Greetings...

I'll start off by introducing myself. I am 29 and a network administrator for GE Plastics on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. I am an addict. I am a drag racer and all around car nut gearhead, and I love atving. To the point! I am in the market for a NEW Machine. My current steed is a 1982 Suzuki LT-125 4x6, and it is almost dead. I have driven it literally into the ground, and it is not going to make it much longer. At this time I should also mention that I am 6'5" 250lbs. I REALLY need this new machine if for no other reason than to stop me getting blisters behind my ears from my knees while riding this beast.

Since it has been so long since I was in the market for a new atv, I need your help. I am pretty set on the 400I Arctic-Cat, but I want to know if I am making the right choice. Some criteria I used for my choice are: Maximum machine for about $5000, has to be 4x4, parts availability, fun factor.... Not necessarily in that order. The types of riding I do vary widely, and include anything from Mud/water to hill climbing, sand, and tree bashing. Top-end blasts are not what I am after, but I need something with a buttload of torque to hoss my bigness around at a pace that can stay with the rest of the pack.

Now, I read pretty much all the boards here over a course of about a week before I even subscribed here. I feel confident that you guys are not the typical trash talking neophites that gum-up most of the boards. For this I am greatful and also why I beg the question: Is the 400I the most bike for the buck for me? The local dealer quoted me $5300 as I was sitting on top of the 400i in his store...

Please feel free to prod me for more info... I enjoy a good debate and the intellectual stimulation.

For the less verbose, "I like to shoot the SH**."

So, whatcha got?

 

I'm 215-225lbs depending on the season. Go with the 500 for more grunt! You never know, you might put on a few more pounds over the years. The 500 is my training machine, as I have never owned one before. So far a 15 mile ride following some snowmobiling buds, through 10" of snow, was a cake walk. No problem keeping up. I went a few places they couldn't as well! Lots of grunt so far. It is probably just a little more coin for extra torque and I'm sure you will appreciate it.

 

HEY DUDE , I have a 2002 400i 4x4 , 26x12x12 rear 26x9x12 front 589 m/s , I am very happy with my quad , I now have 138 miles on it , break in over , I been riding it hard since saturday , It dose alright the power was off to start with but I think it was just tight , I did have a 2001 400 4x4 act I traded it in on the i model , the o1 did the same thing , I am not happy with the front diff , the o1 worked much better , this one 3 wheels to much in deep mud , I stuck it saturday twice both times I felt a better diff would have pulled me out maybe not , I rode with a bunch of guys @ gals sunday , about 15 miles lots of mud I stayed with my friends 500ho , Now i mean i stayed in site of him , I never passed him or pushed him never tried ,the 500 clearly would have hurt my feeling easy , but mine is a 371 cc engine , not 499 big diff , I weight 280 x 6-2 , it dosn't squat like a polaris we saw and proved that yesterday , i am very dissapoined with the power still , I could have got the 500mi and wish i had now , but i talked my self out of it , there is no diff between a 400 and a 500 except the engine , and the price , if 5000 is all you can or want to put in a quad I still hightly recomend the 400 i , , BUT I waited 6 months on mine I expected it to out do the 2001 and maybe its the tires but it dont have the power i like , it dose ride better , ground clearance , steers a lot better , and the seat is better ,floor boards are wider , and so is the machine , it a lot more stable than the 01 . all this is just my opinion I do not mean to offend any one , but if i could redo dec 18 i would have bought a 500mi , I like to be as honest as i can remenber unless you able to pay cash your looking at 60 payments make sure you will like making them CHUNKY BOY

 

I know the 500 has more grunt, but I have a hard time justifying 900 more dollars for 100cc's. I REALLY have to stay around the 5000 mark on my purchase. BTW I want the manual shift, but I would like to know what you guys think about the automatic.

What made you go to an automatic if you did?

