After 20yrs of ATVing,it is a belt thing!I agree that Polaris has the most ATV related issue's in terms of reliability,though the new 2002s seem to be much better?I've rode with most brand,belt drive ATVs on todays market,and they all share common issue's that are relevant to belt drive's,like slippage,burning belts,clutching issue's ect.

I have NO DESIRE to deal with these issue's anymore,thats one of the big reasons I chose the Rincon!

Bill

 

You are right I am brand loyal, thats why I have A Kawi 650, Suzuki eiger, 1986 Honda trx350, had a yamaha grizz and kodiak, also had two polaris sportsmans one ho, one non. Yup I am BRAND LOYAL.

 

Where was the Polaris 700 when they did this "shootout"? I gues they didnt include it because of the large engine size?

 

Chawness,

The didn't include the Polaris 700 or the Bombardier 650 because they were supposedly late getting the machines to them. It doesn't matter though. No doubt due to the "magazine's" (and I use that term in its loosest sense) bias, they would have finnished well down on the list. Funny how it's sister publication did basically the same test yet came to the very same conclusion as to which was best. The rest of the pecking order was slightly different than dirtwheels had it. I believe the Griz was last behind the Sportsman. Funny how one publication, of the same company, can give a whole different slant on testing than another publication of the same company.

 

1) your right, they should have put it on (even though only 5% of the riders out there will really need it).
2) 3 speeds handle it all and you don't need a low range.
3) This machine needs no more warm up time than any other if you follow what the OEM suggest.
4) It has a great rear disc brake. Not as good as the P650, but better than the rest.
5) Doesn't need it, just like all the auto's out there with IRS.
6) No major engine braking at high speeds (I don't kiss the handle bars when I lay off the gas, I can coast)
7) The 650 has great performance. Have you put any "real" miles on one after it has been broken in? Been on one at all?
8) It is number 1 in alot of peoples judgement.

You sound like another bitter Polaris owner trying to bring this machine down to your machines level. Give it up, because it can't happen!

 

Here is another example of "editorial bias" I recently came across while reorganizing my magazine collection.

In the April 2001 edition of Dirtwheels there is a test between the Honda 250EX, the Kawasaki Lakota and the Polaris Trailblazer. In this shootout they gave the overall win to the Honda 250EX. It was a "unanimous" decision, even though it wasn't the fastest or best suspended, it was the most fun to ride on the trails.

HOWEVER

In the March 2002 edition of that very same Dirtwheels magazine, no more than eleven months after the first shoot out, they proclaim the Kawasaki Lakota to be the winner of a shoot out between it and the Honda 250EX. WOW, here are two quads that haven't changed since their introduction to the market place, yet what a difference 11 months can make. They picked the Kawasaki because of the differences in speed and longer suspension travel.

To paraphrase Tommy Lee Jones' charachter in the "Fugitive":

WOULD YOU PEOPLE CARE TO GET YOUR B.S. STORY STRAIGHT!

 

Well fella's I wouldn't take Dirtwheels to heart. For years they called the Polaris engines "Low Tech Push rod designs" and called the Honda engines "overhead valve for a lower center of gravity and improved handling". ???? They are of the same nature deign. Coincidentally, you don't hardly ever see Polaris ads in Dirtwheels, but see lots of Honda ads. Sometimes you gotta read between the lines. I think DW is dissapointed with the lack of a locker,drum brakes etc.. and the fact that they are used to Honda raising the bar to only see them join the competition on this one. Besides, sometimes it's fun being the underdog![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Yo Farmr123 and 3TV,

The Baja Rincon won the ATV class overall, beating any and all sport ATVs, and Mike Penland DNF'd!

 

If that is true, I stand corrected. I had heard, but not double checked myself, that it won the utility class. I guess I ought to check things out fer sure before I get carried away.

Does anyone have the actual entries & standings, or a link to where I could look them up? Thankz.

Farmr

 

What an interesting evolutionary process this big bore utility game has been....They didn't come out at the same time, just trickled in, about one every six months or so. Each has had pluses, and minuses.
But there has been no clear "winner". The Rincon was a dissapointment for some, expecting Honda to make the ultimate big bore, but lack of engine braking, locking dif, low range, and drum brakes are some pretty numerous ommissions.
We all know the pluses and minuses of all these rigs, so no point going into it here. SO the only thing left is Suzuki's big bore, about which we can only speculate. Suzuki has done a remarkable job beating Honda at their own game with each new quad they have brought out...Will they? Can they do it again with a big bore utility? I sure hope so....It has to be called the Everest doesn't it? And will they have a big bore sport too or just a yellow kawasaki? I think they will do something really good, and that is why they have waited....But then that is what everybody keeps saying about Honda!