Hi all,

I'm hoping someone can help provide some guidance and I'll try to keep this short.

I have an 87 Honda 200SX Fourtrax in very good condition that I have ridden since I was 11 (new) and have used in recent years to putter around 100 acres we live on and also have pulled a Swisher 60" town behind mower. Due to circumstances and the need to more utility work around the place, plus my husband and I are thinking we might like to take the machine somewhere and ride trails, we are thinking of upgrading (much as it kills me to get rid of the old machine).

Since I've had Honda my whole life, we started out saying "we want a Honda". Went and looked at the dealer this weekend and I was ok with what I saw, but not thrilled per say. Went down the road and stopped at a Polaris dealer on a whim. Saw the X2 and we THINK this is the machine for us. I love the built in dump body (good for carrying stone and wood chips around, etc. etc) and the 2-up seat (albeit not as cushy as the touring) seemed great too. We'll be doing things like hauling out trees, possibly towing a trailer around with rocks, logs etc on it, using a garden roller and aerator, etc.

Questions:
1.) Does any other company make something that can deal with 2 full size adults and also have utility like this?
2.) If it's the Polaris X2, would you go with the 500 or the 700. Since I'm going from a 200, 500 seems like plenty, but they seem pretty close in price ($200 - though one dealer seems to be getting a dealer rebate on the 500 that he's passing through to us for a total difference of about $1k) so I'm wondering if more power is better. Is a 700 too much for trail riding or is a 500 enough for two full sized (200lbs and 160lbs) to be on together?

I'm hoping to get it narrowed down soon. Had some concerns about not having foot shift (heck, not having shift at all since I never thought they shifted when they should but that's apparently all been worked out since I was on a no shift of a friend), and EFI vs Carb sketched me out a bit but like my husband said "move on and get with recent times!" :-)

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Thanks in advance!

 

2up bikes are made by Polaris, Artic Cat and Can-Am. Polaris is the only one with a 2up plus the dump bed but AC has a nice quick rack system that may also suit your needs. As far as power goes, while 500 is much more than your old 200 I could see you needing (liking) the extra power that a 700 can provide. If you do ever haul two people plus some cargo, the 500 would be stressed in some situations. If it's only a few hundred dollars more, it's worth it to have the extra power available if you ever need it. BTW, you'll quickly learn to love EFI.

One other area that you may want to look at is the side by sides. Just about every manufacturer makes them now from 450cc to 750cc. All of these can take two people with a bed in the back.

Jaybee

 

Thanks for the info. I'm going to take a look at the AC though I know nothing about them as a brand. We don't have Can-Am around here (unless something has changed in 6 months, I'll have to look). My husband is all for the 700 so I guess you're the tie break :-)

We thought about a side by side UTV like a Mule or something but then we may want to get in to taking trips with the machine and riding and I don't think those would be conducive to that (my dad went on a weekend trip to Canada over memorial day a few years ago, rented a machine up there and love it - sounded like a lot of fun).

thanks again for the input.

 

i have the 500 x2 on order now, will be pulling a heavey trailer but mostly down hill in my yard. i would have gotten the next size up if i was pulling trees and my yard was your size. they also have a special edition 800 x2 which just looks that much more powerfull. im new to these so power wasnt what i needed, not tipping over going down my embankment was my major concern

 

Well here's something interesting I just found.... a place in CT (about 3.5 hours from me) that's a Polaris dealer is selling a 2007 800 x2 with 45 hours on it. They know the guy that traded it in, traded in his machine, his wife's and another motorcycle for a new Victory. Deal was asking 7,300 and I have him down to 7k... so now I'm really torn. It's blue with the winch, front rack extender and also a tube brush bumper on it. I'm leery about buying used but they seemed reasonable to talk to and honest and it's a good deal (I think). Of course, the 800 might be a LOT of power - possibly too much? (Is that possible?)

 

I have an '07 500 X2. I really love it. I use it for pulling a 5x8 utility trailer around the woods with firewood, brush and such. Plenty of power for me, but I kinda wish I had gotten the 800. I would if I had the chance to do it over again.

My theory is "how bad can one be if it only has 45 hours"? See if there is any warranty remaining and ask the dealer to give you a service record (assuming that service or repairs were performed at a dealership).

Good luck!

 

There's no more warranty since I guess Polaris only has a 6 month warranty on it. That's a good question to ask about the service records. This machine is also 3.5 hours from me so I'd be hiking up there sight unseen and assuming what I see on the internet and what they said is true. On the pictures, my husband and I saw what looked like rust spots on the front brush tubes (blue) that would indicate wearing/rust but 3 people at the place said they don't see it in the pictures and don't see it live so I don't know what to make of that.