Old Polaris Tech/ Others,

Considering purchasing a used 2008 Polaris Sportsman 300. Haven't found much feedback out there on this machine. Thought I read somewhere that the engine is a provided by a Chinese manufacturer - Is this accurate/true? Are there any other red flags regarding this Sportsman model?

Appreciate any input you guys have on this atv. Thanks.

Schneider

 

I wouldn't worry about a Chinese made engine, they make some very good ones. My Chinese made Lifan 200 motorcycle engine has over 53,000 trouble free miles on it and runs stronger than ever. That's more trouble free miles than any single cylinder Japanese motorcycle I've owned in 50 years of riding, and I've owned quite a few.

 

To be honest with you I didn't care for the 300 and especially the clutch system that was basically the same used on the Hawkeye,Phoenix and Sawtooth.Engine was Taiwanese,technically China if you ask the folks from mainland China.. but held to higher build quality than anything that ever came from China. Just my on this. We didn't sell too many at our shop. Just because it had the Sportsman name and was positioned in between the smaller machines and the Sportsman 500. People down our way just looked at them and passed on over to the Sportsman 500 or other machines.

 

[QUOTE=hugemoth;3290237 My Chinese made Lifan 200 motorcycle engine has over 53,000 trouble free miles on it and runs stronger than ever. That's more trouble free miles than any single cylinder Japanese motorcycle I've owned in 50 years of riding, and I've owned quite a few.[/QUOTE]

Sure you don't have at least one extra zero or so tacked on to that mileage figure?

 

I would be happy to get that many trouble free miles out of a car/or Honda Goldwing touring let alone a China bike .

 

53,000 miles is nothing for a car or Goldwing but it's pretty good for a single cylinder air cooled bike. If I had known it would last this long I would have taken better care of the paint.

The engine in this bike is an up-sized and refined clone of the Honda CG125 which is known for it's longevity, but never imported into the US. Since it has held up so well I now have a Zongshen 200 motorcycle and a Taotao 250 quad with the same basic engine. Neither of those have many miles yet.

 

Thanks, guys - appreciate the insight. In addition to the Sportsman 90 (2005) I bought my son last year, I we have two Grizzly 350 IRS atvs, and I love them (great features w/locking diff, right size for maneuvering through the woods), but used ones are rare to find. Thus, my considering this model Sportsman - not sure I want the size of a Sportsman 500. So again, appreciate the input from the forum. I'll keep watching the thread to hear from Sportsman 300 owners.

 

That's why I bought a 350 4x4 Grizzly/Bruin, I just wanted something more simple,smaller and manoeuvrable.

Another on my list was the 400 Suzuki Eiger/KQ ,I hear they are pretty reliable. Keep a eye out for a good 350 Honda Rancher also, the 420 Ranchers are still pricy even used yet.

Here are some owner reviews on the 300 Hawkeye/Sportsman (same machine) but called a sportsman later.http://www.atvreviewnetwork.com/enth....asp?veh=39323 they are kind of all over the place on it compared to the 400 Suzuki http://www.atvreviewnetwork.com/enth....asp?veh=38122. Happy shopping.