I'm stayin out of that one, but from my knowledge, Polaris has many of the features others laughted at and are now coping.

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<a><marquee>Forum Police</color></marquee></a>

Evan Johnson 400EX/LT250R

 

DesignEngineer, I don't think the other manufacturers really laughed at Polaris's features, especially when Polaris flew by them in sales, except Honda of course! I think they thought, "hmm, there's gotta be a reason why Polaris is selling so many quads, I wonder if they like the automatics." I don't think they were "thinking" anything at that time, but "researching and engineering" instead!

Gordon, I was in the same shoes you were. I never liked Honda at all when I was riding a Polaris, I always said it was a joke when they would win a shootout in a magazine, which was quite often and still is! My family and I all had Polaris quads because of the features they offered. They were really nice, until they broke down. We got sick of bringing them to the dealer all the time or breaking down on long trailrides, I had to be towed back to the truck once. Now almost all of us have Hondas. All of us with Honda's have never had a problem with any of them and are happy with their performance of the 300 and 400EX's. The Foreman 450 could use more power, but that's why the Rubicon is gonna replace it. I've seen so many problems with that AWD design on Polaris quads that I don't know if it's better than the limited slip design just because you can't be certain if it's gonna work. When it does, sometimes it doesn't work how it should, leaving one front wheel engaged and the other disengaging, leaving you either struggling and coping with it or backing up and turning the bars and hoping it will kick out, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Well this wastes precious trailriding time! We just picked up over 8" of snow, and my Uncle has to plow his driveway with a 2wd Xplorer 500 instead of a 4x4 because the AWD switch is out. That's my point. All I'm gonna say to wrap this up is, like what Bill said, there are a lot of Polaris owners that love their quads, and there are more happy customers then sad, but we are also happy with our Hondas. At least we can ride more than snowmobiles!

 

Just go with you gut and trust me on this one because this topic is about out of hand here. Thank you <marquee>[b]I'm not the forum police just a wise owl you should listen to...</marquee>

 

Bill, I think you're already familiar with at least two of what I consider disadvantages of the Polaris AWD system, and I think many people will consider the higher maintenance a third disadvantage.

1. With a limited slip front differential, you never have the problem of one front hub locked and the other unlocked.

2. With true 4WD, you can have the safety and directional control of 4WD while descending steep and/or nasty hills, something AWD does not allow.

I personally have no use for a 2WD quad, and if I had one with selectable 2WD/4WD, I'm pretty sure I'd keep it in 4WD all the time. My truck, however, is an altogether different aninal. It burns 99.9% of its gas on pavement, where I would NOT want full-time 4WD. So, for those riders who prefer 2WD most of the time (including me when it comes to highway driving), I think having AWD would be nice, offering the ability to enjoy 2WD until 4WD is needed, at which time it will kick in automatically. I'm not familiar with all the possible ramifications of this when off-road, but it's nice for the highway in winter, where I can enjoy 2WD until I suddenly find myself spinning on ice or sand. If I've selected AWD, the front wheel drive kicks in automatically, and I can either leave it there, or reach over and select 4WD to continue. Having both AWD and 4WD in the same vehicle makes it doubly nice!

So, when is someone going to offer a 4x4 quad with power steering! For that we need a high-pressure oil pump. Hmmmm. Now which ATV already has a high-pressure oil pump?

Gordon Banks
Huntsville, AL

 

Gordon,I've heard very few people complain of directional conrol while descending steep hills with a AWD Polaris.All complaints coming from the Forums.I've also been asked how I like the rear end of the quad sliding around on me on steep slippery declines?The answer?I've yet to have the rear end slide around on me,so for myself,either im not riding on some of the nastiest down hill descends,or the problem does'nt exist.I've only heard of this problem in these forums,by non Polaris owners.Last wk,while riding, Just last week I tried my damiest to get the rear end to slide around while descending a steep slippery hill,it just did'nt happen.I love the selectable 2wd-4wd option.Sometimes I will try to conquer something challenging in 2wd.If I dont succeed,I'll put er in AWD and watch myself drive out.It just personally gives me a rush.To each their own=====BILL

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Bill; I will side with you on that rear end sliding bit. I like you after hearing it said on this forum went out and tried ,really hard to get mine to get out of shape on a muddy downhill in 2wheel drive and 4 wheeldrive and in each case found the machine would track perfectly straight, never had a problem with it wanting to swap ends, and you are correct the people making these "instability"accusations are always non Polaris owners. The reason that I checked it in the first place was (and you will remember this)was someone said that the EBS system would cause the rear wheels to slide on a slick downhill. I was never able to make this happen. The only way I could slide the rear end was to step on the rear brake.(which finally is a good one that actually works).We could go on forever arguing these Quads ups and downs. I know I am fully satisfied with my machine and I ,like Gordon have had a lot of diffrent makes before I settled on my current ride. Each has its good and bad points ,thats what makes it so easy to debate about them. To each his own ride thats what makes it interesting. Wouldn't be much fun if we all rode the same thing now would it.

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Kevin Gowdy aka Kagey 1999 Polaris Magnum 500

 

I have no experience with Polaris but am impressed with the scope of models they offer. I wish Honda had so many models. I asked a friend of mine, who is a mechanic, what he thought of the Polaris models. He said that he didn't like them because they use too many self-tapping bolts to put the engines together.

I met two people riding Scrambler 500's on the trail one day. They were both disappointed with the reliablity of their machines. Both needed to rebuild their motors within 6 month of purchase! They loved the performance but said they wish they had bought Honda TRX400EX's

 

Trail Mix, Here are the number of models made by HONDA, Yamaha, and polaris. Honda makes 13 different models, Yamaha makes 12, and Polaris makes 14 (one being a diesel model). Point is that they all make a variety of models but only Polaris makes a diesel. This ought to make "Bill" happy because it is an option the other manufacturers steered clear of. Wonder why? Does it have anything to do with trail riding and being enviromentally correct? I'm sure it would be real easy to find fuel for that beast on an organized trail system somewhere. But Bill, you are right Polaris does have at least one option that the rest don't and were the pioneer in ATV-diesel technology. GOD SAVE THE MIGHTY POLARIS! HIP-HIP HOORAY! HIP-HIP HOORAY! (oh, brother)


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a Fast Boy from Illinois -(FBI)- Riding a 2000 Honda 400EX

 

Feara400,Because Polaris makes a Diesel is suppose to make me happy?Why?I dont know nor do I really give a rats *** why you ride a 400ex.Why do you sarcastically have the need to knock my choice of quads?Im content with a Sportsman,just as you seem to be with your 400ex.BTW,I just know Banshee owners''Feara400''===LOL,LOL

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Bill-What size are your G/Y MuddRunners and do you know what a decent price/tire would be?