I have a chance to pick up a 2011 Polaris Sportsman 800 for a pretty good price. From what I am told the voltage regulator is bad. He said it would run for about a half hour until the battery went down then it would die. I have a couple of questions. Is this a normal problem on this model? And based on the little information I have, does it sound like it would be the voltage regulator?

Thanks

 

Just take a meter with you when you look at the machine. Check that the battery connections are tight,and meter should show around 14 volts or so at the battery while at an idle if the regulator is ok. If just shows battery voltage(12volts or less) then most times it will be a bad regulator.If it's charging ok,then could be more than just a battery problem causing it to die such as a weak fuel pump that as it gets warm loses it's prime. Regulator is about 120 bucks,after market fuel pumps are available if you suspect this as a problem.

 

OPT, thanks for the reply. From what he said the battery goes dead after about 30-45 minutes so I am guessing it isn't charging. I will bring a meter with me to check voltage when I look at it. Thanks again.

 

May just be a dead cell in the battery also if it's charging and the battery won't hold the charge. Hope it's something simple and the machine's a good deal for you.