Whats everyones thoughts? i'm down to these 2 picks for a new ride.....i've been out of it for about oooo 12 years now starting to get back into thxs to the people at work.....

 

Stitch, Welcome back! We need more info on your riding habits etc. to pick for you! Ah heck, just go ride a few of each and I am sure you won't go away emptyhanded!

 

well i use to race quads back in the day and also ride on the lake beds......but that was back in the day when i was younger and alot lighter lol......now older and heavyer i just wanta nice ride....just like pro's and cons on both atvs.....

 

Well, I think you're going to get a very pro-CAt field of answers here. CAt makes a machine for everyone, so does Polaris, it's all preference, and what ever you get the best deal on. I'm very happy with my machine, gets lots of compliments mostly 'cause they aren't that common-- YET. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

When we bought our 400 4x4 automatics last year we were looking at the comparable Polaris too. The price difference between the units was $1.00. We liked the headlight on the handlebars that the polaris had, but the digital display looked like a couple rainy days and 3 mudpuddles later it wouldn't be working any longer as where the less appealing spedometer and odometer on the cat looked like it would work forever and be simple to replace. Also, the polaris had an electrical switch to put it in and out of 4-wheel drive, it looked kinda hokey and I really like the cat where I have a simple mechanical device that I can push in and out of 4-wheel drive.

We figured those fancy features probably sell a lot of Polaris's but they probably don't stand up the test of time. So far the cat is holding up great, I just wish they had customer service personell at the factory so I can ask technical questions.

Like BlueThumb said nobody else has one, so everyone has to stop and check em out. They look mean with their wide stance.

 

My Eiger has a "mechanical device" to engage 4WD and it works flawlessly. I was almost taken in by the push button 4WD on the prairie 360 but chose the Eiger instead. My buddy has the P360 and he has had a problem getting into 4WD on an occassion or 2 - That locker does no good with no power.
The Cats use Suzuki engines so parts and service shouldn't be a problem.
Welcome back to the fold.
Go ride em yourself!
Eiger2, out.

 

They Both have advantages and disadvantages. What machines are you specifically looking at? Have you rode both brands yet? What kind of riding are you planning on? We should be able to help you out with a little more info.

 

I heard the cats motor is bullet proof compared to polaris ? also one more question can the oil air cooled motors hold up on the trail like rock climbing like the liquid cooled ?? im thinking of not getting liquid cooled cause less parts and less prolems i think simple is better but any input would be nice.

 

Well, you just brought up a thread from 2004, so now today's ATV's are totally different then they were just 2 years ago. But, the air/oil cooled ones hold up just fine. Good luck [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

On edit: Duh! Didn't pay any attention. Ya' got me good on that one.

As you can see, I own Polaris'. Before I purchased each one I did quite a bit of research into each brand. Both are great and were #1 and #2 in all of my comparisons. I am the occasional trail rider and work my machines pretty hard and both were fully capable of doing either one. The Cats are great. They would have more than met my needs. I really liked the black H1! One of the biggest reasons that I went Polaris is because of the dealer. My local Cat dealer is not very well established. When you go in there he has a little bit of everything laying around for sale. Just a myriad of stuff laying around trying to make a buck. He wasn't very knowledgable about the bikes and would barely come down off of retail. It is not a very exciting reason to choose a brand, but local access to a reliable dealer is worth alot to me. I didn't want to have to drive accross the state to get my quad worked on and wanted someone who would work with me when I did. I would recommend riding both and studying them on paper. Take any "extreme" opinions that you get on here with a grain of salt. I have never had any real problems with either of my Polaris machines. Good luck, and WELCOME!