Hi all,

I am in the market to buy a 700 four wheeler and have been debating between the Kawasaki and the Polaris. There are features between them that make each one unique.

For instance:
Kawasaki: 1) Nice factory brush gaurd 2) Enclosed braking system.

Polaris: 1) IRS system 2) True 4WD 3) Braided brake lines.

With the price not being an issue...could someone please comment on which of these units they would consider?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
Richard

 

Well the prarie700 has a true 4wd also.. If u want a mudder, the polaris is the best route. But if u want a fun to ride, super powerfull, all around great 4x4, id get the kawie.

 

If I was given a Polaris I would sell it. They are not very reliable. I have seen to many of them broke down. Other than that I don't like how there is only one lever to control the breaks and they are all (front & Rear) applied at once.

 

Kawasaki's 4 X 4 system is leaps & bounds better than the Polaris system, as are the brakes, & the power... the Polaris IRS, & soft seat, are going to give you a smoother, softer ride, however if you are able to watch the big bore comparisions on TV shows like ATV TV, they explain all of the "Polaris quirks" ( little things that Polaris does on thier quads, that no one else does ( not necessarily good, or bad ), just different, or hard to get used to, if you have ridin any other brand of quad ), the rack capacity on the Polaris is better, but it is a much heavier machine, which translates to harder to rip around on the trails, etc... as far as mudding, the big Prairie is hard to beat, the SRA ( single rear axel ) quads suffer much less axel & CV problems with big tires, over the IRS ( independant rear suspension ) quads, & the IRS croud likes to claim more ground clearance, & while this may be true in the very center of the quad, they may actually have less ground clearance, next to the tire, where there is a CV gaurd on the rear axel, that is not needed on a SRA quad ( I've beaten more modified IRS quads, in extreme mud bog racing, than I could count, with my Prairie )... they are both good quads, however are very different, you need to see what you expect your use to be... the Kawasaki, is a more SPORTY utility quad, while the Sportsman, is more of just a utility, utility quad... a good dealership, is as important as the brand of quad you are buying, & I quite honestly, could get used to any of the brands big utility's, if there was an exceptional local dealer for that brand near by...

 

Also, like you will see in this photo, Polaris 700 run pretty hot once in a while

Hot Polaris 700

 

This is not true at all...our magnum has tumbled down a hill end over end for about 50 feet...It landed rubber side up and still running....no broken plastic and the bars MIGHT have been bent a little but not to notciable. I have been runnin the heck out of our trail blazer 250....snow mud/water small jumps ect....and not a single problem with them...they are just like ne other atv, they have maintence to do to them and if you dont do it they break down. as you say you have "seen" to many of them break down....have you ever owned one?

and as far sa ground clerence goes...It is enitrly possible that a prarie can beat an irs machine BUT the irs has higher ground clearnce in the middle of the quad....With that being said you can look at where the tires go...in the ruts, so the center of the machine is lower in the mud...and where is the most ground clearnce at???

I am just tryin to balance things out because people can say false information....not bashin on ne one though just tryin to get some things streight imo.

hope I have clared some stuff up...later

friesen

 

true that. MnFriesen
i hate when people say false information as will. some people[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img] you just have to ignore them

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] I traded in my 02 700 polaris, For a 04 700 kaw. The polaris wouldnot stay together. The cv boots are always going bad, belts never stay together, FRAME always breaking. Buy the Kaw its alot more fun to ride.

 

Friesen, ATVman,
I like your thoughts on the Pol 700, I have run with fellows that have the Pol 700 and previously Pol 500HO both very good machines. Sure Pol has had there problems mostly minor now but can be licked before you go into the bush. for performance the Pol 700 is right up there with the P 700 not that much difference. The only thing that I do not like about the Pol quads is they have such a high clutch engagement, are heavy, and sound like a sled. With that said these things can be changed as for mud crawling Polaris quads are the ones that everyone uses as a bench mark. It takes a lot to get one stuck but when it does you better have a good winch. I have been shopping for an IRS quad for sometime now the Polaris is the one I use to compare with. AC has a good system but again are very heavy. I know you are going to say AC has the Kawi 650 motor, yes they do but the AC is geared lower than the Kawi gives more torque but nothing for top end.

These are the things to watch for in the newyear. Outlander is coming out with a 650 or 700 Outlander and far as I am concerned has the best IRS system made for a quad. It is on the same geometry as a stadium racing truck/desert racer with a trailing arm suspension on the back. This has been proven to be a very stable format. I also understand Kawi is coming out with a 500cc IRS quad around the same geometry as the Outlander, if so they may some time in the future have a 700 IRS quad as well.

The next year and a half there are going to be some interesting IRS systems come out and I wouldn't doubt that Polaris will not be beaten when it comes to size when they come out with an 800cc EFI. Sportsman. I have to say it because Honda is a good machine but they fell way short when they came out with the Rincon. A 500cc Sportsman can put a run on a Rincon, once Honda steps up to the plate then look out. I am not brand loyal I will get the best that my money can buy, I like the Kawi it has served me well but when its stuck in the mud it doesn't matter what brand it is, it is still @#$%&^* stuck.

Gacollege,
We can't make up your mind you will have to put yourself in the saddle and give'er a go, find a club, rent a quad go riding or better yet ask a few forum members to go out with them learn first hand. No matter what you have I can still wave and say hello to you on the trail because we share the same interest!!!!!!!!

 

I own both machines, and can say that the above statement is just wrong. The Polaris AWD system is set-and-forget. No holding a lever to keep the front locker engaged. It activates automatically, on its own. The ground clearance on my Polaris is significantly better than on my Prairie. When I ride my Prairie, I constantly have to keep an eye out for rocks in the trail. On the Polaris, I can run over just about anything, and not worry about banging the bottom of the quad. In my opinion, the handling of the Polaris is better all around. The track width on the front of the Prairie is narrower than on the Polaris, and the Prairie's front springs are softer. This makes the Prairie more tippy than the Polaris in the corners, even with a lower CG.

I can say that the Prairie's brakes are second to none. The Kawasaki engine braking system is excellent. The Prairie will beat the Polaris in a drag race. And the Prairie's engine is one of the smoothest running engines I've put my legs around.

I constantly read posts saying "don't buy a Polaris because they're not reliable. My wife's brother had a friend, whose uncle had one and...yada, yada, yada, etc." I have hammered my Sportsman 500, and it just keeps coming back for more. I would buy another one.