I will be buying a 4x4 ATV in the 300-400cc range soon. I'm undecided between a Polaris or Arctic Cat and would appreciate any insight or reasons on why one would be better that the other. The main uses will be camping/outdoor recreational and backwoods trail riding.

 

I think the other 2 guys covered it pretty well...I of course, would go witht he Arctic Cat 400. The AC 300 is nice, but it may be little down on power, but the transmission configuration makes up for that for low end.
The Polaris 335 is the slowest 4x4 i've ever ridden. Its got a smooth suspension, but i read somewhere that the Fully Suspended Polaris's have something like 22 grease fittings...just on the rear suspension..geeeez..Hope your not riding with impatient folks. I'm sure the AC 300 with fully idenpendant suspension has some maintenance to it also. But anyway, 1st choice would be one of the AC's
Then i would consider the new Kodiack before
a Polaris.

 

Andy explained the quads as well as it gets.I just have to put in my two cents worth on Polaris reliability problems.I have a 99 Sportsman 500cc 4x4 and its a real lemon.Polaris nor the Dealership are willing to help me in the manner I see fit.Go to Sportsman 500 in the forums and you;ll read of my many problems.STAY AWAY FROM POLARIS...

 

What are you looking for? Automatic or Semi Automatic transmission (auto clutch)? Independent, Semi Independent, or Swing arm Suspension?
Where do you ride? Mud? Rocks? Deep water? Woods? Steep hills?
Do want a 4x4 or a 2x4?
How big are you?


These are the quads in the 300-400cc range for Polaris and Arctic Cat.

Polaris: Trail Boss 335(2x4), Magnum 335 (2x4 and 4x4), Sportsman 335(4x4), Xplorer 400(4x4), Expedition 425(4x4)
Arctic Cat: 300(2x4 and 4x4) and the 400 (2x4 and 4x4)

The Sportsman will give the best ride but the Arctic Cat 300 isn't to far behind. The 335 is by far "the best bang for the buck", but it is only a 4x4. If you plan on doing any towing I would go with either the Arctic Cat 300 4x4 or the 400 4x4. For one the have a manual transmission, two: there trans is dual (400) or triple (300) range, and they are 4x4. The Polaris are more rider freindly because of there Automatic trans (except the 425).

I will post more info after I get some more from you.

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Arctic Cat 500, Not your average Kitty, The New King Of the Jungle

 

I'm not going to make a suggestion for you, I'll just tell you some things that I considered.
If you are in the 300-400 class range, then I guess I'll consider the Polaris expedition 425, Explorer 400, Sportsman 335, and Magnum 325; along with the Arctic cat 300 and 400.

Explorer 400- A two stroke bike with lots of power and very fast. I personally would not get a chain driven utitity for reasons of the chain braking on rocks, and general maintenance. This bike turns better than any of its size. Ride is the best. Most suspension travel of the ones listed.

Expedition 425- A pretty powerfull 4 stroke with the first manual shift from polaris. This bike seemed fast when riding it. 1st gear seemed higher than most. No low range, but the 1st is fine for everything really. I like to really crawl in low, so I would prefer that option, but it isn;t a big thing. Ride is not as good as the explorer, but better than other manufacturers.

Sportsman 335- Great suspension! Maybe a small engine for the 670lb. claimed dry weight. Not near as fast as the others, but about average. It is not underpowered though. A good bike but the price difference is not substantial enough to sway people from getting something that might be better.(500)

Magnum 325- I don't know. I rode a 2wd and it vibrated like crazy. I wouldn't own it for that reason only. Shaft drive 4-stroke. probably rides and turns good as that is the thing with polaris.

Arctic Cat 400- Fairly powerfull 4-stroke though it is a 371cc which is closer to a 350 than a 400. Low range, excellent suspension, and a good ride as well. Very tough construction with nice complements such as floorboards and sealed inside fenders. Not as fast as the expedition, but not a slug.

Arctic Cat 300- Good suspension and a 2wd option help this one out. I don't like the fact that the engine is in the rear. It seems like the front end would be light. Engine is tuned for low end power and this is a slow bike from what I have read. Not my favorite by any means.


The Polaris bikes loom under the presence of a bad reliability reputation. Also, it has been rumored that Polaris doesn't work with their dealers well to ensure good customer service. Automatic transmissions of any type can get wet sometimes causing momentary belt slippage, where manuals like the expedition and Arctic Cats will not. All polaris models have a push button 2wd/4wd option where the AC 400 doesn;t. The 300 does, but it isn't a button. Arctic Cats have a limited slip differential where Polaris bikes wait until the rears slip and then engage both fronts pulling all the time. The polaris way lends to a bit better traction on uneven surface. Polaris uses plastic racks which I don't think are as good as the heavy steel racks of the Arctic Cats. Polaris will have the smoother ride of the lot also. They will steer easier, and turn tighter as well. That is their main advantage.

