I was told by a dealer that the new 500 cats have the gearing changed , possibly only 5th, I didn`t ask and that they now will go over 60mph anyway maybe BONER could verify this?

 

As soon as the 2002 manuals come out I'll let you know.

 

That would be a plus. I'm getting to think that speed readings and claims are pretty shady though myself. I used to really believe that a lot of quads were faster than they are, but reality is setting in. I can remember when I thought my AC was really hitting 59. The sad truth a GPS can bring really hits home. It was also nice when I thought the Grizzly was doing 69. Yeah right. At 65 its really going 60, and its all the 660 can do to hit an actual 60mph on flat ground.

Basically, I'm thinking that there is no way they will squeeze 60 out of an AC 500, and on top of that, I also don't think you are going to find but a handful of utility quad that will go 60. I'm thinking that ATV Magazine is a lot more precise than dirtwheels too. They had the HO 500 at 54mph and it was the fastest of the bunch. Seemed slow to me at the time, but I'm thinking its closer to the truth now. I would figure that those capable of 60 would have to be the SP700, the Explorer 400, and maybe the Prairie and Grizzly. The Grizzly got to 60, but this took a while. For the most part, it just bounced between 58.5 and 59.5. Thats not 60.

 

I posted awhile back the top speed of the 02 500. The speed ometers are way off, when mine registers 60 on the speedometer it is only doing 54.7. This is according to my GPS, which I consider pretty accurate. My 01 500 auto would only go somewhere around 47 can't remember for sure. But I can't tell you the # of 60 mph Rubicons and Foremans that I have out run. There are only a few that can beat the 02 on top end now. They went from a 3.6:1 to a 3.1:1 ratio. This provides more top end at the expense of some low end torque. I would personally rather have the gears in the older models, they would spin 27" mud tires with no problem in the sticky stuff. My 02 will spin them but not the same way my old 98 would. I am impressed with the way the 650 Prarie will spin 27" tires. But I have swore of belt drives forever, they're just not for me I've tried 2 brands with the same results. It is kind of nice though to leave the guys in the dust that used to out run me.

 

The speedo on my 400 goes up to 60 or more, but the most I can get the needle to is 50. And I tend to agree that this is not an actual number. I don't have a GPS but I'd guess it's as much as 5mph off. I rode a Kodiak in the same place and got the needle on that up to 70mph. The Kodiak is faster, but not THAT much faster, so I think the speedo on those is even worse.

I'll be honest, 95% of the time going even 45 would be way to fast for the area's I ride in. And when I am operating in that other 5% and wish for a little more speed, I take it back through the woods and over a few things and suddenly don't feel so bad anymore![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Hey Andy, I stopped check the forums after I got rid of my Bayou. I do remember you being a big wheel on the AC forum. What made you switch to the 660? After seeing a couple in action this weekend, but I really didn't see a huge difference between them and the SPs. The Honda Rubicon was unimpressive due to its lack of ground clearance and true 4-wheel drive. Just my two cents... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

I finally found something that gave me the combination I wanted. Speed, ground clearance, light steering, and a differential lock. The only thing I wish I had was a manual transmission, but 4 out 5 isn't bad.