| Arctic Cat Wildcat 4 1000 Review
By Jon Crowley, UTVGuide.net Arctic Cat recently released the newest addition to their UTV lineup, and I got the invite to travel to the old mining town of Randsburg, CA to test the newWildcat 4 1000 HO four-seater. This was my first time to the Randsburg and I was impressed by this quaint town. It is a “living” ghost town that sits about 20 miles south of Ridgecrest along Highway 395 with a population just over 50. Randsburg features a real western saloon, several antique shops, a general store (with old fashioned soda fountain), two small inns, and the infamous “Joint” – where cocktails are served at the ultimate hole-in-the-wall. We stayed at the Goat Sky Ranch which is a bed and breakfast that is owned by former motocross champion Todd “Goat” Breker. What makes Randsburg unique in California is it is OHV friendly. We started our ride right from the Goat Sky Ranch!
Arctic Cat did more than stretch the chassis of theArctic Cat Wildcat. They teamed with industry expert Team Industries to design a completely new drive and driven “dry” clutch and lightened flywheel. In addition, Arctic Cat partnered with FOX for shocks and even redesigned the sway-bar. Yoshimuras John Haskell led our ride through the high desert near Randsburg. The wide open terrain in the area is well suited to let the new four-seater stretch its legs. Whooped out roads are part of the desert landscape and the Wildcat 4 eats them up like a trophy truck. The new FOX shocks and added wheelbase let the Wildcat 4 fly through the rough stuff like no other UTV.
We also noticed right away that the new clutch setup is a huge improvement to getting the 951cc v-twin’s power to the ground. Power is right there when you need it whether climbing a steep hill in loose rocks or bombing through a sand wash.
The interior of the Wildcat is fairly roomy. I am 6′ 1″ and it does take a little bit of maneuvering to get long legs into the vehicle, but once in I could ride in the back seat. My knees are on the side of the front seat, but it is decently comfortable.
The ground clearance of the Wildcat 4 is good at 13 inches, but with such a long wheelbase, a little more would be nice. I could easily see swapping out the 26 inch tires for a set of 28 inch in order to gain some ground clearance and also give the tire a little more sidewall. Good news is there are no tire clearance issues even with 30 inch tires. The Wildcat 4 is really long at 149″ overall. It just won’t work well on tight trails. But if you like to go fast in the desert, and want to bring a few friends, the Wildcat 4 shines. The suspension is nothing short of amazing through rough terrain and monster whoops. I don’t think I have ever been that fast through deep, uneven whoops in my life. More Photos:
Manufacturer Info: Arctic Cat Inc. Website: www.arcticcat.com Phone: 218-681-8558 About Arctic Cat: |
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