try doing some rock crawling real slow then go through the same area at a lil higher speed you will notice how all 4 wheels will stay planted a person can't do any real tests in his garage unless you got a dyno????

 

The last 3 comments about unloaded articulation and real world examples are excellent points.

These days I seem to do nothing but the type of riding that is slow and technical. I'm tyring to figure out if the Sportsman with a "quick disconnect" for the sway control or AC would be better for me for a mixture of technical riding and reasonable speed trail riding.

Without any friends owing an AC I have to rely on what the mags/rags say and what the archives say.

The mags always say the AC is less stable at speed relative to other quads. They never say whether it's too unstable at speed on trails, or just not as stable as other quads.

I wouldn't want to be all over the place on the trails.

How are the AC's on trails in the real world?

I've seen posts in the archives about people buying the AC and setting the preload soft for a trail ride and it still rides stiff.

Is this still true?


Thanks for all your help and input.

 

the cat was very stiff when new and was quite bouncy, but as i rode it more it softened up quite a bit , and then i set the springs as soft as possible and i weigh 140 lbs

 

You can drive or back up your front steps at an angle. This is what I did to see the articulation of the ACT rear suspension. I could put one tire on the second step 16" and all the other wheels would remain on the ground. I have seen pictures here a long time ago comparing the AC with the Polaris. The ACT suspension has more articulation without lifting the rear wheel. I am not sure how the FIS system does.

 

I am a very aggressive rider and i have found no complaints about there stability the only reason they say it is compared to others is the fact the arctic cat sits higher then anything else and is a lil top heavy but you get that from the big ground clearance but i am not all over the trails i drive harder and faster then anyone else and i love the big cat the only time it is a lil more unstable is when you are going up or down extremely steep inclines which most ppl don't do but if that is a big problem you can lower your suspension down

 

I came off of a Big Bear and onto a Cat 500. I was definitely sitting higher, and at first, it felt unstable because I was so much higher off the ground. After a few weeks, I found the Cat wasn't just faster over rough ground, it was a lot faster. Much more stable over the rough stuff that tended to have the Bear hopping around.

High speed stability? I don't do a lot of really fast riding - can't where I ride - but can say that on pavement my old Bear was all over the place at 35 mph, while the Cat is stable at 50.

 

John O is right. Momentum has a lot to do with it and total suspension travel doesn't necessarily relate to articulation at a standstill. You'll have a hard time bottoming out a machine with 10" of travel. I havn't bottomed mine out over anything and I've got the shocks at the softest setting, which, by the way, does increase articulation.

I have found the cat to go to the front of the pack on the roughest terrain, as well. It soaks up major bumps and obstacles without losing its composure. I have hit rocks at speed and barely felt them through the handlebars while others hit the same rock after backing way off only to see their quad get knocked off kilter. Also, once you get used to the handling manners and learn where to shift your weight, you can get decent cornering out of it. Of course, the magazines always refer to cornering on smooth ground. Throw few 6" diameter rocks into the corner and see which machine gets through quicker.

I bought the cat for the real rough stuff. If I wanted high speed cornering, I would have bought a sport quad or a dirt bike. I like to ride it where it has the advantage. The more gnarly the trail, the more impressive the suspension is.

 

I like to ride fast, and am very happy with my DS-650, but, I have owned an Arctic Cat and several Polaris Sportsman. I had a 2001 500 Auto Arctic Cat with the semi-independent suspension, and no sway bar.
For me, it was a disaster. I bought it new and sold it after only 106 miles. The body roll, and "push" in the corners (understeer) were intolerable. It seemed like a good machine, just not for me or my style of riding. I am an old guy, almost 50, but Arctic Cats are best suited for really old guys who like to putt and rock crawl. If you like to ride fast an Arctic Cat is the worst choice possible.

I take my DS places you wouldn't believe, and I really like Outlanders, but I must admit that the quick disconnect possibility on a Sportsman could be the best of both worlds. The Outlander's torsion bar is built inside the trailing arm pivot, and could not be easily disconnected the way a Sportsman's can. The Outlander handles better than a Sportsman or any Arctic Cat. It has a lower center of gravity and probably the stiffest torsion bar set up of any IRS quad. In the twisties it is fantastic, and the fun factor is way up there. It will out rock crawl a Sportsman because it is lighter, but a Sportsman with the sway bar disconnected would probably do even better.

 

Man, I haven't seen fourlix around in a while

 

Thanks guys,

And if you haven't checked out the pics on Andy's site, you should do so. He has some nice pics of the grizzly articulation with and without the sway bar.