Please.......rotary telephone....Arctic hasn't even got their first engine in production, they couldn't match Honda's hydro tranny if they paid Suzuki double what they do now. Super tall ACs are unstable at off cambers even though they're very wide and that doesn't fit some peoples needs. I ride with an 03 AC500i (that I convinced him to buy) and I often leave him stranded in tight trails or freaking out on long side hills.

the only thing you can say that about a new honda is the rear drum, but I'll tell you from experience they stop as well as the AC disc, just a littly more squeeze, and I would put the rear drum up against any pre 05 AC rear brake. I just tied down the foot pedal on my 98 AC400 to keep it out of my way (as it did not work at all)

I think you should disregard the Honda bashing and seriously consider the merits of the Vinson and 05 Foreman. Honda doesn't have a reputation of being reliable for nothing, now they have a more comfortable ride and discs. Vinson is pretty sporty. You choose.

 

'Nuther Honda owner with his blinders on. Discs are far superior to drums, and honda now realizes it with the release of the 500 Foreman. Bottom line is Honda must be dragged, kicking and screaming, into building quads that can match all the features of EVERY manufacturer that has left them in the dust.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

that's nice blue, guess we got a little off track with this thread.

on the contrary, my eyes are wide open. I got used to brakes that don't work that good riding a uni-brake arctic cat - so drums that worked was an improvement. I lost the pin that holds the rear pads in the caliper. They fell out. I squeezed the brakes, pushed the puck out of the caliper and had no brakes, front or rear. Good thing I was just pulling logs and not flying down the trail. Honda isn't the only manufacturer that wouldn't ever miss a design flaw like that, but AC did.

I totally agree that discs are better when they're good.

your brakes squeal like a pig, don't they. You ride in any mud or sand? How fast do you go through pads. Really - how well does your rear brake work?

I did not argue the theory of discs, just the effective application of them

I would rather have the 05's Honda discs (I am confident they work as well or better than most disc sytems out there now), but the drums weren't that much of a minus that I would pass up the rest of the package I got.

 

I liked the Vinson, don't get me wrong. I almost bought one. I just think Suzuki should have better protection for the radiator and not leave it up to the customer to fabricate some kind of protection. Actually Yamaha has a little too much protection. Its kinda hard getting mud out of the radiator because of all the protection.

 

I agree. One of the things that I DON"T like about the KQ is that cheesey plastic mesh grill. Now we KNOW ~that's~ going to stop something from heading through the radiator. Tha E.M. guard that I built flows plenty good, plus if something gets through it, chances are I going to be toast or have more to worry about than the radiator!

 

The problem that I have with Honda is that they 1) took too damned long to put disc brakes on their big quads, and 2) they STILL don't have disc brakes front AND rear! Maybe their 2010 model will have them...

I agree that the Honda drum brakes work effectively enough, WHEN they are working....but the problem is with Honda's concept of a "sealed drum" system. Unless you are riding in the desert, you will eventually ride through water. When you submerge the drum, it will eventually flood, and then the "seal" will work in reverse and quite effectively hold water in the system and corrode the hell out of it My '95 TRX300 had several replacements of all the brake components necause of this...and yes, I even tried leaving the drain plugs out

Fortunately, Highlifter makes a conversion for the Honda rear drums. (I wish they made it for the pre-2000 Fourtrax) So WHEN (notice I didn't say IF) your drum system corrodes, you should go aftermarket with Highlifter, get a better system, and still save money over replacing the factory drum system.

 

We all love our favorites don't we[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

My brakes don't squeal at all. I ride through a ton of mud, sand, salt water, mountain trails. My pads have a ton of life on them still. Rear foot brake doesn't work worth a crap, but that is no big deal.

Actually their first engine is well into production, and in a month you will be able to buy it. I wouldn't want honda's tranny, granted I think it is good and all, but when something goes wrong you have to pay $1000 to fix it, instead of just buying a cheap belt.
Suzuki owns 34% of AC, nothing wrong with suppling the engines...
I also ride a lot of hills and mountains, my Cat never feels off cambers, you just have to know how to set the supension.
Of course the Arctic Cat doesn't fit some people's needs, it is a utility machine. There is not one ATV out there that is perfect for everyone. That is why it is a good thing there are so many companies.

 

Hey guys,

I just want to point out that my 1994 300 4X4 hasn't had any problems with the drum brakes and I have had it handle bar deep in mud and water more times than I really want to count. The bike has over 7000 miles on it (I haven't ridden it lately), its been rolled end over end twice (hills were a little steeper than I thought), and rolled on its side once (don't let friends ride your bikes) and hasn't had any work done to it other than have the oil changed. Everyone has their brand loyalty which is why I bought the Honda instead of the Suzuki even though the Suzuki has a few more features. I'm totally confident that my Honda will be running great 10 years from now (even though by then I hope Honda has a v-twin to buy) which is the reason I bought it. To be completely honest, I've ridden quite a few of the '04 bikes (Polaris, Artic Cat, and Kawasaki) and I don't think there is a bad bike in the group, Suzuki included. I do like reading about everyones opinions though. It helps me keep an open mind.

Crocket