Howdy, dbj. I have experience with a Polaris Sporstman X2 that had a 500cc engine. It had a dump box, rear capacity of 400 lbs. The dumpbox can transform into a passenger seat with a backrest. The present model X2 has a 570 single cylinder that is a workhorse. My son and his buddy rented Polaris RZR's with this 570 when we did the Paiute Trail in Utah. Had good grunt and mid range power but lacked top end speed when we were riding the trails around 8,000-11,000 ft. elevation. That was in high gear riding up near the highest trails. If you want more work than sport it's worth a look as no one else has anything quite like it. I had very good reliability with my Sportsman X2 other than a crash that I caused that busted it up a bit.

Polaris also makes the Sportsman Touring. This is a 2 person machine with a rear seat that can be removed when you don't have a passenger. Has a great, comfortable ride, best on board storage for gear and good reliability. Only thing I don't care for with the Polaris Touring is the lack of rear rack space when you have the passenger seat in place. The Touring is available with a 570, 850 twin cylinder, and a 1000 cc twin. My son has a Polaris Scrambler (more sport oriented) with the 1000. It's a hoot to ride. You can wheelie it from a dead start in high gear and it has tons of grunt in low too.

I went from the Polaris Sportsman X2 to a Can-Am Outlander Max 650. I needed a bit more power to keep up with the guys that had larger machines, engine-wise. I couldn't find an X2 with a bigger engine so I went Can-Am. The Max has the most room of the 2 seaters I've seen. You can have the passenger seat installed and still have room for a large storage box on the back rack. The Rotax engine just puts a smile on my face every time I stab the throttle. It's not a wheelie machine but goes great. Has good low end torque too. We went to Marysvale, UT to ride the Paiute this fall. The 650 did great in all the terrain we rode. 2 track narrow switchbacks, wide open road-like trails, and even sand dunes on the way home. The only time I felt it lacked power was trying to keep up with my son and his buddy who both have the Scrambler 1000's.

I don't know enough about the Arctic Cats to tell you about them. Hydrex is very knowledgeable on them.

At your elevations I would NOT go under a 570cc. We rented a couple Hondas in addition to the 2 RZR's in 2013. They just did not have the power to make the high elevation trails at a good speed. In low gear they did fine, but up high, the Honda low powered 420 and 700 just lacked any top end. Not bad at 6000 feet. But Honda's only 2 up machines are side by sides.

Hope this helps you.

 

That is one thing about high elevation, it will rob you of power. Its estimated at 10,000 feet that you lose 30% over sea level. So 45 hp will feel like about 32 hp, for example. 2up machines are heavier than single rider machines, which will compound this problem. It won't make your quad feel like a complete slug but it will make a noticeable difference. It will basically make your quad feel like it has lost 100cc or so.

 

Hello Moose, Thanks so much for spending the time to discuss your experience with your Polaris machine. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I'm glad to hear you had good luck with your Polaris, and your son is also having good luck so far. Polaris does not have a stellar reputation around here.

I wish I could find good data on their reliability. I understand there are a couple of recalls due to fire hazard. That's not good for dry Colorado. But it is on my short list none the less. They are a top seller, probably due to lower price and nice features. Maybe like a Wal Mart special.

Can Am is on my short list. The Rotax engine has a good reputation. The Can Am is more expensive. The snow plow selection didn't look particularly robust, but I'd have to see one.

I hear you greg74 on the loss of power at elevation. I guess that's why turbochargers and superchargers were invented. My Honda S2000 has a noticeable loss of power up here. My turbo diesel pick up doesn't. The ATV folks around here say buy extra power for the elevations.

The research continues...

David

 

One of my ATV friends invited me to test drive his 2014 Arctic Cat 700 2 up quad. He has his snow plow mounted on the machine now. The ATV was comfortable enough in both seating positions. The vibrations form the 700 single weren't as bad as I thought they might be. The electric steering assist worked well. It was "invisible" to me. I was surprised how large this ATV was. But that's just my inexperience.

Overall, it was a good experience. He had an aluminum wheel crack, break, a year ago that did quite a bit of damage to the hub and drive shaft. It was covered on his extended warranty. And he had a snap ring come off somewhere in the engine and did damage to the valvetrain and camshaft. Again, covered under his extended warranty (just covered). His has run Arctic Cats for years and recommends them. But he thinks his next ATV will be a 50" wide "trail" side by side. They are more stable, have a roll cage, but weigh and cost considerably more. I'm not sold on them yet.

The Arctic Cat is on my short list too.

David

 

Can anyone list the manufactures that offer a 2 up quad from the factory. I have the Arctic Cat, Can Am and Polaris. I did not see one with Honda, Kawasaki, or Yamaha. A 2 up machine ought to have a longer wheelbase for the necessary extra room, not just a seat on the rear rack.

David

 

Those 3 are the only 2 person ATVs that I know of. I don't know why more brands don't make them.

 

Well, I'm surprised. I should think 2 up would be an important part of a manufacturer's line up. It's pretty common on snowmobiles and motorcycles.

I was afraid other manufacturers just replaced the rear rack with a seat of sorts. But the extra wheelbase is important. Quad ATVs are known for "wheelies" and can throw the rider off, or worse yet have the machine flip over backwards on top of the rider. Being flattened by 800 pounds of quad doesn't sound like a good time.

David

 

I think buying an ATV is like buying a car. The price is negotiable. Dealers deal. Am I right on this?

The more I research, the more I think the Polaris brand is less reliable than Arctic Cat or Can AM. I am only interested in Quads. Has Polaris Sportsman reliability improved the last year?

David

 

It's kind of difficult to go by what you read on forums. People tend to post when they have a problem and not so much when everything is going well. Also, ATVconnection.com is among the top of lists that manufacturers post on their websites as a courtesy. This site is up at the top of Polaris' site last time I checked. Polaris sells more machines now than any other maker. Add all three ingredients up and I think that is part of what you're seeing.

I've actually had more issues (minor) with the Can-Am than I did with the Polaris. Nothing major. Just small stuff.

When I first started riding, Honda ruled the roost. After a few years Polaris was the top dog as far as how many I saw on the trails. Can-Am is creeping up, if not close.

In all my years of riding I've seen every quad maker's machine break down at some point. I can't say one has been more problematic than the other. Honda riders swear by them, but they don't offer a quad with a 2 rider setup. Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki all make good machines but no 2 rider quad. So, you are left with Arctic Cat, Polaris or Can-Am. Just for features alone, I like Polaris or Can-Am. Power is up there too. Polaris and Can-Am are constantly trying to one-up each other so the consumer gets the win. The other makers haven't kept up with Polaris and Can-Am power-wise and feature-wise.

 

Oh, the price is negotiable. It depends on how many dealers there are around you with the same makers. My son got about $1000 of his Polaris Scrambler and his buddy got about $1200 off a few months later when they were trying to get rid of the 2016 models to make room for the 2017 model year. We just kept emailing a couple dealerships until no one would go lower. Takes a couple weeks of research unless they really want you as a customer.