I'm looking at getting one of these soon. What are the pros and cons of this machine? I've heard stories that they didn't have the power to really turn big mud tires, is this true? Anyone had any problems with them? What about the pricing on them?

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I looked at one the other day at the dealer.First I didn't like the frame at all.Looks kinda punny to me for such a big bike.Also didn't like the weight of it.Dealer said it was 800 pounds,not sure of that,but that is alot.Also had a conversation with him about articats answer to the CAN-AM 800.And with the weight of it still will not keep up with the CAN-AM. Also it's really top heavy and no extra ground clearance.Price was 10,500. Do what you want but I'd ride both (or others for that matter) before you buy.

The Thundercat is faster then the Can-Am. The Thundercat actuall handles better then most of the other ACs because of the way the seat is designed you ride about 2 inches lower, so you have the sense of riding in the bike, not on top of it. The GC is the same as the other ACs with that frame. It weighs that much because it has a bigass engine in it. You will have all the power you need to turn bigger tires and if you don't you can do the 1400cc mod. Bore out the cylinders and throw in the 700 cylinders, giving it 1400cc. The first Thundercats off of the production line did have some problems, but those have been sorted out. You will not be dissapointed with the Thundercat.

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2007 AC 650 H1
2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT
1994 Chevrolet Silverado

I know the Thundercat is fuel injected so would doing the 1400 cc upgrade give it any more power? Has anyone done this and then compared it to a stock one? I'm not worried about the weight or size part of it. When they first started having boggin in the dirty south I ran a 700 sportsman with a gorrilla axle lift. I'm more worried about the belt handling the big tires in a sticky situation????

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Very fast 03 mustang gt FOR SALE!!!!
Please spread the word, need another four wheeler!!!
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I have heard about 2 people that have done the 1400cc mod. I'm not sure what all it takes because i was told about this on another forum. But i did talk to the guy that saw one of these run and he said that you can't floor it on pavement or else your tires will just burn right off, and in the loose stuff you can make 50ft rooster tails. The belts on the newer bikes(07 and up) are designed differently then the older ones and they won't break(but never say never, because im sure they can)

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2007 AC 650 H1
2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT
1994 Chevrolet Silverado

That's good. Can you give me a link to where you read about this big bore kit? I was just worried about the thick mud and big tires causing the belt to slip. Lot's of bikes that are that powerfull will overpower the belt and smoke it.

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Very fast 03 mustang gt FOR SALE!!!!
Please spread the word, need another four wheeler!!!
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There are many pro and con arguments - yes they are fast, however consider a few things, how fast can you safely go on trails. You can only get so much traction based on the weight of the machine so how much usable power are you really going to effectively be able to use.

Two things to keep in mind - safety, not only for yourself but for others.
Number two - too much power will only spin your tires, how much land can you destroy before the land owner closes their land and not allow any ATV's of any size....

This is just food for thought.

My personal feelings are that the engine is way too big. There are exceptions and those would deal more with race application or very heavy and hard utility work. But for pleasure trail riding the engine is way too much, and probably would cause more headaches than fun. Other than pulling some neat wheelies. Over the years I have learned that too much power is worse than not enough and that applies to puckups, jeeps etc etc... also.
If you are able to get the traction then be prepared to have broken parts like axles, cv joints etc....
Bigger doesn't mean better it only means faster - faster in speed, faster getting stuck, faster to get yourself hurt in the event that you make a mistake, faster to break parts etc....

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I DON'T PRACTICE AT BEING A DUMMY, IT COMES NATURAL
DON'T LAUGH AT ME, YOU CAN LEARN ALOT FROM A DUMMY!!!

03 Arctic Cat 400FIS automatic
Front tires - 25x8x12 Innova MudGear
Rear tires - 25x10x12 Sigma TBC MudCats
Front and Rear bumpers
1" spacers on all 4 wheels
3000# Xtreme waterproof winch
http://mysite.verizon.net/buckaroo39/

I understand what your saying. Maybe this will help. I'm not intersted in how fast it runs but how much torque it has. We do a lot of mud and creek riding. We ride in packs of 50 or more every weekend and never break 20 mph doing so. The creek riding is the reason I'm so interested in an AC. The airbox and belt are snorkled nearly to the handle bars from the factory and it has acordians (sp) on the front and rear diff. It's a great machine for creek riding. It also comes with a stiff suspension that doesn't sag when weighed down by mud and an ice chest. I had a sportsman previously and was pleased with the power and durability of the belt. I had a six inch lift and 29.5s and I could spin all four tires over in silt mud without the belt giving. However, I don't want to get something that will break down mechanically on me all the time. The sportsman did. I've heard stories of the Thundercat having problems turning big mud tire over in sticky situations and I need to know if that's true or not. I'd love to hear the good things about them but would rather hear the bad to help me make my decision. Everyone is welcome to throw in there 2 cents, I want to hear why you would or wouldn't buy one.

