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| Moderated by: zac41, Voodoo, QUADAHOLIC, OSOKILL, MtnOuty, Kratos, fmj40, chilty24, cc1999 |
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| Dear Arctic Cat Owners - Arctic Cat - ATVs - Can-Am Headquarters ...Aurora Wheelers ATV Forum | ||||||||||||||||
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Folgers Director of Entertainment 
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Dear Arctic Cat Owners, I currently own a 2003 Honda Rancher, but I might buy an Arctic Cat someday. I have a few questions about Arctic Cats: 1. How do Arctic Cats do in deep mud, or with oversize tires? 2. Are Arctic Cats dependable machines? 3. How do Arctic Cats handle on rocky terrain? 4. How much can an Arctic Cat pull? 5. How do Arctic Cats do in deep snow? If someone could answer these questions, I would really appreciate It. Make sure to check out my "Coffee Can Idea" in the Honda forum! Bye for now! 
____________________ Wheelers: 04' Rancher, 03' Rancher, 88' Fourtrax. Cars: 06' HHR, 05' Focus. Trucks: 02' Ranger, 90' F-250, 79' F-150, 77' F-250, 66' F-250. Boat: 90' 18-foot Ranger Fisherman 85HP tiller. Future vehicles: M35A2 6x6 cargo truck (2009), Sr's hot rod, and the 598 drag truck. |
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thecat3290
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I had a 2006 650 V-2 and I traded out for an Outlander 800. ACs ARE VERY TOP HEAVY! It is a workout to ride one. The ground clearance on them are GREAT though. It seemed to be very reliable but I only had it for 200 miles or so. If you are going to work it or just ride in deep mud/snow in a STRAIGHT LINE they're great. Trail riding on the other hand, its a handfull and will get wear ya out. They have descent power but are about 130 lbs heavier (mine was a limited with the front and back bumpers and winch, around 750lbs) than most of the big bores and being only a 650, it seemed a little slow. Of course at high speed, it was scary being so top heavy. They come with standard 26" radials but I went down to 25" Mudlites. Not to talk you out of it but it just wasn't the right bike for my type of riding. Hope this helps. Last edited on Wed Jun 28th, 2006 02:14 pm by thecat3290 |
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One arm wheeler Member
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My wife never complains about our CAT My step son and daughter also don't have troubleshandeling it either! I find it prety nice to throw around but then again I only have One Arm that works! Thats why my Polaris 700 is my prefered ride! I like throwing that heavy macine around! Ohh by the wayb the kids also don't have any trouble with the 700 either! But then again they are 12 & 15!!  
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outlandish AWF Admin 
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Ohh by the wayb the kids also don't have any trouble with the 700 either! But then again they are 12 & 15!! I have heard from many guys that the Cats are tippy and top heavy and some have added aftermarket wheels and or spacers to make it "feel" more stable........Most agree they are fine in "normal" riding conditions but you never know whats around the next corner 
____________________  ***AWF Now Makes Custom Decals *** |
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Outybomber Member 
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First off, I'm not an AC owner, but it seems to me that the people I know that ride them flip and tip them over much more frequently than non AC riders. I've only ridden a 04 650 twin briefly, but the body roll felt excessive to me.
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OSOKILL Admin Assist/ Enforcer 
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one of my huntin buddies has a 650 twin and he has complained since day one that the front end "loads up" in a corner or steering downhill. he was going down a steep incline and he had to turn a little and the front end loaded up (dived) and the back came over and mowed em down rear endo style :(
____________________ Team Outty 800 Member #24 |
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thecat3290
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EXACTLY! Down hill turning is kinda scary and uphill turning, the inside tire will come off the ground. Softening the front end makes the bike nose dive in turns and stiffening it just makes it snowplow thru turns. I think that AC is the only bike that doesn't come with a sway bar but they do make an aftermarket 1 for it and everyone told me that it makes a HUGE difference but I didn't bother, I wasn't going to spend any more $ on a bike I didn't like. (<-- that's what the english teachers call a run-on sentence!) They may have added it to the new '07 700 but I'm not sure. In deep mud or snow, its probably the best bike out there but since us hillybillies in the Ozarks only get about 10" of snow a year I had no use for it.
