|
2010
Arctic Cat 700H1 EFI S LE |
If you want big bore power to go with your
power steering, Arctic Cat has you covered this
year as well. The other three EPS units for
2010 are all 700 H1 EFI versions. The green
700 H1 EFI S is the base unit with EPS yet steel
wheels and no winch, coming in at $9249. The
Viper Blue 700 H1 EFI S LE gets the same great
LE upgrades as it’s smaller bore brother
for $10,149 and the last 2010 model to receive
the EPS is the TRV 700 HI EFI S. Available in
Tungsten Metallic, the $9,949 bigger bore 2-up
touring ATV gets EPS and cast aluminum wheels.
We recently traveled up to Moab, Utah to get
our first hands on riding experience with all
six of these new EPS equipped Arctic Cat ATV’s.
As we gathered at the trailhead parking lot
we were quickly introduced to the first unique
EPS feature on the 2010 Arctic Cat’s.
The Arctic Cat EPS system is designed to work
as soon as you turn the key on, regardless of
whether the engine is running or not. This will
not only ease the chores of maneuvering your
ATV’s around the garage or the trailer,
but will also greatly enhance that first impression
when a potential customer is sitting on the
unit on the showroom floor.
Sitting on dry pavement you can easily recognize
the reduced effort needed to turn the bars as
soon as you turn the key on. After playing with
the unit in the parking lot for a few minutes,
we decided it was time to actually fire them
up and throw them in gear. I was excited to
gear up in my new Klim cold weather gear as
it is rarely this cold anytime that I ride back
at home. I can’t begin to tell you the
difference from being prepared with top notch
cold weather gear such as the Klim stuff and
trying to rough it with layers of standard cold
weather clothing. The comfort and enjoyment
factor is incredible especially when you aren’t
having to constantly warm your fingers on the
exhaust and your four layers of clothes aren’t
bunched up making it impossible to move around
on and control the quad.
|
2010
Arctic Cat 700H1 EFI S LE |
I jumped on a 700 S and we blasted out of the
parking lot and up the road to the entrance to
a fun, semi-technical trail in the infamous Moab
slickrock. Our guide Scott from High Point Hummer
& ATV knows every trail in the area like the
back of his hand, and he quickly had us into technical
climbs that really showcased/tested the EPS system.
Bouncing back and forth between a S version and
a standard non power steering unit, the advantages
were immediately evident, especially when navigating
the slower off camber climbs and descents.
While descending down steep chutes that require
you to slow to a near stop and turn out to one
line or another, the effortless power steering
truly gives you one less concern making it easier
and safer to navigate nearly anything technical
we could through at it. A few miles further into
the trail I found myself attempting a steep twisty
climb that pretty much required differential lock
to conquer. Once again, like most of the other
power steering equipped ATV’s, the power
steering actually makes the machine manageable
to ride while locked up. It is no exaggeration
to say that the improvement of adding EPS with
diff lock, is more helpful than the addition of
the diff lock itself.