Kagey,selling a quad that you just spent 8000$ on would be a very foolish thing to do in it's first yr.My quad was bought for 6250$ and I purchased the rest in Polaris accessories.I also bought an extended warrenty with it.You obviously have no Idea how much money is lost when you leave the dealership with your purchase of any motorized vehicle.If so you would'nt say JUST SELL IT.Perhaps you have money to burn and can afford to do that,I cant.I'D loose about1500$ just leaving the dealer showroom,and another 1800$ in payments that I've allready made on it.See what I mean?So I really need to wait a while longer before selling so I dont lose so much $$$.

 

I know all about depreciation Bill got the book on it. ATVs (all of them) drop to around 80% of their new value within 6 months of purchase. Maybe my values are a little diffrent than some but as a Farmer I have always tried to get rid of anything that I spent more time working on than working with regardles of the loss I had to take on it. In my buisness time is money and we all Know its hard to buy time.

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Kevin Gowdy AKA-Kagey1999 Polaris Magnum 500

 

Kagey,your point is taken to heart,except Im not a farmer and I dont use my quad to make my living.My quad is used as a leasure or pleasure device only.If I made my living and had to pay my bills like you do with your equipment,than perhaps I would see your point in getting rid of problem and costly Items before they cause me real distress.Your right, time is money,but my quad is not used in my yearly Income,so I therefore can wait things out awhile.Happy Trailing---BILL

 

Understood. Got to remember everyone doesn,t think like I do. I,ll make a note of that.

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Kevin Gowdy AKA-Kagey1999 Polaris Magnum 500

 

I seldom post anything negative about Polaris because of the crowd who defends them. I do get tired of posts by folks who have a few hundred miles on a machine and therefore know that it is mechanically infallible.

I have ridden and owned Arctic Cat and ridden, (not owned) Polaris. My impression of Polaris machines is that they are the ultimate recreational/utility machine. The ride of all of their utility machines is unmatched. The power of their 500s is impressive. The ease of use is tops. With all of that said, they are best owned by occasional, recreational riders. City dudes if you will.

Riders who prefer reliability and minimal maintenance machines above all else are better served by the other brands. Arctic Cats are second to Polaris in ride and sportiness, but far better for someone who is going to do serious, day to day hauling and work.

Of all of the machines I have experience with, the 300 Honda 4x4 and the Suzuki Kin Quad are the most indestructable and bulletproof machines I have seen. The Arctic Cats are built hell for stout and although they have some weaknesses, they are minor and easily repairable.

What I guess I am getting at is; if you are a city dude and an occasional weekend rider, (like me) the Polaris is hard to beat. If you want an everyday work machine with fun mixed in, get an Arctic Cat.

 

I can agree with you there. I would love to own a Sportsman 500, but only if I knew that it would hold up like a Honda will. It seems to have the edge in almost every performance category, but its reliability was enough to erase it from my list. I ended up going with the Arctic Cat 500 solely because it gave me the impression that it was a Honda type bike with better power, suspension, and overall togetherness. Its strong, like a foreman. Every minor thing has been put into consideration when building it(except the reserve fuel switch). What I mean is that the little things were taken care of. Sealed of front fenderwells, fully protected battery compartment. Strong steel footrests with regular footpegs above them. Good design on the fenders, which don't look like they would tear off easily. After riding it on a huge dirtpile outside of a dealership, I knew what I was going to get. I had ridden everything also, and this one got my attention when all the others just kept fighting each other for the top spot on my list. After 800 miles(which I don't consider to be very much, or at least not enough to determine a quads reliability), I am overly pleased with my choice. I would get the same thing if I were buying today.

