I’d like to say that I love my job every day, but some days, writer’s block and tight deadlines make me want to pull my hair out—OK, that’s a little extreme, but you get the picture. There are other days when I’m glad that I made the choice to pursue a career in journalism, specifically for a motorsports magazine; April 25, 2013, was one of those days. It was my first ride of the season and I had arranged to demo Arctic Cat’s new 2013 700 Limited ATV—which Darren Pickering of All Seasons Motor Sports had so kindly supplied.
Pickering is the owner of All Seasons Motor Sports in Cranbrook, B.C. Now in its fifth year of operation, All Seasons Motor Sports carries a full line of Arctic Cat, Kawasaki and Suzuki products. The dealership services all makes and models of side-by-sides, ATVs, snowmobiles and bikes. The team there is passionate about riding—in other words, the guys and girls who work at All Seasons are the same people that you see on the trails.
The reason for the ride was twofold: in addition to doing the test drive, I was also being commissioned by my editor to take a cover photo for the latest issue of RidersWest print magazine. My riding partner, Monte Smith, who is also my husband, was assisting in the task.
It was only April, and in our neck of the woods, the snow doesn’t disappear from the mountains until early July. We decided to ride some of the lower elevation trails northeast of Cranbrook near Fort Steele. I say lower elevation, but we still found some terrain that would test the capabilities of the Arctic Cat 700 Limited.
Now I’m no expert when it comes to ATVs, but overall, I believe this machine is well suited for riding in the Rocky Mountains. The 700 Limited offers a smooth and predictable ride, thanks to a sway bar and Arctic Cat’s race-inspired Ride-in suspension. Weight-wise, it seems to be well balanced on the front and rear ends, allowing a rider to tackle steeper trails with confidence. It also comes with some pretty sweet extras, such as front and rear heavy-duty bumpers, a 3,000-pound winch, a two-inch rear hitch receiver, aluminum rims and, best of all, electronic power steering.
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