Had an 02 500i and never had a problem with it.. didn't suit my riding style too well as it was heavy and tippy from the lack of sway bar. The tires, like many stock tires, weren't great either. The bike was perfect for everything except aggressive fast riding. But it is not meant for that so it is no fault of AC. Other than that the bike was sweet!

 

Yes I would.... I like my Cat

 

I have an 03 400fis auto. I pull the choke, turn the key, hit the start button and it starts, no matter if it is -20F or 105F. And it runs until I shut it off. By some it is underpowered for me even riding two-up it is fine. It tops out at 52mph climbs and goes anywhere I want to go and when riding with others have not gotten stuck more or less, even with stodk oem tires riding with others that have 26" and 27" tires. Starting off with 12" of clearance is a plus in my book. On certain bumpy roads I can ride faster and smoother than others, possibly because of the heavy weight of the machine and 10" or travel at each corner that does work well. It did take me some time to get the tire pressures and preloads on my springs set to where it handled good for me but now it is a pleasure to do a little sport riding too.

As with every machine there are some drawbacks. For me the AC has more possitive than negative. No machine can be the best at everything but for me and what I do with it the AC fills the bill and then some.

When some machines are stuck I get through, when some are broke down and in the shop for repair I am out riding. I just might not get there as fast as some but I don't need to go 65mph on a Utility machine either.

I have over 2,000 miles on it and as I type this the stock oem tires are being replaced and the new ones are being shipped. I am staying with 25" tire, because I don't need the extra 1/2 of clearance and I don't believe I would have the motor to turn a 27" or 28". I am putting Duro "Buffalo's" on the front and Sigma "MudCat's" on the rear. The MudCat's have a 1" deep tread (ya, 1" on a 25" tire) and the Buffalo's I believe are 3/4". Neither being a top notch mud tire but I don't want a single purpose tire just something a little better than the stock Dunlaps, and I am good to go.

Would I buy another AC - Well, do bears live in the woods. Yes, most definately and untill any other machine can give me what AC can I think I most definately would stay with AC. Other machines may outshine AC in some areas but those areas don't matter to me. So for my money AC is tops. Plus I am not ready for another one just yet, I still have another 20,000 or 30,000 miles or more to go on this one.

 

well i guess you guys and girls are not going to like me.
i had an 03 500 manual. and i ride hard mud snow big hills and rocks and i went through 3 axels and a front diff all when in very rough conditions and under stress.
if you dont ride hard and dont do alot of hill climbing then there great.
i have 2 other friends 1 had an 04 650 he never had any broken axels or front end trouble but he did go through front and rear bushings and a broken frame.
and my other friend has a 05 650 and hes selling it because for the same reason
all 3 of us have rolled our quads going up hills some of them where not even that big.
i found going up hills it would squat in the rear and the front end would come up and over it would go.
the new 700s are built better and stronger then my old 1 and they look real nice and they have tons of power but they should do something about the light front end if you could keep it on the ground and the rear from squatting the i think it would be a hard quad to beat.
and just so you all know i put 2800 miles on my cat befor i sold it.
i realy liked it and i could have lived with the light front end but the brake downs were getting to be too much.
anyway thats just my thought on the matter.

 

I also own an 06 500i and love it to death.
900 miles on it so far and not a single issue other than I hit a big rock on the trail at a pretty good speed and dented the wheel badly, lost all air and darned near lost the tire.
I don't blame A/C for that.
I am by no means an expert rider but I ride with many guys who are, and I always enjoy hauling their butts out of the muck with my winch, then coasting right through their exact same tire marks, right into where they were stuck -- and far beyond!
I ride mostly rocky trails, mud and lots of deep snow. Put on a set of 25" Mudlites when I got it and I haven't stopped yet.
I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

 

I don't think I will ever buy a different brand for several reasons. I have and have had several AC products over the years, and have always been happy with them. Some people complain that they are not the best at high speed, but that is not why I bought mine. If I wanted to go fast I would buy a two wheel drive two stroke. I bought mine for work and trail riding where a two wheel drive couldn't go.

Other people will only buy Jap stuff, but some years ago I bought a Honda motorcycle, and put in a new engine about every 5,000 miles. Yep, 15,000 miles and three engines later I got rid of the POS.

Plus, I am a very big believer in keeping jobs here in the US. I always try to buy American. I grew up about half way between AC and Polaris, and have always thought it was ridicules that anyone would not support his neighbors job. I know people that live only a few blocks from the AC factory that ride imports.