But when I ride for me it’s in the hills when/if we get enough snow
Hey Luke. I’m not sure why you don’t like the riot x in the cross over class. I bought the 2022 riot x and was totally blown away with how good it handles on the trail. I ride regularly with guys who own cross over sleds. I was expecting to nearly keep up on the trails after watching your video. But man was I wrong. The riot x handles just as good possibly better then it’s competition on the trail especially with how fast you can adjust your suspension for trail. And then when it comes to off trail. The competition can’t even come close to the capabilities of the riot x.
If anyone is looking for a sled that can do it all, this is the one to be looking at.
Can I suggest an episode comparing it to its competition. I would think you will find that it is very close in capabilities to its competitors on trail. And leaves them all in the dust off trails.
I think a shoot out with the sks 146, free ride 146 and the RIOT X 146 Alfa one 146 would make a good video.
Agreed!
I’d bet riot wins the mountain segment and Polaris gets the trail segment. I could be wrong!
That would be a cool shootout. At this point, I honestly couldnt say who would win.
I agree 100% would love to see that review
Agree and disagree with a lot. I 100% believe this is a crossover sled, more off trail biased yes but still a crossover. Ive got almost 400 all trail miles on mine and almost 200 all mountain miles on it. Now sadly i dont have an amazing job like this where i can test and compare all kinds of sleds in all kinds of conditions, but when compared to my 13 high country yes old chassis old type of crossover its the 141 with 2.25. 42 inch front end, this 21 x seems to handle jist as well if not better. In my honest opinion it depends on what kind of "crossover" rider you are and this is why i think people get confused and either like or dislike a sled. If you want trial and some off trail riding then yes the reg riot, sba etc is the sled to go to. If you want trail and to be able to go out west then the riotx or sks freeride etc is what you'd want. I do think there are sub categories inside a "crossover" thats why they have the reg riot and riotx. I dont believe this is a short mountain sled. This does both ok it does mountain a lot better then trail but trails a lot better then a full out mountain sled. Everything is subjective and sadly you need to be true to what you want. I know a lot of people extremely disappointed with the 20 riotx but would absolutely love this playful 21 riotx. I have a lot more feelings and views on this sled but dont want to have a full length story on here haha. Like the reviews but personally i disagree with a fair amount on this one but again its very subjective.
You are %100 entitled to your opinion my man. Im all good with that. Ive talked a bunch on the show about what a Crossover really should be. IMO, something thats 80/20 in either direction isnt a crossover. If a sled is %80 good on the mountain and only %20 on the trail, thats simply a mountain sled you can ride on the trail, which is basically true of all mountain sleds. Likewise, a trail sled thats %80 good on the trail and only %20 off trail, thats a trail sled that can go off trail a little bit. I wouldnt classify a Skidoo renegade as a crossover. Its a long track trail sled that you CAN take off trail if you want to and it will be better than a 121... Again, Your opinion is perfectly valid. Id just thought id explain mine a bit more.
@@pavmentsurfer13 i agree with you as you've always have said your opinion on what a crossover is. My personal feelings is there are sub categories inside a "crossover". Just my feeling on the matter. I feel you cant have that with a mountain sled its either made for that or not, same with trail sleds they are made with one purpose to be great on the trails. A crossover becomes muddy. Some want a more trail biased sled others want more mountain biased. I personally haven't meet someone that wanted a 50/50. That doesn't mean they aren't out there this is just my experience, they either want it to be a better trail sled or a better mountain sled. I do truly like your reviews and watch a lot of them haha i don't always agree with them but they are very well put together and truly a dream job. Thanks for taking the time to comment back.
Being true to how you ride and the area you ride in is the most important thing in this so called "crossover" section. I currently own a 18 sidewinder xtx 137 and I live near sudbury Ontario. I have friends with rmks and summits and they barely drove their machines around their houses... the majority of riding in this are i believe is mostly trail riding and for sure there are some die hard mountain guys in the area but I think they would be plenty happy with a sled like the riot x. Snowmobiling this winter near sudbury has been a bad season to say the least so I am so happy I opted for the 18 xyx 137 instead of the 141 with the air shocks. The qs3 shocks are the best in the bizz IMO. And the 1.75 track still let's me go play off the beaten path when we actually have some snow!
