Have you seen these? My FIL has one and really likes it. It has the Polaris 800EFI engine and CVT transmission. It goes pretty good, but of course I smoked him on my DS650.

Here is their website.

http://www.ridgerunner.biz/

 

I don't know about the ridge runners, but, that guy that runs the place gave a really good deal on 700 polaris parts after I rolled mine. You know handle bars, front storage box, headlight and brackets. He treated me fair and I'm glad to spread the word for him. If his product matches my impression of him, it's probably a good machine.

 

Please define "smoked him" and under what circumstances.

I own an 05 RR 700EFI and you own a DS650, there are situations where you will "smoke" me and I guarantee there will be situations where I will "smoke" you; you will flip due to a higher center of gravity or not have the suspension travel and ground clearance to follow me, especially with your rear chain and break disc exposed and hanging down like that. The RR has 19" of minimum ground clearance and 13" of four way independent suspension travel and a very low center of gravity.

Does this make mine better than yours or yours better than mine? NO. Each is designed better for specific functions and situations and to fill a certain niche.

 

We were on a dirt road and I gunned it and there was nothing he could do to keep up. You are right, if we were going across very rough terrain where there was not a good trail, he could most likely leave me in the dust. I was only refering to the fact that they don't have the same kind of speed that my DS650 has. I don't know what his top speed is but mine is about 75mph and he was left in the dust. I am a big fan of the RR, I wish I had the 20K+ to be able to afford a nice one like my FIL has. I hope you enjoy yours, let me know you think of it. I would like to see more of these quality buggies out there.

 

I only know about one other RR owner in your area, is your FIL (Father In Law?) the owner of Tri-City Polaris in Centerville?

We did a lot of research and in the end we bought the RR. For us it was the best choice for the type of driving we do. After 830 miles of serious trail and desert driving I can still be amazed by its abilities. My top end with just me is about 63 MPH and with both of us about 59 MPH, good enough. Of course most of my driving is done below 30 and as slow as 5-10 MPH. I have climbed some serious steep trails and have driven up the sides of mountains where there is no trail, crawled over rocks, drove through ruts and old creek beds, and have even driven a bit in the dunes. It is a good machine.

 

My Father-in law lives in Peoria, AZ (west of Phoenix).