I was wondering how you 300 owners like your bikes? I just bought a 2001 4x4 in sept. so far i only have about 160 miles on it and i'm still trying to figure out if i really like it or not. ground clearance sucks, it is as cold as a virgin and hard to keep running til she warms up, and it shakes and virbrates more than my maytag during spin cycle. I love the ride w/ the ind. suspension can't beat that and it handles great for a 4x4. i had a 98 300 fourtrax 2x4 and loved it, the only reason i got rid of it i needed 4wd. i was totally set on buying the Rancher, but looked at the AC last minute and was kind of sold on the ind. suspension, they also was giving you a warn winch and cycle country blade with it. the deal was hard to beat and i went for it. Don't get me wrong i like the bike for the most part but there are some things i'm not very happy with.

 

GREENCAT
I have a 250 4x4 (only a smaller motor) and love it for the most part. I agree the ground clearance sucks (when compared to other IRS machines) and it hates being started in the cold. The engine is a little rough but that really doesn't bother me. For deep water crossing it isn't the greatest (I drowned it out once and now very careful) but it does go very where my buddies Sportsman, and Mags go.
The Cat isn't very fast but the 3-speed sub tranny helps keep it going. At 1st I didn't care for the shifter but know it is almost second nature. Personally I'd like to see cat produce a new 400i that uses a slightly lighter frame and a motor similar to the new 400 Suz sport quad. But right now I'm just dreaming. So basically I'm happy just longing for a little more power (since I ride double most of the time).
Oh Yea, I have played around with locking the front diff and what a difference that makes. The little quad becomes a beast. Right now though I don't have it set up so I can lock it in.

 

I am very happy with mine to say the least. I have modified mine to fit my style of riding and I love it. I too was not real happy with the ground clearance. After putting 500 springs in the front and spacers in the back it raised the clearance about an inch or better. I was very happy with it handling better too. I then set it up so the front differential would lock. I was even more happy. Talk about a big difference that made. I then put 27 inch 589s on the rear and 26 on the front. Wow, this quad is practibly unstopable! Ground clearance is now around 10 1/2 inches. It is also very stable up hills and sideways on hills. I now have a little over 1700 miles on it. Some of these miles were very rough ones. I have also rolled it a couple of times, my fault, hills were way way too steep. The cat just keeps on purring. I have replaced the brakes once at about 1300 miles. I also replaced the spark plug about the same time. I drowned it 3 different times. I am always riding up or down the creek and sometimes its a little deeper than what I thought, oops.

To sum it all up, I have modified mine to suit me and yes I am very happy with it. I would not trade it for anything on the market right now. If I had to get another wheeler it would be a cat.

 

Copper
Have you had any ill effects from installing the spacers? I've read but good and bad things about lift kits. After doing a search here on the forum I read about a lift ruining a front diff. Another question: How are the 589s and is there much power loss?

 

Hi
I'm ennjoying my 2001, 300 to no end. I'm surprised your not happy with the clearance.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] Most of the Cats offer the best clearance in their class. Its one of the features that seperate them from the rest. I have had mine to hell and back with no clerance problems. I have only driving mine in temps as low as -10 C. again with no problems. You have to use full to half choke for quite sometime, but it does not seems to affect drivablity. On page 113 of your owners manaul they recommend 5w-30 for cold weather driving. This makes a big difference!! Also on page 56 of the manual they list an in-hose Engine Heating Kit. Maybe this will solve your cold weather starting problem. The 2 strokes have the 4 stokes beat in the cold starting category. The 300 with its 3 range sub transmission make it unbeatable for gear selection and towing. In super low it will tow/drag as much as the big bikes.
Give your 300 a chance. Hope this helps.
Mike

 

TG1, I have not had any problems using the spacers to increase the spring tension. It is basicaly what Arctic Cat is doing with there new 500I but you have to take the spring apart to adjust instead of turning it with a wrench. I also have not heard of anyone having any problems with premature wear to the cv joints using the spacers. I used a 3/8 inch spacer on the rear and it worked great for me. It did stiffen up the ride a bit but it was well worth it. I have taken my cat on a mx track following my boys around and I could jump (small jumps of course) without bottoming out with those big tires. I also weight 230 lbs. You can play with the spacer width to get the ride you want.

As for power loss with the tires it did loose some but it was well worth it. It made a huge difference and turned my wheeler into a monster. I also put on a k&n filter and (I probably should not say this) took out the double screen in the air box. In my opinion I felt the screen was restrictive and I could see a difference in power.

I am very happy with the modifications and would do them all again if I got another 300 cat. I have over 1700 miles on mine and everything is wearing as it should. I too have heard bad things about Lift Kits and I would not put one on my wheeler. The spring spacer is a whole different story and does not put the cv joints in as much as a bind.
Hope this answered your questions.

 

Ya gc sucks, I have over 2000 miles on mine with a home made lift, make it's MUCH Much better machine. No problems. I relocated the shock mounts to get the lift, it maintains it's excellent ride that way.

 

sxr6
Got any pics?

 

copper, on the front of your AC 300 you said you had springs off a 500. Did you use just the springs or the whole shock assembly? would you recomend using the 500 springs insted of installing the spacers under the original springs? right now i have spacers under all of my springs. i dont know what my total ground clearence is but i gained an 1" to an 1 1/2" with the spacers. i am looking at the bigger tires for it too. i just think the 27" tires would be to big and heavy. when ride in mud do you use the middle range and have the 27's ever rubbed anywhere? i have the 589's on my 500 and they are really heavy if i did get the 27" tires i am looking the GBC gators because they are a few pounds lighter. thanks for any info that you can share

 

racnooc, I used the 500 shocks and springs. The shocks had a different part number so I used them with the springs. I have never had the spacers in the front so I can't tell you which would be best. I would guess they would be close to the same though.

My 27 inch tires have never rubbed anywhere. Now my 26 inch front tires have rubbed if I land on the front tires during a jump. If I land on all fours it does not rub.

I usually ride in 2 wheel high everywhere. If I am going to be climbing hills I ride in middle range. If I am in major mud and ruts I use low in 2nd or 3rd gear.

I am happy I went with the larger tires. As for top end speed I believe it stayed the same. It does take a little longer to get there due to the weight of the tires. One thing nice about the weight of the tires is it keeps its feet on the ground a lot more. Its center of gravity lowered due to the tires. I can side hill alot steeper hills. When climbing hills the weight helps keep the front end down and keeps it from going end over end. I done that once with the stock tires on and it was no fun. I climbed the same hill with the 589s and no problem.