Hi everyone, thinking about getting an 05' Vinson auto for the wife. Never have driven one before but Doug on ATV TV thinks pretty highly of them. Would like to know from Vinson owners if the machine is pretty decent? Likes and dislikes. Would you buy one again? I have a Cat 400 with ACT rear suspension been a pretty good atv. Shares same engine as the vinson. any comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks guys & gals.

 

Birch, first off the vinson is a 500 so I think it would be a big difference from the cat 400. My wife loves her's it's been great so far. I dont think you will be unhappy with it. The stock skid plate and tires are a joke, and there is no front bumper, but otherwise it's a worthy machine !

 

The a/c 400 shares the motor and tranny with the eiger. The vinny is gonna feel much stronger, its got a good running, strong motor. If its possible have your wife take one for a test drive, its the sure way to know if she'll like it.

 

Hey guys it depends on what year 400 we are talking about. A/C acyually had the 375 and the 400 models at the same time. the 375 was a much simpiler motor and had much more power. I believe that his is not the same as the eigers. In fact his is a 400 and probably liqued cooled, the 375 in that year would be the same motor as the eiger, it is an air/oilcooled 376cc. the 375 became the 400 model in 03 and they dropped the liqued cooled 400. The 500 a/c is the same motor as the viinson but all the suzukis are tuned differently and have diffrent clutchs in the trannys than the a/c. Buy you the vinson and give her your 400. You will be much happier.

 

Thanks everyone! After searching the different forums it sounds like the best choice. The 400 cat Ihave now is the liquid cooled one (01) been a good machine so far. For the wife I wanted one that would be easier for her to handle (not that the cat is bad). She got a good chuckle out of the idea that i would give her the ol'e cat and take over the Vinson...not in my lifetime! hehehe. Anyway thanks for your comments guys, much appreciated!

 

i really dont think you can buy a better bike imho, be sure to ride it before you buy it though.

v581

 

vinsons are great machines almost bought one for myself but i wanted the IRS, ive heard somewhere that its the fastest 500 ute machine, they kick my polaris on top end but i can get them otta the hole. very nice machines

 

i think that they are the quickest in stock form, i do have a sp 500 h.o 2001, and it has been a bit troublesome, latest problem is the cooling fan going out(200$)(got 1 for 80$) and the thing overheating and spewing coolant all over the place. i do think that suzuki and yamaha are the most reliable.

 

I have a 05 5 speed Vinson and love it! The power is smooth but strong and it handles very well. I only have 150 miles on it but I'm very happy with it so far.

 

Short of crappy stock tires, basically no front bumper, a squeaky rear brake,
a cheap made shifter, and those little plasic fasteners always popping out,
the Vinson is a great machine!!
Dont mean to scare you away from it, just being honest. It handles well, gets
good mileage, and the headlights turn night into day.

My 2 cents...