im sorry pal i meen big4x4. but its not that gutless.i've raced the 500 rubicon and the 450 forman and beet them both.and my top end says 57mph on the speedo.thats what i've had mine up to.so i think the ac you road was broken.it might not be as fast as the [650] prerie or[650]grizz,but its fast enuff for me.and it just as fast as any other [500cc] out there.

 

They are great machines . The manual versions of the arctic cats feel more powerful though....

 

you said SEVERLEY lacked power.and i said there not that gutless. and if you compare them to the 650s they do lack power. but they will go anywere a 650 will go. and yes the manuals are more responsive.

 

I don't hate AC, just the AC that I had. I hate when things break down, it takes the fun out of trips.

I think you should wait for the AC650, I really do. You will get the speed of the Praire, well somewhat, its going to be heaver and a little slower. You get massive ground clearance, a front locker and IRS. I just hope the axles are sorted out on the that big AC650, as it has way more power to twist them off with big tires. Also don't concern yourself with the belt transmission, its come along ways over the past 5-10 years on quads. When Polaris first came out with their quads their belt transmission sucked bad but its much better now and works good. If you can't wait then give the P700 a look and I think you will be very surprised as to what it can do, its got amazing power and a fairly good ride. I love my P650 and would never go back to a small bore quad...hehe.

 

All the 500's have a load of power. All of them. Its just that when you start comparing them with 650's and such, there's a big difference. Kind of like comparing a 99 Sportsman 500 to the 99 Prairie 400 or Kodiak 400 or Honda 450. They are all going to get by real well, and none will have any lack of power. Its just that those massive bore quads are overwhelmingly powerful.

I'll say this, if the AC650 was out back when I got my grizzly, I would get the Arctic Cat. I had great luck with the 99 AC500 I had, and other than the steering (which isn't any concern nowdays), it was a good bike. Had a ton of power too, just not speed. But for the quads that were available back then, it was in the upper echelon. I wouldn't outrun a Sportsman or Grizz 600, but it would outrun most of the others. The new 03 AC500 is a lot quicker than the old one as well, but not in the same league as the 650's and 700's.

If you are a patient man (and I have been in the past), might wait around a few months and take a look at that AC650. I'm still holding out for somebody to put the manual transmission in a big bore. The Grizzly 660 has a ton of power, but I think that rubber band transmission takes away from its use of the engine. I swear the 27" tires lug it down more than they did my AC500. Not that its slower by any means than the AC, just that it feels like they sap the power more (kinda like a power sapping ratio or some crap like that)

Oh, and the Grizz is narrow and tippy in stock form, as are all the yamaha's I think. ITP rims do a world of wonder for that bike, and help keep your shorts clean too at times.

 

grizzly is a fast quad, but the cat isn't as slow as some people think. It takes a while to get going really fast but if you are going to be going that fast anyway more then likely you have a long stretch anyway. I think that my cat is really fast. I would tell you how fast I have gotten my cat going but the last time I did that I caused a huge argument! (see top speed 500i post). I have a manual and they are a little quicker then the autos. Could be the gear ratio difference that I found out the hard way (my dealer put in a auto front diff on my manual). BIG4X4 pops in here anytime someone asks how fast the cats are. My cat will do 40 in 3rd gear for Gods sake!! if you are ever around my hometown drop me a line and I will let you drive mine!! OIf course they aren't as fast as a P650 or a grizzly, my v8 car is faster then my freinds v6 car, WONDER WHY!!

 

Didnt they change the engine for 2003 on the 500's? Sorry if I offended you by stating my opinion! I just edited all my negative posts!

 

OK, people are talking fast, the Arctic Cat is not major fast, we should define fast as it applys to quads. Fast is not the top speed, its how quick you get to a speed, in this case maybe 50+ mph. Everyone talks about top speed of a quad and calls it fast because it can reach 60 mph. Well if it takes over 1 mile to get that speed then its not very fast, its got a descent top end but its not quick to get there.

The Arctic Cat 500i is not a fast quad, compared to the new big bores that is and it is being compared to them for mudding capabilities so its fair to compare how fast it is too. If you want a high top end, wicked acceleration and you want the quad right now get a P700. If you can wait for a few months, and you should, then look at the AC650. It will have a similar top end to the P650 and similar acceleration but it will destroy the 500i.

 

Bertram,
You have barley said a good word about the cats since I jioned and I believe the only reason you mentioned the AC 650 is that it is part Kawi. AC is a UTILITY and not a sport bike. This guy said he had the speed already so for the 3 he mentioned I would go for the CAT. He also said he wanted one now, so the AC 500 would be my chioce.

And if you sold them, why not take the stuff off your signature.

 

Butanyhow.---BigOne---i hope your next BIG purchase is a Arctic Cat 500i.if you go manual you'll have more torque,if you pick the auto you'll always be in the right gear.manual or auto eather way you'll love it.-----and ya bbertram you sold them.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]