SAM WALTON!!! WOW I forgot about him ,Arkansas has produced some heavy hitters. I hate to get started on Clinton though. I never could understand how he got elected running against George Bush, now theres a real man for you He flew Airplanes in WWII off of Aircraft Carrier decks ,got shot down but still it takes a man to land on a pitching carrier deck. Former Govoner of Texas to ,the capital punishment center of the U.S.. Now old Bill, what was he doing during the Vietnam war? but now heres the one that gets me , the guys like 6'3" big man. What did he do in High school ?You'd think a big man like that would have played Football or something well did he? NO... He played the Saxaphone in the damn Band. Well enough of that don't let me get started on that it could take all day we'd make 5 pages for sure.

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Kevin Gowdy aka Kagey 1999 Polaris Magnum 500

 

I knew he would come through we'll hit 5 yet

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speed kills ride a HONDA

 

Back to the originally proposed topic. What was being compared here about the Sportsman 500 and the AC 500 anyway?

Last fall when I was in the market for a big 4x4, the Polaris was high on my list. The dealer was near the college that I was going to and I would drop by at least once a week and ride them. The dealer is a Ford tractor dealership that sells atv's on the side. They sit them out front and one thing bad is that they sit in the weather at all times. They never bring them inside. Models that are not big sellers show signs of fading on the black plastic parts because they get weathered good. This place will let you go outside and ride whatever you want and nobody bothers you at all. Thats why I liked to go there.

I was sold on the performance of the Sportsman, but there were little things that I didn't prefer about it, as well as the looming lemon factor that I was well aware of. I didn't particularly like the plastic racks. I wasn't impressed with the exposed battery location that Honda and Yamaha had found ways of hiding and protecting either. I also had issues of how lightweight the front might be on steep uphills with the engine and rear enclosed gearing sitting far back. It looked like it had too much weight in the rear. I did love the headlights, seat, ride, turning, and acceleration it posessed. I was also looking hard at the 450 which I would have liked to have been a bit faster, with a better suspension and turning. The grizzly was also a prospect, but I still didn't want an automatic that much to get it. If I was getting an auto, it would have been the sportsman. The Grizzly also didn't have any more ground clearance than some smaller quads had under the rear gear housing, and had no sidesplash protection under the front. Its front bumper looked mean, but was obviously made of weak steel. I got this from looking at used ones. The dealer wasn't coming down on the price on the Griz either so I shot it down. I liked the kodiak, but again it wasn't really all that fast.

The honda was always in the hunt because of its reputation and the fact that my 9 year old 300 had been bulletproof, but it was still slow. I'll race any 450 on my old 300 2wd any day. No sense losing speed by buying a new bike. The sportsman is going to be about $6250 for a 99 and I could get out of sales tax by claiming it as a farm machine.

Then I saw the 99 AC 500 and decided to drive it. Remarkable. It wasn't as smooth as the polaris and didn't turn as good, but was still faster than the kodiak and the hondas, and had good small features that I was looking for. The front was sealed off against mud, I liked the footpegs with the steel floorboards, and the battery had its own plastic compartment. It also packed a 365 watt alternator and had the cigarette lighter plug in thing. The racks were heavy looking and the front bumper and 26" stock tires were attractive as well. One ride took away all doubts of the controversial rocker shifter, and I was able to drive it on a huge dirt pile that was used for fill. This gave me an idea of its side camber and uphill stability. The semi independant rear suspension worked great as well at keeping all wheels in contact on uneven ground. Not as much as the sportsman, but far and away closer to it than anything else. The ride was better than the Grizzly and the hondas, though not as plush as the Praries, which I canned on account of no EBS system.

The AC also looked and felt as if it were put together tougher than the Sportsman and would hold up longer. I liked the heavy square tubing on the dual wishbone front better than the skinny a-arms on the better riding sportsman. They looked much stronger. The tires were nice too, though they inhibited its steering effect. I happened to know a friend whose dad owned another tractor dealership that sold AC's. I knew I could get it close to cost so I checked it out. For $5550 (winch package included) I couldn't pass it up. I claimed it as a farm vehicle and paid no sales tax. While I will still say that the sportsman performs better in many situations, I have not been dissapointed with my choice, and I have had no problems with it to date other than a burnt out 4rth gear indicator light that was fixed for $1.00. Oh yeah, I bent a rear rim on a rock the 4rth day I had it and was pissed. I had the mechanic hammer it back out for free, and reseat the tire, and never had a problem or a leak out of it since.

1999 AC 500- 1year 1 1/2 months, 900 miles.

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

 

Andy, you did some serious shopping. Looks like you picked out a winner. I'm glad you like it. Maybe Kawasaki will get with the program and put an equivalent of EBS on their Prairies, better yet, make a bigger sport/utility machine. Does that rocker shifter ever get awkward when you're going up a hill and you're leaning forward? I would think your foot would be prone to shifting it easily in a circumstance like this.

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Honda...Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

 

The only down side of the rocker is the fact that it is VERY hard to shift when standing. Other than that i love it.

 

Rooster- never has been a problem yet. On those hills, I usually have the gear I want before it gets hairy. The shifter sits up high enough on both ends that it really doesn't get in the way. Also, the footpegs are just like any old manual quad so they stick out far enough that you have plenty of room to stand. I really like the floorboard/ Footpeg design they use. Much better and more comfortable than my honda 300. Its also funny when riding the 300 I sometimes stomp down on the back footrest with the intention of downshifting only to find myself in the same gear I started in. Its like reverse rocker shifter syndrome.

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

 

Hehe Boner. Andy, you have a 2000 Chevy Silverado, right? How do you like it?

 

Andy, I know what you mean. I was riding my buddy's 450 and I was trying to put it in reverse while looking in back of me. Well i was reaching for the lever on my quad when I realized that I was never going to get in reverse by petting the tank.

 

I hate it right now. I put the factory mudflaps on it only to find that the torx bolt on the drivers side rear is on with like super loc-tite or something. I'm driving around with 3 mud flaps right now and a stripped out torx bolt. I actually bent one torx bit before I stripped the other out. I'm taking it to the dealer to make them take it out and order another red painted bolt. I'm not going to like what this tiny thing will probably cost either. It took about 10 minutes to put 3 on. The other is going on 2 days. Pissed off now Jobu! Other than that, I love it. It is an awesome vehicle. Very good ride, turns much sharper circle than the previous extend cab model, autotrac 4x4 is a great feature in the rain, 3rd door is a plus(4rth available in early 2000), and the 285 hp 5.3 lt. engine is a screamer. It is governed to about 98mph. though, which I doubt I will exceed anyway seeing that those years have passed. Highly recommendable, but the payments do suck.

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

 

ANDY;don't know if you have thought about it, but if the head is exposed so you can get to it, take a hacksaw cut groove in head and use regular screw driver.

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IF YOU CAN'T PLAY WITH THE BIG DOGS STAY ON THE PORCH