Not mad at you. I'm mad at every one who says Arctic Cats aren't reliable because they are only 3 or 4 years old. The 450es isn't that old but since it has Honda on it it must be reliable. All I as is that every one give each and every quad a chance. Look at the Magnum 500, they are made by Polaris but I have yet to here one thing wrong with them.

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Arctic Cat 500, Not your average Kitty, The New King Of the Jungle

Chuck, --- rice quad--- Heh heh heh, that cracked me up for a good five minutes. I saw where you got me in the polaris thread for saying Polaris had neat ideas and appealed to all riders. Remember that I'm not one of thos Polaris Loyalists now. I just can't dump off negative stuff about them all the time. Don't want a bad rep here. I also know they don't make a true sport bike, but thats a technicality. You could pretty much see what I meant on that one. They appeal to a large number of different type riders. Thats better o.k. rice quad, I still love that.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

before this "rice quad" description gets out of hand,you may want to find out where the polaris four-stroke motors are made.

I only have one thing to say. Dont judge a Polaris until you have been on one and owned it. Polaris by far is the cadillac of the quad industry and definitely leaving all others behind. Also ask yourself this question? Polaris has been making Automatic transmissions for many years, honda and kawasaki and all of the others see what is happening and now trying to steal a piece of the pie. Only they do not have half of the experience to do so. If you want good quality and a great quad, RIDE POLARIS>!!!

Just my opinion but they are true facts,

'99 Scrambler 400

Talon400, have you information on a new Honda automatic transmission?

Tree Farmer

[This message has been edited by atvbbs (edited 08-27-1999).]

check out yamaha's grizzly600 my dad has one, performs great no problems at all.I don't really recomend polaris my neighbor has a 99 scrambler500 that has been in the shop at least 4 times one time over 800 dollars of damage and he didn't even wreck it.if u don't like the grizzly check out the new kodiak or anything besides the polaris,they perform great but the ones I've seen(trail blazer,magnum 425,scrambler500,and trail boss250) has had numerous problems. half of them ot rid of their polaris,and bought a honda,one with a 300ex and the other rides a 450s

Hey Talon 400 who was the first to make engine braking a standard feature? uhh... Yamaha if i remember right. Sure Polaris made these trannies for a while. Then the others just copied the idea. Thats what engineers are for. They see what Polaris had trouble with and improved over all that time, and then took precautions. How come it seems as if all of the articles that you read seem to find something about a new automatic that they find better than the Polaris Automatic? It seems like everyone else is sealed up better than Polaris. The Quadmaster Suzuki is supposed to give better engine braking than anything else tested so far as well. Shoot, its brand new. Just cause you haven't been doing something for a long time doesn't mean you can't do it right. And Honda, they don't make an automatic, yet that is. They may in the near future. As for now, they made an easy access transmission for the ES, but at the same time kept it reliable by not going with a belt driven automatic. The new Suzuki/ Arctic Cat transmission seems like an improvement over the original Polaris design to me. The Yamaha transmissions seem better as well. Not to say that the Polaris is bad, just writing what I have read in magazines. More experience making the same thing year after year isn't better, better is better. That is what pre-production testing is for. The other automatics are no less reliable than the Polaris automatics, and in many people's opinions, they have their advantages over the Polaris auto.

Gordon !!! Here's part of your post from 8/12
"Don, I seriously doubt that Polaris is the only quad on the planet that has left a rider stranded on the trail, but it IS the only brand I've seen do so in nearly three years of ATV riding. I'm not counting failures like flat tires or running out of gas, but only electrical and/or mechanical failures that left the quad unable to carry its rider out. And so far I've seen nothing do this but Polaris, and to the order of about eight times in my 33 months of experience.


Gordon, didn't you just witness a Kawasaki being towed out from "Quads on the Rocks" less than a month ago.....Case closed

A honda dealer told me that all the parts on polaris atvs are cheep. And that they have plastic parts and are not built strong is this true?

Getting back to the question,sgtshultzy(how do you pronounce that)If you can hold out another month or two. There's one or two y2k Honda's that haven't been released yet.Polaris,s linupfor 2000 is fully released Honda's rice has not finished cooking yet.

The only market they don't compete in yet is sport\uit.And Honda must be doumbfoundingly envius of the polaris scrambler sales record.Ohh to get a piece of that sales pie.

In a short few months, I beleve these late releases coming soon may intrest you.Either a bigger uitily or a sport/uit Or both.

Think of Honda, As the theam from jaws ;; ;; ;; ;; ;;;; ;;;; They come slowly but when they come, Chaaump!! on the compitition,s sales pie with a big sloppy grin.(god I,m gonna take heat for this),

Good luck in your shopping,Be paychint(msp)Check out everything you need.And when you look at honda,s,Compare the ES to the S and compare your likes and dislikes they are different.

PS.Have had 450ES for 900 miles so far No problems!!

talon400 You may want to count your chickens again,I fear some may be missing.



[This message has been edited by trx430ex (edited 08-17-1999).]