The Arctic Cat 500's have always intrigued me and look like a great value for the money.

Where I ride there are a lot of logging and county roads which are travelled anywhere between 30 and 40 mph on a regular basis. At times during a day of trail riding, 50 mph is not uncommon.

My question is this, how do the big cats stack up against the Sportsman, Magnums and Kodiaks under conditions such as these? I know they are a great utilitarian vehicle that can pull a barn down in low range but how do they act at speed.

I am familiar with the trail manners of the Honda 450S & ES and didn't care for them at all. Where do these big cats fit in for my style of riding?

 

They won't out run anything. 50 mph is about the top speed give or take a few mph depending on some factors. I personally ride mine at about 25-40 mph most of the time on our land and the rest of the time it's crawling at 4-8 mph in low range in mud and sand and water. The cats do have a good deal of body roll due to grippy tires and soft suspension which fits their "not so fast" style very well. I personally feel that the difference between 48-50 mph(cat) and 52-54 mph(something else) is something I can live without. But if you travel for an hour together with someone alse at top speed they could be 2-4 miles ahaed of you assuming their bike/rider can handle that well. Every bike has a comfort zone I feel. The cats handle well around the 40mph range and handle really well in the slow stuff where their suspension really set them apart from the swing arm guys. Part of going fast is stopping too and the 3 caliper on one brake lever system on the cats work really well. I just feel like they are the best quad for the dollar. Get something else if you want the speed factor.

 

Thor
I think an important thing to think about if you like speed is how high the motor is reving at 40 or 50mph. Andy said something on one of his post about the Cats engine not reving as high as some at 50mph. Maybe he can tell you more about this subject. I really don't care to go that fast on trails myself, so I don't know much about it.
Some of these bikes might be able to go 54 or 55mph, but how fast is their engine reving and for how long? How hard is this going to be on the engine? How well will they stay in control at that speed? These are all important questions that need to be answered for your type of riding. I know one thing you will get honest info in this forum.

 

I ride my 500 man. 2001 from 1st gear low to 5 high on any given ride.I also run titan 589 27 inch tires.The top speed is 50 on the flat and 55 on a down grade.I always run WOT for about 3.5 miles on my return trip,and I mean pegged wide open,usually racing my father-in-law honda 350.No problems so far and 1200 miles on it.It does not seem to rev as high as other machines at top speed.
KEEP THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN.

OUT

 

I ride my 500 man. 2001 from 1st gear low to 5 high on any given ride.I also run titan 589 27 inch tires.The top speed is 50 on the flat and 55 on a down grade.I always run WOT for about 3.5 miles on my return trip,and I mean pegged wide open,usually racing my father-in-law honda 350.No problems so far and 1200 miles on it.It does not seem to rev as high as other machines at top speed.
KEEP THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN.

OUT

 

When mine is running good, I get 51-52 tops on pavement with a GPS. Granted the speedometer will say closer to 57-58, but I believe the GPS.

ATV Magazine radared it at 48. They also shot the SP500 at 54, and Griz and Rubicon at 52. All these are probably brand new quads, and it always seems that they gain a couple mph top speed after they are good an broken in.

I had a guy on here last year that could get 57 out of a 99 sportsman on a GPS. Flat conditions, no downhills. I got that once on my AC all out down a hill, but that doesn't count for much. Another guy got 59 on a GPS with an HO Sp500 late last year. The magazines are going to report lower speeds than people in the forums for a number of reasons, probably most because they did radar, and are more accurate than crappy ATV speedometers. Still though, the ratio between the speeds tells the tale. The AC will be slower than a lot of the other big bores. Like the magazine said, Arctic Cat didn't build the quad for speed.

 

Thor...
Your question is good, but I suspect you probably know the answer!! Neither Honda or Cat is made for this type of riding.You could do what I do,stay away from open dirt trails...boring anyway..or borrow your friends Polaris srambler 500 for those wild times! Please remember there is a speed limit on most State trails that is much lower than 50 mph. and that they are enforced!!
Ride safe...

 

>>>>>Please remember there is a speed limit on most State trails that is much lower than 50 mph. and that they are enforced!!<<<<<<

Hi Bill,

I am not familiar with that one, other than the ditch speeds which cannot exceed the speed on the road immediately adjacent to it.

Where are these limits? Other than 25mph down the roads in Wisconsin that run past cabins?

 

The trails in our clubs jurastiction all have 25mph. speed limits. Most are narrow 2 track or use county dirt roads to link.There are more open trails in the Barrons' area to the west but most of these are limited to 25 mph. I do see alot of sport quads running over 50 mph. with after market pipes that are just to loud.The average rider should know just how hard it is to get more areas opened..and that loud quads running over 50 mph. on narrow trails is NOT making it any easier!!
These trails are intended for a family touring type activity not sport riding.Add to the mix riders riding 2 up without proper protection and you can see where the "anti's " get fuel for their arguments.
Ride safe ...keep in touch.

 

Bill
Your right all that does is give them more ammunition to close more riding areas.