I am selling my p650. I am thinking about the AC and I know you have had both. The magazines, which are always unbiased, truthful and accurate, will usually conclude during comparisions with other quads of the same class that the AC rolls too much in the corners and is unstable at any type of decent trail speed. I am looking for a much softer ride over bumps and am hoping IRS will do it. Have you experienced a huge difference in the handling between the p650 and the ac650? I'd appreciate a detailed description? Thanks.

 

I would like to know also. I am buying but can not decide between the two. Give and takes for all. If the Prairie had independent rear and a larger gas tank it would br impossible to tell.

 

When the magazines talk about body roll and trail speed instability, they never mention that the Cat's have 5 position adjustable shocks. I wonder if they don't know about the shocks or are they just too lazy to adjust them???

 

I have an AC650. My friend has a P650. I road the p650 a lot before I purchased the AC 650. I have not had any complaints with the AC650. It is fast and it goes over logs and stumps like nothing I have driven before. I do not have any complaints about its stability. I run my rear shocks at a stiff #4 and the front shocks at #3 (in the middle). The AC is a strong machine and it is fun to drive. I hope that helps.

 

part of this roll and unstableness could be due to the tires, i believe that ppl really had a handling improvement with airing up more or swaping in a different set all together

 

That is the problem. I found with the stock tires at the recommended 5PSI was really scarey at speed. It wanted to wander, and during cornering, they would roll under the rims until the rims dug in to turn.

I replaced mine with GBC Dirt Devils, and what a world of difference. It handles way better, on any surface. You can do 40 MPG or more without thinking you're going to die. Changing the tires is a wise investment.

 

so how do you like those dirt devils, do they wear good, i was thinking about those or a set of 589's but i like the price of the dirt devils much better

 

jefffoxsr
14mercs

NO, the Cat will not give you a Lincon ride if that is what you mean by much softer ride.

My Cat 650 is smoother over the rough stuff because of the IRS & the adjustable shocks with the offering of 10 inches of suspension travel on all four wheels. I have mine set on the #4 for the fronts due to the heavier LE front bumper/winch setup & #3 for the rears & my weight is 230 lbs, I also have a soft bag on the front rack & changed the rear rack to a MRP rack with another soft bag mounted to it.
I can ride thru the rougher sections of any trail at a faster pace vs my Prairie 650 & in 100% complete control. No ripping feeling or jerking in the handlebars like the Prairie would do now & then but positive feed back even if you hit a large root or rock at that wrong angle. Drop the speed & yes it is very smooth thru the rough sections.

This Big Cat 650 is NO Prairie 650, as it is not a sporty version like the Prairie. This Cat 650 does handle good but because of the higher center of gravity, extra weight & IRS, any Prairie VTwin will leave you behind on the wide-open sections but when it gets rough, all of the before mention negitives will shine & the Prairies will be sweating to keep up with the Cat 650. This Cat 650 feels to have more torque in low range, I do believe the gearing is slightly lower in the Cat vs the Prairie. The power is there when you punch the gas, this Cat 650 will move out smartly.

I am not impressed with the Goodyear Radial tires & I tried all different air pressures. Just like the Prairies, the rubber is not up to par, at least not for my riding needs. I have a buddy who also got his Cat 650 the same time I did & he thinks the GY Radials are great but he never pushes any of his 4wheelers & I get bored following him thru-out our riding. Most of the time I lead so he can just putt-putt along at a slow pace no excitement speed.

The Tires play a big part in these test in the Mags, the high speed unsteadiness as stated in the ATVaction 01/04 issue is more a direct tire issue than the massive suspension travel as they claim, as soon as I switched out the Radials for a set of Mudrunners, I can now run at a much higher pace & corner at speed without the fear of hitting a tree because of the soft sidewalls on the Radial tire trying to roll-up on the wheel rim.
Very little body-roll is felt but I do believe that is because the suspension settings are a bit on the firmer side, which for me is good, too soft of suspension can get you into trouble.
If you decide on the Cat 650, I'll be surprised if you are disappionted "unless you are looking for the same sportiness" of the Kawie VTwin in the Cat 650 IRS set-up.

 

Thanks for taking the time to type that detailed response. I really appreciate it. It was very helpful.

 

I only have about 50 miles on them, so it's hard to tell (mostly in the snow).

I figured since they are GBC (and similar to the Gators), then you should get the same quality/durability as the Gators. I know the Gators last forever.

First impressions:
Amazing in the snow. You can't get it stuck! Awesome on grid roads. Handles beautifully, even on glare ice!

I don't expect them to be as good as Gators in the snow or mud, but they are supposed to handle better in the hardpack (that's why I bought them).

And they look awesome! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]