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hoopie Member
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I have an 05 500 Manual Cat and i dont find it tippy at all at casual trail speeds. Only at severe declines or inclines but its the same on the BF and grizzly. The more ground clearance you have the more tippy you are. For trail riding, rock crawling and riding in the mud and snow they are great. they are not fast quads and are not meant to be driven fast. but i can fly through the trail at speeds around 30mph just as good as my outlander 650. Its speeds above that were its out of its comfort range. But at the same time its a way better rock crawler and mudder than my outlander is. As far as reliablity the 500's are the most reliable quad Cat makes and manual is basicly maintence free besides changing the oil. Also after changeing to aftermarket rims and tires the quad is night and day better in handling and stabilty. if your a casual trail rider and love to play in the mud and snow and need a workhorse its the perfect quad. If you like to fly through the trails go get a outlander or a kingquad.
____________________ 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 700 Ricochette Skids 26in mudlight XTRs Yamaha front\rear bumpers cargo box Gorilla 3000 Winch 2006 650 Can-Am Outlander Max XT Works Pro G Series Shocks Ricochette Skid 25in BigHorn 3000lb gorilla winch Quad Boss storage 2005 Polaris Predator LE Twin air clam on filter with Pure Polaris exhaust Pro Armor full skid |
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wearywonderer Member
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 Hey, I felt that.....Well, like they said, it is a great work horse. I have figured out the going up hill stuff, I kinda lay out on the bike.. Like OSO said, I found other ways to go down hill than on the rubber side.....
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OSOKILL Admin Assist/ Enforcer
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Welcome aboard Weary
____________________ Team Outty 800 Member #24 |
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OSOKILL Admin Assist/ Enforcer
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thecat3290 wrote: EXACTLY! Down hill turning is kinda scary and uphill turning, the inside tire will come off the ground. Softening the front end makes the bike nose dive in turns and stiffening it just makes it snowplow thru turns. I think that AC is the only bike that doesn't come with a sway bar but they do make an aftermarket 1 for it and everyone told me that it makes a HUGE difference Who makes the aftermarket ones for it and where do you get em
____________________ Team Outty 800 Member #24 |
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hoopie Member
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arctic cat makes them as an accesorie in there catalog. go to arcticcat.com and click on accesories and open the pdf. Its in there. so any AC dealer can get it for you
____________________ 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 700 Ricochette Skids 26in mudlight XTRs Yamaha front\rear bumpers cargo box Gorilla 3000 Winch 2006 650 Can-Am Outlander Max XT Works Pro G Series Shocks Ricochette Skid 25in BigHorn 3000lb gorilla winch Quad Boss storage 2005 Polaris Predator LE Twin air clam on filter with Pure Polaris exhaust Pro Armor full skid |
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wearywonderer Member
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2004-05 650 is what I have, will need to look into this more.... THanks ALL.....
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thecat3290
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I think the V-2 and H-1 frames might be different so you'd make sure you get the right one. Not sure cause I never bought it but someone told me that in arcticchat.com forum. I believe it shortens your GC abit but AC has around 13" so I think you have some to spare!
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Havasuoutee800 Member
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My wife and I both had 03 400's as our first guads. They are good for flat trail riding and rock crawling. They were scary sidehilling and underpowered for hill climbing. They were top heavy and just felt uneasy on fairly steep descents. We replaced them with the 800 Outlanders. The same sidehills and descents that used to get the pucker factor going on the AC's are a breeze now. That may have been because they were are first quads, and we are more experienced riders now. Reliable though, no problems.
