New guy to web site, currently restoring a Arctic Cat SSSCat II. Looking for info on fenders that will look close to stock. There is currently a set on ebay that look nice [ item 262643146353] . Any info. would be nice. Will also be looking for fender & frame decals. I do remember these decals on ebay sometime back but not found now. My tank decals are in decent shape but there is a dent on one side at the decal, trying to find a paintless dent place that can fix it before painting. I have never seen a reproduction set of tank decals on ebay , maybe somebody knows of tank decals if needed. Thank you.
Hi Frank. Welcome to the site.
I have 2 Arctic SSSCAT II's, and can help you with your questions.
Those fenders on Ebay will work, however, they are not originals. They are close enough though to work for your bike, you'll just need to do some manual forming/adjusting on them so they have a radius that matches that of the tires. There are dimensions that the fender can be formed to-to achieve this as well. The rear fender bracket is not correct for an Arctic bike simply because it's too long and will make your rear fender stick up far too high. It can be cut down and re-drilled to be more correct for an Arctic bike though, there are dimensions for this as well. All in all the price is decent and you can make the parts work as they are the closest ones available to originals.
I've purchased a complete set of reproduction SSSCAT II decals from a mini bike restorer in the past, but this was almost 3 years ago and he only had 10 sets then and most were spoken for. Just the other day I did inquire about more of them and can certainly report back if/when I hear something.
Does your bike have a headlight, tail light, front brake, and reflectors? If not, you have an "ST." or "Standard" model which did not originally come with purple frame stripe or fender stripes.
post pics of your bike, or message me with any additional questions
Here is one of mine...
~Mike
I have 2 Arctic SSSCAT II's, and can help you with your questions.
Those fenders on Ebay will work, however, they are not originals. They are close enough though to work for your bike, you'll just need to do some manual forming/adjusting on them so they have a radius that matches that of the tires. There are dimensions that the fender can be formed to-to achieve this as well. The rear fender bracket is not correct for an Arctic bike simply because it's too long and will make your rear fender stick up far too high. It can be cut down and re-drilled to be more correct for an Arctic bike though, there are dimensions for this as well. All in all the price is decent and you can make the parts work as they are the closest ones available to originals.
I've purchased a complete set of reproduction SSSCAT II decals from a mini bike restorer in the past, but this was almost 3 years ago and he only had 10 sets then and most were spoken for. Just the other day I did inquire about more of them and can certainly report back if/when I hear something.
Does your bike have a headlight, tail light, front brake, and reflectors? If not, you have an "ST." or "Standard" model which did not originally come with purple frame stripe or fender stripes.
post pics of your bike, or message me with any additional questions
Here is one of mine...
~Mike
Last edited:
Welcome!
You've certainly picked a model that presents a challenge. We'll see what Ding Ding hears back from his contact. I bought a set of reproductions a few years ago from a different source. The guy who made them had a business making reproduction Arctic Cat snowmobile sets. He since moved away and I've lost contact with him. I'll see if I can dig up the last contact info I had.
The tank decals with the 3-dimensional crinkle is the problem. That material isn't made anymore and super rare. The frame and fender stickers are easy and Ding Ding's contact should be able to provide those. If your tank stickers are mostly complete, a paintless dent guy might be your best bet. Be advised, however, that Arctic Cat tanks are incredibly stiff. If the damage is significant, there may be a point of no return.
Here are a couple of drawings I put together a few years ago that should help with those fenders. Put on some leather gloves and manhandle them a bit. Bury it in your chest and then work your way from one end to the other to tighten the radius until the dimension tip to tip is correct. Then work on fixing the arc of the cross section, which tends to flatten out with the process. The rear one can be adjusted further once you install it on the bike. It's easy then to fine tune the arc with the tire.
As for the fender support, the long ones are your only option unless you re-chrome an old one. The original was 7" from the hole center to the start of the arc. The only ones left for sale are 8". As Ding Ding said, you can make an 8" into a 7" pretty easy. Not perfect but your best bet. Cut the legs off just enough to remove the holes. Make note of the geometry before you do this by tracing it. Flatten the stiffening rib to replicate the end you cut off, arc the bottom and drill a hole. Pretty easy.
Good luck. Glad to see another Arctic Cat being saved instead of parted out.
