thats the first time i heard a bad opinion on that quad...someone that has this quad how does it compare to a honda rancher or yamaha big bear all three are in the same price range

 

I think the point is, what the 375 gives you for the price. Could you buy your rubicon for under 5000? I think not. Hey, if we all had plenty of cash then we'd all have 500 + cc's to play with so we could "break traction" any time we felt like it ( not sure what good that would do for us but we could all sit around the campfire and talk about how we can break traction any time we like). Truth is we all don't, so we settle and get the MOST for our money. I am buying the AC because it's American made. Hey the Japanese may make a better quad, I want American made product if I can find American product the suits me. I know Suzuki makes Arctic Cat's engines but it's a trade off, buy Polaris and have to wonder about breaking a belt (to their credit I'm hearing that they are getting the belt issues lined out, but it hasn't been enough time for me to feel comfortable that all of the bugs are gone) or buy AC and get a tried and true chassis, engine, drive train, ride, and longevity. If there was no Arctic Cat, I'd buy Polaris. Hands Down! Bang for the good ole american dollar if you will.

See, my 375 AC is like a mid range Chevy Truck, not too expensive, reliable, and resonable on gas.
The Ruby is like a Land Rover, Presetigous, Tough, Respected, more SUV than most of us need, and not for the pauper.

It's all about perspective, I think you'll find that Arctic Cat owners are practical people who are satisified with their purchase and intend to use their 'Cats for a loooong time. We aren't the ones in the other forums keeping the Polaris, Honda, Yama arguments stirred up all the time and we try to be objective. For example, I haven't said one bad thing about your quad at all and I won't. And you'll never see BONER step in and bad mouth your Honda Ranchers in your forum talking about his "better that sliced bread" AC 500 either.

As far a my term "peppy" goes. If you had tested the 400 against the 375, you'd know what I mean. The 375 has a slight edge on the 400 and the 400 is 100 dollars more. Peppy to a 'Cat owner and Peppy to a Polaris owner (I'm thinking 500 HO here) are 2 differnt things entriely!

The Rubicon is a fabulous machine technologically, if one were give to one me would I keep it? ABSOLUTELY!!! But it's in a class way above my 375 and a class that I don't feel the need to enter for mere trail riding. Personally I subscribe to K.I.S.S when buying anything as I like to service my own product. Heck, I still change my own oil in my cars.

How does the Ruby stack againt the AC 375 (keep in mind that were talking about 2 totally differnt classes of machine)? Well, 1600 dollars differece in price, the Ruby has 7.8" of G/C compared to the 375's 10.75", The 375 has much higher rack and towing capacity, The Ruby has 500cc's and more Torque, Ruby has less suspension travel, Ruby has Drum Brakes/the AC has all disc, the 375 and the Ruby have the same size tires, the Ruby is 45 pounds lighter, the 375 holds a gallon more gas, the 'Cat has a more comfortable suspension, the Ruby has push button everything (convenience is nice) and a new Technology Transmission.

1600 bucks for speed? Just not on my agenda. Heck, for 1600 bucks I can get my 5 year old son an Eton 40 or 50 and we can both play!

A different Subject -------------

To billglaeser. I'm confident that the Bear and the Rancher have a higher top speed than the 'Cats. As you know Cats aren't known for their top speed.

Compared to the 375 the Bear has: less suspension travel, 1" less ground clearance, smaller tires, smaller fuel tank, no floor boards, lower rack and towing capacity, it has 10 more cc's in the engine, but a lower compression ratio than the 375, push button 2WD/4WD (the cat has a lever), It's also around 100 lbs lighter (I personally see this as desireable for a machine that would be in the role of a 85% trail riding/ 15% utiltiy bike), and 200 dollars cheaper than the 375. The Bear does have a stainless Tail pipe which I think is a nice touch.

Compared to the 375 the Rancher has: more than a gallon less fuel capacity, about 50cc's less in the engine, less suspension travel, drum brakes (the AC has all disc), over an inch less ground clearance, OVER 120 pounds lighter (WOW!), smaller tires than the 375 or big bear, lower rack and towing capacity, and 200 dollars cheaper than the 375.

I'm sure I've left a few things out, but I tried to hit the major highlights of ATV desirables. Every one of these machines are great trail ATV's. Provided that that all 3 are stock, the AC is going to have the advantage in the rough stuff or goo hands down. When you're stuck in the goo all of the cc's in the world aren't gonna help ya. The Titan tires (stock on the AC) are a little more of an agressive tread as a stock tire goes than what comes on the Rancher or Bear as well.

