Hello !!

I want you help !!

I had quad for about 5 years (Warrior, Quadracer, etc) always two wheel drive and then I went racing Hare Scramble with my trusty KX250 for three years and now I'm selling my stuff and want a 4X4 quad to be more with my family and ride snow trails.

I want ground clearance, manual shift, 2wheel-4wheel drive, front diff lock or limited and reliable machine.

My dealer has a 2002 Artic Cat 500i brand new and I was wondering If it's a good machine.

What about the shifter ?? is it difflcult to shift with the CAT ?? different setup ?

Should I look for a 2003 instead of 2002 ?

I'm also looking at Suzuki Vison, Honda Fourtrax 450 ????

Thanks for the response !! I'm back to QUAD !!

 

The 500i is a good atv but has no locker.
The shifter heal/ toe will take a hour or so for you to get used to it.
I would suggest that you should buy 2004 650cc It has a locker, 13 inches of ground clearance, 26 in. radial tires.
Check This out. The 04's are better

 

I've had an 02 500i manual for a little over a year. It has been nothing but terrific.

No diff lock, but everything else you're looking for. 1 year and 600 miles, nothing broken.

Difficult to shift? No. It took me a few days to get used to the Harley style heel/toe shifter, now I love it. It's great when you have big boots on.

2003 has a little better power, 04 650 has a lot better power and locking diff, but no manual trans. A lot would depend on how much the dealer is discounting the 02. You can bet the 650 won't be discounted when it is finally delivered.

Vinson has the same engine as 500i, sportier suspension but no IRS and less ground clearance. Don't know much about the Honda.

 

For what you said, go for a 2003 model 500i. If manual transmission is totally necessary, then there is no other. If you don't mind an automatic, then the possibilities go up, cause almost all the flagship models are freakin autos for some reason.

The 500i has everything but the locker, and nobody has a locker on a manual shift quad unless you count the 300 Suzuki. 500i has the most ground clearance, good power (more so on the 03 models now), and is a well built machine. My brother in law has one, and I swear it sits up as high on stock tires as my 660 sits with 27's.