[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Don't ya just love it when topics like this come up? Wooo-eeeee!! I guess I'm still a beginner; less than 30 posts on this forum. For what it's worth, I'm 60 yrs. old (physically; my wife says 12-14 mentally...), have a 2000 'Cat Auto with 1000 miles on it. I ride slow and fast, hard and easy,and sometimes just work the **** out of it. Trouble? Yes, I've had some (A-C's warranty work is excellent!), but it works well all the time even when I've pushed the limits of man and machine. Yeah, there have been some failures, but the Laws of Nature are not easily broken (I rolled it twice...).

My 'Cat mechanic says they do get a few twisted axles, but I've seen a few on Hondas and Polarus, too. From personal observation, I'd say 'Cat is no better, no worse than any other brand in that respect.

Bottom line- if and when I trade, my next one will be a 'Cat. Reliability on the trail and at work, great dealer and mechanic, plush ride, and rugged durability offset the minor quibbles of needing a little more power and better fuel efficiency. Notice I didn't sat anything about speed; I don't need it.

My two bits worth; didn't cost you anything, so take it for what it's worth...

'Castor'

 

People say the same thing about the Foreman 400, and only because its not a speedster. Doesn't mean its not a good quad. Arctic Cats aren't racing bikes, and too many folks think that anything that won't do 60 is a piece of crap. AC's will pull the teeth out of an elephant. They aren't tuned for speed, but they will go anywhere and are very reliable (at least mine was). Built like a tank.

AC's are the best buy you can find, unless you have a crappy dealer. You can normally get them for a good price and they perform as good in technical situations as anything else without differential lock. Better than most.

 

Andy,
What do you mean. Did you sell yours?

 

Andy,

How do you like your Griz? Compare it to your Cat for me. If that is possible. Any regrets buying it? Or is it, in your opinion, the best in the 500cc and over class? I haven't had the opportunity to test one out, but they sure look sweet![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

<< So the IRS is a weak point if you do serious mudding with serious mud tires. >>



450 Axle problems

 

Rubicon axle.

 

I have a Rubicon but I have friends with AC's and they are great bikes. They have Honda like reliability from what I have seen, and the may not be speedsters but my Honda is not much faster than a AC, and the 500I's have more ground clearance than any other atv made. They are also getting that Vinson motor upgrade for 03 and they really dont weigh that much more than the other atv, and they weigh less than a lot less than a Sportsman and the Bombardiar. For the price they are the best machines around my area because they are cheaper. When I get ready for a new atv AC will be at the top of the list, they may not be the fastest but they bave lots of lowend power. Take your bike and put it up againt an AC in the mud or other 4x4 situations and see who is pulling who out of the bogs.

 

Well, everyone topic you showed me about axles breaking are either a Honda and the wheel bearings were the cause. Its like saying I broke my axle on my 500i because my cv joint was toast and I kept riding until it bound up and twisted my axle off. My 500i was working perfectly each time the axle broke but the Hondas have the wheel bearins to blame for this failure so solid rear axles are far superior for mud riding when it comes to extremes, reliability is number one and ground clearance in number in two in my books. You can always get pulled out while if you break down then your trip is over. What is more fun?

 

Badelk, thanks for posting those honda examples.

BB, if I read correctly, the examples mentioned bad bearings and also said they broke the axles with good bearings. I don't believe the AC drive train is any weaker than any other quad and it's probably stronger than most. If you run big heavy after market tires you should be prepared to run stronger axles.

 

All I have to say is: My dad's 1998 Quadrunner 500 ran these exact same outlaws on his quad for over 1 year(longer than I have even owned my quad) and it never had a problem(I even drove it harder) and it had more power to turn the tires. This is going through the same mud and everything. The Arctic Cat 500i has a way way weaker drive train than my dad's 1998 Quad Runner 500. The End.