My buddies stock 03' 400 4x4 will do 50+ with him at 235 #'s

 

Thanks. I once told the wife how much we have invested in quads. She'll be out of recovery soon. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Reference the ATV Rider test, I've ridden with the guys from ATV rider and Mark Rolland, the former associate editor, now with Sand Sports, is a very good friend of mine. Mark and I, as well as many of the other writers disagree about how to test a ATV. Their thoughts are to run them as hard as you possibly can and evaluate them on that basis. They run them flat out and evaluate them on how they corner at speed. I rode with them at Hatfield/McCoy after they had done a shoot out with several brands. We rode the same trails and it was quite simply, full throttle. Most of them are sport quad enthusiasts, not that that's bad but, that is the way they like to ride. They feel they must push the quads to the limit to give a full report. Utility quads should be tested on how they perform on trails, easy and extreme, as well as handling at speed. The big Cats simply are not designed to run full throttle into a corner and slide the rear around and crack the throttle again. However, install the sway bar and they do that pretty well for a 800 lb. ATV. ATV magazine writers have personalities that enter into the mix. One of the testers for ATV Rider races sport quads. He makes a honest effort to do fair comparisons on utilities but his heart is with the sporty's. Most of the writers involved in the test mentioned are no longer with ATV Rider. Dave Wilnont, also a friend of mine, owns a Prairie 650 and rolled it down a mountain at H/Mc.

 

I'm curious if you noticed that they weren't even comparing similar models? They were putting the 500m up against 650+cc auto trannies?

The only thing you need to worry about is whether that 400 Cat suits your needs or not. If you are happy with it, then it was a good buy. As much as rags deny it, they definitely favor certain brands over others. Read the articles carefully and notice the different attitudes when writing reviews, and its more than just Arctic Cat.

 

The AC never seem to finish high on these tests. But that doesn't mean it isn't a great ATV. Too many times, testers are concerned about top speed or fast trail handling. So yes there are better choices if this is the kind of riding you do.

Let me tell you about a recent CO hunting trip. My AC 650, a '06 Grizzly, a '04 Honda Foreman, and a '02 Polaris Expedition. We had lots of rocky trails, mud, logs over the road, and steep inclines to tackle.

Some of the trails the Honda just couldn't make due to ground clearance. The Polaris also had some problems and bottomed out almost continuously. The Grizzly was able to make all the trails although it too bottomed out. My AC never bottomed out and went up some trails the others couldn't. The big difference was that there were two of us on my AC650 and just one person on the others. So we had twice the load and twice the gear but still did the trails better.

There were two instances of extremely steep and rocky climbs that I requested my passenger walk for safety as I was concerned of flipping backwards. I made the climb in one run. The Grizzly took 3 attempts to make it. The Polaris and Honda were assisted up via my winch.

The other hunter riding with me couldn't believe what the AC could do. I told him this was one of the main reasons I chose it over other brands. I don't race the trails or ride ***** to the walls. But I do get back into the thick of things when hunting and don't want to be stuck there.

So for me, the AC is at the top of the list in my tests.

 

I am happy with my machine and use it about equally for hunting, chores, and trail riding- but judging from the reviews, it appears I could have done better buying a diffrent brand>>>>>>>

This is all that matters, don't drive yourself crazy second guessing! Just enjoy yourself, if you are happy then what difference does it make?

 

also would like to know where you get your info. AC won the Championship this year in the quad terrain challenge. So in reality, they were on TOP of the competition
>>>>>>>>>>>

Yeah, but Can Am won manufacturer of the year [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Take those comparisons with a grain of salt. When deciding on which quad to get, consider the following equation.

Magazine reviews and comparisons + Forum reviews and opinions + Desired use + Seat Time + Observing other quads in real world situations + price + options and warranty = Final decision.

I know this is kind of broad, but the point is magazine reviews and comparisons are only a small piece of the pie. All of the slices make up the pie and in this case, you must inform youself as much as possible by several methods.

Now you say you like your quad, then my though is go on what you like and not what others like or say. Because, ultimatly, you will be riding it and not anyone else.

Now on Arctic Cat ATV's. I personally think they make a great ATV. Think about this, since they only make one motor that is actually theirs (650 H1), that means all their time can be focused on the rest of the bike.

For what you mentioned you use it for, the ac400 is a great choice IMHO.

 

I think 700 is right. They make a great quad. Like I said, I liked my 400 but it was underpowered for what I wanted. Remember, its cheaper to buy a big enough motor the first time than to buy it the second time. I've learned that lesson well with all the quads that I've bought.

 

And lastly, look to the ATV guru, Doug Meyer for unbiased ATV evaluations. He used to belittle the Arctic Cats on his show all the time. This year Arctic Cat is completely missing from ANY discussions. I've quit taping his shows (I'm rarely home to watch them live). I'd rather watch the Style Channel[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]