know the $%@% will hit the fan but I have to tell ya I am so disapointed in the handling of my 01 DS I was at the point of where I didn't want to ride it.... I had it at a local track and trail place we belong to and rolled it twice in the trails thank goodness I just installed the factory hand guards the night before... I had a hmf pipe jetted carb etc....mean piece to say the least...It is just so damn heavy... I feel on edge all the time with the bump steering issue and I had spent the big dollars for this thing....how much more money do you throw at it before you are to deep, and why should I have to find a solution for the steering issues??? I went to the dealer with a friend to look for his wife....then when we walked in I saw a mini Predator, I just went to PA to pick up on for a friend from Santa to his son I asked the salesmen where the full size one was as to I knew that my friend was looking for the full size to his kids and had not found on in stock.... He began to tell me he had three of em at first he was a JO when I explained to him I had a ds 650 he handed me a helmet and the keys!!! I was shocked I fired it up as whipped it as he said to do...this thing is like riding air!!! It handles so well I was in another world the power is awesome... I do beleive it will get taken by the ds on the long haul....but to be honest I never really even seen 4th or 5th with the ares we ride in..... I can throw this 500 around like a old 250r it is awesome awesome!!! I think Polaris has done a benchmark bike this year and will be a leader in this part of atving I was in way shape or form a polaris person... I in fact thought they were a little behind in times for no sport bike...... Let me tell ya that has all changed.... I will end by saying I returned this morning with my DS650 for a trade in we left with.... NO B.S. 3 Predators and a 330 trail boss. The dealer was LILISTON MARINE in Vineland NJ Our salesman was Jim Koch I will keep the ds world informed on this machine I was a little upset to see my power house go but I can assure you this is a contender in the big boy toy world.... Tom

 

I...we appreciate your take and honesty...good handling is a virtue no doubt...I'll stick with my heavy and twitchy but beautiful babe! I may upgrade my daughter from her blaster to one though[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]...she says she doesn't mind the looks either...knuk,knuk,knuk

 

Well why are you telling us this? If you knew what you were doing you could have just set your ds upright. And then you could have posted that here and impressed us instead your going for???????? I don't understand what because i have been riding for years and i have rode the predator and a properly set up ds. And the predator dose not out handle the ds. The ds way out corners the predator and is no match for true power. It feels perkier but in a all out battle the ds wins the predator is a gimmick people are so niaeve. Oh well im glad your happy but you should be over on the polaris site telling them of your knowledge of the finer things in life????[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Youre lame.............................................. ...............................

 

I'm not completely sure why you made this post, but thank you for the information. However you talk about dumping money into the machine trying to fix a steering problem, yet you don't bother to buy the upper A-Arms that have adjustable caster (so that you can set up the front end exactly how you want) which allows you to fix the bump steer as much or as little as you want. I also have a 2001 DS650, and I like it so well, I'm going to buy another DS, this time a 2003 Baja. I'm glad you are happy with your new Predator, it is a nice machine and I am extremely glad Polaris has stepped up to the plate and made a machine as nice as that. However, don't complain about dumping money into the DS to fix a problem, when you don't bother to buy anything that affects the problem. I could spend $10,000 on the engine in any ATV, and it won’t have any effect on how it handles. $10,000 is certainly dumping money into a machine; however for $199.99 you can fix the bump steer problem which has been resolved for model year 2002 and beyond.

Early models of anything are prone to problems, just think of all the thousands of 2001 Raptor owners who have to worry about a failing transmission, which is a much more costly problem than a chain roller or replacing upper A-Arms. (Not everyone feels that the stock A-Arm setup is problematic enough to bother addressing.) What early model problems will the Predator have? Who knows, but time will show what they are, and like every ATV ever made, there will be some to deal with.

 

LOL...wow i didn't know the DS is heavy and twitchy....thanks for the FLASHING NEWS BREAK!!!!!!

 

I wouldn't go with a belt drive!! man that sucks! AS for the craptor WEAK everthing!! Maybe strong in smell From being burnt!!
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

hey boytoy congrats on your downgrade! Don't forget it's still a pooplaris and those things are the biggest P.O.S. in the atv market! Get your tools out, you will be needing them shortly.

 

Boytoy, oops - I mean Toyboy, needs to stick with toys, not machines of a grander scale.
There are no serious handling problems with any DS, any year, and if you think yours handles bad then bring it to me and I'll set it up for your weight and show you how wrong you are. It'll take 15 minutes, and then you'll go home with your tail between your legs feeling like an idiot for not reading all the posts that adress these simple issues. It'll never be an MX bike, but then again it was never meant to be.
As far as weight goes - just another lack of sack....

 

i know that i have posted that i got to race a predator, and was rather pleased with how it handled, but i never said it handled better than my ds, i think i could consider it as a up grade from the blaster, and if motocross is your thing why go with a ds, even azsand has a honda, which is most likely the bike to have for that. i'm sure he could give you a demo if you need. well i hope that you get your moneys worth out of you predator, you know you would have your ds.