Has anyone gotten one of the new 400's with the independent rear suspension yet? I am starting to feel the need for a more comfortable ride. The 10" travel on the new 400 looks awful nice but I wondered how the ride and performance were. If I am not mistaken the 400 uses the same engine as my Eiger and I am well pleased with its power. The ride isn't bad but I am not as young as I once was and the bumps seem to get bigger and harder all the time! Have they used this same suspension on any earlier machines?

 

I have about 200 miles on the 400i now,overall I am very pleased with it. The suspension is wonderful under most conditions. You can trail ride all day long with no discomfort. The only time I don't like the independant suspension is when riding fast on tight wooded trails, the back end will not slide around like a solid axle. But I am not the most experienced rider I will probably get better at keeping up in the woods with time.

 

My local dealer told as I was inquiring about them that the 03 400 and 500 are completely the same except the motor. So if you know anyone wih a 500 you can also ask them>

 

What 69Scooter said......the rear can't be slid like a solid rear axle, but the ride is great! Crossing logs or hummock terrain can be acomplished with your butt on the seat instead of needing a bunch of body english to keep the bike stable. The ground clearance in great too!

 

BK

The ride is firm, yet comfortable. I weigh in at 220 lbs. and have not been able to bottom out the suspension yet. My only disappointment with the quad is the lack of spunk. The machine is pretty heavy and that 400 is slow to break in. It is getting much better than when it was brand new. All in all to this point it seems to be a great machine. Keep us posted with what you decide!

Ken

 

I am around 215 myself so that helps. You say the suspension is firm, does that mean it bounces you around a lot? I want an atv that can hit the rough stuff without slowing down while not beating me up. Does this Cat qualify?

I am a little concerned from several comments talking about it being a little slow. The Eiger is pretty fast for a 400 ute (55+ mph) which is one reason I figured using the same engine the Cat would be as well.Do they offer the IRS in a 5 speed? Does anyone have last years 375 or this years 400 in the 5 speed to know if it is any quicker? I am not looking for a rocket, most of our riding on the trails is in the 20-40mph range, but I also don't want something real doggy either. Thanks for all the replies and help so far!

 

BK,
Stopand think of the weight difference. The Eiger is two wheel drive and the other is 4wd and is around 650 lbs. The friends that have older cats say thiers top out around 45. Give or take any modss that have been made and the 03's are suppose to be quiker.

 

BK

The suspension is firm but not stiff, if that makes any sense. It is definately stiffer than my SP500, and a little rougher riding, but I feel that with some mileage the springs will soften a bit. Still not a bad ride in all. My bigger complaint is the seat. On a quad of its size you would think they could make a seat that is shaped for a bigger guy. To me the seat is a little narrow, and doesnt provide the support for example of what the SP500 does. Also found myself when riding harder having a hard time keeping my feet on the pegs. They have the pegs so high above the flat spots on the floor boards that your feet can slip off. I like the style on the Polaris much better. There is a lip on the outside edge, which prevents your foot from slipping off the outside edge. Just a minor complaint, but one worth mentioning. My biggest complaint, as with others here on the forum, is the power. It is definately not a rocket, but will eventually wind up and go. It has a real low bottom that seems to need to wind up before really getting to move, but then seems to do okay. If you are wanting to take off and do a wheel spin or slide it in a corner, good luck.... I wouldnt place the top end at 50 mph yet, maybe after some more miles are put on it (I hope). Our elevation here in Las Vegas out in the riding area's is about 2500 ft which may cut down on the power a bit too. The first weekend we rode it in a place called Cold Creek, which has a riding elevation which starts at about 5600 ft and tops at about 7100 ft. Not good for power at all on the CAT. It was a dog, but riding it in the lower elev. around town seemed much better. Jetting is probably from 0-6000 from factory. Well sorry to ramble on and I am no way trying to talk you out of one, but if you want some pep you might want to try the 500 as well, I wish I would have....

Ken

 

If you're thinking of an 03 400i, you might also see if the dealers have any 02 500i models in stock, they may cut you a deal, and it has the full IRS. My 500i has been terrific in the 4 months I've had it. Not a speed demon, but definitely not a dog. I went for the 5 sp manual, and with all that low end torque, it really doesn't matter what the gear or engine speed is, just punch the gas and it'll pull. The only time I downshift is if I got lazy and let the engine speed drop, never because the engine bogged down. Kinda runs out of steam at high revs, but for where and how I ride, that really wasn't an issue. On my rough trails, it's very rare to use full throttle, and never necessary.

Ride quality - the best. I came off a 91 big bear, and the Cat is a Cadillac in comparison. Very good control, it just doesn't tell you about every twig and pebble on the trail. Info I could do without. Doesn't beat you up on a rough trail the way the bear did.

Rough groud capability - the best. A particularly obnoxious rider on a big name/mediocre performance machine tried to follow me down one of my 'Cat only' trails, and got high fronted and high reared on some limestone boulders. Kitty never even scratched the skid plate. (the quad equivalent of a sucker punch, but he deserved it) My farm has some rather rough trails, and I've never bottomed the 500i out. I've noticed it runs rough trails about two gears higher than the bear, it handles rough terrain that much better. So much for a cat being slow... depends on where you are.

Top speed - I've seen 55 on the speedo, probably was more like 51 or 52, but the engine sounded strained. Mid 40's is quite comfortable. Since I ride around a lot of trees, I'm not a big fan of high speed on a quad, must be my phobia of the intensive care ward.

It's real wide, and a tight fit in the back of my little Ranger pickup. You sit up high, which makes it feel tippy at first, but once you feel the stability, it's kinda nice to be sitting up away from the mud and muck.

I got the Cat to work on my farm, and for fun as well, and it does both to my satisfaction. Great pulling power, the best ground clearance, hauls quite a load on the racks, and doesn't beat you up in the process. A refreshing absence of glitzy electronics, just about everything is manual, so it won't crap out on you.

 

Good report, John O. Your experiences with your 500 mirror mine with the 400. I also agree with you on the "refreshing absence of glitzy electronics" . I actually went with the 400 over the 500 for one more area of simplicity.....air cooling. I've had nothing but problems with cooling fans and water pumps in the past, so the 400 really has the simplicity I want.