Backcountry (and some trail) riders looking to swap the stock Arctic Cat hand controls with something that's less bulky and less likely to shred in the event of a HOLY CRAPETH moment might appreciate the Handlebar Control Kit from Speedwerx.

Engineered for 8000/6000 Series machines, the kit replaces the stock controls with momentary buttons for the engine stop and electronic reverse switches on the handlebars, with rocker switches for the hand/thumb warmers and the high/low beam on the dash. A heavy-duty aluminum throttle block is also included.

The kit comes with an OEM-quality, pre-wired handlebar wire harness for a no-hassle plug and play installation. Plus it saves .45lbs over the stock set-up!

Interested? Speedwerx sold the first run of inventory, but you can pre-order for the next round and be ready to rip this winter.

"Before I even clicked off a mile, I (_____fill_in_the_blank____) to my sled," are words that live in infamy with a group of my snowmobile friends.

But as much as we joke about it, there actually are a few things I do to a new sled before I take that first ride.

And with enough snow on the ground here in the Twin Cities area, here are some pix of the process before I take my first ride this afternoon.

Question: How has D&D Racing cleaned up the grass drag Improved Stock Turbo class all season long with their 2014 Arctic Cat XF1100 Turbo, consistently hitting 500-foot 4.5-something E.T.’s and top speeds in the mid 110s?

Answer: With a fairly limited build sheet of bolt-on parts.

Click to see the list.