If anyone has knowledge, it would be greatly appreciated!
I'm caught between getting a Traxter XT and a 500i manual.

How many miles per tank do you get on the 2002 500 cats seeing the tank is bigger, 4.75 gallon if i'm not mistaken.

Are the independant's going to last along time, can you work with them without squashing like other makes.

Can you ride with 2 people without the suspension sqashing and the wheels turning inward.

What is the top end!

And last but not least, do you see it as a durable and capable machine in the mud, seeing it has not diff lock. Can it break or is it as tough as my 600 grizz, I really want another durable tough machine, as I cannot afford to keep trading.

My yam is great but I find its a hog on fuel and they don't have a 500 manual out. Oh ya AC comes with a 2500lb warren winch. Not bad, and the price amounts to the same as the Bomb XT.

It would be great if someone could answer my questions.
Thanks

 

<< If anyone has knowledge, it would be greatly appreciated!
I'm caught between getting a Traxter XT and a 500i manual.

How many miles per tank do you get on the 2002 500 cats seeing the tank is bigger, 4.75 gallon if i'm not mistaken.

Are the independant's going to last along time, can you work with them without squashing like other makes.

Can you ride with 2 people without the suspension sqashing and the wheels turning inward.

What is the top end!

And last but not least, do you see it as a durable and capable machine in the mud, seeing it has not diff lock. Can it break or is it as tough as my 600 grizz, I really want another durable tough machine, as I cannot afford to keep trading.

My yam is great but I find its a hog on fuel and they don't have a 500 manual out. Oh ya AC comes with a 2500lb warren winch. Not bad, and the price amounts to the same as the Bomb XT. >>



It would be great if someone could answer my questions.
Thanks

I have a 400i which is the same, just a little smaller engine and this is from my machine.

I hope this helps you out. There are a lot of choices available and I love my Cat, but I gave you hopefully an unbiased opinion of it. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Some things you can be sure of: the cat is durable and tough as they come. and the back end will definatly not squat out under a load, you can be sure of that.

I am not sure how much mileage you can expect to get to a full tank... but we went 30 miles and used under half a tank (according to the gauge) and that is when it is not broken in. So judging by that i would expect 50-55 miles per tank when it is broken in.

Most people say the top speed is 54-55mph.. I think. I don't have a GPS to test mine and it is not broken in yet anyway.

hope this helps and keeps us updated! Both quads are good choices... but my (bias) opinion is to go for the cat. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]


newf

 

Did you decide on one yet? keep us updated!

newf

 

As for mileage. AC's seem to come from the factory overjetted. I changed mine to a 142 and my mileage doubled. I can now go almost 100 miles before turning on the reserve. The 150 jet that comes with the cat is even a little large for lower altitude in my opinion. I think a person that lives below 2000 feet elevation could get by on a 146 without any problems and probably get around 75 miles to the tank.

Just the ramblings of an old man and my .02 cents.

 

Yam8,

Reliability... don't worry about the engine, frame, transmission, brakes (hydrolic disc with steel braided break lines). The drivetrain is still the same durable Suzuki unit that it has used for the past 5 years. The frame is over-built for strength, which adds to the weight a bit but at list it's no wussy bike. I can't really tell you with any certainty how durable the suspension is because it has no history. Let me tell you this though: I would not have bought this bike if I wasn't confident in its reliability. ACs will last, its that simple. The independant suspension is sheer magic. It is soft enough to give an amazing ride, but stiff enough to not squat under pressure. Remember AC has the highest rear (and front) rack capacity in the business and part of what is considered in determining rack capacity is the robustness of the suspension under load. If I hold onto the back rack and stand on the trialer hitch assembly the quad doesn't even drop an inch (I weigh 170lbs). Test ride it and you'll see exactly what I mean. Can't give accurate info on fuel economy or speed as it's not quite broken in yet. All I can tell you is I have no regrets about the bike I got, and I'm not just saying that.

 

So Yam have you made any decisions yet? Keep us posted!

 

I just spent the last two weekends breaking in my 2002 500i and let me tell you this thing is phenomenal. This last weekend I had an extra rider (irresponsible I know, but the guy is blind and needed some adrenaline)so my total payload was about 450 pounds and the thing was flawless. I put an extra pound in the rear tires and we literally tried to drown it. We couldn't stop commenting on how unbelieveable this machine is. The handling even with the extra load is perfect, mud-ability is unmatched, I pulled out a 700 polaris rider who didn't make it through a logging trail puddle 2 feet deep water/mud about 100 feet long. I had to back into the mud in order to hook him up to my 20 foot strap. The suspension does not get out of shape. Twice we traversed deeply rutted high angle mudded trails at a snails pace with no excessive lean or slip. The low gear in the auto is likened to a caterpillar. Mileage I would guess at around 60 miles/tank before hitting reserve in awful conditions. Top end is around 50 so far, but the motor keeps getting faster the more miles I get on it. If there is a weak point on this particular machine I would say it's the lack of top end power. Like I said it is getting better but this isn't a hot rod anyway. The manual you are interested in is faster than the auto I have.

 

Hey Spot, Welcome to the wonderful world of Cat ownership! As you said they do not have top end, but then again they were never designed for that in mind. They were designed to be workhorses and to get you where you want to go without any probelsm and I agree they do this very well! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Thanks for the welcome, Mountain Cat. Yup, work-horses they are. I did a lot of reading and looking before deciding on the 500i AC. Less expensive than most and better features. And made by AC. I also own 2 AC snowmobiles (one a Mountain Cat by the way) and have never been disappointed. How do you like that lunch bag? Pretty cool, eh?