Everyone bashes Polaris but Polaris has done the ATV industry a favor by coming into the market. ATVs have always been a major source of revenue for the manufactures but the amount of research and development for new machines has always lagged (main emphasis is on motocross bikes) until recently. Year after year we see the same quad with new stickers and an increased price! (Example: the Kawasaki Tecate) With Polaris passing up Suzuki, then Kawasaki, and Yamaha in ATV sales and now approaching Honda, it forces manufactures to come out with new (better) models to keep up with the new competition. Polaris is a very inovative company committed to gaining market share in the ATV industry. Polaris is the #1 sowmobile maker in the world and they may be the #1 ATV maker someday if the Japanese manufactures do not continue spending the $ for better ATVs.

 

Just because one company sells the most of a given product. Doesen't make them the "best".
Not to start a huge fight here, or bash Polaris quads. But a lot of people buy Polaris machines because they want american made products. Well I have some news for you. Polaris engines are made in Japan. That's right. Honda also makes thier engines in Japan and assembles the rest here. The same as Polaris.
I know what everyones thinking. Where does the money go? Well Polaris profits do stay here in the US and Honda's goes back overseas. But here's one more fact. The money grubbing CEO's and Presidents of these companies can give a crap less about us--the consumer. So too me, it doesen't matter which rich guy gets my money in the end. America or Japan.
Polaris may take over in sales. But they will never take over the industry until they make a "sport" quad and a kid's machine.

Chris 00' 300EX

 

I believe what Weedy is saying, is that if it weren't for Polaris, there would be no Rubicon, or Foreman/Rancher ES.
Before Polaris came out with the big bores, A 350 was a big quad, now it is considered mid-sized.


[This message has been edited by Mr_Sebring (edited 11-29-1999).]

 

I Agree,
If it weren't for Polaris, all quads would be 350cc or less with 4 inches of suspension and no "bells & whistles". Say what you want about Polaris. But they have done everyone a favor by forcing the Japs to "keep up". With competition everyone wins no matter what brand you buy.
c-ya,

------------------
Andrew Thomas

'99 Scrambler 400 & '99 Trailblazer, both with RCR mods.

 

And they can all thank Honda for inventing the ATV in the first place !!

 

If only Polaris could make their atvs as RELIABLE as Honda they might be #1 but I dought that will ever happen.

 

why do polaris people keep coming over here and posting stuff?? are they so insecure thay can't stay in their own playpen? or are they soo tired of discussing repair situations they come here for fresh air?
if you have a polaris i hope you are happy and stay that way, but on the honda thread we are happy with honda and have been for a long time and you probably can't talk us out of it.

 

OK Polaris, come out with a high performance machine so the others will follow! Well at least Honda is the one to follow in this category, they made the other companies get their rearend in gear to get a high performance quad out, and Yamaha's and Suzuki's is coming in 2001!

 

All of polaris's inventions didn't help the price of atv's which has risen dramatically since 1990. Same bike, shameful price.

Take the 2wd honda 300 for instance.

We paid $3000 for a brand new 89 model in Oct. of 1989.
Today the same bike with no real worthy modifications goes for $4300. Is that inflation or did they just make quads so big that they had to spend more to make them, thus pricing them higher. All of this making them able to bridge the price gap and swing a bit more profit off of higher prices for the smaller machines.

Jeez.. Can any fool here imagine what you would have thought 9 years ago if you heard that some dumbass spent $7000 for a four-wheeler? That would have bought you a white izuzu pickup and paid the sales tax for it too. I told my old man a year ago that i was buying a bike that cost $5500 and he almost choked. Then I told him that that was an incredible deal for that bike and he laughed in my face. ATV's are as overpriced as anything. Same goes for trucks and SUV's I guess though.

------------------
Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

OK, I think Hondas are the greatest. But even Honda will admit that competition is good for everyone. The best thing Polaris did was put an auto tranny on a quad and popularize them everywhere. Polaris also has very good marketing, some of the best.

That said, all of the hype in the world won't substitute for a mediocre product. Customers aren't stupid, they'll buy the best machine their money can buy. Period.

Its hard to believe people still think ANY thing is still 'made in the USA' or anywhere else for that matter. Talk to anyone in any industry today and you'll quickly find that national boundaries are a thing of the past when it comes to designing, building and distributing any kind of product. The customer Rules - they dictate what will be built, and what they are willing to pay - thats the only common denominator anymore.

Honda sells 10-15 times as many ATVs in the US as anywhere else, and they build almost every model in Ohio and SC. But you can bet they are developing markets all over the world, and exporting from these same factories.

Honda designs ATVs for specific applications, and they all handle extremely well. Ever wonder why a 2wd Honda has different tires than a 4wd? Anyone can put a push-button on a handlebar and say they have 4wd on-demand. Come-on. Most 4wd in 2wd drive mode push all over the place. 4wd Hondas outhandle most 2wd competitors and the new 2wd Ranchers, from the initial press reports, do things alot of 4wds can't do.

Who cares if the brakes are disc or drum? If they do the job and don't require lots of service, isn't that what really matters? And, at the end of the day, or the month, you know the Honda will start up.

"Where does the money go," some people wonder? It goes back into R&D, which for Honda is spread all over the world. That's probably the coolest thing about Honda, actually Mr. Honda - he created an R&D environment, tested through racing, thats unparalleled anywhere in the world. There isn't a company of any size that been able to match Honda's engine R&D - just look at their racing programs - other companies like Merecedes, Ferrari, BMW, Ford, etc outspend them and they still can't win the way Honda does. This stuff is all in books, I'm not making it up.

Hey, I just wanna go ride - I'm off my soapbox!