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Very fast 03 mustang gt FOR SALE!!!!
Please spread the word, need another four wheeler!!!
PM if interested or know someone's that's interested.

I checked on the 1400cc mod. It looks like that's for the Thundercat snowmobile.

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"You go first"

Very fast 03 mustang gt FOR SALE!!!!
Please spread the word, need another four wheeler!!!
PM if interested or know someone's that's interested.

I only read about it on another forum, i havn't seen any other evidence. On the other forum it said that they have done this to a few Thundercats, but since it is so new they arn't selling it or advertising it yet.

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2007 AC 650 H1
2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT
1994 Chevrolet Silverado

I agree that the engine is to big for a quad. It is getting insane and sooner or later it will cost all ATVer's in places to ride and insurance etc... I feel that the engine should be put in the prowler where a bigger unit could use the power. Having the ability to go 80 plus MPH on a utility is asking for trouble. The arguement that it just takes common sense doesn't wash with me either. Common sense says you don't need that much speed and if you need power or torque then you should be geared for that and not speed. TORK.

I agree. I couldn't care less about speed but to get the torque for a quad that heavy it's just something that comes with it most of the time.

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"You go first"

Very fast 03 mustang gt FOR SALE!!!!
Please spread the word, need another four wheeler!!!
PM if interested or know someone's that's interested.

I think that before anyone forms any opinions on the Thundercat that they should ride one first. Mine is absolutey outstanding and performs very well in all areas plus it blows away all the others.

Nice!

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Very fast 03 mustang gt FOR SALE!!!!
Please spread the word, need another four wheeler!!!
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I have owned mine for over a month now, they are in my opinion one of the best atvs ever built, the frames may look weak but no they are not, they are one of the most solid machines out there, as for spinning big mud tires maybe they might have problems with the Spike Load Dampener slipping but definetly not a power issue and I know people who are running big ass mud tires on these with out a problem, this is the most powerful atv on the market and they are not 800lbs they are 716 dry weight, I had an 06 650 V-2 I traded in for the T-Cat and the old 650s were 711lbs dry weight, the new T-Cat is not actually that heavy when compared to other cat models, and ride an 05- present 650 or 500 and then ride the t-cat there is a night and day difference there is pretty much 0 body roll in the T-Cat and you dont feel as high up and yes you do still have all your ground clearance. As far as puting the power to the ground yes you can light up the tires if you are not careful but this machine is smoother than pretty much anything els out there its way smoother than my old 650, Dont let people tell you its to powerful, yes it is a lot but cat pretty much made this bike to keep up with and beat the can am in the mud competitions, The best part about it is that it does not have Can Ams crap 4x4 system, its the real deal. I would highly reccomend this atv to anyone, until you ride it you can not say that Can Am or anything els is better. There are alot more things to an atv than just speed and the cat is prety much the most sturdy rugged atv out there, no can am or polaris comes close IMO the only thing close to it durability wise is the KAWI Brute. The only things to look out for on the cat is DO NOT GET ONE OF THE FIRST 80 the have big SLD issues and they snap motor mounts off the frame, they have many more issues than that but most of them are taken back already but the way to tell is in the last 6 digits in the VIN example 229096 22 means it was the second run of the production line and 96 means it was the 96th one now if the first two digits are 21 than that is one of the first 80 or so that had issues that would be the ones on the first run of the production line my T-Cat is the 95th one on the second run so any of the first two numbers 22 and up are good any ones that say 21 do not get because its one of the bad ones. If anyone wants anymore VIN details on cats let me know I can tell you, and being the first year of the T-Cat they are bound to have some first year issues like anything els let me know what on your mind I can tell you some of my first year glitches and most of them have the same first year problems. I have done lots and lots of research on the T-Cat and one of my dads best friends owns the CAT and KAWI dealer up north so he gives me all the inside info that usually never gets out in public.

Edited: 05/10/2008 at 01:14 PM by Sindelir

Hey thanks a lot. I will be getting one of them but I have to sell my mustang first. A local dealer has one in stock that someone ordered and backed out last min but it'll probably be gone by the time I get the car sold. I'm not too worried about it though, I'll find one somewhere. I might have to drive a ways to get it though.

-------------------------
"You go first"

Very fast 03 mustang gt FOR SALE!!!!
Please spread the word, need another four wheeler!!!
PM if interested or know someone's that's interested.