my daughter needs a new ride, considering a 2005 polaris 90 predator. does anyone have one of these yet? and if so is whats your honest opinion? she doesnt ride very aggressive so im not concerned with performance as in horse power, more for reliability and dependibility. i have heard polaris is a great company with excellent products, just thought i would ask. we live in the pacific northwest and the trails have some fairly steep hills and usually get some deep puddles ( 12" to 16+" - deep for youth quads anyways ) and i dont want her to destroy it because of the puddles, thanks in advance for any information and advice.

 

Preditors have problems with water and stators, also the belt will slip when wet. Not just Preditors but all minis like the Preditor. You can do a search for Preditor info here or on any mini site. There is also a Preditorowners.com website where you'll find many owners. Sounds like you may need a Honda or a clone with a fourstroke and a gearbox.

 

I agree with newnick. The vent in the side of the cvt would allow water and grime in around the belt at 12-16". Be beter off with a semi-auto for those conditions.

 

When we do have water 1/2 way up -or- over our '03 Pred-90's engine, water does enter its CVT area. In this deep of water, my son can still spin its back tires. Our belt doesn't slip like many state it does. It randomly slips (for 5-10 seconds afterwards), then it's "good to go". To me, belt slippage isn't a major concern in deep water.

The first concern is the huge vent holes on its CVT area. Over time, dirt, crud and other unhealthy stuff does make its way into the kick start and belt area. This makes the kick starter stick, belt wear out faster and creates other damage in that area. For a visual of these holes, surf:
- Press Here 1 -
- Press Here 2 -
- Press Here 3 -
* I wonder if the same air vent and CVT case holes appear on the '05 Pred-90? Can someone veryify?

The 2nd concern is the stator blowing problem. On the '03 & '04 Pred-90s, I've read many posts of their stators going. One guy reported he's never had a problem with his, and another person stated he had to replace 6 stators in his unit. And, his warranty will soon be over.
* I wonder if the same '03/'04 stator and venting system is used on the '05 model? Sure wish they fixed this problem and make the '05 better.


As Raptorlegs and Newick recommended, try to stick with a sealed transmission and 4 stroke unit if deep water is your normal riding conditions. It could save you many repair bills and hours in your shop in the future. Also, save many hours of "down time" waiting for parts.


Hope this helps...

 

Another thing I forgot to mention....

'03 & '04 Pred-90s have cable DRUM brake systems - front & back. To me, this type of braking system is good for slow speed in dry conditions. In mud, water and with fast speeds, their pads either "gum up" with crud &/or they wear out too quickly. For our Pred-90, I have to remove our hubs (front & back) a minimum 2 times a year, and completely clean them out. Even though they are some-what sealed drums, they do get loaded with all sorts of mud and crud. Especially in deep dirty water riding conditions.

My advise.... Get a mini that has disc brakes for water riding. Since your water sounds deeper then many mini running boards, you'll want to find a mini with a hand control lever system. A combo foot and hand lever system would be even better.

Hope this helps as well....

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