Hello All. I am new to the ATV hobby. I've talked myself into exploring an ATV for winter snow plowing and summer trail riding in my new home state of Colorado. I enjoy the outdoors and I enjoy motorsports.

I've been researching ATV quads that are 2 up. I moved to Colorado from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. After living there for 26 years, I know the Polaris brand. In fact they were our largest customer at the factory where I worked before retiring. So the Polaris brand is a natural first choice for me.

But.... I have read all kinds of "problem posts" on various internet sights about the Polaris machines. I understand it is human nature to rant about bad experiences, maybe even exaggerate a bit. But the volume of posts is concerning. And the Polaris recalls are concerning.

Here on ATV Connection / Brand Discussions, we have about 10,000 threads on Arctic Cat, about 24,000 threads on Can Am, and 65,000 threads on Polaris. A majority of the threads are asking for help with a technical problem.

I need you experienced owners to convince me that the late model Sportsman 2 up quad 850 twin is reliable and robust.

Thanks,

David

 

There are going to be more problems with Polaris ATVs because they make more ATVs and UTVs than anyone else. The vast majority of ATVs I see on the trail are Polaris and Yamaha and I don't see a lot of problems with any brand.

 

Thanks jumbofrank. I gather Polaris is a volume producer, and you don't get that distinction from building bad machines. There are more individual stories as there are more individual machines out there. I read Polaris has the right features, and performs well enough on the trails as well as on the farm.

I just talked to a owner of an ATV repair shop. He has been in the business over 30 years. The owner seemed quite knowledgeable. Maybe he is like our "old polaris tech" on these Forums. (By the way, the old polaris tech does a yeoman's job of answering questions).

There were many brands of ATVs in front of his shop. He didn't knock the Polaris brand, which was encouraging to me. But like many of you have said, all complex mechanical machines are bound to develop problems. Proper use and maintenance are important for reliability in the field, but is no guarantees.

David

 

well since most of all my atv's were polaris( a few other brands and alot that i have worked on) i can tell you that(imo) the quality has gone down hill since the early models back in the mid 2000's years. yes they build more then anyone but with mass push of atvs comes more crappy parts or craftsmanship. customer service is not what it used to be as well. at one time I would say bike for bike they would match any brand and have the best ride. i sure others on here will disagree(that"s our right) but that is how i feel about it. there again my last new one was an 08' 800 so maybe they got better.

 

Head. your right leg is going to be darker than your left leg by the end of summer. Winter its a heater feels good. Summer that is one hot bike to ride. 2016 570 here.

 

They make so many models cuz they are still trying to make a good one. j/k
Kidding aside, when I worked on a Polaris 4x4 the "Pure Polaris" bearings were made in china. I wasn't impressed with that.

 

First let me say I have never owned a Polaris, but have many friends that do. I have owned Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and currently a Kymco. Of the first three, the Kawasaki is the only one that I never had a problem with in the 16 yrs I owned it. Honda had some minor problems as well as the Yamaha. Kymco is less than a year old and no issues at this time. As a toolmaker for more than 40 yrs I look at build quality, fit and finish, weld quality and assembly quality. I have also researched each machine I have bought by looking at their comparisons in other manufacturers forums. By looking in other mfgr forums you are reading what others have to say about the machine your interested in when compared to the machine they currently own and you will get surprised at how these comparisons read. When I decided on my current Kymco machine some of the decision was from the many favorable comments on the forums of other manufacturers that compared their equipment to the Kymco. Based on the comments I have read and comments from the friends that currently own them and from my own observations I find the Polaris brand to be a cheaper mass produced machine, appearance and quality lack some to be desired however, this also comes with a price tag!! Polaris is also less costly on comparable equipment. For budget conscious folks the Polaris might be the better buy, as the saying goes you can go cheaper or go without!! However if your a quality control, well built and designed freak as I am then some other mfgrs may be to more of your liking. After looking at "all" the different brands when I purchased my current UTV, the one that seemed to have the best overall quality and reviews was the Kymco, the model I chose. Time will tell....Please search and test ride anything before you buy. The biggest turnoff for me was dealers that refused to allow me to thoroughly go over their machines or take a test ride which many did not allow either one. The Kymco dealer allowed me to go into the service area and look at around over and under their machines in any way I wanted to and actually had a test track with hills, mud, rocks, and allowed a thorough test on their equipment. Other dealers should take note!!

 

Its too bad Kymco doesn't make a 2 up atv. The 700i is right there with the Arctic Cat 700 in power and performance. And costs a little less. Kymco makes some of the engines for Arctic Cat. The 700 might even be shared by both, I'm not sure about that one. The Prowler 500 is basically the same machine as the 450i utv except for different plastic and a higher retail price. I think the only engines Arctic Cat builds themself anymore are the 700 twin in the Wildcat and Prowler and the 1000 twin. Those are all great engines though. The 700 twin in the 50" Wildcat trail has a surprising amount of power. I test rode a used one a few months ago and it was very quick and responsive. The 1000 twin might be a little down on power compared to Polaris and Can-Am but its still got plenty for most.

 

My Kymco Mongoose:
2- 12 hour races, 5 national MX races, countless hours of trail riding, and a hand full of XC races. Finally took a gear out at a XC race. Also I broke a axel jumping the finish line at Red Bud MX. That night I had a TRX450R axel in my Kymco.
Neighbors AC w/Kymco, plowed virtually commercially. No problems.
Other neighbors AC w/Kymco, Trouble free. Only problem with his is he let my grandson drive it and he put it into a tree.
The Kymco company has Honda company roots. Honda left but the quality stayed in Taiwan.

 

That's true. Find the brand/model you like that meets your needs after testing out several machines and don't look back.Just keep up with regular scheduled maintenance,even quicker if it's working machine and hopefully it will hold up for you. There's never been enough testing to find all the faults on any brand or model.It's rush rush to keep up with the competition and get them to the dealers and out the door. Like Pelosi said on Obamacare: "Just sign it and we'll find out what's in it later". That's the same mentality that can come back to bite you in the butt.