Press Release –

On December 9th, 2005 The Vancouver Canucks had their second overtime victory over The Ottawa Senators and Crank Motorsports made its presentation during the second intermission as Fin, the beloved Vancouver Canucks mascot slid onto the ice to give a lucky fan a free Unison 150cc Desert Cat.

The presentation lasted only a few moments, but was seen by thousands of spectators from all around. The exposure of the 150cc Desert Cat to the Vancouver Market went as well as it possibly could have, showing not only its cosmetic appeal, but also how easy the units are to operate.

The winners are avid ATV and powersport enthusiasts and Crank Motorsports wishes them good luck and happy riding!

Contact Crank Motorsports at (604) 779-9100 for more information about Unison’s ATV lineup.

Bombardier ATV has announced it will be building all its formerly domestic ATV models (Outlanders and DS series) in Mexico.

The parent company, BRP, as a result of the acquisition of Johnson and Evinrude outboard engines, owns a state-of-the-art production facility in Mexico.

Currently, BRP builds one Sea-Doo model and some Johnson and Evinrude components in the plant. This move is the first time Rotax engines will be built outside of Austria.

The announcement noted no jobs will be lost in Quebec or Austria as a result of the move.

Seems industry observers are agreeing increased demand for Big Bore engines in the Sport-Ute segment will require manufacturers not currently offering twin cylinder motors to do just that.

With the reality of a 1000cc ATV not as far fetched as it was two years ago, what is the ideal twin cylinder configuration? If twin cylinder engines needed to deliver the kind of power buyers are willing to pay for, it’s looking an awful lot like a Vee-Twin world out there.

Why is the Vee configuration so suitable for ATV power? The width necessary to accommodate CVT transmissions demands a skinny motor. The V-twin design keeps the engine as narrow as a single cylinder to squeeze the engine and a CVT between the rider’s legs.

Clearly Polaris has done an admirable job with its parallel twin but these ATVs can’t afford to get any wider. Packaging realities will likely increase the use of the venerable Vee-Twin design.

Arctic Cat is set to spend $8 million (USD) on a new engine plant to be built in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

The new facility, destined to supplement production of engines already underway in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, will begin as a 56,000 square foot plant capable of expansion to 200,000 square feet as demand for domestic ATV engines increases.

Fifty new jobs will be created when the plant opens near the end of 2006 with the potential of 100 more once the site is fully operational.

An interesting aspect of the facility is the development of a 40 acre test track adjacent to the 15 acre plant.

Carter Brothers Manufacturing is giving its retailers and customers the opportunity to share comments with its team.

Carter is in development of aftermarket performance parts and is looking for feedback to ensure you’re getting the best service possible.

Contact Dino Ienni at dino@carterbro.com with your comments, suggestions and customer requests and look for the results in an upcoming edition of Carter’s ebulletin.