Polaris atv's Good or ?
#41
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: fort mcmurray alberta canada
Posts: 5,667
RE: Polaris atv's Good or ?
Our company bought several polarisrangers as a test project on our site.They were hoping that the smaller size,better gasmileageand lower cost compared to a 4x4 truck would be an advantage.For the first couple of months everyone liked them but after being used extensively every day,maintenance and dependability issues arose with the drivetrains.The rangers are now spending far more time in the repair shop than expected and the cost savings have disappeared.I doubt very much that we will be buying any more rangers,but the yamaha rhino is being considered
#42
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 8
RE: Polaris atv's Good or ?
Plain and simple...nope they are not good. We have one down in Mississippi and the primary example for my answer is this...We followed an old Honda 250 into a Duck hole, he was pulling a Duck blind behind him and had the four wheeler in so deep water was pouring over the front hood. We were in deep as well but our belt got wet and started slipping and we almost didn't make it out with our brand new Polaris 325. He was literally running right past us on land and running circles around us with a trailer and duck blind in water. You get in a sticky situation where you want and hope your four wheeler performs and like it or not that Polaris belt fails to impress/perform when you put torque it. I used to see mud holes and head for them, with the Polaris you just hope you can get around it....disappointing
#43
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 24
RE: Polaris atv's Good or ?
I dont think you can go wrong with a Honda. It is a quality company that makes a quality product. I personally own an 04 sportsman 700 and have had a blast with it. I ride hard and rough, and the only time I was in a bad way was when my battery died. I have damaged three cv boots and one joint. Other than that, I have been very happy with my purchase. I do wish I had the fuel injected version. But, at that time fuel injection was something new to Polaris. And that made me kind of nervous. So I went with the old tried and true carburator version. I'm no mechanic, but I could probably do some carb work on my own. Fuel injection ? That's a whole different animal. Really, the main reason I went with Polaris is because it is an american made product. One thing you might want to consider is a model with a recoil. Just in case your starter or battery peters out. And a winch is the best money you'll ever spend on an ATV accessory. Also, I would suggest the extended warranty. Generally, I say, to hell with extended warranties, because products like washers, driers, refridgerators, freezers, tv's and the like are gonna last a lot longer than any extended warranty. But for something that is made for rough riding, and your dealer knows it and offers an extended warranty (mine was $99/year - 4 years) for a good price. Take it ! I dont care which you prefer, Honda, Polaris, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Susuki, Artic Cat. Chances are you're gonna tear something up. And the warranty will more than pay for itself over time.
Hey ! ATV's are a lot of fun to ride, whether you use them for work or play.
Had it for three years and the fun hasn't wore off yet.
Hey ! ATV's are a lot of fun to ride, whether you use them for work or play.
Had it for three years and the fun hasn't wore off yet.
#45
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 15
RE: Polaris atv's Good or ?
ORIGINAL: cabage
ive been looking for an atv for about a year[ a small concession to the fact that i'm gettin a little older] anyway in my travels it looks like there is a number of really good machines out there. but in the process of looking i came to pretty much the same conclusions that cabbage did. i have a mechanical background so simplicity of design appeals a great deal and carrys considerable weight to me[suspension, trans, cooling style].on a quad , especially one used to hunt off of, should be of simple design[ no garages in the deep woods], the less to go wrong the better. a lot of manufactureers lose sight of that in order to produce the baddest boy on the block. price became the final consideration to me when it came to making my final choice. i didnt see the point in paying 6-7K for somthing that could be done by something costing 1/2 to 2/3 that number.[400 cc and a good transmission[belt technology,and enclosure designs[not all water tight] doesnt fit my bill]. my final choice was a new 2005 suzuki eiger non current with the manual trans[effectively a 10 spd] out the door for $ 3750. not perfect[body work quality is mediocre[ie., soft plastic], will be camo skinned so not a big issue], but pretty close .
I went to school for this stuff and have been around the industry for a while. The shop i worked at was independent of any manufacturers so in that manner i am not biased. What i have noticed, is that the wrenches always groaned when they saw a polaris rollin' up the drive. They, just like victory's, are a pain to work on, cause you need your metric and standard wrenches. Who was the geinus that thought that one up? Next in my opinion, a work oreinted quad should not have independent suspension, as its load capacitys are less, and the machines lean to much in off cambers and rough terrain being taller to accomadat the extra components for independence. Diff locks are a must, so then the conture of the suspension is not as crucial. When the ride gets, rough, you should probably stand up and slow down. If you want to ride trails hard core, get a sport quad. If you want a plush ride, your either a puss or your casual trail riding, in which the polaris fits just fine. Auto trannys and pushbutton shifting are junk as well. To many extras for mud and brush to mess up. Plus with pushbutton shifting, you can't use your left hand to hold onto odd shaped cargo, you need it to shift. If you can't manage to manuver a "manual transmission" shifter with your foot, then you don't belong on any quad. Liquid cooling is for the birds, just more to go wrong(not to be confused with oil cooling). Large displacement quads also confuse me. Anything that can't be done on 450 cc quad, don't belong being done by a quad. I guess you could say that i'm a minimalist.
