Is it the AC 500 4x4 automatic a good bike for riding or was it made for work?
would you buy a Foreman ES instead?

 

I just bought my AC 500 auto 4x4 and I took it to Windrock. I did very well climbing hills going threw mud and climbing o0ver rocks. The formen is a good bike also but the cat is alot better. I have rode them both and would recomend the AC. I love mine. Have you had any problems with yours?

 

I am in the process of deciding which one should I buy...
For one thing I've heard that the AC is more rigid and hard to keep it on the track, the thing I like is that it is automatic. Most of my riding will be on normal trails, some hills and so on.
Thank you for your opinion.

 

With the springs on the softest settings, the Cat's nose may dive a bit in high speed turns. Nothing dangerous, just not quite the snappy response of, say, a Vinson.

On the other hand, with the springs on the softest settings, the Cat is a cadillac, very smooth ride, and the wheels can fully articulate letting it crawl over just about anything. Here's mine, doing it's thing in a very rocky creekbed.

Cat On The Rocks

That's one of my favorite trails on my farm - the Cat makes it through without so much as scraping bottom, while lesser quads (including a neighbor's Foreman) get high centered very quickly. I can't say enough good things about the smooth ride - my old big bear rattled my guts out in that creekbed, while the Cat just glides over it.

 

I chose a 99 AC 500 over the Foreman 450S back in 1998. AC is updated into an even better quad now over that model while the Foreman remains the same.

AC in a heartbeat. Does all the Foreman can do and does it better. Regardless of resale or popularity or whatever brand name is has on the side of it, I would call it "trading down" to take a Foreman ES over an AC 500.

 

im trading my ac500 for a rubicon.
the ac dont hold up very well with 28" tires and iv'e lost faith in it.
plus the rubicon has a better front diff.
the 4 wheel drive works so good it makes you think your riding a goat.
if ground clearance is an issue then the cat is for you but if it dosent matter i would go for the honda.
i am.
i just orderd a 500 rubicon yesterday.

 

Mudblaster, not to pick on you, but your comment reminded me of what my neighbor told me the other day.. "ATV's are like guns, you dont trade them in, you just get another one". =)

 

beleave me if i could afford to just get another one i would.
then i would keep the cat and put some smaller tires on it and use it around my farm.
but im not rich so im trading the 500 in on somthing that is a little more reliable [ i hope ]
iv'e always wanted a honda but there was no dealer around here when i bought the cat.
also i think the cat kicks but on any terrane and when me and my freinds go riding my cat rules the woods, but now that iv'e got a few thousand miles on it, and a few houndred klicks on my buddys honda rubicon and his 600 grizzly' but i like the hondas sure footedness and handeling better.
and another reason im getting a honda is because it dosant have any belts to mess with.
and dont think im bashing the belt drive quads because im not.
theres bin a great improvement on them over the last few years.
and i ride with lots of guys who have belt type quads and thay seem to work great.
but i like the beltless type. but thats just my opinion.

 

I own a 500i 4x4 auto, If I had to do it again,, I would have gotten the forman,, But thats my opinion

 

I had always been a big Honda fan, and for good reason they are good machines. So when I decided to go buy a new machine, I decided to give all brands a fair look. I had narrowed it down to the Kawasaki, then I talked to my brother, who by the way has a Forman, and said to look at the Arctic Cats. Well, I have never been a big Cat fan, but I went to check them out the next day. After driving the 500 auto, I new I did not have to look anymore. Say what you want, but the 2004 AC 500 is in a league way above Honda. Again, nothing against Honda, I have always had very good luck with their machines, they are just way behind the times when it comes to ingenuity, features, comfort, performance, and of course available add ons. Arctic CAt has just about any add on accessory you could want. Just my .02.