I got to do some new stuff today........I rode my first AC.........And the first 4 wheel drive atv, the AC-500
We used it at a friends property. In my opinion this is one nice quad! The Automatic trans was smooth as silk. The IRS; WOW what a smooth ride! We pulled some damn good size logs around (1000#'s +) like they were small sticks! And the coolest thing was the trailer it rode on to get there, hooked up to the quad and we stacked all the timber on it and drove it where we needed it!
Maybe I have been on 2 wheel drived to long, and I'm out of touch...But this is a very impressive quad!

I was suprized to see a Suzuki engine in it though [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Suzuki owns 40% of AC. Arctic Cat has used Suzuki engines only until the 650 V-2 (Kawasaki) and now the 650 H-1. The new AC 700EFI is also a Suzuki engine, which I think will end the 650 V-2 because of all trouble they have had with it.

 

to be fair bear they haven't had any problems at all with the motor it has been with the tranny/clutch of the kawi design. but i have had 2 other 500 ac's like you described and for what you used it for they are alot of fun aren't they when you can do light work like that with ease.

 

You guys should read this for more info on 500cc ute quads:

http://www.atvnews.com/output.cfm?id=960913

ATV News didn't really like the AC, compared to others.

 

And supposably, they fixed the ftranny problems by changing the gear ratio for 2006 models. So far it seems to have worked

 

Sounds like the AC 500 did extreamly well. Espicially considering the editors of mags never have scored AC's very well. They said the cat was best when loaded with weight on the racks, and had a very plush ride. Lots of rack space too. The only real negatives were that it wasn't as fast. Not a big issue when you are getting a UTILITY quad. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I think it gave a fair report on what they tested although in there summarys i wish they would mention the warranty coverage,rack capasity,features and ground clearance all of them going to the artic cat. I did think it funny that they ranked AC last in the power saying it has no bottom end and doent accelerate well but in the same sentence call the suzuki strong troughtout, did they not see the same engine on both bikes? I am not afraid to admit that the pol. is a comfortable ride but the racks are unusable and the mantanance on them is horable not to mention the steering and front suspetion is done with Mcphersion struts not an a-arm witch is the preferd suspetion of all the magizines and tv shows!. i love my ac's and wont be trading them for anything out there.

 

QUOTE by Bear4570: Suzuki owns 40% of AC.

And GM owns 20% of Suzuki. They are currently trying to unload it though.

 

trvman,

I was wondering how you like your trv's, I am looking at a 2 up machine and cat is on my list along with
the polaris and bomb. Was there much difference in power between the 03 & 06, I heard they changed
the exhaust for 06 to give it some more power, is this true. How do they do trail riding and did the bighorns
help with the ride.

Thanks for any of your help.

 

i think it's the best trail riding atv out there, i do belive the 06 is faster and will even get better once it's fully broken in i would like to see one made in the five speed because i would know better if the auto is as fast as the manuel, it feels like the man. is faster off the line but at 10 miles an hour the auto comes to life. putting on the bighorns was a great thing with both traction and handleing and there dont show any signs of where on them, and the biggest plus is i can load 3 yes 3 people on them and go riding or on the new one i can put on a dump bed or a mrp rack and do it alone it is the most veritile atv out there! now that being said the bomb 800 is a very nice bike with a couple of things i dont like the price for one and the rear axle setup is very open, no protection when backing up and the look is square but the power is great, on the 400 two up's dont bother they dont have the power for the added wieght of the bike and the passenger. welcome to the pride if you are in the market to buy the upgrades to the 06 is worth the money and the TRV is three atv's in one and i feel like it is one of the safest for trail riding (8 inches longer than a normal atv) this gives it better climbing ability.