Arctic Cat Riot 8000 | Owner's Review

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[@snomofilms]

Really well done review- all the details that are important discussed for this 50/50 market 👍

[@Revrider550]

Thank you really appreciate it!

[@blizzard2507]

Christopher Rausher Once again, excellent video. For me, My next sled will be one that I ride only on trails and if there is a snow storm, I would not hesitate to go ride the un-groomed trails and woory to get stuck at every corner

[@ponycarfan]

Just wanted to add, great review from someone with no obvious loyalty and very little bias. I appreciate your honesty. Always enjoy your videos.

[@Revrider550]

Thank you! I really appreciate that. Just trying to show off the good and bad with each sled. I always hated when I was mislead by reviews back in the day and ended up buying something that was nothing like what I was lead to believe. Theres good and bad in every sled in my opinion but it's just nice to know what to expect before hand.

[@nate390]

We haven't had enough snow on the ground anywhere in NY to have good off trail riding this year, hell probably in the last 2 winters. The Procross doesn't pull over as easily as the Polaris or a Ski-doo but it becomes a negligible difference in 2'+ of snow. In 2015 when we had 3+ feet of snow I loosened off the limiter straps and changed the skid mounting holes on my XF800 and that thing was unstoppable in the deep snow, but it felt tippy and unplanted on the trail. The Cat has a planted feel where the Assault has a playful feel, ultimately it comes down to preference but I think with some tuning you can make one feel more like the other.

[@Revrider550]

Ideally we could get more 2' + days but for the conditions we get I still think there are sleds out there that can be fun in the 12" lake effect dumps we get. Like I said my dad and friend love the riot. I agree its definitely all about preference I'm cool with a little less on trail stability for a little more fun off trail but I wanted to emphasize in my review that if you're the type of rider who wants maximum on trail performance with some added off trail capability I think the Riot is a great choice.

[@davidocasio775]

I ride 80% on trail and it does trail ride great. I bought it to go off trail once and a while and again it does great. I had a '15 xf 8000 137 that would get stuck regularly that this thing just plows right through. I lost about 10 miles on top end mine only does about 82 miles an hour but well worth the trade off. I would buy it again knowing what I know and I would definitely recommend if you want that off trail capability once and a while.... and then there's the riot X if your looking for more off trail capability.... I like cats I love the chassis I stick with what works for me. hope this helps...

[@Revrider550]

My thoughts exactly. Good enough to get the job done off trail for sure and I think for most riot buyers that's all they want/need. Those that want more should go for the Riot X. I am a little disappointed personally in the top speed. My Assaults have both done 105+ consistently no problem that's an 800 with the 1.3 and an 850 with the 1.6 but not the end of the world. Just surprising to see it so low for an 800

[@bedlambikes]

80 percent on trail and 20 percent off - you are MUCH better of with a 137" RR by Cat.

[@nickkraze]

You need to get some shaper bars! Those will eliminate all push.

[@happyindeed6392]

Kinda glad I bought the assault. 1000 miles on her now and no codes or anything. Excellent fuel economy. Hard on oil though. Does alot more than 82 mph too.First day i rode it had it to 95.

[@curty85]

Try to narrow the ski stance for making it more compliant off trail. This doesn't solve the whole thing but if you can figure out how to disconnect the sway bar and add quick dis-connects to it, that would make it better too. I've narrowed my Cross Country which is cool but cant get to the nuts to disconnect the sway bar :(

[@joseywales898]

professional review thank you.

[@Revrider550]

Thanks I really appreciate that! Always do my best to give as honest a review as I can.

[@riffracingteam]

You can narrow the skis up and it will help a lot

[@spyder3777]

Sell them both next year and get yourself a new Renegade or Backcountry X RS. Once set up properly I'm sure they will be amazing sleds. You should try Bergstrom Triple points for your carbide runners.

[@PackedandReadyFranco]

thats why its 12k not 16 u pay for what u get like the new skidoo like 17k and u know obv the assault 15k est

[@gavindrews9853]

I can’t wait to get mine!

[@danielpokorny6850]

Thank you for being straight up on your reviews. I have a 21 riot orderd and your un bias opinions on it helped me make that choise

[@Revrider550]

Congrats on the new sled! Definitely a fun sled you're gonna enjoy it. What color and track did you go with?

[@jacobmccue7502]

Great review. Question on how you said the riot trenches a bit. Would you say that the other option for the track may help that issue being that the lug is a 1.6” compared to you having the 1.375?

[@Revrider550]

Thanks! I had the 1.3 on my 17 Assault and it couldnt lift the skis in powder but it still had really solid flotation. Not having tipped up rails I thought the 1.3 would keep the Riot trail friendly and not change all that much off trail but I did not end up making the right call there. It would probably be better with the 1.6 the only difference I noticed on the Assault was the ability to lift the skis in deep snow but I feel it made it tippier on trail so just kind of a pick your poison situation. If I had it to do over again though I'd get the 1.6.

