my friend is looking to get a 400 and wants to know a little more about it. Any way his main question was wat's its top speed and also how does it accelerate do in mud etc.

thanx

 

I have a 04 400 4x4 fis and I think it is a good bike even if it is the only one I have ever owned. I have over 500 miles on it now and haven't had any problems as of yet. I put on 60 miles today and I don't feel beat up or anything like that and some of it was very rough going. It has plenty of spead and power for me but then I am not a real fast ride. Hits 40 easy but it takes a little to get to 50 but it will do it at least acording to the speedo it does anyway. Like how it rides and how it handles but like I said only one I have rode. By the way I get about 18 miles to the gallon which I thought was good.

 

It's top speed low 50's, it'll get to 35 fairly quick and take a while to get the rest. AC's aren't speedy. In the mud it'll do great, really geat if you get some good tires for it.

 

I love mine. I have had it through some good mud and water and it does great, only thing I would do different is get the 2005 model now, that front end locker is a must. The 400 is mostly a utility ATV though, you are not going to win many races, but you won't have any problem keeping up with the other on the trails, then when you hit the mud you will leave the others behind. 12" of ground clearance is nice...

If your friend is looking for something sporty, the AC is not the way to go. Maybe check out an Outlander for that. But for general ATV riding and lots of work, you can't beat the AC.

 

wow, thanks alot guys for the really great info

 

hi again, one other question my friend asked was how is the IRS compared to the competition. Is it very stable at high speeds? and on slow techincal trails how does it do. Also mantenance wise how is it. Is it worht the money and wat is the msrp( the site doesn't have it listed). thanx for the replies.

 

Cat's IRS is the best in the business, in my oponion. They don't use a sway bar, so you get great movement. 10" of suspension travel is the best there is. I used mine moose hunting the other weekend and had to go over "hog wallows" that were up to 2 feet tall. Although my bottom did rub some, the Cat handeled it perfect. There is no way I could have made it out on any straight axel quad. Sure was glad I didn't have a sway bar too.

As far as stable at high speeds, I guess I really haven't gone faster then 35, and it did pretty good at that speed.

It is great as far as maintenance, no greese zerks to worry about. If you take care of it, it will last you a long time.

I am not sure on the MSRP, I paid $4700 for mine used with 50 miles on it almost a year ago. Dealer had the price marked wrong but gave it to me at that anyway, as I had bought many snowmobiles from him.

 

As an aside here, I just rolled mine yesterday in a freak accident on a HUGELY rutted road. I fell into the ditch, it tried to roll over on me but got caught in the ditch crosswise. I was going maybe 10 mph. Without going into lengthy details (which are sketchy at best), the only damage I have found is a bent right rear rack (which is then bending the fender down), a munched 'end plug' in the right side of the front bumper, and the left headlight is pushed back somewhat. My GPS, which is mounted to the handle bars was unscathed, though the bars themselves were pushed downward. I simply pulled them back up. We turned it back upright, started it right up, and drove away. I was basically unhurt, but my helmet took a hit just above my forehead. So to all those who think you don't need helmets unless you're going fast, I say BS. I'm 58 and I don't really go fast, 'cept maybe on a straight, well paved dirt road. "Fast" is about 30-35 - ha.

So, maybe all that talk about Cats being built like tanks might be right...

 

WOW, glad to hear you are alright MrTommy. You can always buy a new machine, but not a new head.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I almost wish I could get a new one, cuz now they have the locking front diff and the digital instrument pod. Darn them! But I suppose if I did get a new one, the following year they'd have even more stuff. It's like buying a computer. A month after you get the screaming top-of-the-line unit, it's out of date.