Dan,
Where did you get that seat back rest. I have to have one?

What is the name and model # too?

 

It is an Arcitc Cat accessory that fits into the MRP rack. I think they run about a hundred bucks, but I saw it at my dealership when I purchased the 650 and they threw it in. To be honest, I havn't used it other than around the yard. It is super-comfortable, but for extreme terrain, it blocks my ability to shift my weight over the rear rack. I'm planning on using it when I take a long multi-day trip out west, when comfort will be at a premium and where extreme riding will be measured so as not to have a problem and spoil the trip. If it were about 4 inches shorter, it might offer the best of both worlds.

It really is comfortable, though. It makes the seat feel like a good saddle, and its length is adjustable because it has different holes for the MRP pins.

Any A/C dealer should be able to get one.

fourlix, your post sounds like a flame. Comments like "...but Arctic Cats are best suited for really old guys who like to putt and rock crawl..." don't sound like honest discussion. As a 50 year-old, you should know better than to go on an AC forum and say something like that. It shows complete disrespect for every AC owner and it shows disrespect for other's choices and reasonning for selecting their machines, and it sucks the credibility right out of everything else you said, which was actually very interesting.

 

Thanks Dan.

I went to the dealership today to check out the Sportsman 500 and the AC 650 and there was an AC 400 next to that (all 2004, not the new 2005). They all happened to be sitting right next to each other.
I noticed a few interesting things. I had a tape measure with me too.

1. The rear underside frame of each quad measured the following:
AC 650=13"
SP 500=14.5"
AC 400 = 12"

One interesting thing was the difference between the two AC's.
The other interesting thing was that the front of the AC with the A-arms sat MUCH higher than the Polaris with the Struts. It was only a two inch difference but it "looked" like a big difference.

And although we've determined that the unweighted articulation test is rather meaningless I'm still curious how the CAT compares to what I got with my Outlander on the test I did in the original post.

Would one of you do the test and let us know please?

Thanks.

 

My wife and I are going to the Badlands tomorrow and they have a ramp. I'll try and remember to do the test on the ramp and get back with you. The last time I did it, the 650 was brand new. I ramped it and the 375, and surprisingly, the 375 had more articulation. It is the ACT solid rear axle suspension (semi-independent). It has less suspension travel, however, but they both perform in a similar manner on the trail. I have yet to find a stock machine that will flex on the ramp better than that good ol' 375. I think it has somewhere around 7 1/2 inches of travel. I'll try and remember to measure it, too.

 

Jeff,

Are you looking for a new machine? How do you like your Outlander? I've heard nothing but great things about them. Next summer I'll be in the market for a 2 seater. It will most likely be a Cat TRV, especially if they put the diff lock on it for 2006, but I'm certainly going to give the Outlander Max a hard look. I like how you can take the rear seat off and make a big rack when only 1 person is riding.

 

I really like the Outlander a lot for what I'm looking for.

It rides super plush. I mean awesome in terms of how it handles bumps.

The trailing arms are such that the quad has awesome lateral stability, like a solid axle quad. So you really have the best of both worlds in terms of stability and super soft ride just like the magazines say.

The engine is adequate, but I miss the punch of the 650.

It doesn't steer as easy as I would like.

Viscolock. I'm sure it's good, but I don't want to wait even 2 seconds when I need the front end locked. On the 650 you pull a yellow lever and you are locked and ready. I have been in situations where I needed it locked right away and the viscolock doesn't work that way. I really don't care for the viscolock. I have done some experiments and it is nowhere near as effective as a real locker. It's fine and does what it says, but it's usefullness is halfway between the limited slip and a real locker. Yes it locks, but the time it takes really make a hug difference in terrain.

The seat is awesome.

The ergonomics are nice.

The racks are useless.

The turning radius is not as good as on the 650 prairie.

The gear selector works terribly even after the dealer realigned the pulley's.

It starts PERFECTLY in cold weather and the jetting and the choke are spot on for all weather. I can't stress this enough.

The maintenance areas are located well.

If you take a good examination in person it's apparent that it's technologically advanced.

The SST frame works like a ski as they say it does.

The ground clearance under the entire quad is 10 3/4"

As far as quality I can't say yet. I had a starter cover bolt come off and do $1,700 of damage under warranty at 10 hours. I was NOT happy.

Unlike the Kawasaki or Honda, there were many other loose bolts on this quad.

My friend just picked up a new Sportsman 500 and when I get enough seat time on it I will compare the two. So far his steering is much easier and I like that. We'll wait and see how it does in the reliability department.

Am I looking for a new quad. I am always in the market for something that fits my needs better.

I started thinking about the CAT after the last ride with my friend who just picked up the Sportsman.
He had a clear advantage in the ground clearance area. The AC has great ground clearance, but I don't know anyone who owns one. I need to ride one.

Thanks.

 

My brother has 3 Rallys, so I have experienced the "ski". They are awesome little machines. I'll take a look at a Max.

I'll say this for Cat. I have not had a single loose bolt or fit/finish issue with either of my machines. They are well built. I havn't had any of the problems with my 650 that others describe, either. It has been better than I expected.

 

lol jeff i like you alot i really do i like how you sit back and honestly evaluate every machine and don't show any particular brand pride i admire that but arctic cat does have a lil stiffer suspension but i really like that for when a person does get into trouble. a couple years ago we had a really bad flood here where roads got washed out and whatnot well we were out driving fourwheeler afterwards on the road and i came roaring around the corner and hit a part of the road that had been washed out by the flood and there was trenches over a foot deep in the gravel road for probably about 50 feet or so and i hit it doing around 50 mph well the only thing i could do is keep the throttle up for it happened so fast and i made it to the other side with any other fourwheeler with softer or less travel or well shall i say any other fourwheeler i believe i would have went end over end it was rough going across of corse but with that true independent and i guess experience i made it across safely scared and thankful but safely (goes to show how fast something bad can happen) but the best way to test out a machines capabilities is to go out and ride them and discover what suits you best for me i like the independent rear suspension if i didn't own a cat i would own a grizzly my buddy has one very nice machine but i am not particular to polaris for i have worked for polaris industries and seen how they are built and engineered but that is just me as long as a person enjoys your atv then go out and have a great time but it is also part of the fun to find the right one [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I doubt that Fourlix was intending his post to be a flame on AC owners. He had an 01 500 for a very short period of time. If you do a search, you will see where he posted on it 3-4 years ago on his experiences with it. It wasn't for him. Steered heavy and pushed in turns. He ditched it after maybe a month or less and got something else. I don't ever remember him talking bad about AC with an intent to be brash. He just posted his dislikes with his machine.

 

Thanks weez440. It looks like you've seen other posts I've made.