Hey,
I am really looking into the arctic cat 300
and was wondering does it have a lot of problems that will make me constantly take it back to the shop?
i wanted to find out what you guys think of arctic cats.

 

Well, If its anything like my 500, then it shouldn't have any problems at all. After 600 miles, I havent had a real failure yet. The only thing that has happened to mine, was I bent the side of a rim after slamming it into a rock. I pounded it back out, and it hasn't lost the bead yet. I did that at about 70 miles. Oh yeah, my 5th gear indicator light burned out, but thats no biggie. The 500 is an awesome machine, only it steers heavy. The 300 will steer much better probably, especially with the 2wd option. I think you can fix the front differential to where it will lock like the suzuki king quad. There are a lot of similarities between those two bikes anyway. They use a lot of the same parts. The post below this one can give information on how that is done. Also, the 500 and all other AC quads share a similar frame design. Same wheelbase and stuff. The 300 had a different rear end under it, much like a king quad.

The trade offs between the AC and the honda are just preference things. I don't know about a power trade off or which turns better, but the honda has the engine more forward mounted and would seem to be more stable uphill. The engine in the AC is mounted under the riders butt, so the driveshafts can go to the rear wheels. It also has the independant rear suspension which gives a better ride than the honda, and keeps all four wheels on the ground better. With no hanging differential or brake housing, it will have a bit better gound clearance down the middle that can be improved with larger tires.
Really, there are a few differences, but nothing really to give one bike the edge over the other. You should just test drive them both and see which you like best. Good luck! You should get a lot of help from other people in the forum on this topic.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*



[This message has been edited by Andy Bassham (edited 07-29-1999).]

 

Thanks a lot for that info,
I really needed some info from someone who had an arctic cat.
But my dad went to the john deer place the other day and is really keeping his eye on the magnum 325.
ive heard a lot of bad stuff about polaris and i dont know if thats what we should get.

 

I took a ride up to Penn, to ride some trails and there was a guy with a Artic Cat 300 4x4(and a Bayou 220). Well, the Artic Cat took the trails by the horn and just plowed. I didn't know that it was a 4x4 trail system and I followed. Surprisingl, my 2x4 quads did the trails. Well, the artic cat is smooth, with single lever braking, 3 gear ranges, and on demand 4x4. It was a spin off of a Polaris I thought

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*400EX*Big Gun Headers and Slipon. White Bros. Rev Kit. Looking at new carbs. *LT250R*FMF Pipe and Power Core Silencer. Keihin Carb. Boyesen Reeds. Evan Johnson Email: JaVa003@AoL.CoM

 

If you take a honda book and a arctic cat book and compare each thing you will see whay i chose arctic cat over the rest,,,
for starters Honda has drum brakes, crappy stock tires, low ground clearnce and not the greatest suppsion...the polaris r good machines untill you get ot the transmission...the plastic housing is real flemsy and the air vent is low so when u go in water the belt start sliping...the AC has indepndent susspinsion great ground clearance...disc brakes all the way around and larger gas tank and to me is more machine for the money...people say disc brakes r shot if u ride in mud ...well all u have to do is pull a pin and pop out the old pad and put a new one in...Drums u got constaly clean mud and water out and put new pads in and tighten them and all kinds of crap...if it was me i'd go with a Arctic Cat any day

 

You have excellent points here on all accounts. Many of them are reasons why I chose AC as well. I have had second thoughts lately as to the suspension of the Sportsman 500 being far superior to my own, but everytime I consider trading, I have to put in mind all of the reasons I got the AC in the first place. The trade offs far outweigh the advantages of the Polaris. If I ever get a Polaris, then I will probably have two bikes, cause I just can't get rid of this one. It is just too well put together.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

To start, I would not complain if I had either the Honda or AC 300's. Both are reliable machines. My cousin has one that has survived over a years use with boys riding it. The AC has a few different options with the 2wd/4wd and the multi-range transmission. It rides is smooth over logs and uneven terrain. That same suspension gives body roll going around corners fast and doesn't slide very well.

The Honda is lighter so it seemed to have more response when riding fast down the trail. The drum brakes are well sealed on the Honda. My TRX350 had unsealed front drums that were worthless.

I agree with Andy, either way you decide ($$$$), you will have a good machine that will be in your garage and on the trails more than in the shop.

Good Luck,

Dave Armbruster '97 Wolverine

 

Ben, keep in mind that while both are great quads and you couldn't go wrong with either one of them,the Honda has been out for 10 years or so that there are a lot more aftermarket parts for a honda 300. And, until Arctic Cat catches up in popularity, the honda will have a higher resale value to boot.

Having said that, I personally like the ergos of the Arctic Cat..I have a 500, but you would have basically the same size machine in the 300cc. The Honda 300 is considerably smaller. The Honda is sportier and if you ride very aggressively, it might be a better choice, but if you ride like I do.. slow but sure.. you might like the Arctic Cat better.

My best riding buddy has a 95 Suzuki King Quad and it is an absolutely great quad for really nasty terrain. But it is not the hot
setup for really fast aggressive riding. The
Arctic Cat's 300cc engine is basically the
same as the King Quads, but with a different carb, exhaust, and jetting to make it stronger that the stock King Quad engine. It has been around about 10 years as well and would be..in my humble opinion...as bullet proof as the Honda 300cc engine.

To sum up my rambling..if you ride fast and
aggressively, look closely at the Honda 300, its faster with more aftermarket hop-up parts. But if you like to conquer really nasty terrain, look closely at the Arctic Cat! That 2wd to 4wd option is kinda neat too!

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Rob Ervin 99' AC500