Well fellows a lot of people think the new Ruby will be the new king just ask Dirt Wheels yeah right. So what do you think this will force Polaris to do, I really think if the Ruby would have put a 2 to 4 wheel drive lever, improved the 4 wheel drive, disc brakes and a IRS on the Ruby Polaris would be sweating. I am not going to say that the Ruby is just a foreman with a new trans but really fellows it is not much more, I am getting sick at my stomach reading how the buckboard, hay wagon solid axle rear end on the Ruby comes anywhere near comparing to IRS, and no I haven't rode the Ruby but I don't have to be a rocket science to know you can do just so much with a solid axle rear end. I have built hot rods from the ground up and a solid axle is a solid axle you can only do so much with it but it is not going to give you the ride or movement an IRS will. It still when hitting a bump on one side makes the other side move resulting in more movement of the overall machine you are riding, and when hitting rough stuff the whole rear end gives not just one part of it so someone please tell me how the h#ll you can compare a solid axle to an IRS. With getting that off of my chest if the Ruby is putting the heat on the Sport here is some refinements I think Polaris will venture:

1. A suspension that can be lowered or raised
2. something similar to power steering
3. a trans that is auto or standard that could be locked in or out and with true 4 wheel hold back
4. shift on the fly from low to high on the auto and a electric shift instead of mechanical low to high I must admit this needs work cause it can be a pain
5. Improve the weight with the rising cc of the engine

What is some of your thoughts on this fellows I guess it really gets down to what you want that suites you, I guess for an example if I was buying a sports car and they had one with power windows, power steering, IRS, auto trans, posi track rear end compared to one with manual steering, roll up windows, solid axle rear end, limited slip rear end with a standard trans that cost me more guess which would I would be driving??? Well I think you get the point Honda is on the right track but they are kinda slow getting there.

 

I have been shopping for a quad for several months and have never ridden before so thake this with grain of salt, but, dont all these fancy add-ons just:
1-increase weight(slower, harder to get out of mud/over obstacle, harder to steer)
2-make them more prone to failure(especially electronic vs mechanical things)
3-make repairs more expensive
It seems to me reliability is a big issue when going offroad. Simple things tend to break less especially when you consider the environment most quads live in.
Opinions?

 

a while back someone posted that they were told by the polaris tech rep that the 2001 sportsman will be between 45-50 hp and it will be lighter than the current sportsman, i do not know how much lighter though.
im sure polaris already has a rubby up in roseau and is making sure honda has nothing on them when they introduce the 2001 models. with sled and PWC sales going down, atv's are very important to polaris and they dont want to loose any market share. i wouldent be surrprised to see the 700cc twin in another machine other than the sportsman, like maybee a scrambler or a new model.

theres not much polaris can do to save weight on the sportsman, its just a big machine and big machines weight alot. they can do little things to help the weight. hey if the rubby and the traxter had IRS they would both weigh over 700lbs. the rubby has allunium rims and this also helps reduce overall and unsprung weight. if polaris did this they would weight almost the same.

hopefull the 2001 models will be released soon and they we can see if the rubby will be the new king, i doubt it though.

later jon

 

Well dufferdo grain of salt taken if you don't like all the fancy add ons just buy a Honda and for instance somethings you are talking about that make it more prone to break down or extra weight
1. IRS yes more weight and yes more prone to break down but if you ever ride and IRS on the trail or in the rough you will see why and then again you may not see the difference when rideing a solid axle and the IRS but if you ride long enough and take 40 and 50 mile rides your back will feel the difference, the IRS is the ultimate in trail rideing makes for fantastic ride and suspension and definite advantage in the rough of course this is only my opinion.
2. the 2 to 4 wheel drive lever extra weight not really something else to tear up yes but if Honda had this on the new rubicon then lockers could be added to the bike it is a feature that some of the polaris owners really like...I do myself
3. Engine cooling yes more weight yes something else to tear up but keeps your engine cool for more power and longer lasting life just ask some Grizzly owners.
4. Disc brakes more weight no soemthing else to tear up no more than drum brakes easily better accessed to clean just spray and let them dry.
So you see where this is going duff some like the extras some don't, I like all the little extras on stuff like power windows yes they are more prone to tear up but I like the convenience just like I like all the extras on my Sportsman. My perfect version of the Rubicon would be a Ruby with the water cooled engine which it already has, disc brakes, IRS, 2 to wheel drive switch and an improved 4 wheel drive system the 4 wheel drive system is kind of important to me cause if I didn't have the 4 wheel pull they are some places I just couldn't go with the Honda system and a lot of people are complaining about how the new torques senseing is not working as described to them, guess why thats why I am keeping my Sportsman till Honda puts on some more goodies.

 

atving,
1 I rode a mag 500 and sports 500 at the dealer the other day: rode them through some deep ditches and over some big bumps. I couldnt tell that mutch difference in the ride, but you could tell the sportsman kept both rears to the ground while the mag did not. I guess all the joints in my mind create possible weak links/spots for failure. Another bike Im considering is the ac 500- I think you have one, how does its rear compare to the sportsman?
2.I agree and think the 2/4 switch is a good choice for an atv. I think running in 4 full time creates unneeded wear on gears. I just have a distrust for electronic sensors, especially in a wet/muddy environment.
3.I agree about liquid cooling- thats why Im not considering a grizz. Too hot when rock crawling.
4.Agree with disk brakes
thanks for your thoughts

 

If you really want a truly Independant suspension system on your SP500 you have to remove that cross axle torsion bar, Other wise you do not have IRS. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at ot and figure out that what happens to one side will effect the other side with the torsion bar installed...

