I just came across this online today.

"Polaris pioneered the modern big-bore ATV market in the mid-1990s with the release of the Sportsman 500.
The Sportsman's long-travel independent rear suspension, high-displacement (for the time) four-stroke engine, continuously variable transmission and other features were revolutionary."

When I got my '97 Sportsman 500 one friend had a Kodiak 400. Another friend had a Polaris 250 and upgraded to an Xplorer 400. Those were the biggest engine sizes of anyone we rode with and my 500 was the biggest. Now one of those guys rides a Sportsman 1000 and the other rides a Sportsman 850. I still ride a 500, but now instead of being the biggest of the bunch it's the smallest. Another guy with a Sportsman 335 and 400 2-stroke Polaris had the smallest engine of anyone but doesn't ride anymore. If no one on sport quads rides with us I have the smallest engine. It doesn't make much difference when you're weaving between trees at 15 MPH, but things sure have changed.

 

I liked my Polaris machines with the 500 but as others got the bigger bores I couldn't keep up with them in wide open trail winter riding. Can-Am 650 was great until I tried to keep up with the 1000 cc machines.... I hope they don't go any bigger....

 

When we started selling them in late 87. Most people came in to see what they were like as most were only sold in farm and ranch stores up north where they first saw them. Only the 250 engine was around then and even the 4x4 could go places that all the jap brands could go. Started selling a few more the next year after only selling 4 total for the rest of 1987. 1989 when the newer body style came out did more to sell them than anything else imo. Gone were the butt ugly big blue tanks,shifters on the gear case,etc. They looked like what a "normal" atv should look like.Then the first 90 model 350 came out and started kicking butt. They could out run anything out there(other than the race quads). I really think a lot of people bought them just in spite,because a lot of people mentioned they were out run by one and were curious about them.Then they ended up getting one. Then the 400,425 and finally the 500. After that we could hardly keep up. We had as many used Japanese trade ins as we did Sportsman 500s in stock.Those early days were the best. Now with all the competition I don't think anyone is really going to get that big of a jump on other brands like Polaris did back then. Soon as something new pops up,someone else copies it or goes one better.I'm just wondering how far will they go in 5,10 years from now.

 

When I bought my Praire 300 in 2000 I was originally looking at a Honda 300 but chose the Praire for the cvt transmission. Honda's big sales pitch was the 300 could go anywhere and the earlier test articles always stated "why would anyone want more power" than 300cc? I rode my Praire for 16yrs and never had any issues, nor did I ever find a trail I couldn't conquer.
Today I am laughed at for having only 450cc but still have no trouble taking on any trails I have come across. How many times in the woods have there been times you could run wide open? Even if I find a long flat trail, one never knows when a big hole or a tree limb or any other danger will rear it ugly head...OK so I am a chicken, just cant see flying thru the woods on a 1000cc machine only to find myself wrapped around a tree or flipped off into oblivion. My other concern is a bad name and reputation for the insurance companies and ride areas these big bore machines might have. To many ride areas are closing down with one reason being speed and safety. Not sure what tomorrow will bring but it almost seems scary in some respects..

 

Some of the guys I ride with had QuadSport 230s or something like that way back before I knew them. By the time I got an ATV and found someone to ride with they had already moved on to 4x4 utilities. There were times I was riding behind my friend on his Kodiak and I would stop at the bottom of a hill and wait until he was right by the top then I'd gun it. When we hit level ground I had to hit the brakes so I didn't run into him. I don't know what the difference in horsepower was but I never had to downshift when he did. I still love CVT transmissions. One time he broke his leg riding that Kodiak when he missed a gear going up a hill and flipped over.

ETA: A 500 goes fast enough to get me in trouble. One trail came out on a dirt road and I went down the road too fast and hit dip on the other side of a hill. The road was flat until there and I didn't even know there was a hill. Me and my ATV went flying though the air and I cracked my ribs when I hit the ground. The quad was lying on it's side and I had to wait for someone to come along to help me get it right side up so I could go ride back to my truck and go home. If I had a 1000 I may have been going faster and not been able to get up.

 

I remember when the Grizzly 660 first came out. It was the biggest and baddest machine back then. Kawasaki came out with the Prairie 650 the same year and Polaris later came out with the Sportsman 700. That was 2002, the beginning of big bores in atvs. Now you have several manufacturers that make 1000 cc models that have twice the power those flagship machines had just 15 years ago. I wonder if a turbo 1000 will be the next big thing on atvs. I could see it on a Renegade or Scrambler 1000 maybe. I'm like you Frank, something in the 700c range is the fastest I've ever had. The 1000cc machines are just out of my price range anyway, even used. The King Quad I have now will go 70 mph, or so I have seen. I probably won't ever need to go that fast. But I know if it will do 70 mph, it will easily cruise 40-45 mph without breaking a sweat or just gobbling fuel at an astronomical rate. I'm sure it will also climb any hill in 4x4 high range that I'm brave enough to attempt without running out of power too.

 

My friend's Grizzly 660 was the top of the heap in our group for a long time. My 500 can get up to 55 or so. It takes longer to get there than the new breed of big bores, but it gets there. That's the maximum highway (not interstate) speed in the whole state. I wouldn't want to go any faster even if I could. 45 is about the fastest speed I feel comfortable with. The faster you go the harder you hit something, and you're more likely to hit something because you have less time to react.

P.S. I can go 45 MPH at half throttle or 55 at WOT. I'd rather save gas at half throttle.