New pics of 500i
#1
03-27-2002, 11:47 PM
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#2
03-28-2002, 07:16 PM
#3
03-31-2002, 03:03 PM
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#4
03-31-2002, 03:49 PM
666akita666,
Great pictures there - the difference in size (both height & width) between the AC and the Rubi is more than I thought. How much of that difference is because of the upgraded tires on the 500i?
If you did a side-by-side comparision of the Rubi and 500i, what are your likes and dis-likes of each? The reason I'm asking is I'm looking for a quad for my wife and two of the quads we are considering are the Rubi & 500i (along with the 350ES, 450ES & 400i).
Thanks for any information,
Great pictures there - the difference in size (both height & width) between the AC and the Rubi is more than I thought. How much of that difference is because of the upgraded tires on the 500i?
If you did a side-by-side comparision of the Rubi and 500i, what are your likes and dis-likes of each? The reason I'm asking is I'm looking for a quad for my wife and two of the quads we are considering are the Rubi & 500i (along with the 350ES, 450ES & 400i).
Thanks for any information,
#5
04-01-2002, 01:46 PM
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Canadian Viking, the tires give me one inch extra ground clearance. These quads are tall stock. If you want to see the quad stock, check out NeWfs pics.
I bought the 500i because I can’t get everything I want in one quad. The Rubi is an awesome quad. I love the low center of gravity, the handling at high speeds, its comfort and its reliability. I have 2300KM on it know and my friend, who owns one, has over 4000KM on his. NO problems with either one.
Now after saying that, let me tell you what I don’t like about the Rubi. I don’t have the option of 2 or 4 wheel drive (although it does now with 2003 models, or an aftermarket kit) Its grown clearance sucks! Although it did prove to be better than the 2002 Sportsman , Remington edition. With two average people on the Sportsman and two average people on the Rubi, the Sportsman bottomed more on the trail than the Rubi. I guess that is one thing to say for a rear fixed axel, its axel clearance is what it is. I don’t like the breaks! They are drum all around and require constant maintaince to work well.
In my personal opinion, I think for the beginner rider the Rubicon is the better choice. Simply because it is a stable, Low center of gravity quad with awesome engine braking and easy trany to operate.
That is not to say the Arctic Cat is hard to ride, it isn’t! But it is higher off the ground than the Rubi and can give some people the feeling it might be tipy. (like it did for my wife, she now claims the Rubicon as her’s!)[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]
My self, at this point, prefer the Cat![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] It is more of what I want in a quad.
The one thing that is missing from both these quads is a front diff locker. I will be installing one as soon as a good maufacuer makes one. I e-mailed dirtyhowies and asked them if they intend to make one for the 500i and they replyed:
"I am working on one but it will be a spool type of locker. Which in general is easier to steer in 2 wheel than in 4 wheel."
Howie www.dirtyhowies.com
It should be noted that when my wife and I ride double on these quads, there is a noticable difference in room, there is more room on the Rubicon. The Rubicon has a longer wheel based the 500i. Hope this helps.
I bought the 500i because I can’t get everything I want in one quad. The Rubi is an awesome quad. I love the low center of gravity, the handling at high speeds, its comfort and its reliability. I have 2300KM on it know and my friend, who owns one, has over 4000KM on his. NO problems with either one.
Now after saying that, let me tell you what I don’t like about the Rubi. I don’t have the option of 2 or 4 wheel drive (although it does now with 2003 models, or an aftermarket kit) Its grown clearance sucks! Although it did prove to be better than the 2002 Sportsman , Remington edition. With two average people on the Sportsman and two average people on the Rubi, the Sportsman bottomed more on the trail than the Rubi. I guess that is one thing to say for a rear fixed axel, its axel clearance is what it is. I don’t like the breaks! They are drum all around and require constant maintaince to work well.
In my personal opinion, I think for the beginner rider the Rubicon is the better choice. Simply because it is a stable, Low center of gravity quad with awesome engine braking and easy trany to operate.
That is not to say the Arctic Cat is hard to ride, it isn’t! But it is higher off the ground than the Rubi and can give some people the feeling it might be tipy. (like it did for my wife, she now claims the Rubicon as her’s!)[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]
My self, at this point, prefer the Cat![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] It is more of what I want in a quad.
The one thing that is missing from both these quads is a front diff locker. I will be installing one as soon as a good maufacuer makes one. I e-mailed dirtyhowies and asked them if they intend to make one for the 500i and they replyed:
"I am working on one but it will be a spool type of locker. Which in general is easier to steer in 2 wheel than in 4 wheel."
