I'm with AKCat on this issue, I have a manual Cat & auto Bomby, both have advantages, but for mud auto is far better, the ability to hold the gas on & lettin the trany adjust wheel speed is far easier than trying to shift fast enough to keep the wheels from bogin down or over revin the engine. However for crawlin thru rocky rough technical terrain the manual is better. Flip a coin for your choice!!! I think I'd be hopin for it to land auto!

 

Thanks alot for the info so far on this. Like I thought, you guys have experience riding these things and would be able to tell me the real life differences versus what might be. I still think I'll probably go with the manual just because I'm used to shifting but the auto riders have put a question mark into this decision.

 

ok, you've decided for sure on the ac? the ac was my first utility bike after years of sport bikes. ask the dealer or when you get it home, take the spanner wrench and move the shocks up to the 3rd or 4th notch. the ac's are tippy if your not used to true irs suspension.

 

Yeah I'm pretty much dead set on the AC, I haven't looked at many others but unless you think there is something that can compare my mind is made up. I do appreciate the tip on the shocks, it will prove to be very helpful i'm sure.

 

i have my shocks set on the 3rd notch and they work well.i had them on the 4th for abuot 200 miles, then i terned them down one notch. the differance was minor in the handeling but the ride was a little smoother.eather way you go auto or manual you cant loose with arctic cat.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

You don't hear much bad about the rocker shifter anymore. In the past, everybody always picked that thing to death and magazines ragged it out constantly. I never had any problem with the rocker on my 99 500. Adapted to it in like a day and a half, and that was that. I think AC is pretty consumer friendly though for offering its 500 in both adaptations. I wish that Yamaha would have made a manual shift for the 660. I've had zero problems with my automatic, but thats not to say that it couldn't happen. I feel a lot better with the manual shift myself, and a 650 AC with a manual transmission would absolutely complete the ultimate 4x4.

 

utility, auto. sport manual.

 

i think snowbuster summed it all up!

 

I'd rather have the manual for utility too. Seems like my AC 500 manual didn't lug down as much under loads as my 660 does. You can tell the difference with the throttle, especially in high gear. I don't much care for the rubber band transmissions, even though thats what I have right now.

 

I have a manual and absolutely love it. There's something about the feeling of being in the right gear and choosing when to shift when I'm trail riding. The engine breaking is great. I prefer it for utility work, too. When I'm pulling a stump out of the ground, I like knowing that I have gears doing the work as opposed to a belt (especially in low-low range 1st gear). I can shift smooth-as-silk, so no jerking around when loaded up. I push the engine/tranny hard. I love the feeling of shifting. Makes me feel cool. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] OTOH, my wife can't figure out how to keep it in the right gear. A car would stall, but the auto clutch will try and make it work for her. She needs a belt. She will never push it hard, so I'd be ok with it.

Price was also a factor for me. It's not much of a difference, but when you're scraping to pay for it in the first place, $200 is important.