you must have misread, the Kawi is the one with the handle lever you have to hold, the Zuki is similair to the others, but not american made. Polaris likes to set up special challenges for their DVD that magically they win at everything, when in reality, not even close. I still rule Arctic Cat as the best, stock AC 400 or 500 will have 12 inches of ground clearance where the Yamaha will have 10. Also AC has 10 inches of suspension travel for a plush ride on rough trails, and Yamaha has 6.3 front and 7.1 inches, a pretty significant difference on rough trails. If you still want a Yamaha, i would look at the Big Bear 400 also. The 2007 and 2008 models of the Big Bear 400 come stock with ITP Mudlites which is nice if you plan on any mudding. downside to Big Bear is that its semi automatic. any more questions just post.

 

just looking at the price of a 450 on the Yamaha website, not sure what they retail for but a bran new one is like 6200 online, i got my AC 650V2 for 6150. i talked to my dealer and you can get into an AC 650 H1 (which btw is one of THEE best engines in an ATV, if not the best) for 6600.few hundred extra bucks and you get 200 more CCs in an extremely powerful engine.

 

Yeah...I guess I got confused with the kawasaki and the zuki. I must be going into number overload.

Can either of you (crazystever or acpower) tell me about the braking systems? As I understand it AC has one lever to control all brakes at the same time and I assume (man I hate to do that) that the Y has both a lever control and foot brake.

I would think that the single lever brake control mixed with some of the steep hills in my area could equal bad news. My property has plenty of hill and it gets steep in some parts.

That was good info there acpower on the pricing. I have researched prices but all were on the web and of course MSRP. I was under the assumption (dang it) that that price could always be knocked down. Good comparison though...it would be hard to turn that down. I mean I'm all about getting the most bang for the buck or else I wouldn't be bugging the crap out of ya'll.

 

I took my Suki Vinson 500 out to the farm over the weekend and had no troubles negotiating the steep hills and and rough terrain. Our farm is 120 acres in central Indiana. Some of the hills I was climbing are approx. 45 - 50 degee inclines. It was slick, trails were overgrown with brush, and downed trees in some places. So, I was pretty much making my own paths. I just put it into 4WD low and started crawling. I was really suprised witht he way it handled. After a fun day of riding on Saturday, I was using it on Sunday to haul 50, 60lbs. + bales of hay out of the fields at a time. It is a real work horse and I was pushing it way past the recommended towable weight. Like I said I am real happy with my Suki Vinson 500.

Just my $0.02 worth.

 

the Arctic Cat has a hand lever and a foot brake. you can also probably get into a 500 for 5500-5700 and a 400 for 5000-5200. Those are AC prices BTW. My parents got a 500 the same time i got mine and theirs was right around 5500 i believe. so if 6000ish is your price range definately opt for a 650H1.

 

First thank you.....for what you do from my family and i in minnesota and my dogs also. a buddy of the familys just came home a few months back M1 -A1 TANK GUY Sargent on the ride the artic cat has full independent suspension . my eiger has fron but not rear i would get a four wheel drive model . i have a honda recon ,polaris trail boss and suzuki eiger 4x4 all of them have been very reliable, so any of the name brand you should be happy with i like shaft drive the honda and ,suzuki have that polaris have a belt . but never had a problem the 500 4x4 is a real popular machine

 

H1...that means Hemi Head if my research is correct?

More zuki talk...keeps getting my curosity up....I hope I have time in the am to look at the zuki's.

So I was incorrect in that the AC only has one brake control. That's a good thing.

Thanks

 

first ty so very much for your service to this great country. if it weren't for guys like you ,we woundn't even be talking about such things.


now with that said. do your homework seriously before you buy. have you looked at any of the can-ams? my 500xt will and does out perform a grissly 700. the power in a can-am is 30 to 50 % more then the bikes in there class. also the xt models come loaded. by the time you add on all the extras to the other models youv'e gone way over the price of a can-am.so look at them all before you buy. which ever you chose hope you can get home safe and soon to ride. please thank all the service men and women for there services for me.

 

dont buy a can-am because their 4WD system is even worse than polaris. its called viskolok. its a hydraulic 4WD, where the front wheel that isnt spinning has to build up enough pressure in the viskolok system before that 4th tire will spin also, and if you let off the throttle only for a second, you have to rebuild the pressure once again. i will once again refer you to only buy AC or Yamaha. yes suzuki has all the features of the other, but with even less ground clearance of 9.9" and probably isnt made in the USA. the H in H1 does stand for hemi-head. its offer more complete and efficient combustion. also a hell of a lot of power. trust me, i would not continuously return to this same thread and post and post and post if i was not trying to help you out. i have ridden atvs from every brand and can assure you over and over that you will be the most satisfied with either an Arctic Cat or a Yamaha. as always i will put AC as #1 but Yamaha in a close 2nd. i would definately steer clear of can-am because, it has a touchy throttle and at low speeds it lurges, also when you accelerate hard it about rips your arms off, the visko-lok can-am 4WD is actually only 3WD. one front tire has to spin enough to build up enough pressure in the hydraulic system before it will engage and makes the machine extremely loud, and ive saw a lot of belts go. the suspension is rough also. yamaha and arctic cat have full underbody skid plates, where you have to pay for all underskids on can-am. honda is the smallest and least powerful of the atvs in its class, is hard to steer and darts a bit, also only has 3WD tops. 3 speed transmission on honda sucks compared to a hi/lo setup. suzuki has only 9.9" ground clearance, less torque than an AC and Y, a lot of effort to steer zukis, cheap paper filters vs foam filters, the belt exhaust is low and vulnerable to water. kawasaki lacks consistant engine braking, has a brake lever diff lock you have to hold, has a lot of rollover and is tippy on corners. polaris is heavy and loud, has only 2W engine braking IF you pay for engine braking extra. polaris burns out a lot of belts and ruins a lot of boots. low mounted radiator and is known for having a lot of unsealed wiring. and once again they have only 3WD until the tires spin enough to engage the 4th, once again you lose before you gain with polaris. the choice is clear, is you want the power, ground clearance, suspension travel and reliabiltiy go with the AC, if you want its closest competition go with the Y. i wouldnt wander any further than either of those if you want reliabilty and performance.

 

i think you should let him decide for himself. or better yet you could buy him an ac since your so sure of it. maybe you could hold his hand while riding also,MR.HELPER