Arctic Cat's understanding of two-up snowmobiling dates to the mid-1960s when Cat engineers devised the first full production parallel rail slide suspension for its Panther. Since then Arctic Cat has continued to build on its reputation as the maker of the 'Catillacs' of touring sleds. Check out the turbocharged power of the latest two-up Cat, the TZ1 Turbo Touring LXR. This take-a-friend along model has the character of a sport sled with all the amenities of a luxury SUV, including a heated seat!
While the more basic T500 touring model may not be as fully featured as the top of the line TZ1, it offers quite a lot for its US$8,499.00 base price. Just as the 1966 Arctic Cat Panther promised the best ride for the day, the 2009 Arctic Cat T500 offers superb ride characteristics as well. Its slide-action rear suspension is essentially the same unit found in the top line TZ1 Turbo Touring. It has the coupling blocks to keep the skis planted on the snow for precision turning, the fiberglass overload springing to accommodate two-up and solo riding needs, hydraulic twin-tube front arm shock and the Torque Sensing Link rear arm to complement ride control. Expect more than a foot of useable suspension travel, 13.3-inches to be exact.
2009 Arctic Cat T500 Touring Review
