I am getting an AC650 and these Goodyears are the stock tires. Are they decent for all around utility use? They won't be going in the sand and probably not much mud-nothing deep if I can help it. Mostly trail riding, around the farm, hunting, snow plowing type use.

Also, are they 2,4. or 6 ply? If they are not 6 ply, I will probably want to change them.

Trying to figure if I should change out of necessity or just wear these out first. If I change, I kind of like the Holeshot ATR but have had lots of suggestions for Mudlites.

 

SPD522, First , i want to say ,WTG on your choice of rides. The AC 650 V- Twin is Awesome in so
many ways. The MTR's are IMHO, a very good tire in most all terrains, ( but not all terrains) . Although they're not mud tires , they are very good in any mud i've ever been in, or hope to be in. On the deep sandy trails at Appalchia Bay, here in Ok. the MTR's do well. Only problems were trying to keep up with some of the guys in our bunch, one on a 440 EX & one on a 450YFZ, but it was fun trying. I could really rip along the beaches. As a trail tire the MTR's would do well on MOST any trails, but the flex & roll of the radials would be a lot more evident in some of the more extreme trails out west. Also if pushed real hard in other situations on any trail. We have plenty of rocky ledges around here & here again, not the best tire on the rocks , but will do good on anything i've got the nerve to climb. They are good on deep, rutted out, off camber trails , as Appalchia Bay has. The flexiness of the MTR's ,with the Cat suspension, makes for a cushy ride, & on the more open trail sections you can really appreciate the combination, if you really want to get it on. The more i use mine the more i like them, although i am looking to buy another set of tires & wheels, i'm keeping the Mtr's on around here. IMO, try them out first for your purposes. I bet you'll keep them. They are not 6-plys, so i suggest SLIME or others. I welcome any rebuttal to my opinions. Not you Bearcat, we've already hashed this subject out.LOL. Regards, Jerico1
Regards, jerico1

 

Jericho:
Got it home a while ago and buzzed around on the road in front of the house. Asphalt so not a good test surface but I thought the tires were rather squirrelly above 20 mph. They also seemed low and steered hard at slow speed. I checked and they were at about 3.5-4lbs. Is this a normal trail setting?

They say max 6.5 on them so I bumped up to 5.5. Ride was much better, steered straight, and didn't wander like before. But when turning,(not fast at all) the fronts felt like they were rolling under. Of course I couldn't hang over and see for sure but that was the seat of the pants feeling.

I didn't notice this when I rode it on the dirt lot and dirt piles at the dealership so I am guessing this is due to the asphalt surface and more tire grip. I won't ordinarily ride it on asphalt.

What would be a good PSI for the tires for normal trails and farm fields? Or is it more a personal preference? I don't know as this is my first ATV. (Thought I would start small and work up [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img])

I have considered the same thing you said- get a whole other set of tires and wheels, depending upon where I ride. Even the dealer was pushing the MudLites if I wanted something else.

 

SPD522, I should have mentioned psi, sorry. I started out at 5 psi as manual suggested,& after a couple of good trail rides realized the tires flexed & rolled under way too much, at that pressure. The ride was as you described. At 6.5 or 7 psi the ride & handling improves a lot, but not on asphalt, the tires grab & it takes 40 acres to turn around. Play with the psi & shocks adjustments to suit your preferences, & be glad you bought an ATV that has that option, some don't. In other words , fine tune your AC's ride to your needs. If you want to see these tires in
action, catch the AC 650 Test on the Outdood Ch. by Doug Meyers on ATV Television. Trail riding near Moab, Utah. It was on last tues. evening & they usually have a couple of reruns on sat. & sun., during the day, i believe. Ol Doug raved over the MTR's in those conditions. We ride in a lot of sand & water at Appalchia Bay west of Tulsa, & the radials were fine. Compare the MTR's, stock on our Cats, with most other stockers out there, Then just grin real big, & yes get you another set of tires & wheels of your choosing, but do your homework & separate the wheat from the chaf. In fact, thats exactly what i did today. Jerico1

 

Where is Appalchia Bay? I go to Tulsa maybe 3-4 times a year for shooting matches. It's about 3 hours from my place to Tulsa. Might have to try it sometime....

I will start playing with the shocks and psi -but not on the asphalt. May need to stiffen the front another notch.

I saw the ATV tv show when they tested the 650. Doug did seem to really like it except for the single brake lever. Made me feel better. Even though they have sponsors on the show, he will tell on things that he doesn't like.

Thanks.