I couldnt agree with you more. My opinion is that a 155 or 163 mountain sled on northern ontario hydrolines is overkill. The whole point of riding off trail is that its a challenge. If your just going to buy a sled that makes it easy to go anywhere, youve kindof missed the point. Just my opinion... Your XTX 137 is a wicked sled. They handle well and, obviously, are stupid fast.
@@pavmentsurfer13 yeah I think I made the right choice. I mostly ride trails and then we will stop and play at a pole line here and there on our day of trail riding. I'm definitely glad I didn't go with the 141 with the floats I think I would of regretted it later
Talked to dealer, they said alot of guys that trail ride more then say 60% can put boogie to the outside edges at the back instead of middle stiffens it up a bit. A quick mod you can change back whenever.
Love the color scheme on that sled
Are u a Max Verstappen fan
@@stud3737 yes of course best F1 driver in my opinion
@@Timcanniff311 same max my favorites too😅
Have always enjoyed your reviews. In my opinion there is no such thing as a perfect crossover sled, however, for what this sled was designed for (an off trail biased crossover) I feel like cat knocked it out of the park. From my experience I have no complaints for on trail riding, I was not expecting it to handle like a ZR. With that said, I was surprised how well it did handle, well enough that I leave the sway bar disconnected and still corner with zero issues. I’m also not hitting corners at 60mph though either. And as far as a harsh riding sled? These fox QS3s rock! So complaining about the ride quality is sort of on the rider as they have the ability to adjust it softer or firmer if need be. Hope everyone is having a good winter nonetheless and thank you for putting these videos out.
Got to say you missed it with the review. I have 700 mostly trail miles on my 21 riot X. No ripped lugs and never overheated. Sled is not tippy at trail speeds but does push through corners if driven aggressively. This is a true 50/50 sled.
Fair enough! Thanks for sharing!!
It's not as stable as last year's riot x, the 2020 x was a trailsled with a wide mountain front end, the 2021 x is a mountain sled with a wider front end.. my opinion
Rode one last weekend and its pretty bad on the trail dude. Id say more like 80 off and 20 on trail. It's no where near a 50/50. Super fun sled and killer looking but riding vr1s, switchbacks, and renegades all in the same day I'd agree with the review not very good on the trails.
@@LiamG903 I agree the Riot Xs are on the mountain side of the spectrum compared to those sleds. Depends on how you look at rating a crossover.
@@RiotXrider518 for sure, still a sick sled. Went with a titan this year but man I do love the look of cats. I'm sure your having a blast with it
Got my hands on one of these here in Newfoundland this year and it’s insanely playful. sled isn’t a crossover I’m my opinion this machine was built with one thing in mind and that’s being playful !
My grandparents came from Newfoundland and settled in the Boston area way back in 1900?
@@sheddski2942 love it here some beautiful country to enjoy
%100 agree with you man. One of the most fun sleds ive ridden off trail. I think its an absolutely perfect sled for newfoundland off trail riding (which ive done, and it was insane).
@@pavmentsurfer13 just lately been able to get some time in on mine and it never disappoints absolutely wild
Sweet review Luke! Keep em’ coming! 👍🏼
Thank you!!
I’m in maine and I’m in the market for one!
Out in sk. I use it for mountain trips to BC. But it is better than the longer M alphas on the trail. So if my family wants to go up on the trails in sk I still can. It's not great but it can be done.
Lol, most honest comment from an owner so far. I fully agree with you.
Great review Luke
Thank you!
Awesome
Still 15" track. Make good spring sled in the mtns.
"We know this is an arctic cat review... but we're gonna have to give this one to polaris"
The review Isent about The Polaris Piston Popping Crank breaking Polaris...it's about a Cat.
