I walked back out of the dealer when I realized that Suz dropped the semi-ind rear suspension on their new bikes. That solid axle may be better handleing but gives up far to much traction in off-road situations for me to be interested in, sure looks like a good bike otherwise.

 

LEP7MM,
Too bad about the hunt. We've had snow most of the Thanksgiving weekend and the forecast is for snow for the rest of this week. I haven't checked my speedo against my GPS, but have noticed a difference in trip meter distances between the analog speedos on my King Quad and 250 Quadrunner 4X4 and digital one on the Vinson. The Vinson consistently registers a longer distance than the analog speedos. I don't know which is more accurate. I'll have to check it against my GPS next time I ride.

Dirt Wheels is going to have a Vinson "First Ride" article in the next issue of their magazine. From their web site, they say it should be a "contender" in the 500 class. ATV Magazine's 2002 Buyer's guide like it too. Maybe we picked a winner? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Sure hope so.

Mark

 

markdf,

you don't have to ask me twice if I picked a winner. I feel the mags are biased towards certain machines and don't give an accurate assessment of any machine. Each rider will have different riding tastes and styles. What we read is what that particular rider felt about each machine and they can't speek for me, you, or anyone else. What really gets me is the mis-information that dirtwheels has posted about the Vinson. Readers always write in and point things out to them, but they claim they are testing us to see if we catch on to it. I think it's a matter of their employees not knowing what they are talking about and go more from word-of-mouth than actual facts released from the manufactures. They're as bad as tabloids. Next thing you know, they'll say there are no ATV's built in the USA or japan. They're built by little green men on some far away planet beyond Pluto.

 

Hope you guys don't care if an AC owner butts in to your forum. I generally like to check out the AC, Bomb, and Suzuki forums due to my interest in all three brands. A lot of times I believe these three are underrated, lets face it Yamaha, Polaris, and Honda throw mega-bucks towards advertising. Anyways I personally like the looks of the Vinson; it takes the best features of the SP500 and mixes in a Japanese flair. So far I'm impressed with the power and drivetrain of my Suzuki powered AC250 4x4. Yes, it's the small but it goes everywhere a 500 can go if driven correctly. Hopefully, the Vinson will be as bullet proof as the King Quad.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

TG1,
Welcome. I browse the other groups too and have to admit that the AC forum has some very nice people. I think that the AC and Suzuki groups have some of the politest people online. I think most of the posts that I've seen here on the topics I'm interested in have been good. Some of the other groups though.... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I have a 250 Quadrunner 4X4 and have to agree with you. It can go anywhere I need it to. One can't go 55 mph on the trails I ride. It'll top out at 45mph+ if it has enough room (about 5 mi. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]). Fast enough for me.

Mark

 

I just quickly looked at the new 4 Wheel / ATV Action Magazine and the Vinson appeared to get high marks (didn't get a chance to read the review). I must admit that the results shocked me a little bit (due to my personal beliefs regarding Magazine tests). It's great to see that the Vinson is as good as it looks.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I just got back from adding a few more miles on the new Vinson. I have a creek just down the hill from where I live and got to try out the 4-wheel drive. I'm impressed. I went down through the creek and up the bank on the other side where there is kind of a washed out area. I was able to get one of the front wheels to come off the ground and the 3 remaining wheels on the ground continued to drive. Not like some of the other machines where the wheel in the air is trying to drive and the other isn't driving at all. I walked me out sitting down. I feel more stable on the Vinson compared to the Sportsman. I can only imagine what these machines will do with a set of good after market tires on all four corners. The power is incredible for a 500 class machine too. My old Sportsman (pre-HO) was a dog getting to 50. Although the Vinson isn't broke in yet, I pushed it to 50 and let off right away. As I've said in another post, the acceleration is comparable to a 650 Prairie. It is still pulling hard at 50 mph with lots more to go. The combination of the low range and the power of the motor is enough to give a mountain goat nightmares.

After seeing, riding, and owning a few different machines, it's easy to see that there is a lot more emphasis put to Polaris, Honda, and Yamaha. After riding the Prairie, I felt it's a great machine, but that lever to pull so the front end locks is an afterthought. If I'm in a mud pit, the last thing I want to do is worry about pulling some lever to make sure my front end is locked up. Suzuki definitely has a winner in the Vinson and I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to anyone.

One other note: I went to the dealer to get the MSO (certificate of origin) and looked to see what the motor is rated at for HP. It shows 32.4 HP. Not bad and maybe a little less than an HO, but with 94 lbs less to lug around and less rotating mass in the drive line, there is more hp at your disposal.

 

I've looked at the DynoJet site and according to them, on the dynamometer, a stock 1998 Sportsman 500 has around 19 hp. I've read that the Vinson has 32.4 hp. This seems like a big difference. A stock Raptor peaks at 36 hp. according to the DynoJet charts. Does anyone have any other info?

Inquiring minds want to know. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Mark

 

markdf,

I think I have seen the hp ratings that your talking about. But I believe that it is measured from the rear wheels in that test. Actual hp at the crank is about 32 on the pre-ho Sportsmans. There is just that much lost in the drive train on the Sp's. I would guess that the Vinson is maybe getting 22-24 hp to the rear wheels.

 

LEP7MM,
I didn't know that. Thanks for setting me straight. When DynoJet comes out with a kit for the Vinson, it will be interesting to see what they actually get at the rear wheels.
Mark