I think thats all i got right now.
but i do feel better.
ive been looking for an atv for about a year[ a small concession to the fact that i'm gettin a little older] anyway in my travels it looks like there is a number of really good machines out there. but in the process of looking i came to pretty much the same conclusions that cabbage did. i have a mechanical background so simplicity of design appeals a great deal and carrys considerable weight to me[suspension, trans, cooling style].on a quad , especially one used to hunt off of, should be of simple design[ no garages in the deep woods], the less to go wrong the better. a lot of manufactureers lose sight of that in order to produce the baddest boy on the block. price became the final consideration to me when it came to making my final choice. i didnt see the point in paying 6-7K for somthing that could be done by something costing 1/2 to 2/3 that number.[400 cc and a good transmission[belt technology,and enclosure designs[not all water tight] doesnt fit my bill]. my final choice was a new 2005 suzuki eiger non current with the manual trans[effectively a 10 spd] out the door for $ 3750. not perfect[body work quality is mediocre[ie., soft plastic], will be camo skinned so not a big issue], but pretty close .
I went to school for this stuff and have been around the industry for a while. The shop i worked at was independent of any manufacturers so in that manner i am not biased. What i have noticed, is that the wrenches always groaned when they saw a polaris rollin' up the drive. They, just like victory's, are a pain to work on, cause you need your metric and standard wrenches. Who was the geinus that thought that one up? Next in my opinion, a work oreinted quad should not have independent suspension, as its load capacitys are less, and the machines lean to much in off cambers and rough terrain being taller to accomadat the extra components for independence. Diff locks are a must, so then the conture of the suspension is not as crucial. When the ride gets, rough, you should probably stand up and slow down. If you want to ride trails hard core, get a sport quad. If you want a plush ride, your either a puss or your casual trail riding, in which the polaris fits just fine. Auto trannys and pushbutton shifting are junk as well. To many extras for mud and brush to mess up. Plus with pushbutton shifting, you can't use your left hand to hold onto odd shaped cargo, you need it to shift. If you can't manage to manuver a "manual transmission" shifter with your foot, then you don't belong on any quad. Liquid cooling is for the birds, just more to go wrong(not to be confused with oil cooling). Large displacement quads also confuse me. Anything that can't be done on 450 cc quad, don't belong being done by a quad. I guess you could say that i'm a minimalist.
I think thats all i got right now.
but i do feel better.
#47
RE: Polaris atv's Good or ?
i use to own the 700 sportsman. the only problem i ever had with it, was the belt. if your not careful and use the high range when you should be in low range, you will burn up the belt quick. it had plenty of power and rode great. i ended up trading it straight up for a 1984 cj7 jeep. i have lifted the jeep, put larger tires on it, lockers front and rear, lotsa off road lighting, winch, 360 v8 and an automatic transmission. i use the jeep more for hunting than i ever did the polaris.
#48
RE: Polaris atv's Good or ?
Ive owned the Polaris Sportsman 500 and liked it but I prefer Honda ... I just bought a green 350ESHonda Rancer last week ...2005 new out of the crate 4x4 for 3950 out the door ...just thought it was to good of a deal to pass up !
dd
dd
#49
RE: Polaris atv's Good or ?
DD, you made a good deal on the Rancher! I've got the '03 model, and thats about what I had to give for it back then! I even had to go across the border to Lousiana to get that price! East Texas boat, and ATV dealers aren't hungry enough to sell bikes!
You'll be happy with the Honda!
You'll be happy with the Honda!
#50
Spike
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1
Matt....a Polaris overpriced.....you have to be kidding. They are way more reasonable than any of the Jap bikes. Go try to buy any size atv and Polaris will be cheaper than any of them... I have a 500 sportsman and got it thousands cheaper than a comparable jap bike and its more comfortable, faster and with proper maintenance will last forever. Honda is about as low tech as you can get and slow....Yamaha, other than their reliability, are very tippy bikes, (Grizzlies) aren't near as comfortable as a Polaris and don't climb slick rock very well at all