A/C a tad bit different? Look again. The AC murders the Prarie in ground clearance and stock rubber. It also has significantly more fuel capacity and much more suspension travel. For technical riding such as rock crawling, there is no comparison. I ordered one because it has what is in my opinion, the best engine out there (ok, next to the 700) with the best chassis.

I wouldn't have been in the market for a big-bore if it weren't for the A/C offering this engine with their IRS chassis. The front diff lock, fuel capacity, and new Goodyear radials are just gravy. No one makes a V-twin like Kawi. Have you ridden a Vulcan motorcycle? Sweet!

 

gave ?????????/ kawasaki owns suzuki and cat .

 

No. They don't. Kawi and Suzuki have a joint product development agreement to lower costs. Really, it is more of a product sharing agreement, as they have each developed products on their own and then the other has re-badged them.

Suzuki owns approximately 23% of Arctic Cat stock. They have a long history as a supplier of engines to Arctic Cat. Some of them are straight up Suzuki designs, while others are Suzuki-built to Arctic Cat design specifications. (Mainly the snowmobile engines). The Arctic Cat CVT transmissions on all but the 650 are of Arctic Cat design, and I believe, Suzuki manufacture.

 

Cat Buys Back Suzuki Shares
Suzuki still owns nearly 32 percent of Thief River Falls company 9/18/2003
by Biz Crew


On Sept. 15, Arctic Cat announced the repurchasing of four percent of Arctic Cat's total outstanding shares. The actual amount totaled 843,000 shares of Class B stock from Suzuki Motor Corporation. The buyback brings Suzuki's ownership to just under 32 percent, or 6.7 million shares, of Arctic Cat's common stock.

"Due to our active stock repurchase program, Suzuki's percent ownership of our shares has grown over time," said Christopher Twomey, chairman and chief executive officer of Arctic Cat. "The repurchase returns Suzuki to the level it owned when it first acquired the shares. It also allows Arctic Cat to repurchase a large block of shares without adversely impacting the current level of publicly traded shares."

Since 1996, Arctic Cat has repurchased more than eight million shares under three share repurchase plans.


©2003 American Snowmobiler









---------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------

 

Thanks for the specific numbers. I stand corrected.

 

Where is the blue one???[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

I can see Kawasaki being happy to sell Suzuki a slightly different packaged Prairie. It just gives them new markets. Everyone will know it is just a Prairie. I'm kind of surprised about the Arctic Cat. This unit will very likely be a true competitor and maybe even the machine to beat in the big-bore category. Aside from being the 650 instead of 700, the AC has all the advantages with fewer drawbacks (ie better suspension and bigger gas tank).

 

Ithink it is cool, now I can get yellow plastic for the ole' prairie

 

sorry but could someone actually download the pictures and post them on here? i have tried for almost a week to see them even on suzuki.com and all that shows up is a yellow screen and thats it!!! its starting to REALLY pi$$ me off because im wanting to see these pics. ive even tried to let it finish the page for like 10 min. and it still wont do anything!!!

 

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't Kawi and Suzuki kind of 'joined at the hip' in alot of things? Especially engines and that stuff?

Just wondering,

Mike