has anyone seen or run any of the predators yet?

 

Yes, in a drag race they are no match for a Stage 1.

J Ross

 

I spent the day on one yesterday at the Buttercup Sand Dunes. I was pretty impressed with it's overall performance. I don't know if it's a function of that linkage or just some good geometry, but the handling was excellent. It requires very little effort to steer or turn, initiating slides was easy, and it was very predictable. I'm a little bigger than the average guy, and I did find that my knees would come in contact with the front fenders while I was moving around on the bike, it was a little distracting, but not to the point where it would be a major issue. The suspension was pretty good, but not near as plush as a DS650's. The power was excellent, it's not overwhelming down low, but it has a nice midrange hit to it, and revs out pretty well. I raced a Raptor with a pipe on it up competition Hill a couple of times, the Predator came out of the hole harder, and opened the gap even more going through the whoops at the bottom of the hill, while he fought to keep the front end down. The Predator was very controllable through the whoops. That gap stayed pretty much the same most of the way up, but he caught near the top both times and got me by about 1 bike length. I also ran against a couple of stock Raptors and Banshees, the Predator beat them, but the Banshees were gaining fast at the end. A fat guy on a Banshee with an extended swingarm, pipes, and lot of chrome indicated he wanted a piece of me, that's when I broke out the secret weapon, my 95lb, twelve year old ,firebreathing, fearless son! To make a long story short, guys who drop 8 or 9 grand into custom Banshees don't accept defeat very well when it's handed to them by the kid next door! Oh well, he asked for it!
My overall impression of the Predator was pretty good, I think Polaris has a winner on their hands with this one. I'd love to own one myself, but I've pretty much decided to go with the Baja DS, that cadillac ride and the "full size" ergonomics let me ride all weekend without feeling like I've been in a fight the next day.