I put bigger tires and rims on mine now so now the tire would hit the tree instead of the fender so if your going to put new tires on it you should be fine. They need new ones anyways because the stock one suck. imo

Also when i cracked mine it is my fault. I got it caught in between two trees turning on a tight atv trail and I tried to back up and go forward around it but the fender got caught again and snapped it. I should have picked it up by hand and moved it in the back. easier said than done though. HEAVY!

 

Ive got an AC 2005 400i. Ive abused it some including rolling it down a hill. It rolled 4-5 times before coming to a rest upside down. When I was finally able to get up and catch my breath (it rolled over the top of me), I tipped it back onto its wheel (two were flat) and checked it over. No cracked plastic, no other damage. After riding it a bit I notice that the handlebars arnt QUITE straight, but that is an easy fix. Anyway, if that didnt crack the plastic, youd have to do something pretty bad to get it done.

 

By the way Bowtech...which bow do you shoot? I've got a mighty mite that I LOVE LOVE LOVE.

 

I shoot the 06' Tribute after shooting the 05' Switchback and I am very pleased. Not that the Mathews was a bad bow or anything I just liked the idea of having more speed. I shoot a pendulum so the extra speed helps me shoot out a little farther here in South Mississippi. I have shot the Mighty Mite and I was really impressed with it as well. My dad owns it and is very successful. Thanks for you comment on the AC and good luck this up coming season!

 

my rear fender is cracked but thats because someone t boned me on there quad so thats to be expected i guess and i ordered the new fender and now its in maine at the dealer and its going to cost $250 to ship it to ma im not happy so ill have to take the trip up there to get it and last weekend i ran over a down branch approx 3 in in diameter it popped up and hit my front fender cracking that too ive seen alot of cracked fenders at the dealer when i dropped mine off i personally wouldnt let it be the deciding factor in buying one or not this was my first atv and i dont regret it cracked fenders or not it is an incredible machine good luck

 

From another forum.

http://atv.dnsalias.com/forum.cgi?vi...viewtopic=1327

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL174.../136283233.jpg

 

I rolled my 04 400 in a ditch and it landed upside down, resting on the racks (with me, luckily, under it in the ditch). It seriously bent the rear rack and this in turn, bent the fender waaaay down. Ended up getting a new rack and when installed, the fender was back to looking brandy new ('cept, of course, for the scuffs and scratches, which just make for good stories [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img])

 

From looking at the pics posted elsewhere and what some are saying; I'm wondering if AC hasn't changed the process of coloring the plastic on the new body style. My 05 400 (old style) the color is in the plastic with what appears to be clear plastic over the stickers and such. This is a tough system and the plastic handles lots of abuse. It appears the new style may have paint for color and the plastic isn't as thick or flexible. I have a buddy with an '06 500 and I will check it out next time I see him. Then again why would Cat change the body plastic, when what they had was very good? Maybe the bean counters got involved.

 

Bear4570, that was good info you posted. I appreciate it. I would definitely be interested on what your partner with the 06' would have to say about his plastic. I am wondering if I shouldn't wait until the 07's come out to see whether or not AC has corrected these paint issues. I would be thorougly pissed if I spent $6500 on a new machine and the thing start failing due to manufacturer defects. I'm sure they wouldn't help with such a problem if it were to exist on a new bike because they would claim that I inflicted some kinda abuse to the atv. If I break something that is one thing, but if the paint and fenders on an ALL-TERRAIN vehicle can't handle a brief rub up against a tree without breaking or pealing then I don't want anything to do with it. Keep me posted if you don't mind.

 

I had an old 1988 suzuki 250 4x4 that was ridden pretty hard. The plastic on it was old and brittle, from the sun I believe. I kept cracking the fenders of trees, rocks, sticks and such. I repaired them by drilling a hole at the end of the crack so it wouldn't get any larger. Then, moving back about 1 inch from the crack I drilled holes along the crack as Bear suggested but I used colored (red) zip-ties and stitched the thing together.

By the time I sold it in 2000 it was looking like the bride of Frankenstein! Guy I sold it to wasn't as cheap as me and bought new plastic for for it.

Method works great, looks OK. I haven't had an issue with my 2003 plastic. Other than it scratches really easy when washing it.

SJ