 

minehunter I don't know where you got that from go out and drive a sportsman one side up onto a log one side will go up the other side will stay stationary most dealers have them set up this way in the showroom to show how the IRS handles on the trail and over uneven objects. Any rocket scientist might see this but you don't, the bar makes the IRS more stable and limits it to a certain amount of travel before the other side starts moving, most IRS systems have bars so I guess they aren't IRS huh and where it is a double wish bone suspension it helps keep the tire from moving out to an angle so that the full foot print of the tire stays on the ground maybe you are thinking of the older single wishbone IRS of the suzuki bikes when one wheel was lifted in the air you didn't get the full amount of traction or the whole foot print of the tire ...taking the bar off would give you more travel but would also make the bike less stable seems you need to read up and check out the IRS a little bit more. If I am wrong on this one my eyes must be playing tricks on me when I have ran one of my front wheels up on a log for friends and showed them the other wheel didn't move maybe it was the single wishbone of the suzukin you are thinking of, IRS is IRS with or without the bar.

 

1 I rode a mag 500 and sports 500 at the dealer the other day: rode them through some deep ditches and over some big bumps. I couldnt tell that mutch difference in the ride, but you could tell the sportsman kept both rears to the ground while the mag did not. I guess all the joints in my mind create possible weak links/spots for failure. Another bike Im considering is the ac 500- I think you have one, how does its rear compare to the sportsman?

Duff glad you got to try out both machines the magnum is also a fine machine, even though you got to try out both where you will really see the difference on these machines are:
1. Taking rides of about 40 or 50 miles or more your back really notices the difference at the end of the day.
2. When driveing over bumpy stuff at fairly fast speeds the IRS really eats up the bumps.
3. When doing stuff like rock climbing and when engaging uneven stuff on steep climbs reall keeps the other wheel on the ground in tippy situations.
Though sometimes because of the height and ground clearance of the sportsman this machine has a real learning curve to master, but at the same time the height is nice when you don't bottome out in mud or really great when crossing water.
4. When rideing on a vertical on a vertical slant the IRS is fantastic and really comes into play keeping the higher wheel on the ground...I find this is one of the real weakness on a solid axle rear end.

2.I agree and think the 2/4 switch is a good choice for an atv. I think running in 4 full time creates unneeded wear on gears. I just have a distrust for electronic sensors, especially in a wet/muddy environment.

This one of the true areas where Polaris owners really do not have any trouble, some of the guys on here can explain this better to you than I the only trouble you will experience with the front end is sometimes one wheel engageing which you just simple back up and the problem is fixed.


3.I agree about liquid cooling- thats why Im not considering a grizz. Too hot when rock crawling.

Trust me on this one if you get a bike over 500cc you will need water cooling the grizz is a nice bike and like all others has its troubles but most of the people I have talked to on here claim the get really hot and even overheat I think if Yamaha adds water cooling and a few changes to this bike they could have a real contender on their hands. They already have a 2 to 4 wheel drive switch so you can add lockers and a real torquey motor.

4.Agree with disk brakes
thanks for your thoughts

Disk brakes with EBC pads is the only way to go just ride and spray off, although Honda does have one of the best sealed drum brake systems on the market but if I am going to pay $7000 for a quad you would think that you would get the advance design of something that stops better and is easier to take care and a whole lot easier to change.

Last but not least the Artic Cat is a heck of a machine not as smooth as the IRS of the Sportsman but a whole lot smoother than the solid rear axle, just wish they would make a plush seat for it like the Sportsman has.

 

The most recent issue of Atv Magazine rated the Sportsman behind the Mag500 in the sport-ute catagory and ahead in the pure utility catagory. The reason, the IRS rear suspension on the Sportsman does not handle all that well on spirited trail rides, and is more at home on slow trails or doing chores. Or in other words the IRS makes the machine unstable in the corners. This coming from a very pro Polaris publication. So why in the world would other manufacturers rush out and put IRS on their sport-utes?

 

Ok you guys i just got a SP500 yesterday, and im getting another one next week when the shipment comes in. We ordered another one before we even rode it. The dealer brought my Honda 300 4x4 and the SP 500 on the same trailer and we saw the difference and right there we told him to take both our Yamaha and Honda in on trade. We then took the SP on a ride about 20 Miles and we went through every thing we could find. This machine is not unstable on trails would some SP owners back me up here..... Yes I agree that the IRS is going to be slightly tippier, but It is not a problem at all. And for you that have not ridden please dont bad mouth the Sportsman or anything else. I don't see why Polaris is making a 700 I have not run out of power yet..... Anyway this are not Sport machines.

I am sooo pleased in the SP only think i would change is to have an indicator light on the Pod to let the rider know if you are in Hi or Lowand i could have shift on the fly and that is about it

Chris