Arctic Cats feel and look similar to hondas. They seem to be very well put together and look as if they will last a long time through hard conditions. Their floorboards are steel and are grated so mud and debris can fall down through them. This keeps it from accumulating there like on other floorboards. The radiator fan and front interior of the 400 is completely sealed from sidesplash, and this also keeps crap off of the riders legs. The battery is tucked away in a compartment under the seat on the 400 as well. The rear axle of the 400 is semi-independant which keeps all four wheels on the ground much better than other straight axle bikes. The 300 has a fully independant rear suspension. The arctic cats also have the convenience of speedometers, odometers, and gear position lights. Most of the listed Polaris models have speedometers as well.
In my opinion, the Polaris would be more fun to ride, and would ride smoother and faster, but I also think that the Polaris would tear up and have mechanical failures long before the Arctic Cats would. Arctic Cats compare much better with hondas, because of their similarities. Nobody compares to polaris. nobody else has quite their innovation, though nobody really has their bad reliability reputation either. Hope some of this crap helps. hope I didn't bore you out either.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

first time on this side u got some good advice except for the last goof ball an his poor me story,have 2 500's ride with 6 more an one guy is buying 2 new 1's this week,if u abuse anything it will eventually give up the ghost,there is more to that story than has been told.Haven't heard anything but good about cats,am partial to my polaris but if you have good cat dealer that will service you go for it.U can't believe everything u hear on here,but mostly u got some good advice to choose from.what ever u buy enjoy an ride safe.

 

Bill isn't the only person to completely abandon Polaris after they gave him a good screwing. Last year, there was a guy on here who had a new Sportsman 500. I can't remember his name, but I have it somewhere. I printed his post and gave it to my uncle who was at the time looking at Polaris because his brother has a Sportsman 400. Anyway, like Bill, this other guy had a ton of problems with his 98 model. The bike was only about 3-6 months old, and he had already replaced the rear U-Joints(now CV joints) 3 times. He had gone through 3 belts as well, one of which left him stranded 20 miles from home. His second belt lasted about 2 or 3 days. I think he went through 2 sets of brakes in under 500 miles too. He also had some electrical problems and maybe something else as well. It wasn't as bad as Bill's was, but it was definitely bad enough. His dealer fixed things under warranty, but things continued to mess up soon after repair. Polaris Industries would do nothing at all to help him as usual. He eventually sold it at the dealership and bought a 450es Honda. The last I heard, he was happy with the new bike. He said it wasn't as fast or as comfortable as the Sportsman, but was more stable, and maintenance free.

Corncob2-- Its called the first amendment! Freedom Of Speech. If Bill wants to post about his troubles, then he has every right to do so. If for some reason Robert Venable, AC454, or CAT500 had a lemon Arctic Cat and went on about how sorry their bike was, I wouldn't mind a bit. Lay off of Bill Ciliberti for a while, and while you are at it, pick up a grammar book. Either that or glance at the keyboard more often. Your posts make even Whisky's posts look like a Masters thesis.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*



[This message has been edited by Andy Bassham (edited 08-25-1999).]

 

ANDY,im speechless,you said it all,THANKS--BILL

 

Any body ben to the Yamaha post latly. There is a guy who sold is Sportsman for a Grizzly because he wanted less matainance. Well it has been a headace from the first ride for him. After 2 or 3 rides he decided to sell it toget another Sportsman. So why aren't you telling him to stop talking about his problems. Not even the other Yamaha owners are telling him to stop. I think it is because Polaris owners just don't want to know what can and has happen to their quads. Since it happens so much to Polaris quads. They are just telling every Polaris owner, "Say only good things about Polaris", so they don't think they made the wrong choice. Look at this forum. Andy has been complaning about the steering on his quad.

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Arctic Cat 500, Not your average Kitty, The New King Of the Jungle

 

Robert my boy the reason I didn,t respond to the guy on the Yamaha post was because he did the sensible thing with the 4wheeler that was giving him trouble he SOLD it BEFORE it became a money pit people should take notice of things like this I put this same reference in a response to Bill just a couple of days ago you must have overlooked it. I hate the moaning and complaining on here but when people make wise decisions and get rid of a problem before it drags them down I can appreciate that as Barney Fife says "Nip it in the bud" I also agree that we don,t respond to Andys complaints about his steering but I can,t I,ve only been on one Cat in my life I thought it steered hard but I didn,t have another cat to compare it to so I left it alone. I don,t mind giving opinions on subjects that I am experienced at but I leave it alone if I don,t know about it. I have a pretty good part time ATV repair buisness so I get to see what makes them tick pretty close. I have learned over the years the strengths and weaknesses of a lot of ATVS through my experience .

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Kevin Gowdy AKA-Kagey1999 Polaris Magnum 500