Just curious on you guys thoughts on honda V.S. Polaris as far as last ability and break downs which is better?
seems to me majority say you can be rougher on a honda and less maint. on them vs. polaris. Polaris to keep in good shape need to keep clean and well maint. i dont feel this way but ive never owned a honda just curious on your thoughts.

In relation for instance my neighbor found a 1991 model honda 200 at his daughter n laws house, been in woods for 5 yrs took out changed fluids put gas and lucas treatment in fired right up and said its a honda not a polaris. lol

 

First off, let me state that I am a hardcore Polaris owner. Both for quads and sleds. A few friends of my dad's and mine ride Honda's, all ten year or older machines and they've all been awesome as far as reliability goes. However, they will absolutely beat the crap out of you on anything other than a highway-smooth trail. Personally, I'm more than willing to sacrifice a little reliability for the smoothest ride, BAR NONE, in the ATV world and the best (only) true four-wheel drive system. Both great machines, it just depends on what your looking for.

 

I'd give the nod to Honda on reliability and the nod to Polaris on comfortable ride and features. I've driven both and looked long and hard at various quads when I bought my Sportsman X2. Honda is behind the times in some ways. They still don't have a true 4wd/AWD machine. Every other manufacturer does. I've been in a couple of places where that little extra was needed to pull out of a nasty hole. I can go either way on the transmission issue. Honda uses an automotive type transmission where others use a snowmobile belt type transmission. (I'm talking about utility machines) Honda's tend to have a lower center of gravity. (Sportier ride) That same low ride height would mean I'd have a wet butt going through some of the waterholes on our trail system. Honda doesn't have a lot of wheel travel (again sportier ride) so a wheel is often in the air with a Honda but not a Polaris. Wheels on ground equals traction in tough terrain. Polaris also offers the best on board storage with the pre-XP Sportsman models and the XP with an add on front storage bin/rack. Just my .02 worth.

 

Honda are reliable but dull, I ride my friends new 500 Foreman all the time and would not trade I don,t care how much less maintainance it needs. I,ll take more traction speed,acceration,and comfort for 7 years before less for 15. years.

 

I don't think it really matters which brand you buy, if you're buying it to ignore, you're asking for problems.

Todays Honda's, and any brand for that matter can't be compared to the "old days". Sure, back in the day, an air cooled no frills machine was more dependable. Today, they all have more features which leads to more possibilities of something going wrong. Not saying any certain brand will or won't have problems, but adding more stuff is just adding more stuff that could break.

My advice would be to find a machine that suits your needs/comfort and take care of it.

 

This is why I split it down the middle and got the best of both worlds with the Grizz!

 

All depends on what you want. If you want a reliable machine that will survive years with minimal maintenance then Honda takes the win. A few of the guys at our shack have them and they have been very reliable rides but they have somewhat limited capabilites and lack the power/comfort of the Polaris. I will outpull, outride, and outplow them all day long and there isn't really that much maintenance to do. Keep the popo clean and change fluids like you're supposed to and life will be good. My rides spend their life up to the racks in mud, water, and plow mountains of snow in the Winter with no problems. Same goes for any of the other brands out there. Every one has their own quirks just like the people who ride them so I don't waste my time bashing on them. It's all about the ride!

 

Yep, and Honda seems to be a good choice for all around utility use...where the bike is used for actual work on a farm or ranch. Polaris is more of a cross-over bike that lands between pure utility and fun you can ride for long distances. All good rigs though.

 

thanks for all the input. i have rode a buddy of mines foreman and it does not ride half as good as my polaris. definitely a strong point for polaris. and to me polaris is much more roomier than a honda. i would also sacrifice a life span for the commfort, power, and true AWD that polaris offers, along with their huge front storage.