What are you talking about. We didnt mention Polaris in this story once AND, the story was overwhelmingly positive for both the Riot AND riot X. All of us here love both of these sleds and have made that clear many times.
Love the vids
Well let's say its a off trail flatland sled that is decent on the mountains and can be driven on the trails
I think thats basically what I said. It CAN be driven on the trail, but I sure wouldnt want to do it for long. Off trail though, there are few other sleds out there as fun as this one at lower elevations.
Great review! Got any arctic cat trail sleds in the schedule?
We are working with Cat right now to get our hands on one to evaluate. Stay tuned!!
How Does the riot x do for keeping cool on the trail?
Not as good as last years riot x, but with the scratchers down, no problemo.. but as he said, no sled for the trails no more
Another great video. But what’s the songs name haha I’m really curious
Flatlander ,,RUclipsr has a way better grasp on that sled than you do you're way off on its trail capabilities,, loved watching Flatlanders review of your review,,
Switch to tea and take up yoga, Jeff. Feels like the pressure's getting to you.
Good review just cut out the background music
My biggest question is, if the Riot X was geared differently with a 2" alpha track, would the trailability be better. I'm thinking no question. From what I have heard from actual users this sled is not much different from a high country in terms of trailability. I have had 3 of those and they trail very well as long as you know you are on a high country and not a ZR. I bought a 2021 Riot X and plan to drop to a 2" track with 21/49 gears. Worst comes to worst, swap in a twin rail rear skid and track. The Riot X just has more features that are catered to the way I ride (vertical post, shorter tunnel, hood top intake, narrower front end, not to mention the color!!) and think it will do similar on trail as compared to the high country based on real world feedback. We'll see how it goes!
Curious if you ever did the track swap or gear change. I have a 21 riot x and debating doing the same exact thing.
the 2020 riot x was the perfect crossover for Ontario.. They ruined it with the Alpha 1
Agree, but it kills in the deep snow, it's more like a shorter mountain cat than anything
It one of those things they did when no one was asking for it.
The RIOT 8000 (not the X) is still offered with the traditional skid.
@@snowtrax almost no trails here in Norway, so i don't think there are any 2021 riots here, only 2020's, but they're the same i think, just the carbon tcl and small adjustments on mapping and clutching
I think the biggest issue will be its actual classification. It should be advertised and a 80/20 machine. As soon as the word crossover is used, people assume its a trail sled you can take off the trail when really its a flatland/mountain sled that you could ride on the trails if you had to
When can we expect to get some info on skidoo's trail sleds?
We don't have a test ride in our schedule just yet, but we may be able to put something together. Some of us just got back from some work-related travel and are in mandatory quarantine so we are a bit short handed at the moment. Stay tuned.
I think it would still have to be the normal riot for me
Me too... where I ride the Riot is awesome. Much like an assault, its pretty much as good as a trail sled on trail... I love it.
My really only complaint is that it shoots too much snow on mates ridning behind and gets hot too easily.
👍
Well yeah who doesn’t smash the loud handle when you are “in the deep stuff”
Anyone own an 8000 series engine and have some feed back on long term durability?
Talks about it being a crossover and that it trail rides. Yet not one video of it going on trails. Eeeeek
Actually I talked about it NOT being a crossover and that its terrible on the trail. In doing what I do, im always between a rock and a hard place. If I say that its no longer a crossover and its terrible on teh trail, but its amazing off trail I get a bunch of people saying "youre wrong, you just want to bash it, you hate arctic cat". But, if I say its a crossover thats %80 off trail biased and is terrible on the trail ill get a bunch of people saying "Its not meant to be a trail sled, your not testing it correctly, you just want to bash arctic cat". I stand by my comments that this is an AWESOME off trail sled for lower elevations or flat land deep snow riding. Perfect for people in main, newfoundland, quebec, northern ontario, The UP of michigan... not great for guys who ride trails most of the time.