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hoopie Member
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I own a Can-AM 650 MAX also. They are very differnt machines, almost exact opposites. My 500 Cat crawls throught the mud where my Outlander gets stuck and spins. The BRP is a better trail quad though being more narrow and lower to the ground for better stability. Not that the cat is bad there but it definelty requires more work and not sporty at all. You dont need much groud clearance for casual trail riding. Only in Mudding and rock crawling does it more ground clearance give you an advantage. For doing work though and loading up the racks I prefer my Cat. As far as reliablilty so far each have about 500 miles on them and both have been bullet proof but the cat is less maintenance. I wish I had the 700 cat though to better compare because the power difference between the 650 and 500 is huge. My final thought on this is that if you plan on doing mostly work, hunting, ride rough trails, mud holes, and rock crawl get the Cat. If you do more casual trail riding, higher speed riding, and the occasional mud hole, and work get the Outlander. IMO
____________________ 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 700 Ricochette Skids 26in mudlight XTRs Yamaha front\rear bumpers cargo box Gorilla 3000 Winch 2006 650 Can-Am Outlander Max XT Works Pro G Series Shocks Ricochette Skid 25in BigHorn 3000lb gorilla winch Quad Boss storage 2005 Polaris Predator LE Twin air clam on filter with Pure Polaris exhaust Pro Armor full skid |
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Circa2000 Member 
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You have the 650 Max, The standard would be alot better in the mud in my opinion.... Not really a fair comparison. Although I would say stock the outlander isnt the best in mud, but add some mud tires and your all set.
____________________ Current: 2007 Outty 650XT - Loaded Before: 2005 Honda 450 Foreman **MY 2007 OUTTY 650XT PICS** |
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hoopie Member
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I ride with a guy who has a 800 standard with 27 xtr's and a guy on a 800 max with 27's and sometimes the max is better and sometimes the standard is better in the mud. it really depends on the terrain of that whole. Sometimes the longer wheelbase helps get more grip in the mud hole and sometimes on climbing out of the hole the long wheelbase cause the max to get hung up. Neither is better, just depends on the terrain. They are great atv's.
____________________ 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 700 Ricochette Skids 26in mudlight XTRs Yamaha front\rear bumpers cargo box Gorilla 3000 Winch 2006 650 Can-Am Outlander Max XT Works Pro G Series Shocks Ricochette Skid 25in BigHorn 3000lb gorilla winch Quad Boss storage 2005 Polaris Predator LE Twin air clam on filter with Pure Polaris exhaust Pro Armor full skid |
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KenDog1 Member 
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Hello all,just found this place and have to chime in here.I have an '04 650 V-2 and with the 6000+ klms I have put on this machine have never put it over and I ride it hard and in places I probably shouldn't go.It all depends on experience IMHO and knowing your limitations,there have been times (not darn many  ) where I have had to say "no dice" but wasn't the only one to back out either.
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outlandish AWF Admin
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Welcome to the forum kendog1!
____________________ ***AWF Now Makes Custom Decals *** |
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massmudder Member 
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ive owned 3 cats total 04 650 vtwin,06 h-1 and a 06 400le not one felt top heavy to me up hill or down hill, as a matter of fact i wish i kept the h-1 instead of buying my new 06 max xt dont get me wrong i like the max but its just not the machine they make it to be imo. its an awsum ride power and drive train is awsum but thats where the trail ends sads but true imo. my issue with it has been ground clearence, tin racks and bumpers,shocks that are not right for this machine at all and the plastics you cant even compare to cat. sorry to say guys but thats how i feel imo. for the 13,000 dollars ive got invested between the machine 29,5 laws,climax wheels,ricochet skids,htd grips,rad guard etc etc i wish i kept my h-1 sad thing is its 2-1/2 mos old has just turned 300 miles and its up for sale $9.000 or best offer Attachment: tn_max 29.5s.jpg (Downloaded 202 times) Last edited on Thu Oct 5th, 2006 01:19 am by massmudder |
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hoopie Member
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I can understand that massmudder. I own both a 05 cat 500 Manual and a 06 650 outlander max and there the exact opposite for quads. If your a cat fan I dont think you would like the outlanders and if your an outlander fan i dont think you would like the cats. the outlanders are great at speed and power and sporty handling but not nearly as good in the ruff stuff as the cats with the ground clearance and 4x4 system. Personally i think the outlander is the best trail quad and the cat is the best extreme terrain quad and what you like depends on where you ride and your riding style.
____________________ 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 700 Ricochette Skids 26in mudlight XTRs Yamaha front\rear bumpers cargo box Gorilla 3000 Winch 2006 650 Can-Am Outlander Max XT Works Pro G Series Shocks Ricochette Skid 25in BigHorn 3000lb gorilla winch Quad Boss storage 2005 Polaris Predator LE Twin air clam on filter with Pure Polaris exhaust Pro Armor full skid |
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