On your point about everyday use and abuse, I think that the toughest of the bikes that were the most popular in their day would be the old 85-87 honda fourtrax 250. How many of these do you see still bringing in $1500 when they are sold for an upgrade? The motor is normally still strong, and the quad generally runs fine. Sure the racks are dented, and the plastic is cracked, but the motor and tranny are fully functional. The same probably goes for the 300 fourtrax that replaced it. My dad didn't change the oil in ours over 3 times in 10 years, and it runs like a top, even with that crappy maintenance. I doubt you can say the same for many 10 year old polaris quads, though they will probably outperform both mentioned hondas when they are running right. That is how honda continues to get their sales without popping out innovative ideas and new models every year. People that had 250 fourtrax's generally trade in for 300, 400, and 450 hondas, because they had great years of service with the past bike. The same goes with those who have had big bears, bayous, and king quads over the years. If you have good luck with something, you tend to get the same thing. My chevrolet has 158,000 miles and when I trade, what do you think I'm getting? I figure ford and dodge make a good truck, but I'll just stick with what served me well.

I will say this, in 1986 we went looking for a new bike to go along with our 1985 YFM moto-4 200. My old man looked at the Harley Davidson dealer at the new Polaris Trail Boss 250, and after riding it, he deemed it the most comfortable thing he had ridden. He just couldn't get over that chain drive and 2-stroke engine. We got a 86 YFM Moto-4 225, and had it for about 8-9 years with no problems. Looking back, i'm glad he didn't get the trail boss, because the had numerous problems with them, and the honda loving folks we rode with would have picked him to death over it. I would rather have something that I could abuse a lot, and still keep it running sound. Polaris just didn't fit the bill for me. If I wasn't going to subject it to much harsh riding, I would probably be on the Polaris forum telling everyone how great mine was and that it already had over 300 miles on it with not one failure.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

Yo andy bash-em the only reason had said anything to bill was thought was time to lay it to rest,felt as bad for him as anyone but got tired of hearing it.Back to first addmenment I to have right to speak my piece,Bill has cooled it an really appreciated it.Sure he has right to express opinion but was getting on my plus others nerves.Sorry my spelling doesn't live up to your expectations,but as you say the first addmenment lets me spell how ever the hell I want's ta!!!!!!!

 

You are exactly right there Chris. There is no such thing as a perfect machine. I looked on and off for over a year waiting, and never found one. I instead settled on the bike that suited my needs and wants in the best way. It was closer to the Honda in the overall setup than the Polaris was. It was closer in suspension and power to the Polaris than the Honda was. I rode the explorer once and liked the ride of it. I guessed that it turned just about as tight a circle as my 2wd honda 300. You can't say that about any other utility 4x4 I don't think. It was lightning quick too. I didn't get it mainly because of the chain. I knocked the rear gear housing drain bolt loose on my 500 a day ago, and I figure I would have busted the chain on the explorer by now if I had gone with it. It would have suited me well if I didn't ride so many creekbeds.

The ride on the explorer will be better than the AC 400 no matter what anyone says. It just rides softer, and I think the Polaris seat is very comfortable. It will have a lot more power, though I don't know much about the power difference in 1st gear or when doing low speed pulling. It will be a lot faster though.

One thing that I never understood. Polaris claims the same turning radius on the Magnum, Explorer, and Sportsman, but if you ride them all at a dealer, you can tell the difference. I found that the Explorer turns the tightest, followed by the Mag, and then the Sportsman. Don't know offhand how heavy the Explorer is, but I couldn't feel the weight when riding it. I would kinda like one as a second quad. Either something like that or a true sport bike. I would get the explorer over a scrambler too. It will go just about as fast(maybe 2mph difference) and can be used for a lot more things.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

Hey Cornholio! What are you talking about? If you are responding to the freedom of speech thing up at the top of this thread, then you have to remember that that was days ago. I posted it right after you got after bill again. It wasn't like I waited a few days until you made amends and then tried to re-kindle the fire. I don't care if you spell bad either, but it is a lot harder to make sense of your posts.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

e. e. cummings rides a quad?

Tree Farmer

[This message has been edited by Tree Farmer (edited 09-02-1999).]