Wondering if any fellow members have any expierence with either of these models of atvs. I'm looking at purchasing a Polaris Sportsman 700 twin, or an Arctic Cat H1 650. The Polaris is EFI, cat is carbed. The Polaris has a 6 month warranty while the cat is 2 years. Price difference is $800 between the two, so price isn't to big of a factor.
If anyone has good/bad information on these models, I would appreciate any feedback. They are both 2006's, brand new.

 

Stick with the Polaris Sportsman 700 twin. Independent Rear suspension is great.

I had an Polaris 500 HD - Ducks Unlimited Edition. It drove very smooth through the trails. Ending up selling it for a boat though.

The polaris is the leader of the pack. I was a member of a huntclub and all members used 4wheelers - must have been around 40, all different types too. The Polaris was always at the top in performance. Easy to do modds to also.
good luck.

 

I had a Sportsman 700, but I hated the auto tranny, so I sold it and bought a Yamaha Big Bear 350. Other than the tranny, it was great. Highly recommended.

 

what ever you choose make sure it has a locking front end!
My wife and I both own honda atvs. My rubicon is great and the transmission is just flat out the best in my opinion. But there have been to many times that I Wish it had a locker in the front. true 4wd

 

If you pull in the front brake handle and continue with throttle you will have a front locker...

 

TRITON_MOTORS,

If you want a reliable atv go with honda. If you want a big bore 4x4 with lots of power go with a bomb outlander or kawasaki bruteforce 750.

I have been riding since 83 and average 5,000 miles a year on an atv. Polaris is not tops on my list.

 

If price isn't a factor I would look at the John Deere ATV's. They are pretty sharp looking. I've test driven one and I really liked it.
http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCa...ck_series.html

 

Excuse my spelling here but the Deere is nothing more that a Bombardier with green plastic and a higher price tag. The Bombs are excellent though, and the 4X4 is amazing. They will even turn on a dime on the blacktop without jumping. They took the 4X4 design from the old jeeps.

I would say one of these or any Honda. Toss the Suzuki King in there as well.

 

What are you gonna be using it for and what is important to you?

Hondas may not be the fastest or most powerful ATV out there, but they last forever. Like 04 Red Lariat, I've been riding since '83 and Honda has never let me down. I've got a 350 Rancher ES 4x4 and a 500 Foreman ES 4x4 that I use daily on the farm. No problems out of either of them.

 

Yes im very aware of the hit the brake trick. But it will never replace a locking front end. Just ask any rock crawler or serious mudder how they feel about hitting the brake while trying to make forward progress.

most of the time the "brake trick" is a debate brought on buy Honda owners that are blind because of brand loyalty. I am not that type of HOnda owner.

In fact you will find many companies that sell lockers for my honda rubicon. Why would they do this if all you have to do is engage the brake to make all 4 wheels turn?

im not being harsh or trying to start a debate, I too have many miles on my 4 year old rubicon. and beleive me I know what its lacking, and I also Know what Ill be looking for when I buy my next atv.

 

goto www.dirtwheelsmag.com and look under test.
youll find a great review on the ACAT 650 4x4.

 

nice rewrite....said the same thing but in a better way. I was gonna comment but didnt want to start anything.

 

Thanks for all the replys!! The Arctic Cat 650 H1 is really stuck on me. I like the fact it has a 6.5 gallon fuel tank and a 2" hitch reciever like my truck. Just about all the quads I've looked at have a locking diff. The sportsman has either 2 wheel drive or full time four wheel drive. Most of the other manufactures have 2 wheel drive then a button for 4 wheel drive with a lever to lock the diff.
For the people who own quads now, how well do the non EFI versions start in the winter? I would use the quad for ice fishing, and we all know how cold it can get. I would also purchase a plow for the front of it for winter time snow removal at the cottage. Temps can be -25F on some mornings.

 

Me either, I upgraded to a kawasaki brute 750 last year.

 

Yeah it's pretty much the same thing. There are a few diff. things on them but not much. The price tag doesn't have that much of a difference in it.
I'm just wondering if I'm the only one who likes the manual transmission more than the automatic transmission. They pull better in mud and when in rough terrain.