Craig

 

SPD522, Appalchia Bay is located on Lake Keystone, west of Tulsa on Hwy. 51, maybe 20 miles?
From Mo. stay on I-44 to Tulsa, take I-244 at the I-44/I-244 split. Continue on I-244 to Sand Springs exit, Hwys. 64/412/51 (all same rd). Continue on west until you see Appalchia Bay, Glen Bear exit. Follow signs to parking areas. Have you tried the trails in Mark Twain Nat'l Forest just south of you , or any of the other trails in Mo. How about trails around Roaring River St. Pk.,
it sure is beautiful country, & a lot closer to you? Appalchia Bay is a fun place to ride with about
any type of terrain you care to ride in, including some pretty good hills. Some of the rutted out areas are so deep that ground level is 6 or 8 ft. above roadbed. You like water? Try to make it out to the island on your ATV, but get some good advise before doing so. Rocks, you got em. Sandy beaches, absolutely. Whoops, them too. Trails galore , pretty scenery, deer, eagles, & friendly, considerate riders, mostly. What kind of shooting do you do. I'm a gun nut & have a range on my place. Jerico1

 

SPD522, I commend you on your research efforts and choice, I think you have picked a machine that will suit you well. The 650 Cat has a list of features that when compared to other models currently available moved it to the top of my wish list (if I were in the market for another utility quad at this time).

The only thing I don’t care for (which I only just heard about recently) is the Cat has an integrated front / rear brake setup (one lever does both). This kind of setup is OK and even good under most conditions, especially if a “panic” stop is required by someone that is not intimately familiar with independent brake usage. Very steep descends (in either a forward or reverse direction) is probably the only time where you may wish you had independent brake control. However since you can keep your machine in 4WD mode under these circumstances it is less of a problem than it is with the case of a slip sensing 4WD system (like the Polaris Sportsman models incorporate) because your engine braking effect will be applied to both front and back wheels which can make a major difference in controllability on a slippery descend.

I would suggest getting used to your machine with the stock tires for now. What comes next depends on how and where you ride. The ATR Holeshots offer excellent traction under most trail conditions but are harder to “slide” (they seem to have better lateral grip than bias ply tires do, especially with IRS machines). You also have to pay attention to tire pressures with them though, if they are under inflated they seem to be especially prone to sidewall punctures in rocky terrain. Mudlites would be preferable if you spend a lot of time in loose terrain (i.e. mud or snow). You can also get Mudlights in sizes larger than 25”. The 26” and larger models have significantly deeper lugs (more grip) than the smaller ones do. The Maxxis Bighorn radial may be a compromise between the two (but like the ATR Holeshots they only come in 25” size). If you decide that you want to drive more aggressively and you are not able to power slide around corners the way you’d like to, try a bias ply tire that has a narrower V-shaped tread pattern (less tractor-like than the all-out mud types) and you may have better luck.

Since you are new to the ATV scene I’ll point out that you have to be especially careful on paved roads, especially at speed, because the suspension, locking rear and soft tires all combine to make it difficult to turn and very unstable in high traction situations (such as on asphalt).

Good luck and enjoy…

 

Correction on broadcast times for ATV Television....Mon.@4:00 PM EST...Tue.@ 12:00 PM EST...
Wed.@ 9:00 PM EST. No video's of shows available. Jerico1

 

2TV:

Thanks for the advice. I am new to ATVs so am very open to all suggestions. Tomorrow we plan on taking it out to the family farm to get a lot more familiar with it.


Jericho:

I shoot IDPA, IPSC, and Steel Challenge matches regularly. When the matches don't have a conflicting schedule, I try to pick up NRA Action shooting (Bianchi) matches too. I also go to 3 gun and combat matches that include shooting one of my AR15s or my Benelli M1. The matches at Tulsa have been IDPA- OK State match and Badlands. Planning on the Badlands match again at Oil Capital Rod and Gun Club in April. Guess it is combined with the OK State match this year instead of 2 separate matches. Too bad as we really like coming to Tulsa. Great guys, fun courses, and excellent FOOD!!

 

Jerico 1: OOPS- sent before I was done.

Thanks for the info on Appalchia. Sounds like a great place. Since I just got my AC yesterday, my riding has been limited to a few times last year. It consisted of time on a Polaris 250 at Oregon Dunes and on a Polaris Expedition and Honda Foreman ES in CO while elk hunting. So I have yet to experience the areas in MO.

Currently, they are attempting to open another 145 miles of trails in the Mark Twain Nat Forest near Poplar Bluff, MO. and some area closer to St. Louis. Lots of protesting landowners but much of the area is already open. Sounds like they want to close off some of the existing trails that lead to private property etc. to avoid some of the problems while opening some new trails that will keep riders on authorized areas.

I have heard the area near Chadwick, south of Springfield, is good, as is Finger Lakes north of Columbia MO. Now I am trying to figure out how to haul my AC while towing my 5th wheel camper. Had I known last year when we ordered the 5th wheel that I would be getting an ATV, we would have looked at toy haulers instead of a more luxury unit. Oh, well, not going to trade now.