Howie www.dirtyhowies.com
It should be noted that when my wife and I ride double on these quads, there is a noticable difference in room, there is more room on the Rubicon. The Rubicon has a longer wheel based the 500i. Hope this helps.
#6
04-01-2002, 04:30 PM
Thanks for the excellent information!
In your opinion, which quads handles carrying a heavy load better? The reason I'm asking is that my wife and I like to use our Quads for backcountry camping. When we do this, the Quads get loaded down pretty good, with atleast 100# on the front rack, 200# on the rear rack plus the rider. My Quest handles the load great and we had intended to get another one for my wife. However, my wife finds the Quest a little big and would prefer a smaller feeling quad. She tested some Honda's and really liked the ESP (moreso than a true auto). I want her to try an AC also before we decide because I have always heard that they are great at carrying heavy loads. I would prefer the "i" version myself because I think it would be a better fit for the mountain tails we ride in BC. Does your 500i really squat under a heavy load? which of the two do you think handles a heavy load better?
Thanks,
In your opinion, which quads handles carrying a heavy load better? The reason I'm asking is that my wife and I like to use our Quads for backcountry camping. When we do this, the Quads get loaded down pretty good, with atleast 100# on the front rack, 200# on the rear rack plus the rider. My Quest handles the load great and we had intended to get another one for my wife. However, my wife finds the Quest a little big and would prefer a smaller feeling quad. She tested some Honda's and really liked the ESP (moreso than a true auto). I want her to try an AC also before we decide because I have always heard that they are great at carrying heavy loads. I would prefer the "i" version myself because I think it would be a better fit for the mountain tails we ride in BC. Does your 500i really squat under a heavy load? which of the two do you think handles a heavy load better?
Thanks,
#7
04-01-2002, 07:22 PM
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The Arctic Cat 500i has a heaver rated load carrying capacity than the Rubicon. From what I can see so far, the Cat will carry almost what every you want to put on it.
Last year we made a trip up to six lakes north of Fort McMurray Alberta. We went 150km one way and it is nothing but sand and hills. We towed a double axel tub trailer FULL of gear. The front rack was loaded down with gas for the three day trip. And my wife was on the seat on the back and the compartments in the seat where full. So we had an over all substantial load. The Rubicon pulled it with no problems what so ever. The average speed kept up on these sand roads was around 55 to 60 KM. The sand is wavy deep and can challenge the best of quads. I will be returning there this summer to see how the Arctic Cat does, but from what I can see so far I don’t anticipate any problems. Hope this helps
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
Last year we made a trip up to six lakes north of Fort McMurray Alberta. We went 150km one way and it is nothing but sand and hills. We towed a double axel tub trailer FULL of gear. The front rack was loaded down with gas for the three day trip. And my wife was on the seat on the back and the compartments in the seat where full. So we had an over all substantial load. The Rubicon pulled it with no problems what so ever. The average speed kept up on these sand roads was around 55 to 60 KM. The sand is wavy deep and can challenge the best of quads. I will be returning there this summer to see how the Arctic Cat does, but from what I can see so far I don’t anticipate any problems. Hope this helps
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
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#8
04-01-2002, 09:16 PM
Thanks for the reply!
I dropped by one of the local AC dealers after work today and had a look at the 500i auto first hand. I couldn't drive it though because it was already sold and they didn't have any others.
Here are some impressions I got; looks really cool, but at first I thought something was missing - I then realized that I was used to looking at solid axle machines (like my Quest) so when you look at the 500i, the darn axle is missing [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]. I got on it and the suspension didn't give at all - looks like it could carry a real heavy load with no problems (and I'm not even sure what the preload shocks were set at!). I like the very easy access to the engine components, including the oil filter. I didn't like the floor boards - they look sturdy enough, but it doesn't look like they will offer much in the way of mud protection. The floor boards on my Quest are similar and I don't like them much either! I've read that the plastic doesn't offer very good mud protection, but it looked fine to me (with the stock tires). When I stood up on the floorboards and rocked my weight side to side, it seemed very stable (moreso than I thought for a Quad that tall), but it seemed to hit something and make a "clunk" sound, almost as if it was hitting a stopper. Any idea's what that sound is? And the final impression that I got was amazing value. Here in Calgary the AC500i is selling for $8300 (CDN$) w/winch - that's $2000.00 less than a Quest XT and $1300 less than a Rubicon (w/winch). The AC500i offers alot of Quad for the money. Anyway, this one isn't my decision - it's up to my wife so we'll drop by again on the weekend and let her give it a try and see how she likes it.
