I own A Arctic 400-and a Polaris 700,On the Polaris forums they insyst that Polaris 2 wheel ebs works just as good as 4 wheel dr ebs like on our Artic cats.Ive had some scary moments on my 700 going down seep hills out of control that my arctic cat on the same hill would go down without even having to hardly use the brakes.My opinion having both is that 4 wheel ebs is superior than 2wheel ebs,whats your thoughts.

 

i had an argument with the polaris guys over on their forum b/c i had the chance to ride a sportsman 500 one weekend to compare to my cat's. and on the point of the ebs, i said that i noticed the rears liked to lock up on downhills and start to swing to one side then would start to roll again.
i said that that would get a little uncomfortable especially on steeper and muddier hills than the one i was one. when i said that i liked a 4 wheel ebs to the 2 wheel one, the started yelling at me cause i didnt know how to use brakes properly blah blah, and how i cant control my quad. then if they have perfect control of the brakes, whats the whole point of engine braking?

 

The first time I rode my 700 I ended up In the weeds and almost wrecked when going down my first hill.The other 2 people one was on my ac 400 and the other was on a ac 300 went down the same hill with no problems.I was used to 4 wheel ebs and my first thought was if a first time atv rider would have been on it they would have been hurt.

 

Most of the people, who ride the polaris will admit, that at first, it takes some guts to go down steep hills. And it is counterintuative to gas it, when you really want to slow down. Also it human nature to not admit you made a 7000 mistake in buying a quad, so they put on a game face and dont admit the limitations they have. Lets face it, we all defend our purchases, as a good decision.
All quads have limitations and "workarounds". Some guys claim to jam the hubs, and then go down the hill with 4wd ebs, but that would be just as scarey if there was a turn, because the front has no differential and when its jammed that way, and facing downhill with all the polaris weight behind it, its a handful to turn.
Id rather have 4wd engine braking, of my kodiak or foreman, on which even beginner riders have no trouble coming down steep hills. My wife doesnt get enough seat time , to have the experience, or skill to go down a steep grade with a polaris.
I was just out the other weekend, and on snow, those on the polaris, were haveing problems on the snow covered hills, coming down, while the hondas and yamis were under total control. Even going on fairly level and smooth trails, a sudden let off, would cause the back tires to slide.For an experienced rider, that would be ok, but I would think a beginner would want better traction and control.

 

I wrote Polaris a letter the week after I bought it,they replyed back saying there ebs was the best in the market.I cant beleve they dont improve it ,there machines would be so much better with 4wheel ebs.I like my Polaris 700 but Im tired of the Honda guys that I ride with tease me when Im sliding down steep hills,In high range and there creeping down them with no problems.Other than that my 700 handles good.

 

I almost bought a Polaris two and a half years ago. All my friends bought Polaris so I thought it was the thing to do. Well, I didn't thanks to the salesperson that refused to put my wife on the loan paperwork. I'm glad I didn't. No offense, but all I hear is these guys saying how great Polaris is. On the other hand I hear them complain just as much about the maintenance costs. High dollar breakage every other ride. Enough Polaris bashing. I know, I know, they all have their problems. Back to the engine breaking. Last year my buddy started the slide you are referring to and ended up with a tree through the front rack and on of his tires back through the foot rest. So, I think that the EBS has it's disadvantages. Kinda sucks to do $3000 worth of damage to a quad. I will say that my 400 and 500 have superior EBS but my 650 is lacking.

 

First let me say hello to everyone since I am new here. I have a 04.5 sportsman 500 and like markie said the ebs could be better on the polaris. I have never rode a cat but I have rode honda's and the braking system seemed to work well on the models I tried. But unlike markie I don't have the honda riders laughing at me when going downhill. I have rode mine enough to crawl down hills with the help of a lot of brake. It does take some getting use to and I would hate for someone who has never been on a atv to try it. But if one of the honda guy's would laugh at me I would just take them somewhere so they could bottom out. I have seen a many bottom out where I have no problem. Then I could laugh at them!

 

I'm so sick of listening to the Honda people I ride with. I've never broke down and never got into anything I couldn't get out of somehow. I think you are totally right about their high centering. That's probably why they have such good reliability is because all their owners are too afraid to wheel them because they know the'll be winching it out. I did like the throttle response on my friends Rubicon compared to my 500, but I can go a lot more places. I do like the way polaris and Cat rides are set up. Nicely placed higher up on the controls. I'm only 5'4" and I like tro feel taller when possible. The Honda has a granny seat on it. It's really low and wide and hard as a rock. I hated it.

 

When I bought mine it was between the Cat and Polaris. I bought the Polaris because I have some experiance with them and like the ride. I am sure the Cat rides nice also. It was a hard choice. My buddy has a foreman 450es and the motor is bullet proof but after riding mine and getting on his it feels like I am on a go-cart it sits so low. Plus he doesn't like his three wheel drive.

 

Why don't they have a Honda Flaming forum on here? I think it would be good for all of us. Honda has it's share of problems, but the owners keep them in secret. My co-worker had to tow a meat trailer for a Rincon 650 because it couldn't tow it up hills or through mud because the trans was slippin or something. He pulled it just fine with a Sportsman 500. I bet the Honda owner was feeling ill after paying so much for that 650. My friend that rides with me has the 400 Honda w/ gps and all that crap. For one, my 400 dwarfs his in every way and mine was $1000 cheaper and I have to pull him out every time he gets hung up on a rut.