[@jacobmccue7502]

Revrider550 thanks for responding. Keep up the great content!

[@Revrider550]

@@charlespalmerii4299 looking forward to more videos of that. Ive noticed in what you've posted so far you seem to keep at least one ski in pre existing tracks. Be cool to see how the 1.6 does in untouched snow.

[@charliepalmer5820]

@@Revrider550 , as I stated in Video the initial tracks were done by me, there are no groomed trails by us, we end having to break trail most of the time. Not uncommon that I am doing it for miles, hence the reason I purchased the Riot. End being me most of the time, and really I enjoy it , because of the frequency I ride, and how close the riding is to the our cabin. :-)

[@Mainecat21]

Good review. Rode one. Too much coupling in the rear and the weight is noticeable in the fluff. Decent trail machine but needs improvements to be ridden off trail.

[@barbecuesquirrel2324]

You can buy this sled with an alpha rail.

[@PackedandReadyFranco]

it came with the 1.5 qs3 right ? they sell 2.0 qs3 why arent they using those probaly too much money ?

[@DD-be8ev]

Change the clutch weights and ecu program and you'll be doing wheelies and get over 100 mph with the riot.

[@maudit777]

really???

[@DD-be8ev]

@@maudit777 yup. I own a cat dealership and we've been doing it to alot of the 2020 machines. The 2020s rev high, so a little fine tuning and these machines are insane. Alot of what guys are posting here is common break in period stuff. Top speed 85, lots of oil, crappy fuel mileage etc

[@DD-be8ev]

@@maudit777 and alot of issues these machines are having is poor dealer setup. Valve clips should have been changed before machine was given to customers but alot were not. Handle bar wiring melting or getting pinched is just poor dealer setup

[@johnstjean1422]

Just my opinion you would just need a arctic cat zr 8000 it would do exact what you need by this video drive with ppl with Mountain sleds riding in the Pole line in 5 feet of snow my 129 procross was keeping up easily

[@WimberlyRd]

Based on your description of how the RIOT performs ... it sounds like the RIOT may compete more with an Indy XC 137 (which is not bad .. just sound like how I the XC is described)

[@Revrider550]

Yeah that's a good call. Overall it makes sense for it to compete with the xc 137 coming from cat with their shortest sleds being a 137. This is effectively their next step up length wise so to fill that place in their line up it would need to be trail friendly but still have a little extra flotation.

[@Sdm07120]

What do you think of the my21 bc xrs you thinking about getting one? Im waiting for the polaris release to decide on it or a assault. Im disapointed the 137 fr is now gone and its now stricktly a deep snow sled gonna miss it i was considering getting one.

[@Revrider550]

The BC is an awesome sled. Definitely a bit more off trail aimed but still really solid all around. Unfortunate the 2021 BC is pretty much unchanged this year. I feel like at some point it will get the light weight hood like the freeride and summit expert maybe in a backcountry expert trim or something like that. But time will tell. Still an awesome choice for a new sled though you'll enjoy it.

[@Sdm07120]

Ya we will see what polaris has instore for us. If they do some kind of chassis tweak ill be all in. At least ill be getting something new. Gen 5 doo prob isnt too far away either really. Think a axys 2.0 is coming? I really hope so and I hope the assault gets it otherwise im holding off yet another yr which will suck.

[@deansevic343]

Good review I do agree that it is good on the trail but I disagree saying that it's not a good deep snow sled as I have hade mine now and have about 1500 miles I do agree up to 2 and a half feet of snow it's a handful but in 3 to 5 feet of snow it starts work really well it does manuaver and get on edge and is a great boondocking trailbreaking sled and is a lot of fun to ride My opinion it is a 50/50 which is more business where the assault is more playful and rowdy feeling

[@Revrider550]

Business vs rowdy is a good way to put it. Up to 5 feet is crazy deep snow unfortunately I'll only see snow that deep if I travel. That's with the 1.6 inch track? Good to know the sled can handle it!

[@deansevic343]

@@Revrider550 yes I have the 1.6 Cobra and I have been really happy with it Looking forward to more videos

[@richoutdoors8962]

Awesome review! It took me some getting used to coming out of a corner with my assault. But I have It down pat now how she handles. Love the Assault on trail, only been in the powered twice with mine. It’s pops the front end amazingly in the powder but I went with the 1.3” track for better trial manners. I still think the Assault is the best choice for a true crossover.

[@Revrider550]

Glad you're enjoying the Assault! Its definitely a sled that requires the rider to be more active on trail but once you get it down i think it makes for a really fun package overall. When i get in the groove i feel like i can really rail my assault on trail.

