Rode a Cat 700 and have a few ?

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ACLakey
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Rode a Cat 700 and have a few ?

Postby ACLakey » Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:55 am

I rode a Cat 700 last night for about a half hour and was impressed by the machine. Here is a brief description of my thoughts.

I looked the quad over and my first thought was Dam this thing has some ground clearance! Everything looked to be well constructed and the plastic had a nice fit and finish. The small puny stock tires just looked out of place in the large fenders, but that can easily be fixed. What can I say about the racks…..FINALLY A QUAD MANUFACTURE GETS IT!! Great racks, lots of room and very well constructed! I loved the full size receiver hitch on the rear of the machine, and from the looks of the construction of the rear bumper you could stuff a winch back there…nice. The gage and display could be a little larger, but that is a minor thing.

Climbing on the machine the first thing I noticed is this is a big quad! She is tall and wide, but with my big frame it fit me well (good thing I am not afraid of heights). The quad is not overly wide at the feet and it had a good, neutral rider position. The seat was long and narrow, but could be a little softer (I know I am picky). I loved the size and construction of the foot wells, my big work boots fit well. The bars felt a little different, not bad, just different. It feels as if they are straight up and down, could have been how the mechanic put them together. The gear selector was easy to reach and use.

Enough talking let’s fire her up! The quad started quickly and easily with a push of the button. It quickly idled down and ran smoothly. In low it had plenty of power in every situation we were in (Mountains and High desert country). In high I found it a little slow to around 15mph then she took off like mad. Is this normal? We climbed a good sized cut bank with about a 2:1 slope. The cat climbed it easily in either high or low range. In corners I noticed a little side to side motion, not tippy just not what I am used to. I am sure a sway bar would take care of this. It handled trail obstacles and rocks very nicely. This thing has a great suspension setup! Going down a steep grade the steering felt a little twitchy when trying to turn. It did not take much to get the quad to change direction and with the flexible suspension I felt a little uneasy. I am sure a lot of it is not being used to the machine. I do not care for the single break lever….please give me a hand break on the right side! They felt as if the front breaks did most of the work when squeezing the lever. This made the quad dive forward when grabbing the brake lever. Again, on a steep downhill I did not feel very comfortable with the steering and I am sure the break setup added to it. I found myself on the foot break instead of the hand break in these situations.

Overall I liked the quad enough to talk to a dealer later today. It has a confidence inspiring feel to it, as if you can climb over any obstacle in the trail. If I get a 700 I would have to add front and rear brush guards, wheels and tires, hand guards and a sway bar. I would also look into an aftermarket break kit with separate break controls. Is there enough room in the front brush guard for a 3000lb winch? Any other mods or aftermarket products that are a must have for this quad?

Thanks.

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Re: Rode a Cat 700 and have a few ?

Postby d2photo » Fri Mar 23, 2007 7:23 am

Junfan wrote:
What can I say about the racks…..FINALLY A QUAD MANUFACTURE GETS IT!! Great racks, lots of room and very well constructed! I loved the full size receiver hitch on the rear of the machine, and from the looks of the construction of the rear bumper you could stuff a winch back there…nice. The gage and display could be a little larger, but that is a minor thing.
Still love the rack system on my V2. and the receiver hitch, I keep a D ring in there when on the trail. I have a few links for you on attaching a rear winch, as other have done it.

Junfan wrote:The gear selector was easy to reach and use.
I know Ken and a few of the guys have a problem with the position. I think its just more of what you are used to.
Junfan wrote:In corners I noticed a little side to side motion, not tippy just not what I am used to. I am sure a sway bar would take care of this. It handled trail obstacles and rocks very nicely. This thing has a great suspension setup!
I have thought about a sway bar myself. When I first got my kitty, I remember thinking man this this sure has a lot of body roll. Came to find out later (this is my FIRST quad) that it was more the tires than anything and my inexperience with quads in general.

The sway bar will take care of the trail riding roll. Tires will take care of the front turn push.
Junfan wrote: I do not care for the single break lever….please give me a hand break on the right side! They felt as if the front breaks did most of the work when squeezing the lever. This made the quad dive forward when grabbing the brake lever. Again, on a steep downhill I did not feel very comfortable with the steering and I am sure the break setup added to it. I found myself on the foot break instead of the hand break in these situations.
Again, I never had a problem with this, but I have never been on another quad for comparison. A case of never knew to miss??
Junfan wrote:Is there enough room in the front brush guard for a 3000lb winch? Any other mods or after market products that are a must have for this quad?
There is PLENTY of room in the brush guard for the 3k winch. I have the 2500 cat sells, manly due to price (got it with the cats, $49/per) so If it dies after warranty I'll put a bigger one in then.

Dynotek (sp) is making a CDI box for this although unless you are really mudding with this thing , probably overkill.

I see you also posted on the other site. I'm sure you will get ALL of your concerns questions answered there as well..
Thanks.[/quote]
D2
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'06 650 V2 Cat (roll count - 3) (rides w/o roll - 40

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Re: Rode a Cat 700 and have a few ?

Postby Ken » Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:03 am

d2photo wrote:I know Ken and a few of the guys have a problem with the position. I think its just more of what you are used to.

The look on Jack's face trying to get your quad off Winch hill 5 after you rolled, is all I needed to see.

If you're trail riding....no problem. Steep inclines...real steep? Prepare to reach across with your right hand.
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ACLakey
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Postby ACLakey » Fri Mar 23, 2007 12:53 pm

I would very much like to see a break lever on both sides of the bars. Makes it very difficult to walk along side, or hold your quad in a position if you don't have more break options.


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