I drive a 2 seater CanAm. It is a little longer than your typical bike and all the weight of the extra rider is between the axles. We ride in Arkansas a lot and it sure makes a difference when going up hills. In responce to your post, I know several people that ride Artic Cats and they really like them and the service is great I hear.
It is the HD series of 4 wheelers. A friend of mine is a big time artic cat fan and he has me sold on them. Extremely tough and durable. If u want a manuel shift bike I would go with the 500 4x4 if you want an automatic get the 700H1. I havent seen too many problems with his till he lifted it. He has the older 650h1 has a 6" gorrila lift, 32" siverbacks with a 15hp shot of nitrous. He sunk it twice in sandy water and shortly after started smoking. In stock form with a good set of tires they are great bikes.