I am new to the forum, but I have been reading it for a while - good job guys.

I'll be buying a 4x4 quad soon and still haven't made up my mind yet. I'm stuck between the kawi 650 & 700 twin - they both have things I like. The 660 is a good choice too but would just rather not buy a Yamaha (really not sure why, too main stream I quess).

I will mainly trail ride the machine all year around. I like the 650's speed and light weight, I want the 700's awesome ground clearnace and IRS but not its weight. (I know its got 660 written all over it)

What about the AC 500i auto, there are no posts about it. Has anyone spent some time on one - what do you think? It has great suspension 12" GC and 10" travel at all fours and is lighter than the 700. How is that 500 engine, can it keep up with the other big bores or what, I want to keep up, a mph or two in top speed or 1/10 in accelration means little to me - they're all great ? And what about reliability - I'm seeing so much about Polaris's poor reliability track record - did the few guys on this forum only get lemons or what, like to hear from you 700 and 500 HO owners on this one.

Give good hard facts and opinions please.

 

The Artic Cat is more 'Utility Oriented' than the 700 and 650. Not nearly as fast but an impressive machine. They (Articat) do NOT have a locking front end which the Polaris and the Kawasaki have (an important feature).

As for your decision, you need to ride the machines and see which suits you best. The ride of the Sportsman 500 HO is quite nice and the ground clearance helps in tricy situations. I have not ridden either the 650 nor the 700. The 700 is a BIGGER machine and weighs 140 lbs more but comes with 4 ply tires on steel rims (explaining some of the weight @50 lbs). The Kawasaki is faster but has 3.5 inches less of ground clearance. I think you will be happy with either machine (both are top of the line). The Yamaha is a good machine but deep water is it's downfall.

As for reliability, I have had my 500 for 8 months and it has been problem free. I have my second Polaris due to the durability of the first machine. I have heard of reliability issues but fortunately I have not had any problems in the 7 years of owning Polaris machines. Maintenance is key for which I am very good at keeping up with.

Ride the machines and see which is best for you.

Farmer123 is a person you may want to talk to on the Polaris forum.

 

i see you have narrowed it down to just a couple. Well, before you choose, may i tell you about my experiances with the 2002 grizzly. It handles vary well, and only weights 600 lbs. it has been vary reliable to me, and i surly am not easy on it. Great power, more ground clearance and longer suspencion travel than the sportsman line. independant suspencion is ausome for all the little things you need to get over, and the power is neverending. now, i know how the prarie is vary tempting, but the grizzly rides so much better. it stears alot easier than the sportsman, and has alot more power than the ac. If all that doesn't matter, then the ac is a vary reliable amchine, just a little slow. it has great suspencion, and rides nice, just more work oriented. good luck in your search, for they are ALL vary tempting!

 

mich660griz is right. Idependant suspension is great! I saw the 500i today and it is VERY sharp. The thing has 12 inches of ground clearance and is really tough looking.

Ride all three machines and select the one that you like the best.

 

Hey gone4wheeln, like your username, kind'a like mine.

It really comes down to what you are going to use it for. In my case I need to work it hard, but also have some fun on the trails. I would ride each of them, and see what options are best for your needs. I definately would not count the Grizz 660 out, it was second runner up for my needs. Although, I will Firmly say the 500i rides the best.
For an unbiased review on the 2002 Arctic Cat 500i, See my review of the AC500i

Good luck in whatever you choose, and have fun riding......