I am a complete newbie to atvs. After 26 years away from motorcycles, I bought a dual sport bike last summer. I had a blast riding it in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho and northern Utah. However, I would now like to tackle some more difficult trails and explore the wilderness, and I would prefer to do it on four wheels. I like the Arctic Cat machines; they seem to be a very good value for their price.

Which machine should I get? I have narrowed my choices down to the Arctic Cat 250 2X4 automatic and the Arctic Cat 366 4X4 automatic. Besides the difference in initial cost, is one machine more economical to operate than the other? Will I get better gas mileage and have lower operating costs with the liquid-cooled, 250cc engine? Will the IRS of the 366cc machine give me a more rugged, trouble-free vehicle, or will it be more costly to maintain than the swingarm on the 250cc cat? Is the smaller cat much easier to trailer, or put on the back of a pickup truck? Will I really benefit from 4-wheel drive if I travel primarily on dry, rocky trails in the mountains? What other factors should I consider? I am a complete noob to atvs, so I would greatly appreciate any advice I can get from experienced owners, especially Arctic Cat owners. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Spudrider,

Welcome to the forum. Excellent choices for an ATV too I might add. I own the AC 400 FIS manual (which is basically the 366) and if I was going to be doing a bunch of hill climbing and such I would get the 4x4 and a 2500# winch and you are set. You have the 4x option if you need it to climb with. On the other hand my experience with a the older AC 250 (made by suzuki) is that they are lighter, a little more manuverable and will go almost any place the 4x4 can. Plus if you get stuck you can usually just get off and lift it up by hand.

Both will fit in the back of a truck. I do not know the overall weight of each machine off the top of my head but the 366 should be around 500lbs with the rider and the 250 will probably go about 100lbs lighter with a rider. If you plan to do some back country camping I would go with the 366 because of the extra weight carrying capacity and carrying gear.

Maintenance should be nearly equal except the 250 may use a little less fuel. I am not sure about the new 250's as they are made by Kymco. I know they have been around for a while but I still like and trust the old Suzuki engines in the older 250/300.

So my bottom line is both choices are good. I personally would lean toward the 366 as it will give you more options later in case you want to plow snow, or go mudding etc.

SJ

 

Swampy,

Thank you for the welcome and the good information. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

After doing a little more research it appears to me that the 2007 AC250 2X4 automatic I am considering was built by Kymco, and the 2007 AC400 4X4 automatic I am considering was based on a Suzuki engine. Apparently this older 400cc model was discontinued in 2007, and replaced in 2008 by another quad built by Kymco. Am I correct?

If the new AC250 2X4 automatic built by Kymco can go almost anywhere the 4X4 model can, I might prefer its lower price tag, lighter weight and maneuverability. However, I have read that some people have experienced problems with the high range in the CVT transmission. Might the older, Suzuki-based engine in the 2007 AC400 4X4 automatic be more reliable?

Spud [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

hey spudrider,
if it were me id go up a notch to the 500. You get a little more power ,not that the 366 dont have enough, but its nice to have if you decide you want bigger tires, hit the mud a little,ect... and if your going with 4 wheel drive then you will also get a front diff locker with the 500. I would recomend the older model 400s as they are a wonderful bike but there not around anymore and i personally dont like the 366. Its a kymco thing.lol. the 250s arent what they were before either, the older ones with 4x4 would go everywhere the bigger bores would. Well just about. I dont know what you plan on spending on a new bike but ive seen 2008 even 2007 500s go for about $5500 -$5800 and considering the 366 was $5200-$5600 in my area anyways. Good luck with you purchase whatever it may be but i personaly believe the 500 is an overall better bike,its been around since 1996 or so, as the 366 only a couple years. Shop around. Again good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

i would go with a suzuki based arctic cat if i were you for reliability's sake. 4x4 and IRS would be a good idea for rocks too. you can always find a used arctic cat, you can run across some really good deals on craigslist. good luck!

 

hey spud, i think the suzuki motor is more reliable without a doubt. you are correct about the older 400s being discontinued (big mistake in my opinion) they were bullet proof. its kinda funny, they had a 400 that was a 371cc liquid cooled engine, then they came out with a 375 air/oil cooled engine which was a 376cc,(these 2 bikes were out at the same time i think no longer than 2 years,maybe just 1), and then they got rid of the 371cc and used the 375 (376cc) for there 400 models. Ok so, they have a 400 (376) air/oil cool bike that everyone loved,sold lots from my understandings then the come out with a cheap looking kymco 366 that dont have diff lock, and the old one did . I dont get it.

 

Was the locking differential on the old AC400 automatic? Also, was it available on all four wheels? Did the 2007 AC400 4X4 automatic change anything from the 2006 model? It sounds like this older AC400 was a very popular machine. Does any one know why they discontinued it? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

not all of them had diff lock. I think since 2004. yes the locking diff locks the 2 front wheels so you have a true 4 wheel drive, when its in regular 4 wheel drive the 2 front wheels transfer power back and forth. 06 and 07 were pretty much the same as far as i know. They were awsome machines. If you could find a good used one as 450kodman said, i would do that, if you dont want to pay for a new one. I think they were discontinued b/c kymco bought into them, and there was a higher demand for the bigger bores. this is what i was told. You know the 650 is no longer also. it was replaced by the 550 efi which is said to have as much power as the 650. so now its just 250,366,500 auto. or manual,550efi,700efi (arctic cat motor) and 1000(950cc).

 

Gentlemen, thank you so much for all of your good information. I have done a lot of reading, but nothing compares with the voice of experience.

It sounds like the 2006 and 2007 AC400 4X4 automatics have just about every feature you could want in an atv. It also sounds like they are proven, reliable quads, unlike the Kymcos. What would be a fair price for one of these atvs, either new or used?

Spud [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

My friend paid 5400 for his 400 in 06 and when my nieghbor bought his 04 it was a year old in the showroom and the 05 were arriving, he got it for $5200. i had bought an 02(no diff lock at that time) for 5700 in arkansas. I live in st louis, but the prices here were $6800 for the same thing. i saved $1100 goin to arkansas and i only spent $65 in gas. This is why i recomended the 500, for about $500 more you get a little more power and liquid cooled, but both are the same size. The 400s are about 25 hp and the newer 500s are 32 hp (mine is 30hp). then again thats a price of a winch. If you buy used, depending on condition and how old it is i would expect for a 400 around $3,500-$4,000 give and take some. Just have to look around. Oh my 500 fits in an S10 bed tail gate down.