Ok, so Atving has never ridden a Rancher. That is very obvious from the comments he has made regarding steering effort. The Rancher steers twice as easy as a 450, with out the sensation of the machine wanting to pull strait in a turn, like a 450.

Well stuff like this makes you look even more stupid I have no reason to lie about riding a foreman and rancher I ride with over 40 guys around here would you like there phone numbers that own these bikes the rancher I rode was less than a week old so maybe the steering was a little stiff but that is no reason to call someone a liar and make yourself look like an idiot cause I didn't like the steering on a Honda compared to a sportsman both the honda machines had a pull to them in cornering which the sportsman did not. So grow up, I have no reason to lie about this this conversation was going fine till you started accuseing people of telling lies. I have probably been riding dirt bikes and 4 wheelers longer than you, all types. And what are you Cory a yes man have you rode either of the bikes because someone has an opinion that one bikes steers better to their likeing doesn't mean they are lying.

And stroke9 if you don't have enough sense to turn the switch on or off you deserve to be sitting in a ditch what is important the option is there to use. And really when I didn't have the 4x4 turned on it was very hairy going up this particular hill to a point that I didn't know if I was going to make it or not. Sport and Utilitie bikes are 2 different animals with both haveing its best features. The sport bikes would not follow me where I go because of the 4x4 on the same hand I couldn't travel as fast but close to it enough that you wouldn't think it was a locomotive following you the sportsman has plenty of torque if you have the ***** to put it to it, just ask some of the other sportsman riders on here, no it is not as fast and don't handle as well but it is far from a locomotive. For the same reason I am going to see some places on my utility that you would never see on your sport bike around here there is just some places you can't get a running go on some steep places where I go on the utility bike, both have their good features just depends which one you like. Tim the 2 to 4 wheel drive switch is like the water cool thing mostly everybody that owned a honda put this down calling unessary until they added it to the new Rubicon now it is the best thing since peanut butter.

What suv's stroke 9 have full time full wheel drive where did you get all of them most of the ones I know of have a lever for 4l, 4h, and 2 wheel drive where are all these suv's that have full time 4 wheel drive that you can't put either into 4 wheel or 2 wheel drive but I am not going to call you stupid or accuse you of lying, maybe you just don't know the situation but none I know of stay in 4 wheel drive all the time.

Rubione nobody is putting down the efforts of Honda we are just expressing what could maybe be a better alternative according to what we usually ride. It just doesn't make sense to have a front end pulling when you don't need it, is it so hard to understand that what me and Tim1 are trying to say is that there is no pulling from the front end on a Polaris when doing casual riding which by scientific and trial and error tests would prove to you something steers better because there is no engagement in the front end. And Rubion we are not saying the Polaris is best we are just saying what we like for our needs nobody is trying to convince nobody if you like an ATV that stays in 4 wheel or 3 wheel drive if you may all the time then go for it. IF you want an ATV that the front end steers great until you need the front end to kick in with all 4 wheels pulling then go for Polaris. This original post was about whether the 4 wheel drive was working the way it was supposed to some say it works nothing special with the front wheel that is gripping is spinning some say it don't. Just seems like a lot trouble to me to have to go through turning the wheel or pumping the brake to get the front end to work the way it is suppose to. Seems this would be a lot to think about when going up some steep trail when I go up something steep there is no thought to pumping the brake or turning the steering just give it the gas and go. But it is just what you like don't blame Polaris owners for something Honda has advertised it is a better working 3 wheel drive system and it don't work the way it is suppose to. What it comes down to whether it works right or not it still is only 3 wheel drive...I was trying to be nice in these post but when people want to resort to calling people liars then I guess they can deal with the real truth. Polaris has nothing pullin in the front end till its needed so why wouldn't it steer better you can't lock the front end out on a Honda so I guess you all want us to believe it steers better so why not explain to us why a bike can steer better that has the front end pulling compared to one that doesn't...now who is the liar.

 

Atving, there are some things to consider. One thing is to make sure the tire pressures are equal in both front tires and both back tires, as that will affect the steering performance dramatically, especially at high speeds. If your Sportsman is in 2wd, push it and look at the front driveshafts. You'll notice that even in 2wd, they still turn. So do the Honda's. The Polaris's front wheels won't be pulling in 2wd, and the Honda's won't be pulling either, they'll just be kinda freewheeling, until they're needed, where it will be hooked up directly and pull right away when traction is limited. Also, on the Polaris, you have to turn that entire strut assembly when you turn the handlebars, where on the Honda you just turn the spindle, a lot less friction to overcome. There's some things affecting steering effort.