[@jamieleecb]

Great video. I have found my riot X to handle similar to an assault 800 but I'm sure it doesn't keep up to an 850.

[@Revrider550]

Sounds about right. I think the X is the ticket. The trail front end on the riot seems just a bit to wide when it comes to offtrail/powder riding

[@DD-be8ev]

Change clutch weights and ecu program and you'll be doing a wheelie up to 70 mph, and about 110 mph top end

[@hike2]

Great review, looking forward to more videos.

[@Revrider550]

Thank you!

[@PackedandReadyFranco]

u gotta mention the money difference in price from the deep discount at dealer u cat compare the twp strait up

[@Revrider550]

I paid $14.4 with snowcheck deposit for my assault and $12.4 with snowcheck deposit for my Riot. The Riot only has a 1 year warranty where as the assault has the 4 year warranty so if you take that into account it brings the prices closer in line. If you put an extended warranty on the riot the amount saved drops off. Still a great price up front though. I mentioned it in my pick up video and my initial comparison video but probably should have mentioned it here too.

[@BoomclawTV]

Hard to tell from the video. But i think u need to counter-steer a lot more do get it on edge. Great video! Like that you go more in-depth compared to other reviewers.

[@Revrider550]

Yeah I tried more countersteer but it felt pretty unstable. I found it to feel best when I was farther back than I would normally be on the running board and with a decent bit more speed. I'm sle of the drone shots I did that and it felt a bit more balanced. Thanks I do my best! Really tried to put as much info as possible into the video but still keep it interesting with different shots

[@BoomclawTV]

@@Revrider550 What's your opinion on a riot X with a 2.6 track. Seems to me that it would be an awesome all-round sled. Currently riding a 18 m8000, dunno what to replace it with since i don't really find the alpha that interesting :P

[@Revrider550]

@@BoomclawTV its definitely cats most interesting sled for next season! Should be awesome off trail. On trail itll probably be a little tippy but as long as you're not worried about the maximum on trail performance I'm sure it will be livable.

[@BoomclawTV]

@@Revrider550 I was thinking of the 2020 riot x. Should have said alpha rail haha :)

[@dwightstorer1533]

Ive found that the cats do really well on trail due to there front heavy chassis. Definitely the best trail handling sled imo. I still like the ski doo and polaris more for off trail riding. Definitely a huge leap forward for Arctic cat bringing a new crossover to the market

[@jasoncampeau2948]

Good review , I would love the test out a Riot, I do pretty much 80/20.. mostly trail but I still like to play when I see hills 👍

[@Revrider550]

Its definitely a great sled for that! You wont feel like you're missing out at all on trail and off trail it's got the track length to make things fun too.

[@adamnoga-styron7882]

Would this be a grid entry level light mountain sled?

[@Revrider550]

For true mountain riding you at least want to upgrade the track to a 2 inch lug or higher and a narrower front end would make boondocking easier. If you could find a 2020 Riot X I'd say that would be ideal but a regular riot with a larger lug track will definitely get through the fresh powder plenty well.

[@adamnoga-styron7882]

@@Revrider550 thanks for the info

[@Kafteri]

Are you on Stillwater reservoir?

[@Revrider550]

Clips are from a few different places. Some are the trails around Oneida lake, some are moose river plains, and some are just the inner trails in old forge.

[@ponycarfan]

Great info, thank you!

[@tg0003bpa]

Great review! Solidifying my choice for the assault... what was the top speed you seen on the riot?

[@Revrider550]

Glad the review helped! 82 consistently 86 for a flash but I think the track just slipped. I havent had good lake conditions yet to really run it wide open so we will see how it does at that point

[@johnstjean1422]

I personally hate the arctic cat ski I don’t now if there the same as my 2013 thought they are garbage a set of c&a you wouldn’t have that problem

[@wamq29]

My 21 riot X rips off trail. Granted the 21 riot X with the alpha rear is more comparable to the sks

[@SureShotImages]

Good review. 8 MPG is god awful though. Especially considering my Doo 850 gets 16 consistently.

[@Revrider550]

Yeah last ride it got just under 11 but my 850 patriot is getting almost 15 so still not ideal. 100 miles into a ride and we're looking for gas stations because of it.

[@johnstjean1422]

SureShotImages when you want more performance you don’t think about the mpg

[@boydlakecrew772]

Cats always land on their feet. ;)

[@boynebasketball24]

Please get a backcountry xrs 850 next 🙏

[@Revrider550]

Depending on what polaris releases it's a front runner

[@boynebasketball24]

@@Revrider550 Haha watch em come out with an XCR Assault

[@Revrider550]

@@boynebasketball24 that's my thought. Been pretty much unchanged since 2017. It's due for an upgrade. If not though doo here I come haha.

