I was wondering what everyone's opinion is on which 650 to get this year.....

The H1 or the V2????

Will the V2 have the limp mode problems this year like it did in 04?

Which has the better tranny?

What do you think of the H1 engine and is it worth wating for?

Is there (Will there be) any noticable difference in power between the two?

Is there a noticable difference in the 500 and 650???

I'm still debating on which one to get.... (500, H1, V2)

And what about the transmissions? Which is the best? Duramatic? Kawi tranny? or the manual on the 500?

Thanks in advance,

Chase

 

The V2 is the more pricey of the two.....so that should tell you where AC rates the machines. The V-twin has waaaaay more snap than the other manufacturers' big-bore singles, so I suspect the H1 will be no different. The difference (IMHO) between a big v-twin and a big single, is about the same as going from a 500 to a 660 single.

 

Well they say no limp mode,but time will tell.

In my opinion the duramatic will be the better tranny as the kawi tranny sucks unless you want to spend your spare time adjusting it,and your spare bucks modding it.

Thats about all I can comment on,the H1 is new(scarry)but is likely very potent.I love my V2 but probably would be very happy with the 500.

Oh yeah,I think shifting is for suckers(no offence guys,just my opinion)so auto all the way.

 

The Kawasaki twin will still be the most powerful motor that Arctic Cat will offer. The difference between the 500 and the 650 is fairly substantial power and speed wise, not that the 500 stinks but it is missing a second cyl and 150CCs. The H1 is being touted as a low to mid powerhouse squarely aimed to fall in between the 500 and the Kawi twin. Pricing will fall in between the 500 and the 650 twin and the H1 will come with 25in tires instead of the 26in tires that the twin will have. I do think that the Duramatic tranny on the H1 is going to be a better tranny than the Kawi tranny on the twin and for most people this will end up being the big selling point. The H1 will have a completely different engine management package on it so it shouldn't be possible to have limp mode problems like the twin. I would think that Arctic Cat would have all the Limp Mode problems worked out for 2005.

I got all this info from my dealer after he got back from a dealer showing at the AC factory and I made up the part about the Duramatic tranny. I just couldn't imagine it being worse than the Kawi tranny.

Rich.

 

wookie
There is nothing wrong with the design of the Kawie transmission.
The Kawie trans can be "mod" b/c the aftermarket is there for the name brand 4wheelers. If you wish to put big monster tires on Kawie Vtwin trans, then everything you need is available to "beef it up". If you use your Kawie trans as just as a stock unit, then all is required is one belt adjustment after 100 miles & you will never need to mess with the belt again till replacement time.
Your Cat dealer will adjust your VTwin belt under warranty, just be sure it is on the tight end of the specs for adjustment. Some Dealers may complain about the Belt adjustment under warranty but according to my Dealer, Cat will pay the Dealer for the Belt adjustment under your warranty. The adjustment is easy, you can do it yourself if you prefer.
The reasons the belt is out of adjustment is b/c of Noise. A quiet belt & not very good engine braking is a good sign of a too loose belt. If after the Belt adjustment you have a little bit of noise at idle, then you should also have excellent engine braking.
The design of the Kawie trans unit is also slimmer, the main reason I didn't buy a '00 Cat 500 back in 2000 was b/c of the width of the lower cases.
The other + for the V2 is the other aftermaket goodies that is available for the Kawasaki VTwin motors, like the DG holeshot/3, Aftermarket CDIs & so forth.
These aftermarket goodies for the VTwin is a Bigger + on the '05 Cat 650V2, being the '05s gained on a avg of 35+ pounds over the '04 Cat 650 Vtwin.
As far as the Limp-mode problem that was fixed on the '05 Cat 650V2.

 

I have to respectfully disagree about there being nothng wrong with the kawi tranny.

If I'm going to buy a bike, I don't want to "have" to aftermarket it to death to get it to the point where it is trouble free and reliable. The bike shouldn't be into the dealer often for adjustment either.

In a previous post Catrep posted about a Cat (with Duramatic tranny) with 14000 miles on it before it needed a belt change. I personally had a cat 375 that had 3500 miles on it before I sold it and the belt in the tranny was still going strong. I seriously doubt the kawi tranny will do that because of its design.

I'm not saying the Kawi tranny is a bad design but as you stated, it does require more "attention" to make it work like it "should". That's what frustrates us about it.

 

I'd also like to know about the status of the manual tranny for the H1. I'm dragging trees and hauling loads with my Cat 500i, and a rubber band just doesn't cut it for that sort of use.

One thing's for sure - all the fuss about the Kawi tranny put me off the current 650. If it's having trouble with no load, it sure won't do well with a 20 foot cedar log being dragged behind it.

 

BFB750BF,
I still think that the Kawi tranny is a piece of crap and I have spent the time and money modding it by removing a shim and installing an EPI pro clutch. I did this before the tranny even had a chance to fail me. The fact that I even had to concern myself with doing these mods so I wouldn't be stranded somewhere makes it a piece of crap. Does anyone buy Hondas and worry about the tranny? No. what about Yamaha? No. Suzuki? Polaris? Duramatic trannied Arctic Cat? No. No. No. Do other companies have belt failures? Yes, but not nearly as many and as fast as the AC 650 racks them up. When I am forced to modify the way that I want to drive my ATV so I won't cook the belt, It's a piece of CRAP. Now I'll admit,I have never had a single problem with the tranny but I believe it's because of the way that I drive it and the work that I shouldn't of had to do to it.

Rich.

 

I have seen other bike brands slipp belts as well. The AC 650 tranny teaches you real fast that you have to do something about it but after those easy mods it is one hell of a beast. I'll admit that we should not have to deal with those things right away but after you've done it there is no looking back! A big Thank You to many of you guys on this forum!! I did all the little tranny mods and also got the Dyno CDI. My bike is not for sale!!

 

Amen Wookie, I agree 100% My only thought was is there a difference in gear ratios in the differentials in the AC/Prairie?? IT just seems to me the AC has more belt problems than the Prairies!