 

Hello and Welcome Blasphemer. I would agree with Joehunter the 500 will give you more grunt. but I understand about the money issue, a 500 will cost you an extra $800 to $1,100 more than the quote you got on the 400i depending on what kind of deal you can get.I am 6'-2 about 245lbs. and my previous machine was a 2000 Arctic Cat 300 4x4. That machine pulled me and whatever else I put on or pulled with no problem at all. It's just that the bigger you go the quicker you get to the speed you want to travel at. Except for ground clearance the 300 would go anywhere my 500 can (it had a 3 speed sub-tranny)just with less speed and not having to put in low range.I have been a ATV owner since 1985 (Suzuki Quadracer)I always bought what I could afford at the time.I think you would be very happy with the 400 or the 375 if you like an auto but it doesn't have IRS. Good Luck.

 

hEY DUDE ,THE 400I doesnt come in auto , it only comes in a manual shift , and its a 122 cc , beleave me i miss each one , but i here where your coming from , I had the same thoughts when i bought mine , good luck on your buying a new quad , CHUNKY BOY

 

Wow! Thanks for all the great feedback guys.

Actually, the one thing that got me hooked on the Arctic-cats was my Brother-in-law's 02 300 4x4. I was just amazed by it's ability to articulate while crossing a ditch, and also it's ability to actually drag his fullsize pickup through his yard while it was in park. In superlow, that thing did not even break a sweat. I went to the dealer to see what I could get a 300 for and then I saw the 400I. It was love at first site, and I was all over that thing like white on rice. I just couldn't find a thing I disliked about the fit and feel of the bike. It just felt right. What I really want to know is probably going to take a test ride, but I am kinda worried that I will get on a 500I auto and just have to have it. I don't want to settle, but I also have a small window to get this, and about 5000-5500 dollars max. So, barring divine intervention with my lottery picks, I'll probably be going with the 400I.

I gotta tell ya, after doing all my riding on a 125cc machine with NO shocks, Just about everything else is gravy.
At a big ride we had here a couple weeks ago, the people were all laughing at me on the lt125 and taking side bets on how far I would get. They even said I looked like a circus bear on a tricycle. That kinda stung till I went all the way down and back. I even pulled a few people out!

Anyway, thanks for any and all thoughts.

 

Hey Blasphemer, I bought a 2001 400 4x4 manual, and I really like it. I was out on a farm road the other day, and found myself stuck in 2 feet of mud. The 400 in 1st gear just walked right out of it, and I shot some slew about 10ft in the air! It was sweet! Anyway, I think you'll have lots of fun with your 400.

 

Hey Blasphemer,
I have to agree with Chunkyboy. The 440i lacks a little in the power department (although I only have 60 miles on mine so far). I thought that it would have gads of power in high range but that is not to be. I don't think that in low range you will be disappointed, but I have to wonder about having 2 ranges and not being able to use both. That is why I shied away from the 300 AC. I knew that high range was practically useless in the upper gears and I did not want to be stopping to shift ranges all the time. The i model rides great.

I think that tires make a big difference in what your quad will go through also. I do not like the stock Dunlops that AC is now putting on their machines. If you go for the 400i, see if you can swing a tire change in the deal. Maybe your dealer will throw in, or exchange the stock tires for some Titan 589's (Arctic Cat sells these too). Just my opinion.

Hope you get what you want.

 

Don't worry about running out of grunt on the 400, just put it in low range. I actually do a lot of my riding in low range. You can run 30mph in low range,with 5 gear choices. In high range you can run 30 mph in 3rd gear. I really like to shift gears so I run low range a lot, it's not because I have to. In high range you can take off in 3rd gear and run up to 30. My dad had a 400 there is very little difference in top end, they both will hit the rev limiter and are geared the same. In pulling you will run out of traction before you run out of power. The difference is when you put some bigger mud tires on them and put them in some sticky mud, the 500 will pull the tires about a gear higher than the 400 will.

There are faster more powerful quads than either the 500 or 400. I ride with many of them and don't have any trouble keeping up. What really gets me is when my 10 year old son keeps up with all of us, even pushes sometimes on his AC 250 4x4 with stock tires. The 400 will be a big improvement over what you are riding now. You don't have to go fast to have a good time. If you want the 400 it will work great. I would try to swap the stock tires out on it before you ever take delivery of it. Put you some aftermarket tires 25" or 26" on it and ride. The tires will help you on the trails more than the extra 100ccs will. You can also find them for sale used. Good luck and let us know what you decide.