Hello,

I am planning to purchase an ATV for farm/trail use and I am particularly interested in the 500/650/700 Arctic Cats. I think that the 500 or 650 probably has enough power for my needs but I am interested in knowing if the electronic fuel injection on the 700 makes it easier to start in the winter. I live in far northern Maine where we have plenty of below zero mornings when I probably wouldn't be doing much trail riding but if the snow is not too deep, I might be hauling firewood.

I checked with both of our local Arctic Cat dealers and one says that EFI makes a big difference in cold starts, whereas the other dealer said that there really is no difference in cold-weather starting between the EFI units and the carbureted units (500/650) because the carbureted units have electronic chokes, making them easy to start.

Could anyone give me any other opinions on this? I know I could wait for the next really cold morning and visit the dealer to see how they start but we have only had a couple of below-zero mornings this month and I am hoping to make a purchase before the end of the year. It might be helpful to know that I will be storing the ATV in an unheated garage and my use of the ATV in the winter months will probably be every two or three weeks or more so it will be sitting for a while between uses.

One other question, since I plan to haul firewood (in addition to recreational trail riding and hauling a bush hog), should I be leaning towards an SRA-equipped ATV instead of Arctic Cat's IRS? One of the dealers I spoke with recommended a Kawasaki Prairie 700 as a better ATV for hauling firewood (he has a couple on his lot that he said he could give me a good deal on because they are '06's). I will be hauling firewood from the back of my farm to my house which is only 1/2 mile but it is steep and rough in places (too rough for a pick-up). However, since it is a short distance, I would not need to haul huge loads of firewood each time.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions,
Fred.

 

i can not answer your efi question but i can tell you that arctic cat has a semi-independant rear suspention bike (straight axle but 2 shocks). the only place ive been seeing them around here is at bass pro shops. its a 400 and a 500. i haul fire wood also,ive only got a 500 irs and it does all that i need. the tow capacity is 1050 on these bikes and if your terrain is as rough as you make it sound anything over 1050 could put you in a bind. the bikes are capable of pulling more but if you have a 700lb. bike going down a steep hill with 1500lbs. behind it, your gonna jack knife it b/c the trailer will push the bike. i know , i did it and bent my arms and axle. ive learned to take no more than about 1000lbs at a time. the irs works fine, i tend to put the weight over the axle or slightly behind it to even the trailer out. (so my bike dont squat).

 

The IRS Arctic Cat will haul the wood better then the Prarie due to the weight of the AC. You can turn those rear shocks so tight that they won't squat at all. Plus the 2" receiver hitch is NICE.

ALso, the electronic choke does a GREAT job of starting in the cold weather. My 650 H1 always starts up within 7 seconds (a guess) and will stay running, but will spudder (is that even a word?) for a few seconds. However, if I were doing it over again I would get the EFI in a heartbeat. You should be able to get the 07 700 for $7000, not too bad. LE for $7800. Good luck to you. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

EFI better for cold starts? Sure.

Problems starting my carb'ed 650? None, regardless of temperature. They really area good starting machine.

 

I sure enjoy my V2 650 manual choke. After having the valves adjust now she fires without touching the gas at all, 7 degrees out the other day and not a problem. I really enjoy the 2" hitch. And the suspension is fantastic.

 

Thought I would add my $.02 on the starting issue.

I bought a 650 H1. So far so good. On the first fishing trip I took it on (it only had 150 miles on it) it was -5. It did not start.

The rest of the story: We screwed around with it for a while and finally my brother read the sticker on the fender that said we should prime it if it was cold outside. We hit the primer three times it it popped right off.

Moral of the story - read the manual. (you don't have to say it Bear)

I never have had another problem with cold starting again. I alway hit the primer. And once started is stays running with auto choke.

I would have went 700 EFI (also nice for elevation changes) but the $$ was too much - sounds like you get to use it as a tax deduction - get the EFI.

 

Had a polaris 800 and 700 with EFI, they start regardless of temp and idle perfect, carbs tend to be a little more to get warmed up and running good. EFI is a good thing, but for a hard worker the 650 H1 is stronger than the suzuki 700 motor torque wise. I love AC but the truth is a 800 polaris will out work them any day.

 

I have a 650V2, carb, and it starts right up, in any temp. ANY of the Arctic Cat line up will make you happy

 

Thank you all for sharing your experiences starting Arctic Cat's in cold weather. It sounds like EFI does not make that much different for cold-weather starting so I am now torn between the Arctic Cat H1 650 and the 700. Since I will be doing some firewood hauling with the ATV, I like the description of the low-end pulling power of the 650, but on the other hand it also sounds like the 700 has plenty of low-end pulling power. Any comments on the difference in low-end pulling power between the 650 and 700?

I read in another post in this forum that Arctic Cat is going exclusively to EFI on all (or most) of its models next year. Perhaps this is a good indication of what Arctic Cat considers to be the virtues of EFI so maybe I should consider that when deciding between the 650 and 700?

Also thank you for the excellent firewood hauling tips. I do not have a long distance to haul so I will be sure to haul a reasonable load to avoid jack-knifing and destroying the axle and rear-end of the ATV. Balancing the weight over the axle is also another great tip and I usually try and haul with my pickup using that method as well.

Thank you again for your help.
Fred.

 

EFI makes a big difference in cold weather starting. EFI makes starting a matter of turn the key and it runs. All others require you to follow some proceedure and it seems that for some that is a major challenge.