Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: boraticus
What I've found is that the domestic brands Arctic Cat and Polaris had very good products as long as they used Japanese engines and drive systems. AC was partially owned by Suzuki and part of the deal was to use Suzuki components. The result of that arrangement was the productions of some very good machines. However, AC and Polaris wanted to start building their own engines to bolster the "American made" image. Problem with that is inferior engines and problematic machines.
In the last five years I've bought two new AC atvs and a couple Polaris snowmobiles. All machines are Japanese powered. I will not be buying anything from AC or Polaris in the future if it's powered with a home built engine. Not going to happen. I'll switch to one of the big four from Japan.
Their quest for "American made" is simply window dressing to appeal to a certain market. Many of the engine/machine components are made in China. So much for American made??
I'm not a marketing expert but I do know a good thing when I see it. Anyone with minimal experience with anything mechanical made in Japan is aware that the quality of those products is beyond reproach. How Arctic Cat and Polaris could possibly think that they could equal that level of quality any time soon is beyond me. The had a good thing going using Suzuki and Fuji power plants. They should have kept it that way.
I did have a Honda ATV that had some issues with some something to do with the tranny and a computer 'chip' or something. Made me very disappointed in Honda since I really liked them previously. But for the most part you are right. I do however think the engine in my quad IS made in Japan....or at least designed there. Doesn't matter much to me anymore. I'm done with guy 'toys' (I hate that phrase). I've wasted too much money trying to have fun....when all I do is end up paying and wishing I never bought whatever it was I bought. For me now life is more than just how fast or how long you can ride a motorized machine. Getting older now and enjoy much more basic things.
I've been in that mode for a couple decades now. Don't care about speed anymore. Been there done that and there's always someone and something faster. It's a game that no one can stay on top of forever.
All I want from my equipment is reasonable performance and above all reliability and durability.
When I bought my 2006 and 2007 ATVs, I made sure that I was getting relatively simple, reliable and decent performing machines. That's why I bought Suzuki power Arctic Cats with carbureted 500cc engines. They're a proven design with an excellent reliability/durability record.
Despite that, I was not very happy with the 2006 ATV because it's an automatic. Never owned one before and will never buy another one.
After less than one year with the auto, I bought myself a 2007 AC 500 with manual transmission. I'm totally pleased with that one. That's my stealth hunting ATV. It's soooooo much quieter than the auto and pretty much outperforms the auto in every regard other than ease of operation.
The auto is now relegated to the around the camp workhorse and for guests/wife to use. A chimp can drive that thing. That's the only upside to an auto in my opinion.
I'm not particularly happy with CV joint/boot arrangement on ATVs these days either. My old Suzuki ATVs had a form of exposed universal join that never caused problems. Within a couple months of owning the AC auto, I was replacing a CV joint boot which was torn on piece of brush sticking out of the ground.
Have you ever replaced a CV joint boot? Little bit of work/expense involved. That's for sure.
