The New 2021 Arctic Cat Riot X Fun to Ride

It was very cool, overcast day in mid March when the 2021 Arctic Cat Riot and Blast snowmobiles came to an area near Thunder Bay’s Kam Community Centre to provide people an opportunity to ride these brand new sleds.

The snow conditions were quite hard but is was fun to hop on the new Riot sled and ride down the power lines in the area.

I had been a long time Arctic Cat snowmobile rider and was looking forward to trying out the new 800 engine in the crossover segment. The sled started quickly with electric start and it was off with our guides from local dealer Intercity Power Sports. Riding off trail in unfamiliar conditions is not something I do often but the power and quick response of the 800 engine was something I noticed immediately.

Previously my Arctic Cat ZR had the 600 CTEC engine.

The RIOT had a 146 inch track which was fun to ride off trail. The snow conditions were rock hard but the sled performed well and showed the capability of having more track, as I usually ride with 129 inch. In addition to the RIOT there to ride they had the RIOT X version as well which features the Alpha single slide rail system. This sled was even easier to maneuver and would be mostly aimed at the off trail rider.

The new BLAST models were available to ride as well and featured a new 85 HP single cylinder engine built by Arctic Cat. This mid sized sled could easily be ridden by an adult. The power capability reminded me of a previous 85 HP twin cylinder 2010 Arctic Cat sled I owned which was always fun to ride!

It was great top have the opportunity to actually ride the new 2021 sleds this season and really get a feel for how they perform. I wish this was done more here by all the manufacturers.