Well I have finally come down to two bikes the Honda Rincon and the Polaris 700. I am kind of on the fence about the Polaris but I like the machine. In every form you hear all kinds of stuff, Honda form is all Honda, so I'm hoping some of you die hard Polaris guys can help me out and sell me on the 700. If you could let me know how your 700 is doing, any problems, belt issues when wet (that's my main concern), likes or dislikes would be a great help. You never know I just may well be another Polaris guy too.

Thanks alot

PE101

 

It really isn't that easy to get the belt wet on a Polaris. I've had my Scrambler (95) in water just below the seat, and she kept going, until I dug down in the sand and the water went over the seat. The the clutches filled up really fast. Other than that, we pulled it out, I loosened the screws on the clutch cover, drained most of the water out, fired it up (ooops, water in the exhause) and they dryed out very fast. All I had to do from there is change my plug, 2-strokes don't like water in the pipe I guess. I don't know how the 4 wheel drive works on that one, but If I'm not mistake, it's 3.5 wheel drive, not true 4 wheel drive like a Polaris. Personally, that automatic in the Honda scares me, more crap to break. But like I said, I don't know much about the Honda systems.

 

We've got five of them. I wouldn't trade any of them for any other brand. We've put around 8000 miles on them in the last 14 months. I'd recommend them to anybody. I would suggest you check out the 500 HO. It's got all the power you need, and alot better on the gas mileage.

Scott

 

In January I was faced with the same decision. I have never had anything but Hondas but after test driving all the big quads, I liked the Polaris 700 best. I bought the mossy oak 700 and so far I am really impressed with it. I have had no problems, it is really an awesome machine and fun to ride, it has tremendous power, smooth ride and a sharp turning radius. The Rincon just didn't impress me although I am sure it is a good machine as well. As far as the belt drive goes, I think Polaris probably has it figured out very well, they have been building them many years. I bought the Polaris because I simply liked it better than the rest. If you could see what the guys around here do with these machines it is amazing they hold up as well as they do. They run extemely large mud tires with extreme lifts and go through extreme mud. I am very pleased with my first Polaris and am sure if you decide on Polaris you won't regret it. Keep in mind all the new 4x4 IRS machines are much more complicated and have many more things to break and wear out and I do expect to have some maintenance and repairs just like with any 4wd offroad vehicle.

 

AMERICAN MADE..'nuff said

After over 7500 miles on Polaris products and no visits to the shop I am convinced they are as reliable as anything out there. The belt housing on the 600/700 is the best sealed in the business & should be no problem. The problem with Polaris belt drive system is usually with the rider. Once you realize the wheels MUST turn when power is applied or belt will burn then you will never have a problem... Rincon is a compromise built quad with 3 wheel drive. It is a lousy sport quad and a lousy utility quad but a fair "do both" quad with aluminum a - arms. Won't hang with a sport quad and can't do the work of a true utility quad. ...Just an opinion but would really like to see hondie step up and produce a quad of the caliber of the Polaris Sportsman series...

 

I bought a new 500HO once ..... it served me well .... not a single in complaint .....
never a belt problem .... I sold it when the P650 came along only because I wanted
more more power.

 

Hey,
I worked at a Polaris shop for a couple of years including the first year of the 700. I live in South Texas & we sold a ton of 700's to farmers, ranchers & hunters from this area, we couldn't keep them in stock. The only problem that we had on any of the machines was the water pump cover warping & leaking, this problem was fixed for free & they have taken care of that issue on the newer models. The only dislikes I was informed about was the clutch is setup for work related operation so the power doesn't come on all at once off of the line, some liked it some didn't. The other thing was some people said they noticed the 700+ pounds when turning, but the weight is to your advantage in the mud. We never had a belt problem with any of them, Polaris has come a long way on their clutch covers & inlet setup, they no longer have problems w/warping & leaking. The Honda is lighter, but I don't like the 3 speed, the automotive style transmission is cool but it needs at least 4 gears, with no lo range (unlike the 700) 1st gear on the Honda seems too tall for serious climbing. The cool thing about the 700 is there's a place called HPD (www.hpd-inc.com) that I recommend for performance goodies (including a heavy duty belt), thier products are dyno proven & they are a Polaris only company so you won't get any universal type products. I hope this helps, I've owned polaris quads for a few years now, I have a 500 scrambler, 425 magnum & a tricked out 400 sport & even on the screaming 400 I have never had a belt issue.

 

Hey guys thanks for all the good info, this will serve me well in the final big step.

PE101

 

First off, to clarify an earlier post, the 700 IS true 4wd. They just moved the 4wd actuator from the hub, to the center drive case (differential). This way, no electrical wire has to go to the wheel (where it can get torn by a branch or something) like on the 400/500. Just remember, now the front center gearcase now takes hub oil, instead of gear oil, due to the mechanism being in there. (hub oil is thinner than gear lube, about like ATF. By the way, you can use Synthetic type F ATF in the place of hub oil in a pinch).

Now for my biggest argument to buy a 700 (drumroll, please!!)

The price (around here, at least) has just dropped to $6400, (or $6499) out the door. I can even give you the phone # of the dealer with that ad, if you want.

farmr

 

It's unbelievable the prices I see here. In the northeast a 700 is still over $7000, and if you want to negotiate the dealers laugh because there is a line of people waiting to pay full price. I just bought an 03 500 ho and the best price I could get was 6400, and I drove nearly an hour to get it. There isn't a shortage of dealers here, but I definitely think Polaris reigns in my area. Anytime I go out on the trail, if we pass other riders I notice that more than half, probably closer to 75% of them are on Sportsmans. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. Another thing I've noticed is shopping for new and used trucks, in NH anyway, the dealers will not listen to offers, they want the sticker price or "there's the door".
so now this will probably start a list of people telling me how cheap they got theirs and I'll feel even worse. Next time I'm buying in Nebraska and driving it home across country.