I dropped by one of the local AC dealers after work today and had a look at the 500i auto first hand. I couldn't drive it though because it was already sold and they didn't have any others.
Here are some impressions I got; looks really cool, but at first I thought something was missing - I then realized that I was used to looking at solid axle machines (like my Quest) so when you look at the 500i, the darn axle is missing [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]. I got on it and the suspension didn't give at all - looks like it could carry a real heavy load with no problems (and I'm not even sure what the preload shocks were set at!). I like the very easy access to the engine components, including the oil filter. I didn't like the floor boards - they look sturdy enough, but it doesn't look like they will offer much in the way of mud protection. The floor boards on my Quest are similar and I don't like them much either! I've read that the plastic doesn't offer very good mud protection, but it looked fine to me (with the stock tires). When I stood up on the floorboards and rocked my weight side to side, it seemed very stable (moreso than I thought for a Quad that tall), but it seemed to hit something and make a "clunk" sound, almost as if it was hitting a stopper. Any idea's what that sound is? And the final impression that I got was amazing value. Here in Calgary the AC500i is selling for $8300 (CDN$) w/winch - that's $2000.00 less than a Quest XT and $1300 less than a Rubicon (w/winch). The AC500i offers alot of Quad for the money. Anyway, this one isn't my decision - it's up to my wife so we'll drop by again on the weekend and let her give it a try and see how she likes it.
#9
04-02-2002, 07:03 PM
CanadianViking
The first thing you should be sure of is the 500i will carry any load you want to throw at it. I can jump on the back hitch of mine and jump up and down as hard as i can (i weigh 118) and the thing moves 1/2 to 1 inch at the most. Same with my brother who is 170. The darn thing is rated for 200lbs and that would be conservative since the manfacturer will be held accountable for those numbers. We have loaded the back rack of a honda 450 with 350++ lbs and the thing was totally bottomed out, which led to the shocks completely wearing out. I can give my little guarentee this will not happen with the 500i. Just for amusement you can go push down the back of a sp500 or kodiak (this one I can squat out with one hand without my full weight) then compare to the 500i.. you will be pleasently surprised.
The mud protection is my biggest beef with the 500i. My brother and i ride double on the one seat, so the passenger's legs rest on the back of the floorboards and the rear fender. If there is any water or mud present it goes directly in a stream right on your foot and leg. that is with the stock tires. However if you are riding alone this is not much of a problem. Some mud flies.. but that is to be expected... and sometimes welcome [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
As for the clunking sound.. I have no idea what that is.. mine doesn't have this.
Wow prices must be steeper in your area, because here in NS my dealer sold the 500i man for $8000 + $200 for the 2500lb winch installed. It came to $9450 with taxes and everything else. Oh well, I would have paid a lot more since I love this quad soo much.
happy trails!
newf
ps check out the pics if you want to see the stock form of the 500i.
(click the folder named 2002 arctic cat)
The first thing you should be sure of is the 500i will carry any load you want to throw at it. I can jump on the back hitch of mine and jump up and down as hard as i can (i weigh 118) and the thing moves 1/2 to 1 inch at the most. Same with my brother who is 170. The darn thing is rated for 200lbs and that would be conservative since the manfacturer will be held accountable for those numbers. We have loaded the back rack of a honda 450 with 350++ lbs and the thing was totally bottomed out, which led to the shocks completely wearing out. I can give my little guarentee this will not happen with the 500i. Just for amusement you can go push down the back of a sp500 or kodiak (this one I can squat out with one hand without my full weight) then compare to the 500i.. you will be pleasently surprised.
The mud protection is my biggest beef with the 500i. My brother and i ride double on the one seat, so the passenger's legs rest on the back of the floorboards and the rear fender. If there is any water or mud present it goes directly in a stream right on your foot and leg. that is with the stock tires. However if you are riding alone this is not much of a problem. Some mud flies.. but that is to be expected... and sometimes welcome [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
As for the clunking sound.. I have no idea what that is.. mine doesn't have this.
Wow prices must be steeper in your area, because here in NS my dealer sold the 500i man for $8000 + $200 for the 2500lb winch installed. It came to $9450 with taxes and everything else. Oh well, I would have paid a lot more since I love this quad soo much.
happy trails!
newf
ps check out the pics if you want to see the stock form of the 500i.
(click the folder named 2002 arctic cat)
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