Sounds like someone did not have a clue on how to rebuild an engine. Honda engines hold up forever. They may not have some of the features that some of the others have, but they absolutely do not have engine problems.

3 wheel drive-----what a crock!
Our buddy with a Can-Am 800 is glad that our so called 3 wheel drive hondas are there when he needs us.

 

The Can-Am's have a visco-lock frontend. The more it slips the tighter it gets. They work very well. Me personally if the price difference was $2000. I'd still get the Can-Am. They are the undisputed badass's of utility quads. More Horsepower, better handling, better quaility and around 200lbs less than an 800 Polaris.

 

Not being a wise ****, but how many chickens you hauling around to need a 800cc monster with 4wd?

 

I get a kick out of the people who claim can-am is the baddest UTILITY because they're lighter and faster. LOL! You're talking two bike lengths in the 1/8 mile. Try putting a plow on one or pulling a loaded trailer and you'll find out which is the better UTILITY quad. What exactly do you want to do with this machine work mostly with some play or play mostly with some work?

 

I think that makes lots of sense, but I also think I may get some heat for what I am gonna say below.

Your pretty much right in that people are getting very confused between the claims of the mfg's, what their model is actually good or better at than the others, and basically what they really need in the model they will be buying.

True the benefits of being fastest or lightest are great for all out performance like needed in racing, or boggin etc, but like you lead up to their not the best for general work or hauling etc.

Now lets take it a step further and look at how all this nonsense hype pushed onto us by the mfg has way too many people thinking they need a 700+lb 700+cc 4x4 $10,000 monster. It doesnt seem to matter if they intend to move fire wood around their property, perform general duties around the farm, or even just use it more mostly trail riding as way too many people are seriously confused between what they actually need, and what all the BS fed to them creating a false bravado is making them think they have to get.

Just like the countless millions of drivers on our roads with SUV's of all sizes that hardly ever if ever see any off road 4x4 use who would have been better served by a front wheel drive cavalier or accord (or what ever other basic car thats 1/3 the cost and even less to operate) or worse yet the dreaded mini van that have been "tricked" into thinking that these bigger 4x4 vehicles make them somehow different, and just can not see how poor a decision it was because it really does feed the ego.

Should we even get into how many of these SUV's end up in ditches on their roofs, or the similar problems of inexperienced riders getting into trouble on their monster 4x4 util?

I am sorry people but were being conditioned by the mfg's to somehow think we need to have an 800cc util machine that very few actually do, and I honestly get a serious kick out of all the guys looking to find trail rides who are packing these things as it just doesnt seem to make any sense to spend all that extra cash on one and then head out with the sport guys for a trail ride. It wont handle nearly as well, and all that bravado from having the biggest and baddest machine will most likely only lead you into trouble just like that SUV driver.

Buy whatever you like, and I hope you really have fun with it, and also hope it meets your expectations for working if thats going to be its use, but do yourselves a favor and be honest with yourself as to what your real needs and desires are (also abilities as I am tired of all the fatal injury reports) and buy what really fits you, and not what someone else wants you to, or thinks is cool.

If your needs would be better fit by a good trail machine then drop the 4x4 and find one that fits you well, or if your work duty is light and you would be mostly using it for trails and some mud etc then find the 4x4 that fits you best, but dont just run out and buy anything because its the largest, has the biggest engine, is the most expensive, or just because its the model that the most riders get pinned under in a ditch and cant move the 800lb monster from atop their chest and end up seriously injured or worse.

If any of this sounded arrogant or matter of fact etc that really wasnt the intent, and though I couldnt give a crap its just really part of typing too much too damn fast lmao [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

And hope it helps someone out there!!!

 

WS61400, I don't have the Deluxe, but have an 06 800. No problems, still fairly new. Love it. Had 2 other Sportsman models. Replaced ball joints on the 99. Broken suspension bolt on 04. Great machines, great ride, great power and 4WD system. Will buy again. Look at others, better yet ride them.

 

personally i don't have much experience with the utility bikes but have been shopping around!! the Suzuki King Quad was a great ride and seemed like a well rounded bike and was my personal favorite - the Kawasaki Brute Force was faster than the King Quad but didn't seem like it was as in sync with itself (if that makes sense), but was still my favorite next to the King Quad - the Bombardier (Can-Ams) Outlander was also very nice but i like the handling of the King Quad and the Brute Force better, though the speed and excelleration felt like it went to the Outlander hands down - Polaris Sportsman 800 was takes last in my opinion, i didn't like the ride. they are all fast but i think the King Quad and the Sportsman felt about the same as far as speed, then the Brute force (though not as noticably faster as the Outlander) - also i have been on the trails with a sportsman and when they heat up they will killl the power until they cool down and after about an hour of pretty rough terrain i was putting it in low to crawl over some of the rocks and couldn't keep up to my friend on his Brute Force. that's my opinion but take in mind i have little experience and only tested the bikes for maybe a half hour each, except the polaris and i experienced the Brute Force out performing it. and i don't lack the riding experience, only knowledge and experience of the utility machines. i think for what you want though all these new machines have insaine power for as big as they are and i think you'd be happy with any of them!! they all have pros and cons i'm sure, so i'd ride them for yourself and see what fits you. everyone has a different comfort zone

