Which one would you buy and why?

 

Depends ...... What is your intended use for this machine ???

 

sorry but facts prove that the 650 is way better than the 700 sportsman. No back-up starting system, people are having gobs of problems with the 700, my brother had one and it only went about 7km before it broke down and I know 4 other people that has about the same story, the frame is not built strong enough etc... I'm not a person to say bad things about things I don't own my self but this is an exception. If you really want to go polaris for some reason go 600 sportsman, that's what everyone is saying.

 

I believe 3TV is correct. There is some differences however as it seems like the Polaris community really prefers the 600 over the 700. Maybe with the 600 coming later they had worked out alot of the bugs that plagued the 700. Pols are feature rich, heavy, and have the worst reputation with reliability. They have some good power plants and some dogs...but those power plants that are strong are usually wasted due to to much weight and unstability of the quad. I think the predator was their oppurtunity to really shine...very strong power plant, practically track ready with quality frame and suspension, not bad weight and VERY competitively priced...really looked like they stepped to the plate with this one...however, feedback is already coming in on how you cant shift the bike full throttle (not good for a sport quad) and raising oil pressure/motor concerns, poor ergonomics (to the point several riders do not like riding it), and the steering is to punchy for the typical rider...really takes getting used to but once familiar with it very responsive.

I have not been overly impressed with the Pols utility lineup...even though i have seen a 700 in mud and it did pretty good...but have also seen them climb and decend which they do not seem to do well at all...and have seen a very good rider have to steer out with one in the rough stuff...he said it just felt to unstable...I have never met anyone that has ridden a 600 to provide any shared info on that quad...I still think the predator is a solid machine for whoever committs getting used to it...unlike the Z or EX it not necessarily one that you can hop on and know immediately what you have. Just my two cents....

As far as the P650 or the Pol 700...i dont believe its even a consideration...Kawi...if not kawi then the Griz...if not griz then pending what your looking for Bomb or Rincon (both highly priced and considering what No 1 and 2 has to offer...dont know)...then a pol ute and only if you know the dealer or a diehard pol fan. Pol utes claim to fame in the ute department was the 500 H.O. For its day it was a performer that needed constant maintenance...it could out sport the 600 griz and was much quicker then the Kodiak and therefore defined a true sport/ute class...however, i believe its biggest contribution to the ATV industry was that it showed their was a market for Sport/Utes and laid the groundwork for the P650 and Griz.

 

Everyone here says the 700 is too big for the frame etc.. the 600 fits the strenght etc better. It's something I'm not clear on either but when I meet the guys that switched I find out more.

 

The above posts have to got to be the biggest bunch of BS I have seen so far in these forums.

 

I believe the part about breaking down in 7 miles is true, a guy i ride bought one and after 23kms the engine just locked up dealer said the stator came lose, they fixed it but his 700 sp still spends more time in the shop then on the trails and now he's trying to trade it in for anything as long as it is not made by polaris.

 

The polaris has more comfortable cushy ride. If you are a causal rider who likes to take it easy on your bike, or you double up a lot you would want to consider the polaris. Also being IRS it has more ground clearence.

However, I would say if you want the best ride go buy a cadilliac!! lol These are ATV's were talking about, I buy them to ride hard through dirt, mud, muck and raise hell!!! I don't really care about the ride quality that much. If am a little sore the next day so what if had a blast tearing it up.

Other than what I said above the Prairie is far better in every other way. Power, Handleing, Speed, reliabilty, etc.

Also if your gonna get a polaris look at the 600 or 500 HO. Do not buy the 700. You can't tell any noticable difference in power except top speed 700 vs. 600 and its cheaper. I have seen them drag each other. The 500 HO has been out longer and is much more supported in the aftermarket, and also more reliable. My friend has had a polaris 700 4 months and its already been to the shop at least 6 times. He is currently trying to invoke the state lemon law and force the dealer to take it back.

Polaris quality is just not up to the same standard as any of the Japense bike makers. They will kill you on resale value and many dealers will not take them as trade ins. I used to own a polaris ATV myself that had numerous minor problems, no dealer except the polaris one around here would trade on it, so so I had to sell it on ebay. However, I lucked out and found a good used Priaire 650, life has been good since.

No matter what you buy, do a lot of research, and ride several different models. Keep in mind the priaire 650 is much more of a sport machine than the other big bore utility quads.

 

Believe what you want, I suppose any brand could be a lemon. Around here there are more Polaris 700s in use than anything else and no one seems to be having any problems with them other than the water pump cover leak on the early 02 models which is a minor problem. I was referring more about the post talking about the weight issue. The 600 and 700 are identical except for the cylinder bore. Frame strength? These things are built like a tank. I guess everyone has things they like and dislike about all the ATV brands out there. Sometimes I look at the forums for the other brands and it just seems like someone is always bashing Polaris, I hardly ever see anyone bashing the other brands in the Polaris forum. I'm sure the P650 is a good machine, I even looked at them and all the others before I bought the 700 Polaris, for my use the 700 has more features that are important to me (especially the IRS and ground clearance). I'm going back to the Polaris forum now, good luck with your Kawasakis.

 

I was not trying to bash polaris. They would not be in business if they did not make some good machines. Its just seems like on the whole they seem to be more problematic than the japanese brands. I had a terrible experience with one of their machines and even considered getting an attorney and trying to sue the company. Because of their one lever brake system, which combined with their terrible 2 wheel drive engine braking, is a joke coming down steep rocky hills.

A good friend of mine has also had very bad luck with his machine and in talking with a lot of other riders in my area, they just seem to have many more problems on the whole than the other makes. I have also owned Kawa, Yahama, and Honda produts in the past and would recomend any of them. In my area we ride very steep, hilly, rocky, terrain, and that might be part of the problem. For example My P 650 has engine braking down to about 2 MPH, and I come down a lot of hills that are so steep and long that the engine brake won't work with out applying gas which can be very tricky and a little risky at times.
On my former polaris the 4 wheel drive would not engage going down hill which means I would have to hold the brake while my back end would slide back and forth going down the hill cause the front would freewheel while the back would try and hold back, and the machine is just too heavy for the back wheels to hold it. If the hill has loose rocks you will just fishtail back and forth, this can be dangerous.