gamer get the cdi for sure. my old 500's would gain mega horsepower after a couple hundred miles compared to out of the crate which was nice cause i knew i was getting a tight machine. my 650 really didn't make much difference i dunno maybe it had just that much more power where it didn't matter? and your right dan the only other big bore that i found that gets close to the same fuel mileage as the 650 cat was the 660 grizz actually got a lil better then mine in 40 miles he put on 2.0 gallons of gas and i put on 2.1 gallons. but then again i was on the throttle a lil more as well so with that in mind they were probably bout the same.

 

I agree completely with catskinner - when I went looking for a farm quad back in 2002, the reviews I read were for the most part, useless. They were written by sport quad people, who were testing utility quads for their jumping ability, and top speed. No tests on how much weight they could pull, how they performed with the racks loaded, things that a utility quad is likely to do.

I ended up getting a Cat 500i, largely for the high ground clearance (my farm is rough as a cob, nothing but steep hills and rocks), and for the manual transmission (only big bore that has it, and I haul firewood a lot), but also because when I looked the quads over in the showroom, the Cat seemed to be more thoroughly designed - seals where they need to be, snorkels nice and high, lots of suspension travel, this machine was built for rough ground. After I bought the Cat, I found that it rode a lot smoother over rough ground, a big bonus.

Also like the Cat because it sits higher. The other big bores feel like a toy in comparison. This probably doesn't help high speed handling, but it's a utility quad - they all handle like pigs at high speed, and are at best clumsy jumpers.

Compared to my last quad - Bear 350 - my Cat 500i probably does dip a bit when you hit the brakes, but I never found that to be a problem. Then again, the 500i doesn't rattle my guts out the way the Bear did, and will fly over rough terrain that would have had the Bear out of control.

 

No mods other than rims, but still with stock tires. Yes, it has loosened up, and still seems to be doing so at 500 miles. The thing runs like a Swiss watch. Once warm, it runs every bit as good as the EFI 800. I havn't gone higher than a few thousand feet elevation, though. My 375 did the same thing. The Polaris is doing it, too. It now has 214 miles on it, and seems to be pulling harder and harder, and revving quicker.