Hey!

So, I just picked up a new '06 Sportsman 700 EFI and have a grand total of about 8.5 hours on it. I've got to say, this thing rocks! I did a lot of comparison shopping and ultimately decided on the Polaris for a number of reasons, and so far, I think I made the right decision. I do have a couple small complaints though.

First of all, what's up with the back storage area turning into an oven while riding? I bet I could cook lunch in there! Has anyone tried putting any kind of heat shielding around that compartment? If so, how'd it turn out?

Second - Ever since my first ride, my front brakes have been squeaking like crazy! I've washed them down to get any dirt out, and it's gotten a bit better. But anyime I turn sharp, even while going slow (like in my garage) the brakes squeak. It's not a serious problem, but definitely an annoyance. Can I clean these brakes just like car disc brakes? Can I put anti-squeal on the back of the pads? Any other suggestions?

Last complaint - the plastic covering the left side of the engine just doesn't fit right and keep falling off. I've got some velcro, and am planning on using that. (The surrounding plastic doesn't seem to be moveable to fix the issue.) So I shouldn't have the problem much longer, but it's another annoyance.

Finally, does Polaris sell a tool to adjust the preload on the rear springs? I'm doing a lot of 2-up riding and thought I should bump it up a notch or two. Does anyone have any recommendations for setting the preload - I'm planning on just trial and error.

Anything else I'm missing? ;-)

Thanks!
Mike

 

Hello. My wife and I just bought a 2006 Sportsman 700 twin EFI last monday, and we both love that thing. Sorry that I can't answer any of your questions. Ours has about 2.5 hours on it and just over 17 miles, the brakes don't squeal, I hardly ever use the brakes because of the ebs. I never noticed the rear storage area heating up, probably because I haven't put anything in it yet. Anyways, congrats on buying one hell of a machine.

 

Well since I also have a 700 EFI I can say I don't have the issues you do with the exception of the heat. If your worried about the heat wrap your muffler but if you do that I'd also wrap the whole exaust. You'll notice more heat by your right leg than near the back end of the bike I rod sunday in the ~100 heat and could barley sit down. The exaust gases were so hot they melted part of my rear fender. As for the plastic not fitting Take it back to the dealer and have them fix it. I rolled my bike and did not loose a peice it all still fits well. Looks like your dealer did not do a complete Pre deliery check. As for the breaks squeaking I think that the nature of the beast. They're semi metalic pads and they just do that. I've found that if I drag the break for 20 or 30 feet that it help reduce or eliminate the noise.

 

Thanks for the replies. I managed to just get the plastic to stay on great with just a little piece of velcro, and that's good enough - you can't even tell it's there.

As far as the heat is concerned, I've been riding in 100 degree temperatures and have only seen the heat issue in the rear storage compartment. I guess I'll just keep an eye on it and deal with it later if I have to.

Finally, on the squeaky brakes issue, they're driving me nuts! I went riding with a friend who just picked up an '06 SP500, and his brakes are nice and quite. It's made me want to look into this issue further. I found another thread on this forum where someone fixed their brakes by taking everything apart and cutting slits into the pads. I'm not sure if I'll go that far, but I may take them all apart, clean them and scuff them up to see if that helps.

All in all, this is one amazing machine though...