You've certainly picked a model that presents a challenge. We'll see what Ding Ding hears back from his contact. I bought a set of reproductions a few years ago from a different source. The guy who made them had a business making reproduction Arctic Cat snowmobile sets. He since moved away and I've lost contact with him. I'll see if I can dig up the last contact info I had.
The tank decals with the 3-dimensional crinkle is the problem. That material isn't made anymore and super rare. The frame and fender stickers are easy and Ding Ding's contact should be able to provide those. If your tank stickers are mostly complete, a paintless dent guy might be your best bet. Be advised, however, that Arctic Cat tanks are incredibly stiff. If the damage is significant, there may be a point of no return.
Here are a couple of drawings I put together a few years ago that should help with those fenders. Put on some leather gloves and manhandle them a bit. Bury it in your chest and then work your way from one end to the other to tighten the radius until the dimension tip to tip is correct. Then work on fixing the arc of the cross section, which tends to flatten out with the process. The rear one can be adjusted further once you install it on the bike. It's easy then to fine tune the arc with the tire.
As for the fender support, the long ones are your only option unless you re-chrome an old one. The original was 7" from the hole center to the start of the arc. The only ones left for sale are 8". As Ding Ding said, you can make an 8" into a 7" pretty easy. Not perfect but your best bet. Cut the legs off just enough to remove the holes. Make note of the geometry before you do this by tracing it. Flatten the stiffening rib to replicate the end you cut off, arc the bottom and drill a hole. Pretty easy.
Good luck. Glad to see another Arctic Cat being saved instead of parted out.
Note that this seller has one negative comment..."fenders were dented and scratched, waste of money and time".
Price is good but having bought many of these fenders over the years from various sources, I can confirm that they often have these scratches. The chrome on this brand was never show quality. Seems like for every 5 I buy I have to send 2 back for this very reason. As Ding Ding said, these are not original Arctic, but still new old stock. They were used on lots of different brands. True originals are as extinct as the dinosaurs.
Price is good but having bought many of these fenders over the years from various sources, I can confirm that they often have these scratches. The chrome on this brand was never show quality. Seems like for every 5 I buy I have to send 2 back for this very reason. As Ding Ding said, these are not original Arctic, but still new old stock. They were used on lots of different brands. True originals are as extinct as the dinosaurs.
Thanks for the great info Ding Ding & ArcticMinibike. I ordered those fenders today & I will modify as shown. This mini has headlight mount & a spot for tailight, it also had a purple stripe on frame (painted over) with a front brake. This bike was in pretty rough shape, the frame had been welded up at the headstock & lower front engine plate. I spent way to much time cutting & grinding the ugly off of this one, then rewelding. It looks pretty nice now. I wanted to save this because I had one as a kid,mine must have been a standard because I don't remember lights. Someone had installed a Tecumseh 5hp on it & it was fast. I used to beat trail 70's. I will be looking for an engine at some point. THANKS FOR INFO FrankDig ----photos attached
Hey look at that, still has the tool kit bag attached. Looks like you did a nice job on the restore thus far. I see you got a new seat cover, which is about the only option to repair a torn one. Rear shocks turned out great. Are those the original tires? They look decent. You could still swap out those footpegs for the correct aluminum Cherry brand. Triumph Norton BSA Chopper Bobber Cherry Rear Foot Pegs 842 | eBay
You may be hard pressed to find the exact correct lighted engine for the bike, and if you do it will cost you. I paid $300+ for mine. 1970 lighted Tecumseh HS40 engines aren't exactly plentiful. I currently have an HS50 on my ssscat II, and it's a blast to ride. Lots of torque! That's the beauty of these 4 cycle bikes, many different engines will work. I will put the correct engine in it some day.
You may be hard pressed to find the exact correct lighted engine for the bike, and if you do it will cost you. I paid $300+ for mine. 1970 lighted Tecumseh HS40 engines aren't exactly plentiful. I currently have an HS50 on my ssscat II, and it's a blast to ride. Lots of torque! That's the beauty of these 4 cycle bikes, many different engines will work. I will put the correct engine in it some day.
Ding Ding thanks for the compliment on the restoration. The tires I believe where originals, but all dry rotted. It now has new cheng shin tires. The chrome on all of the bright work was done with Eastswoods new powder chrome. That stuff looks pretty nice as long as there are no pits. (handle bars) Please let me know if you hear anything about decal kit for this bike------- Thank you FrankDig