 

sounds like 440EXO26, has be smoking the conspiracy theory cigs too much lately, although giving thought to the size ride you need is need is valid, no advertising from some dealer is going to effect a mature persons decisions all that much, the polaris forum would be a good place to ask this question, many of the 800's had melting plastic problems, seems to have been corrected, havn't heard of any major problems regularly on that site. although the deluxe with the adc has not been out very long. if you don't travel lightly, and like plenty of power to haul, don't mind poor fuel milage and big wt. that may be the ride for you, ask yourself this question how many times do people complain of too much power and how often do people complain of too little, ride safe.

 

i think i might have a bit of a contact high then because i agree.... kinda. i like power, but where it's wanted. if you want reliability and if you want logical then you don't need all that machine. personally i want speed and power but i'm not very logical and i don't mind doing the maintenance to have it. i think that 400EX026 may have the wrong impression on the what manufacterers are doing. they put these machines out here for speed and power junkies, they still offer smaller machines and i guess if i were WS61400 i would probably look at some of the smaller bikes and see what you will use. if you think you might like the power but don't know that you need i, get it because you'll regret it. if you know that all that power isn't logical and you think that these machines are over powered and you don't need all that then don't get it, they offer something for you too. people just get too narrow minded and think that everyone has the same preferences and they don't. i have friends with little 80's model 250 4X4 utiliy quads and they don't complain about anything. go out and ride them then make your decision. i ride more aggresively and take the most challenging route possible so for me they can still make them more powerful but i'm not you. oh and if you want some figures, in '06 the problem rate was i think 18% for polaris - around 7-9% for kawasaki and suzuki - and like 3% for honda. i seen it in a non bias consumer reports magazine but i can't remember which one or exact numbers but i know these figures are close. the magazine was in a corner store. you don't have to believe it but that's what i read and i'm sure you can find proof if you looked. honda has been known for reliability though and it's actually the only one i've never tested but i'm not a honda person. lol i also think that more polaris riders are more loyal to the dealerships so i think that more of there maintenance is documented and that's the only way to get figures is by looking at the certified shops so who knows. just what i've seen and concluded

 

I dont want to be confusing, and those of us who actually are using the power (and most like me will need more and better handling no matter the model) are not who I was trying to reach. Its the guys or gals who just get caught up in all the hype that I was reaching to etc.

I know there are more than the few I have talked with personally because not everyone is big enough to admit they made a poor choice etc, but I know people who have had regrets (big ones for those who traded nearly new machines in for what better fit them and their needs and lost thousands) The two that stand out most clearly was the guy who just realized after only three rides that his spanking new YFZ450 was way more than he needed or could really handle at much over 3/4 throttle. He wasnt a whimp by any means and a pretty large framed guy too, but the way this machine was set up was just too much for him, and the mostly trail riding use he did. I dont remember the exact model he traded in for but it was one of the 400 class sport machines, and next time I had seen him he was happy with his change because it just worked better for him. This was also someone who had rode dirtbikes when he was younger so it wasnt just a newbie thing etc.

The next guy was hell bent on a 700 sportsman, and though he was new to riding as well as to atvs in general he somehow convinced himself that he had to have one of the biggest or bestest etc. Well after some time on the machine riding with his friends etc he realized that one he hardly ever used the 4x4 and it was more of a novelty unless he purposely went thru the deep stuff (something to be carefull of around here due to many trucks loving to rip it up with 48" and larger tires that create holes that will eat an atv) but for the most part his enjoyment was from small hill climbs and fast turns and tight stuff like gncc etc. He traded down to a 2x 450 class util (forget the model) that he had claimed to love due to its being lighter and handling better etc. I had heard he eventually traded that in on a z400 sport machine and was totally in love with it.

I admit neither of these guys were planning on using any these machine for working (the one with the sportsman had thought about but never purchased a snow plow) so it may not be similar to those who have farms etc, but both got info from someware (no its not a conspiracy duh, but it is marketing) that lead or mis lead them to making decisions that were not right for them. Maybe it was just the handfull of people I have met and no others accross the country, but I seriously doubt it.

I could debate this forever, but the idea is only to give some purpose in helping people making buying decisions.