To be really honest, 10 months ago, I didn't know AC made quads (yeah, I know that sounds crazy). I wanted a Polaris but I felt that they were a little pricey for what they were but I was still leaning toward the Polaris (so I was wavering on my "buy american" motto at the time which is another subject entirely). Especially with all of the belt horror reports. Reliability is/was VERY important to me. So I was looking at my other options and the Big Bear was on of the ATV's that I had in my crosshairs. Across the street was a Suzuki shop, so I went in and they had this Arctic Cat line that they had "Just picked up". I thought they looked like Humvees, but I noticed right off that the metal on the frame was MUCH heavier and the bike looked to be VERY beefy (which explains all of the extra weight on the Cat). You know, that just appealed to me. I'm not about speed. Once I found out that the engines were Zuks, I was cool with that. As I said previously, My dad has a Zuk dirt bike that I still ride (I'm 26). So my buyer confidence was high. That all kinda brings me in a round about way to my decsion to buy the AC. If you're young, you'll probably want a faster quad.

Me? I just want HUGE racks that I can put my hunting/camping gear on, put my 5 year old son in my lap, and plod with confidence down the trail. For that, the AC gives me everything I'll need and more.


EtherNut

 

Well, it sounds like you rode this bike soft from your review. You obviously didn't get on it hard, or your dealer turned it down so you could not. The 375 is geared VERY low for normal trail riding, but when you are getting on it hard and cutting loose on it, the gearing seems perfect. This bike will lift the front wheels about a half-foot off the ground in High or Low range by just sitting back and hitting the gas (no pulling back needed). In 2wd, you can lock the brakes, lean over the front end, turn the wheels and let it rip. This bike will keep the inside tire in one place and spin the rear wheels around it like a sport bike.

This bike is a very fun bike, when ridden aggressively. It seems to me that you didn't get aggressive enough to notice it.

 

You''re probably right. It was a simple test ride afterall, and there wasn't lots of room to "let 'er rip".
I did try to wheely with it and had no luck. I have a hard time believing that a dealer would de-tune a quad that they will be demo-ing.

As for the comparison with the Rubicon. I wasn't really saying that you should buy a Rubicon instead. I was only comparing the ride. I think that for the money you could get a Big Bear a Rancher or a Wolverine and have a better trail machine.

FYI, it it could have boke traction in 2wd it would have been an indication of the power the bike had, or in this case, doesn't have.

 

I dunno, maybe our definition of "trail" is different. In Kentucky, where I ride, there's very little chance you're ever gonna get up to 45-50 mph unless you go to or from the trail on the road. It's more of a relaxed riding kind of thing here. No straight fire roads to hang it out on. For those purposes, you cant beat the 'Cat for what it is/costs. In those instaces where you've hit a "deeper than you thought" mudhole, you got a better chance with the AC of getting through it than the others. Those other machines simply can't compete in ground clearance and suspension articulation. For a mere 5-10 mph difference in top speed, and losing all of those other specs to the Cat. I just can't justify it to myself. I'll take functionality over flashy any day of the week.

As an afterthought. When I test rode the 375, the dealer had the air pressure a little low in the tires. When I would hit the throttle hard the rear wheels would spin. I sorta didn't feel right burning rubber in front of the dealer so I backed off of that. But I did get to wind it out (until I ran out of road). The speedometer said 50 when I had to let off of the gas but it was still climbing. I did notice a latency in high gear when hammering the throttle, but after the bike reached about 10 mph, it hooked up nicely and I could feel it pull at me a little.

EtherNut

 

I've done cookies with my 400. They are even easier with my brother's 375. Both machines can spin the rear tires if you want them too.

And I am with Ethernut on the trails. The "trails" in Minnesota where you can hit the top speed are really dirt roads or retired railroad beds. Most of my "Trail" riding occurs below 10mph. Any faster and you'd miss that sharp turn around the tree!

 

Well, here we have every kind of trail. Do you want to go mudding? No problem. Some nice slow trails through the woods? Lots of them. 5th gear, wide open throttle? You'll get to see how fast you can go. Want to play in the sand? There's lots of pits with big hills and nice jumps. Want to do all that in the same afternoon? Let's go.

That's why I love my Wolverine so much, and also why Rubicons are popular around here. They're both very versitile and good at everything.

As I said earlier; I'm really glad that you like the 375, and if it was the right choice for you, then great. Unfortunately, it's not versitile enough for me.