Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's New bike!

Atv was just shipped....getting ready to un-crate....

Drum roll...

Send it back while it's still in the box.

Says a Ford guy to a Toyota guy.

nah...I don't think so...A bargain and what should be a great bike.
Should complement my grizzly quite well.
I wanted a machine to feed the livestock, haul deer, etc...pic to come.

Camera was mia.

you get to uncrate it ?

Yep, sure did.

Sorry for the lapse....been so busy with the yuletide; and I finally found the camera.
Haven't snapped a picture of the darn thing...I'll get 'er done.

Was looking for a clean bike for the wife last April. As a devoted Yamaha (and to lesser extent, Honda) guy I was pretty apprehensive to buy elsewhere but stumbled on a super clean and reasonable Arctic Cat 500.

After purchasing that bike, I became a fan of AC machines. They are smooth, powerful and really maintenance friendly.
I decided to try out Cat's bed-style TBX, and sold the 500. Wife loves our 660 grizzly anyway.

Found a killer deal....
These bikes are $5999 at Heinan's Powersports--but one has to watch for their sales and Arctic Cat incentives--that price is about $4000 less than a comparably equipped new Grizzly, and I personally wanted the big box to haul feed, hay, wood, occasional whitetail deer.
Some features:
700 liquid cooled engine
elec. diff lock
EFI
Power steering--love it.
Full gauges incl. digital tach, very cool.
Fully indep. suspension
2" rear receiver.

I have a new full front brush guard/winch and NOS rear articulating bumper with integrated rear winch mount to install on mine.
I'll update my experiences both good and bad with it.

the frame and suspension on the artic cat will never take the beating the grizz will.

I believe that, swr.

But a guy would have to really work at beating up either of them.
If that kind of frame and suspension-taxing workload is anticipated, a guy should probably be using a solid-axled Foreman...been there and done that.
Bullet-proof bikes, but how my back survived I'll never know.

nice ride.....

keep the shiney side up .............^^^^^^^

I'm not an Arctic Cat guy, BUT, you certainly got a heck of a deal, and I like the features on that one. I think I could like that myself, especially for the price. They didn't set it up for you? I'm surprised they shipped it in the box. I'm not used to seeing that. Not sure you could do that with a Polaris and have it run when you opened the box.

Why do people call quads 'bikes'? Quike would be more appropriate.

It's funny you ask that, Jack. They didn't completely set this bike up other than fluids, it was actually crated with two gallons of gas. They sent me a FI code to put in because all AC bikes throw a U1000 code from new. It is the way the factory sets it up so the dealer registers the bike for factory warranty when the machine is sold...it is recoded with bike-specific, factory-provided numbers. Easy to do, I had it coded in 30 seconds.

Chuck, I think "bike" comes from the whole handlebar thing.....

Was the gas in the tank or in a separate sealed container? When gas is aboard, the hazmat rules kick in. Most common carriers won't take anything with gas in the tank.

I asked the dealer if he was filling the tank/fluids prior to crating and he said 'yes' to all fluids, and the gas tank about 'half-full,'

I was also thinking that gas would make the shipment illegal/hazardous, but he didn't seem to think that it was an issue. I uncrated and fired it up.

Yes, it's an issue, and highly illegal unless it's properly documented and placarded. If he gets caught, the fines are very large. I'll bet the truckers hauling them don't know about it because if something goes wrong, it's their butts, too.
In a hot, closed truck, the fumes are very flammable. Any spark can light it up.

Thanks for the insights, I'm going to email the dealer and relay that info. It certainly makes sense to me and I thought such was the case anyway.

So, with two years of saddle time with this bike, I figured I'd post an update.
As a diehard Yamaha and Honda guy (My wife has a newer Rubicon) I had some trepidation buying anything but those brands. The main reason I purchased this brand and model was the rear dump box which I use daily for feeding cattle,. No one else makes that feature so I opted for the AC machine.
I gave $5999 for this one brand new. The bike was shipped from Minnesota and that cost another $500, so $6500 all in. This same atv is is $9,999 locally.

Operation over the 800 miles I've accumulated has been flawless. The 700 fuelie engine purrs at idle and rips like a raped ape when throttled.
I have a plow on the bike and that implement has been excellent, far smoother than my last 660 griz given the heavier AC chassis, the power steering, and the far less clunky transmission. The Yamaha was awful for back and forth shifting while plowing. The AC is silky smooth. Belt drive has been solid as a rock.

The fuel injection has been outstanding. The 660 griz needed manual choking. The Cat is butta for starting, idling and running. The bike won't rev in park...It sputters and coughs. I don't know why A/C did that. I simply put the machine in neutral, apply parking brake and it revs normal.
Brakes are excellent. Discs all around, braided lines--no issues. The parking brake is hydraulic--huge perk--no stretched cable.
The electronic power steering is fantastic. No issues with the system. The bike has a wide turning radius, advantage to the griz there. Probably my only complaint.
Power is excellent. Fuel economy is probably 20-25% better than the carbed 660 Yamaha.
Gauges, lights and electrics have been trouble-free. The factory battery sucked! I replaced with a lithium ion and that was a smart move. Extended winching and power draw isn't an issue. The lithium cell is a must-have for this bike!
The truck-style receiver hitch is excellent, huge advantage to AC here, my last Grizzly 660 broke *three* pot metal rear hitches, they are a known flaw.
I added a rear 4500# winch, I use it constantly for logging.

The bike hauls a hefty whitetail with ease. It's really nice being able to grab up a deer and toss it in the box for the ride home.
I hit a deer doing 40mph with this bike. I have a factory push bar on it, and I was glad for it. I broke the deer's back. Called F&G, shot it, hauled it home. Bike never missed a beat, would have never known that it happened.
So....all in all, this bike has been an absolute joy. I was prepared to sell it if I wasn't happy, but I simply l love the practicality of it all, and it's a hoot to ride. It's a sporty bike in spite of it's size. and I'd highly recommend to a friend at the two year point! I didn't know if I'd be saying that two years ago.
At my price point it's been a steal.