did you build your own car and engines.
or did you just drive.
driving is the easy part.
making sure everything is put together correctly and going to stay together is another.
if the nearest quarter mile track was closer i might be a pro drag racer but the nearest track is over 300 miles and then Ashcroft is next and i just don't have enough money and resources to go that far to race.
so i stick to the local drags that happen around hear.
and i still can race up to 5 races a year.
4 in terrace BC and 1 in Houston BC.
but I'm only good for maybe 2 or 3 in Terrace and the Houston one.
Houston is 1/4 mile not 1/8th mile like Terrace.
but its all fun and i'm still winning and winning at any level means you beat out all the other racers to win .
so whether I'm a pro or just a backyard mechanic or racer i still am winning.
also racing a 4 spd car and not missing any shifts takes talent and i can guarantee i don't miss very many shifts if any at all during a weekend of racing.
and every shift is a power shift.(i don't lift off the gas when i shift its petal to the metal all the way)

 

mudblaster; When I started racing while I was in the military, three of use had a 3 car team. A '70 Camaro LT-1, a '69 Roadrunner with a 383 and my '66 Mercury Cyclone with a 390GT. I was the only one to work on all three cars and motors. The Camaro became a 11 sec. race only car, the Roadrunner ended up with a Hemi out of a '66 Belvedere and the Cyclone was replaced by a pair of '69 Torino Cobras with the CJ motors. One for Stock racing and the second of the real fast stuff. I got the race car into the 11.60s at 3400 lbs which back then was screamin for a 428CJ. The Hemi ran 11.20s, but the Roadrunner only weughed 2800# by then. We raced all over the midwest. Wichita, Tulsa, KC and even Green Valley between Ft. Worth and Dallas to name a few. The Stock 428 was an auto, mainly because I also towed the other Cobra with it. Back in those days we didn't have the rev limiters or the super slick trannys now available, or tires for that matter. I found I was more comfortable driving the cars and boats if I knew what the mechanic had done, not what he thought he did, to prep the machine. There were only two people who ever drove my equipment other than myself, the wife and my mentor when I started boat racing. I have done as many as 23 events in a year, but that was when I had my own business and could be gone when I wanted too. Normal was 12 to 18 events, which pretty much fill the spring, summer and fall. I quit racing in 1984 after I hit a deer on my bike, almost died and have never physically recovered totally. The difference between a pro and a sportsman racer is being lucky (or maybe unlucky) enough to pick up sponsorship but sponsors bring their own set of head aches along with their money. I only did that for a couple of years as the extra time spent on sponsor wants reduced the chance to do the fun races. The fun part is more important than the money part, or it gets too stressful and then not fun. Keep racing and most important have fun.

 

Well, I think it is settled. You both race, you both win, and you both know how to turn a wrench WAY better than me. Anyonhe else smell burning testoserone? hahaha you guys are taking this WAY to personaly. The original question was about how the plastic will hold up. I think the answer to this thead lies in that plastic will break if you abuse it. Bear offered a GREAT way to fix it if it does break (in answer to the original question), ort at least I htink it was Bear. Sorry to whomever, if it wasnt. I dont care what quad you run, you will break plastic if you abuse it. I dont care what quad you run, you will break parts if you abuse it. We have heard comments from both sides of the gallery as to their opinions on AC durability and cabability. All we can do is relate our experiences. What would be the best is to hear from a mechanic who works on at least three brands of quad (IE AC, Honda, Kawi) FOR A LIVING, and hear what his/her thoughts are on the subject. But I doubt you will ever find such a person who can offer an unbiased opinion. As ALL of our opinions are slightly (or more) biased one way or the other they should be taken for what they are. We can state facts as far as we know them from our experience and leave it at that.

I personaly like my AC better than any quad Ive ridden (honda, kawi, polaris). To me and MY STYLE of riding it handles the best, feels the best, and has yet to break anything after some HARD knocks and abuse. WHEN I do break something and have to replace it I am comfortable with the fact that it is my own fault. When I have to replace a part, or fix whatever I know it will because of what I put my quad through. I jump alot, I rock crawl alot, I do a lot of mud and water crossing. Oh and Mudblaster...I live in the mountains of Montana. Ive been to BC and holy crap is it beautiful. We share some of the same types of terrain and dirt.

