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March 12, 2007 – New touring segment highlights Arctic Cat’s changes

In a year of refinement for Arctic Cat, its biggest changes came in an unusual place for the performance-driven company: touring.
“This is the big one for us,” said snowmobile product manager Joel Hallstrom.
The company gave significant attention to its performance lineup in 2007, and there were some tweaks for the new model year, including a chassis update for the Z570.
The company revealed its 37-model lineup at its annual dealer meeting March 10. Details on spring programs were not available at press time.
A Turn Toward Touring
Arctic Cat’s touring lineup has gone the way of the M and F series. It now has its own initial: T.
These new Ts are the T570, the T500, the TZ1 and the TZ1 LXR. The four-stroke Z1 engine, introduced on the 2007 Jag, is new to the touring lineup. The company offered a T600 in its initial product list, but it was dropped from the lineup in late January.
The Model Ts now come in the Twin Spar chassis, which give the machines a styling and ergonomic change. From the front, it has the same basic styling as the F series sleds. However, from the gas tank and back, the machine is all new, including the skid frame, seat and bumpers, Hallstrom said.
T sleds all share electronic start and push-button reverse, a removable passenger seat and a 144-inch track — up from 136 inches.
The removable seat is not a new concept, but it’s redesigned for this setup. Once the passenger seat is removed, a large cargo rack remains. The soft rear luggage, on the LXR model, fits with the passenger seat and expands to cover the entire cargo area when the seat is removed.
As an LXR, the TZ1 LXR has additional luxury features, such as an adjustable seat and handlebars, a heated seat, soft rear luggage, remote start and the CatComm communication system. Seat location adjustments can be made with or without the passenger seat.
There are two touring machines without a T prefix: the Panther 370 and the Panther 660. The Panther 570 has been dropped from the lineup.
The Fan Now Starts With F
The F series has a new member: the fan-cooled Z 570 is now the F570.
There’s a reason the sled skipped ahead a generation:?the fan-cooled engine configuration didn’t fit into the Firecat chassis, Hallstrom said. The F series was built to accommodate the fan.
With the Twin Spar chassis, the F570 now has the rider-forward positioning offered in the F lineup. This machine has a fixed seat and handlebars, but electric start is standard.With the upgrades, this is still Arctic Cat’s price-point machine, Hallstrom said.
F Series Updates
There are several new standard features found on F-series machines. There are some functional styling additions, specifically a new electronic speedo/tach unit and machined suspension slide rails.
There’s an across-the-board upgrade with the gauge cluster. Machines either have a Standard or Premium gauge. As far as looks, the rails shape has changed, as well as a number of machined holes in them. This was for strength, Hallstrom said.
Mountain Sleds
There are two major updates to the M Series mountain snowmobiles. “It’s all about weight, weight, weight,”?Hallstrom said.
A new, lighter weight rear skid uses a Fox FLOAT shock. It’s 8 pounds lighter due to the absence of springs and the elimination of some metal. There’s also fewer places for snow to collect, Hallstrom said, which will result in less riding weight. psb

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