Ok, I am kinda new here, but not to the Polaris, Artic Cat comparision. I went through the same thing about a year ago. needless to say I went Artic Cat. If you buy and AC get the winch, You are going to need it if you ride with guys who have Polaris bikes. You will have to got to the top of all the really steep stuff and then winch the Polaris machines up. Yes, My big cat is heavy on the front end, but as cowboy said tires and a little suspension help make it much better. BTW the stock tires on the Polaris are worse than the Cats. The Big thing with me is the weight dist. between the bikes. The Polaris bikes are designed with steering ease in mind. I ride with 3 friends with Polaris bikes. 2 400sp and 1 500 magnum. When it really gets steep you can't keep the front end on the ground. I have had to ride the front rack of the magnum 500 more than once to get it up the hill. If you want to blast around on fairly level ground go with the Polaris. If you need to get up or though the bad stuff, get the Cat.

 

Little John; I'd recommend the Cat 400i, For off-road use & reliablility Cats are good machines & the independent suspension will give better ride. I'm 48 & appreciate the fact that my 300 is better suspended than most other bikes while the new irs has another 2" of sus, that can only be better.

 

If I was an Arctic Cat executive I would hire some of you guys for my advertising department.

 

This is my fifth bike and I have ridden all the new ones about one month ago at our provincial jamb.I would like something a little faster for the open woods roads,Sut that is it .Super strong;super suspension ;realible.I like the cat so much it looks as if the wife is going to get her own ,a 375 automatic.She had it for a test ride and loved it.This is just my opinion , but I put alot of hard miles on my nachines and so far the cat is the best hands dowm.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Like to take this moment to thank everyone for your help on choosing a good atv. Went to a dealer and saw the 500 automatic 4x4,this is a fine looking machine but they didn't have the i series got to wait until first of Nov.
The wait will be worth it for the IRS suspension. Want to thank cowboy for mention about the broken back,how the softer seat help because just went through back surgury myself and can relate to the pain. Look forward to talking to everyone on the board,it's a good board with lot of information in which I will be needing lot of. Thanks again.

Little John

 

LittleJohn-
Sorry to hear of your back injuries, they are definately NO FUN! The best thing to do is keep that "never say die" attitude, and don't ever give up-it will get better much faster, and you'll be healed up quicker than those who just lay around and grieve in their own misery. The good thing about that-you'll be out riding much sooner too! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] The other thing worth mentioning is proper diet. I don't know if your doctor covered this or not, but eating right is a must for any surgery or broken bones, and be sure to take a really good vitamin/mineral supplement. Such severe trauma to the body takes time to heal, naturally, but you can not only aid in recovery, but also speed up the process through good diet and nutrition. Sounds lame, but it's true-I've broken far too many bones, and been in and out of the hospital far too many times in my day, that the one thing I have learned, is a good diet makes all the difference in the world.

On a side note-Welcome to the Pride! Regardless of what machine you end up with, you're always welcome over here in the AC forum. You'll quickly find we're a rather laid back, more relaxed group of guys who care about helping each other out, and having a good time. Like TexasCat mentioned, sometimes it's not always about atvs-we are here for having fun, sharing and helping others, and we welcome anyone with similar interests and attitudes. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions, comments or concerns, that's what we're all here for.

Best of Luck, hope that back heals up good for ya!

Mike