I went to the dealer to day and they had a clearence on the 2000 model Quads. My wife likes the Quadmaster but i am not all that familiar with it. How does it compare to the AC? From what i have seen on here the AC is the best from what i have observed. Me personally i am not wild about an automatic tranny at all. i have not gotten the chance to ride any automatic yet. From the way every one talks the Automatic is great. even thou i might be slightly leary of the Auto i am sure it is a very fine thing. I am kind of thinking about trading in my AC 300 on the 500 Auto. But if anyone knows about the Quad Master let me know what you think. Thanks ( Personally i think the AC is the better of the two but i want to know what experience the rest of you have had)

 

Same engine and transmission is share between the two. If you look at it from a paper point of view, then the AC should be the better of the two. Now looking at a realistic or personal preference point of view, you can make some changes. The suzuki has the lesser suspension of the two. Not as good a ride. It is however more compact, and will turn tighter and probably easier. The levers for reverse are in a little different position, and of course they look different. This would be a preference thing. Both are good quads, and have the same motor and tranny. I prefer the AC because of the racks and suspension myself. Others may value the nimbleness of the Suzuki though.

 

Andy is right, I have 2 buds, 1 500 Suz & 1 500 Cat, Suz is better made, more agile, but has fenders that catch on everything & stock tires are junk. Cat rides a little better, acceptable stock tires, & full floorboards.

 

Aren't the Quadmasters quite a bit more expensive than the Cat? I thought when I bought my AC one of the dealers tried to sell me a quadmaster that was $1000-$1500 more.

 

Depends on where you live. I remember they were at one time closing out 99 Quadrunner 500's for like $5300. That was over a year ago. Some dealers sell those for $5899, some sell AC500's for the same, and some dealers sell AC500 manuals for $6400. It all depends on what part of the country you are in. Same goes for about every brand too.

 

the AC 500 is 5,799 and the quad master is 5,699. I want to say this forum and the people in it are the best. I posted basically the same questions in the suzuki forum and i havent got a single answer at all to my question. This is the second time i have posted a suzuki question on thier forum and got no answer. all the help i see in here is enuff to make me buy the AC. i will at least know if i get the AC and have a question i can get an intelligent answer to it. thanks to every one for the support and help.

 

Racnooc:
Hey, sorry I can't help with the Suzuki question, about the only thing I know of is the suspension is better on the 'Cat. I haven't looked into the new models of machines lately, and don't really know what they've all improved on. Anyway, as you know, AC uses the Suzuki engine, which has proven itself time and again.

As for the Auto bit, man, my Dad and I both love ours. It's so simple to operate, just hit the throttle and go. My grandparents have even tried it a time or two and liked it, they're in their upper 70's. If you don't want the Auto, they have the manual as well, with the same features as the Auto now-selectable 2/4wd, larger gas tank, etc. I'd like to ride a manual 'Cat myself, just to see the difference in towing ability, for pulling the heavy loads I normally do-my logs and such. Kind of curious as to how they compare, I know my auto is awesome at this, would like to see what advantages, if any, the manual would have other than gearing.

What is it about the auto that worries you, or do you just prefer the shifting ability? Belt slippage was an issue when they first came out, but as long as you're in low range and keep on the throttle through deep water crossings, I doubt you'll ever have a problem. The only time I have ever got water in my tranny and experienced the belt slippage was when I drowned my 'Cat completely submerged in the river. Of course, there was over 2" in the bottom of the pan, but that's what that little 12mm bolt is for just in front of the right floorboard-built in drain plug for that problem only. This was just my own stupidity for trying to cross a river. For normal riding in deep water, low range and on the throttle is enough to keep the belt dry with no problems what so ever.

Engine breaking might be a concern, as most people believe in the gearing theory here. The auto has excellent engine breaking in my opinion, and better than most I'd seen at the time I was looking. Again, in low range I doubt you'll have any troubles.

Anyway, if you have any questions concerning the auto 'Cat, give me a hollar, I'd be glad to try and help. Keep in mind though, if you do prefer the gears, the manual now has the same features as the auto, so that might be the way to go, I don't know.

Best of luck with the decision,

Mike

 

Well to me the QuadMaster is just a sub-par model compared to the cat.

It has less suspension travel, a harder seat, shorter seat, smaller racks, less capacity on those racks, a range selector that I COULD not get to work(and is complained alot in mags), less compression ratio means less power, smaller package could be TOO small for you, a MUCH more verable winch mount, drum rear brake, less ground clearance etc.

On the plus side:
It has a better 2wd lever, lighter weight, aluminum factory wheels, more sporty, preload shocks, and more mods I think.

Well thats my take on it, lata.

 

At that price I would certainly go with the cat. I find it is just more machine for the money. But you should ride both and see what is best for YOU.

 

I made a list of what I wanted in a quad. (large water cooled engine / large gas tank / auto tranny / independent rear suspension / 2w - 4w drive / dual range / disc brakes / analog instrumentation). I then researched what was available & features. I now have an Artcic Cat 500 auto (2001)red. I have a left hand handicap so I ditched the master cyl. I used one from a Bombardier 650 ($94) as it has a parking brake feature, as part of the L/R conversion I separated the front from the rear for independent braking.