So I have a few more questions regarding ATVs but don't know if I should start a new thread or not. Let me know which is preferable for future reference.

I'd really like to pick up something within the next 2 weeks so am looking pretty hard right now for deals. There are 2 grizzly 550s that I'll be looking at this weekend. No King Quads except the 400s.

2 brands that I initially left out of the mix were Kawasaki and Arctic Cat. Well a local dealer has a 2009 Brute force 750 and a 2014 AC TBX 700 , both under 1000 miles.

Reading up on the Brute force 750 a lot of people complain about excessive heat issues. Is this a serious issue? I haven't really seen a dedicated fix yet other than adding a fan and using some special coolants.

I'm intrigued by the TBX 700 as it has a longer wheelbase and a dump bed. Someone earlier mentioned the sportsman X2, I just have't been able to find any. I think the AC would be perfect for what I need, but I can't find many reviews on these. How's their reliability? Any known issues with this or a similar model?

Thanks again everyone for all of your help. I'll hopefully stop bothering everyone soon enough!

 

I don't hear much good or bad about Arctic Cat. It's almost like the don't exist. The TBX 700 should do everything you need a working ATV to do. The 300 pound capacity of the box isn't as high as I'd expect but still better than the rack capacity of any regular ATV I know of. Mine for example is 180 pounds.

 

I was actually able to find some more info just by searching for the standard 700cc AC, not the TBX with the bed. Most said that the 700 motors are considered rather bulletproof, but don't like water. What engine does like swallowing water???

I don't think the 300 lb box capacity is a big deal. I've got a 1000lb rated trailer for moving a lot of firewood, so the box would be more for chainsaw/gas/axe, ice fishing equipment, tools and maybe the occasional small firewood load.

Anything on the overheating issue on the brute force 750?

 

I purchased my first cat product this year. So far, so good. Motor is by Kymco, red of the machine is all cat. They do make some fast sleds, and have been in business for a long time. You don't hear as much about them because they are a smaller mfg, and they were more into producing for the guy using an atv more as a tool vs recreationally. A lot of that has changed over he years. They tend to have a few issues but are better at warranty coverage than some of the other north American brands. With limited mileage on my wildcat, I have had zero issues to date.

 

shimanok2: is the 700cc Cat using a Suzuki or Kymco motor?

 

I have no idea. I didn't even know AC used suzuki motors. Does the motor say suzuki on it? Is it based on the KQ 750 motor?

How are the kymco motors in terms of reliability, parts availability, ease of repair?

 

Arctic cat used to use Kawasaki engines as well. The older 650 v-twin is the same one used by the Kawasaki Prairie and Brute Force. The 500cc engine used in the Suzuki Vinson was also used by Arctic Cat in their 500cc utility quad. I think most of the newer engines are all built by Arctic Cat though. The 700cc single in the quads is very similar to the 700cc single in the Kymco quads and side by sides so it could be the same engine, I'm not sure.

 

Greg, great info. Most of the big manufactures trade around... Kawasaki's 650 Prairie was.... rebadged Suzuki "Twin Peaks". Not sure if there was a Suzuki part on the Twin Peak?

 

I remember that one too. I actually considered buying one of those once. The Twin Peaks had the 700 v-twin used in the Prairie 700. It basically doesn't even look any different. The plastic looks identical to the Prairie. Back in the early 2000's, it seemed that Suzuki, Arctic Cat and Kawasaki did a lot of working together. Those Kawasaki v-twins were some great engines though. Way back in 2002 when the Prairie 650 first appeared, it was the fastest 4x4 utility quad there was. The Grizzly 660 debuted that year too, a huge improvement over the Grizzly 600. Polaris followed with the Sportsman 700. That was basically the beginning of big-bore utility quads. Now you have 1000cc machines that will run 80+mph and cost as much as a compact car.

 

Lots of great info. It's interesting that all these MFGs share engines.

Would the engines or tags say AC, Suzuki or Kymco on them?