 

Atving,

Since your a Polaris fan, maybe you can tell me why Polaris has that ridiculous big @$$ gear shift lever on the side of the machine. I think Polaris needs to make up their minds, are they building big rigs or quads …

 

So what are you trying to say stroke9 there has to be some way that you put it into high, low and reverse, I never said the Polaris was the perfect machine they have the technology to make this an electronic shift like the way the 2 to 4 wheel drive shift is set up. There is a lot of complaints about the gears hanging and not being able to shift from one gear to another but all you do is simply adjust the linkage but this is an area Polaris needs to work on making it electronic.

 

Atving, there are some things to consider. One thing is to make sure the tire pressures are equal in both front tires and both back tires, as that will affect the steering performance dramatically, especially at high speeds. If your Sportsman is in 2wd, push it and look at the front driveshafts. You'll notice that even in 2wd, they still turn. So do the Honda's. The Polaris's front wheels won't be pulling in 2wd, and the Honda's won't be pulling either, they'll just be kinda freewheeling, until they're needed, where it will be hooked up directly and pull right away when traction is limited. Also, on the Polaris, you have to turn that entire strut assembly when you turn the handlebars, where on the Honda you just turn the spindle, a lot less friction to overcome. There's some things affecting steering effort.

Rooster I don't agree with you whole heartedly on this one I do agree that the driveshafts do turn but no traction is being made from the front wheels thus making the front easier to turn where there is no traction from the front wheels to make it harder to turn till the back wheels break traction then front wheel traction is resumed...on the honda there has to be one wheel receiveing traction or both sharing the traction load where the front end can not be turned off SO ONE WHEEL HAS TO BE RECIEVING TRACTION WITH SUPPOSEDLY THE WHEEL WITH THE MOST TRACTION RECEIVING THE PULLING POWER AS HONDA SAYS. So how do you explain that one of the Honda wheels is not receiveing traction, you can't turn it off so one of the wheels has to be recieveing traction thus being a factor on the ease of turning. I do realize tire type, pressure, wheel alignment all do play factors in steering but when the 4 wheel drive switch is turned off on the polaris either wheel is not receiveing any pulling power a lot like a setup in a 2 wheel drive other than what you said the driveshafts moveing, but the honda does have to have traction to one of the wheels cause you can't turn it off thus creating traction resulting in steering effort to turn a wheel that is getting traction...

 

The front diff works and works great. My rancher will go places the old Limited slips won't even start to climb. End of SUBJECT! By the way Honda fans, don't mess with Tim or Atving. They are Polaris owners and Hondas stink, Just ask them. Also ask them about their surperior riding skills, one develops these after many years of riding RubberBand machines.

 

Atving, go back to your Polaris forum and stay there! You obviously don't know what the hell your talking about. First the Rancher steers way easier than a 450 honda, and slightly easier than a 300 honda. I would say the sp500 is somewhere between these two bikes, but not even close to the rancher. Thanks again for your useless contributions.

 

tim1, no - see then you'd have an overweight scrambler, which is uncapable of any real sport racing.

 

Atving,
Seems like you have to resort to name calling and putting others down to make yourself look like you've got some sense. You must really feel like a rocket scientist now. You must be a legend in your own mind. You're so educated about atv's, why don't you be a good person and spread your knowledge somewhere else. I'm sure there may some gullable individual out there who may listen to what you have to say. By the way , I owned a 1999 SP500. I actually thought it would steer easier than the Foreman, but it did not. It also does not steer as easy as the rancher or the Rubicon whether it is in 2wheel drive or 4wheel drive.
As I said earlier we all know Polaris is the best.
Just ask a Polaris owner. Example: Atving or Tim1.
It appears that you have to put other products down so as to make yours look good. If you have to constantly defend your atv then maybe you should buy another one. You could do a lot more riding. Of course I guess when you are performing maintenance on your Polaris you do have time to think about what you you are going to say next. Maybe a little to much time.
I never used the word liar. However, if the shoe fits wear it.
Jack your Polaris up and rotate the back tires. I do believe the front tires will rotate. Does this mean that the front drive shafts continually rotate even in 2wheel drive? I would like to know the answer to this and what effect this has on steering.

 

Opps double post.