Went out looking for a new 2-up today and found a new leftover 2008 500 2-up. This thing is really nice looking quad and like the removeable seat and rack mounting system. Also like the back-up pull start. But I know nothing of these machines and would like some advice. How reliable are they? How do the compare to the Polaris 2-ups that everyone swoons about? Also being a big man will the 500 be enough when my wife and I go for a ride? They offered at $6800 and not sure I should be asking for more for a two year old bike. Anyway if it is a good deal I wouldn't want to let it get away as it is the first one my wife likes, but also want to make sure it will hold up and be a great quad.
Thanks, Rob

 

I have a '08 TRV 650H1 and absolutely luv it. Your bring up some good question(s), I'll try and answer from experience.

Out TRV just hit 1200 miles. No major issues in terms of reliability. Have had 3 dealer repairs under warranty (1) seal leak behind the stator/pull start - (2) bad ground on front 4x4 actuator - (3) replaced fuel sender/pump due to inacurate fuel gauge reading. I suffer from a serious case of OCD and maintain a strict regiment of preventative maintenance routines to ensure my machine(s) last. I also use AMSOIL in the engine & diff's.


Since I've never riden a POPO to compare, I'm neutral. The wifey & I did sit on one together to check how it felt....& a CANAM Outlander....the TRV was better. I can say that It does NOT handle like an single rider machine. The longer whlbase make the TRV alot smoother to ride. - think big SUV. Your not tossed around as much, and it is alot more stable for climbing/decending hills. The only drawback is that due to length, it can get difficult to navigate tight trails.
- also when riding 2-UP the extra weight make steering more difficult, and body roll is more pronounced. But replacing the stock Goodyr Rawhides with a stiffer aftermarket is one solution, if not that higher air pressure helps.

The 500 is a Suzuki Motor and has a decent amt of pwr. But NOT as powerfull as my 650H1. The combined 2-rider weight you describe may be at the upper end of it's limit. I too am a "big man" and IMHP the more CC the better. THe one thing you will regret is NOT having the pwr when you need it. The new 550H1 that AC came out with in '09 is EFI and seems to have plenty of pwr comparible to my 650. We bought the wifey her own single last spring and she has NP keeping up with me.



The price seems a little on the HIGH end for an '08. Especially if it's NOT an H1 motor and doesn't come with a winch. Check on the warranty, and CATCARE ext warranty options. We bought out TRV for $6900 in '08.


Now..........some things you may NOT have thought of:
1. the TRV is 8ft long! It doesn't fit in the back of 6'5" shortbox pickups...so you will have to consider the $$$$$ of a trailer to haul it if you don't have a longbox.
2. the TRV has a serious LACK OF STORAGE capacity due to the rear seat & no rack. I bought rear touring bags that wrap around the seat that works.
3. the wifey will end up getting "tired" of being the passenger and you'll eventually be getting another one....or let her drive!

THe bottom line is that the wifey & I LUV our Arctic Cat's and will continue to be "brand loyal" till I have a reason not to. THe CATS are BIG machines and are the "tractors" of the ATV community. I best advice is to RIDE one w/the wifey and then decide.

Hope this helps. Good luck! You'll luv the TRV.

 

i have a 1000 miles on mine and i too have fuel gauge issues. i replaced it and it worked for awhile then came back. i think its something else. the 500 low end is great, and in low range it will hold u back going down hill without using the breaks with 2 people on it. ive gone up steap hill up to 7900 ft with no power issues. other then the fuel gauge issues it been pretty good. plus i use mine for hunting and carried out a deer on the back rack. see if u can get the price down though they should be willing to deal if not tell them u will go to cam am for a little more money just my thought

 

After looking into it a bit more it appears as these sold new in 2008 for $7300. Seems like they are only taking off $500. I am thinking they must have more to work with here. I am thinking something around $5500 with a winch and longer warrenty sounds a bit better.

 

I think Cupz said all there is to say...he hit it on the head, as my 650 TRV has had almost exactly the same 'issues' as he described.

I bought my '07 650 H1 TRV back in May from an older guy who took very good care of it. It had to have the fuel guage sending unit repaired too, but it fixed the problem.

After I bought it and started prepping it for a marathon ride in the mountains of Utah, I noticed a very small leak from the front differential housing...haven't fixed it yet, but it held up just fine through several hundred miles if tough mountain trails. I have ridden it in the mud several times since then, and it has had no issues whatsoever.

The handling issues that Cupz described is accurate...it "wallowed" around turns with the extra weight of a passenger, even though my girlfriend is barely over 100 pounds, it was the way her higher CG moved that helped to make it seem less solid that if it were rack-mounted weight.

The storage space...I mean the severe lack of it...is indeed an issue. By comparison to my Vinson 500, there was comparatively none, although I do like the storage area where the gas tank normally would be. I used a 'basket" rack on the front to carry a basic emergency kit, some lunch and a jacket, but that wasn't really enough. I was able to fabricate a rack behind the passenger seat to carry extra gas, which worked out really well. I also used large-eye eyebolts in place of the bolts that hold the top of the rear fenders to the supporting frame underneath...with this setup I was able to bungee extra jackets in case of cold/wet weather. My next project will be to build a basket that uses more of the available space on the front speedrack

As far as the size of the engine goes, I can't agree enough that there is no replacement for displacement. I weigh a little over 210 pounds. My Suzuki Vinson 500 5-speed has plenty of power for me, even at mountain altitudes (I have a dial-a-jet system installed) My 650 is NOT fuel injected, so at high mountain altitudes it was hurting for a proper fuel-air mixture, but it got me through just fine. Installing a DAJ will be on my priority list of mods to make. If the 500 you are looking at is a fuel-injected one, you should have enough power to ride 2-up as long as you aren't pushing the weight factor too hard. If you are REALLY big, skip the 500 and go for the 700f.i. or the 1000.

The popo they are all swooning over is the 850cc Sportsman, and when you get into that big of an engine class, all the 2-ups have more power than you will ever be able to use

The price does seem a bit much for as old as it is...maybe something in the mid to high 5k range is more appropriate.

 

We have a 550 TRV and love it. Through my job (maintain communications towers) I use a Prowler a lot (outfitted with tracks in the winter) to get to a lot of our sites. My team relies on it to get us anywhere we need to go and it has performed outstandingly. So, with that great brand experience when I went to get a quad we choose the TRV and haven't regretted the decision for one second.

It is extremely comfortable, stable and a ton of fun. We are looking at getting a second and will either get another 550 or possibly the 700 as I wouldn't mind a bit more power (even though the 550 hasn't had any power issues getting us up to 10k elevation and rock crawling well enough to let me know my decision to sell my Jeep was a good one).

I liked the speed-rack system so when my boys grow up enough to ride something of their own I can switch out the seat for more racks or the cargo bed.

Hope the deal works out for you as they are great rides.

Regards,
Chad