Is the AC the best quad in EVERY respect? I doubt it. Is any other quad? NOPE. I know...lets all get together and combine our VAST experience with what sucks about each quad, and what is best and make our own brand and outsell everyone. I wonder how many threads like this there will be on our forum? Until we do that, lets just agree to disagree and start being constructive again.

 

bear you asked me if i ever won anything and i told you.
so you have gone faster then me so what.
this thread was about cracking fenders and i gave my opinion on them from what i have seen and know .
just because other peoples opinion are different then yours don't mean you can cut them down and call them stupid.
who cares what you did in the past you just think because your older you know more.
well maybe on some things you do but on other stuff you don't and that's what you cant take.
arctic cats new body style sucks and is very unforgiving.
my friends 05 650 cats head lights have fallen out on the trail and he had to bungee cord them back in place till he could get them fixed.
his plastic is cracked and broken in several places.
we ride hard and do alot of bush bashing and his plastic looks worse then any of all the other quads i ride with.
and its newer then most of them.
i took my black fender molding off because it was getting hooked on stuff all the time and starting to damage the plastic but since i took it off i havent had any trouble with anything.
anyways this is my last comment on this subject.
if you dont want to brake your plastic on your new cat stay out of the bush and dont roll it better yet dont take it out of you yard.

 

You know I let this drop because you seemed to have done enough things to use your head and think about things, But you still want to take shots at me, which is always a good way to get hammered back. Well, I will let it go with one statement, "You first have to be young and stupid, to become old and wise". As to trashing and bashing, well one of the groups I ride with is all about fast (regardless of the trail conditions), another is about covering ground than seems impassable (sometimes it is) and then there is the group of "old timers" I ride with. So I do everything from the go fast and beat the he!! out of it to taking it easy and enjoy the country side as it goes by at a speed that you can see it. I also hunt off my quads and there is nothing but brush here, even under the timber. But the only times I have busted things up was when going too fast or taking stupid chances. I suspect that that is the case with others, even if they will not admit to screwing up. Yes, it seems the 700EFIs have a problem with paint. Mine however is not painted, but the color is in the plastic and I still haven't broke any of my new plastic. On the 5 year old quad yes, but plastic gets brittle with age and cracking is to be expected. But all of my crack came from stupid acts and not a problem with design.

 

ill take that bet mudblaster i now have 2000 miles on my trv not even a bad spark plug! not a flip not a roll no broken fenders, took them out today put 20 miles on them in 4 hours cralling up rocks and over bolders not even in 4wd i did use low range a few times but that was going down hill, i love my ARCTIC CATS.

 

I cracked a fender on a tree with my 2001 AC and it cost $29.99 to get new part. Plastic will break...that is why it is used ,easily replaced versus a harder comp that will bend and stay that way. The cost of the AC your looking at should concern a buyer more then some possible replacement parts down the road.

 

Good point Trailblazer. I believe I'm going to wait until the 07' models come out in the middle of July and buy the 500 Manual at a dealer closer to home. I will pay $200 more, but I trust the guy and I'm confident that he does good work. Besides if something were to ever go wrong I could convieniently (however thats spelled) drop the bike off and not have to make a special trip out of town to have it worked on. AC though baby, hopefully I'll just be visiting the dealer to replenish my AC oil supply and filter supply.

 

Since when are you required to get your service work done at the dealer you bought it from? Never heard of such a requirement for any thing I ever bought.

 

Chill out now Bear. I did'nt know that just any dealer would service them or repairt them under warranty after they are bought. Don't you think that most dealers would put you on the back burner or not treat me the same had I bought the atv from them? If something were to happen during hunting season and I needed a quick turn around I wouldn't be able to afford that kind of service. Plus, I only have one dealer here in town so it is very risky for me to take that chance. Anyways, I doubt I will ever have a problem with my new Cat when I buy it, but I'm just nit picking for the time being. Thanks again guys for you input!