[@bedlambikes]

Narrow front end and ski stance is a total deal killer. The Assault and Riots at least have a 42" trail front end. The BC's are useless on trail in the hands of a trail rider who likes to ride really fast.

[@PackedandReadyFranco]

70 ? what it dont go a 100?

[@xdude2x]

8-9 mpg and mid-80’s top end, ouch!

[@DD-be8ev]

I got 95 before changing clutch weights and ecu program, and 130 to 150 miles on a tank of fuel.

[@johnstjean1422]

I hate to bash I constantly watching your video your try to carve in 1.5 foot on the lake you need to go somewhere there minimum 3 feet of snow in Field u’ll crave it easily

[@Revrider550]

Not bashing! I appreciate the Input. Best I can do is show the sleds performance in the conditions I have in comparison to other sleds I've ridden. Hopefully in a better season I'll get into some deeper snow 👍

[@bedlambikes]

The Arctic Cat 6000RXC is down 200cc and will still pass Riots like they are standing still on the trail. They're not even in the same league when it comes to maintaining high cornering speeds. The Riot is an......ok.......trail sled but to call it anything above average is dishonest.

[@Revrider550]

Havent ridden a crossover yet that's better on trail than a trail sled, doubt I ever will but like I said it's one of the most confidence Inspiring crossovers I've ridden on trail. Wasnt meant to be interpreted any other way apologies if it was!

[@bedlambikes]

@@Revrider550 Good video man, and I appreciate it. Just say "for a crossover" at the end of ever single sentence when talking about its trail ability. lolol.... The truth of the matter is there's SO MANY people buying these things now who only ride them on the trail. Even worse, the mountain sleds are becoming an epidemic because most of (not all) the people riding them simply can't stay on their side of the trail with the anemic steering of mountain sleds.

[@Revrider550]

@@bedlambikes Thanks I appreciate it! Agreed, I try to stick to sleds with trail front ends but slightly longer tracks for when I do get off trail. They're typically a great mix of trail capable with a little more off trail capability with their uncoupled skids and added flotation so I dont have to worry about getting stuck. I kind of see the crossover segment like trucks. Everyone wants the usability of a pick up, but a lot of people never use it. Everytime I see a mountain sled on trail I hope it's a one off situation and that it's not the norm for that rider but it is definitely becoming more and more common.

[@bedlambikes]

@@Revrider550 I live in the northeast and ride in Vermont, Maine and Quebec. I am going to be laughing my ass off when I see Summit Turbo's next winter. Believe me, it'll happen all the time. 175" track with a elevation dependent turbo riding in 500 feet of elevation in the County in Maine. lol

[@Revrider550]

@@bedlambikes for sure! Smart of doo not to put it in anything shorter than a 154. It will definitely slow some guys down from buying one but I'm sure I'll see at least one around here myself as well haha.

[@4x4American]

So pretty much, it’s not a riot lol

[@Kevin-ix4qz]

Too bad you can't return it..... Try a ski Doo. With everything you hated about your last one, and you obviously have the money, why the hell didn't you try a ski Doo? (Forget about trenching... That's your poor choice in the track). Jmho

[@Revrider550]

I had the 1.3 on my 17 Assault and it couldnt lift the skis in powder but it had much better flotation than the riot. Not having tipped up rails I thought the 1.3 would keep the sled trail friendly and not change all that much off trail but I did not end up making the right call there. The Riot was a new model for 2020 and It seemed aimed more at 50/50 than the Backcountry which has the narrow ski stance and seems more like an SKS or Riot X competitor to me. Updated engine, new model, and a solid price checked a lot of boxes. I'll probably go for a doo next time around though.

[@Kevin-ix4qz]

@@Revrider550 I hear ya bud. However, jmho, I think the backcountry is the better off trail sled. If you want to be on trail, polaris all the way. Unfortunately, Doo is a higher cost. That is their main problem imo. However, I'm surprised you love the assault, but then have a cat as a second sled. Do the doo next time

[@Kevin-ix4qz]

@@Revrider550 But for the type of riding that you post..... Just but another assault. Or a 137 mxz in your flavor. You don't need that long track for the low snow conditions that I've seen you post. You seem to be on trail more than off. Dare I say so, it seems like you would be better off with a 137 and a 13.... Whatever, cobra with studs

[@Revrider550]

The renegade is pretty updated for 2021. Could make for some good content. Like you said though that price is mean. Also curious to see what polaris brings for 2021 so not sure where I'll land yet.

[@Kevin-ix4qz]

@@Revrider550 I hear ya. Please don't get me wrong. They all make a kick arse machine. For your particular fun and type of riding (from what you post on YT, another assault seems like your ticket) ac seems to have some many dang problems

[@daveclausner]

Do not buy a cat......

[@Velislide]

For a brand new sled... That thing is junk, lol.