Wow!!!....been reading some posts today and it's surprising how quickly they turn into bashing....somebody asks a question and the next thing someone is bashing his machine....this one is better...that one is the worst...well here goes....some brands ARE more reliable than others....some people say, all brands have their lemons....all machines have their problems....maybe true...but some more than others, that's the important point here!!!....the law of averages will tell you that.....what is the chance of each manufacturer being EXACTLY as good at making a quad...each brand cannot be EXACTLY as reliable....so after millions of machines, the statistics will show that people who own certain brands have LESS problems than others....read all the forums...what forums have the most complaints....i don't listen to one particular complaint, but when i see a forum that has many more complaints than another forum, i kinda believe that this particular brand is not AS reliable as a brand that has less complaints...some forums look like a maintenance manual....i see no point in denying that a problem exists if it is there...that does more harm than good and is of no help to anybody...one of the favorite responses is "don't believe it just because you have a cousin who has a friend whose friend's brother had a problem with his machine"....or something like that...the problem is, there are an awful lot of people in some of those forums who "have a cousin who has a friend whose friend's brother had a problem with his machine"...some forums have more complaints than others...there has to be a reason...i know it ain'r real science, but if ya want some idea of what the rabbit population will be in the fall, check the roadkill in the summer...ya don't need to ask the scientist!!

 

I know what your talking about, no matter what machine you have, someone will put it down. As far as reliabilty, it's no secreat that Honda has the best and Polaris the worst. And if you look at my sig, you will see I own both, so I'm stating what I see.

Honda's have been very reliable I think mainly due to the simplicity of there atv's. There air cooled push rod engines, gear driven, no 2x4 4x4 switch(this year it was put in the Forman 450)full time 4x4, very little suspension travel and drum brakes. This is something they haven't changed in many years(if it aint broke don't fix it). Polaris on the other hand pushed the anti of atv's to a new high years ago at the expense of reliabilty. They put in liquid cooled engines, IRS, 2x4 4x4 switch, true 4x4 mode, automatic, disc brakes and a very comfy ride so you can ride harder. Now it seems, the other manufatores are following in Polaris footsteps. Also the way Polaris atv's are set up, with such a comfy ride, there atv's are riden harder then others. I know some say they ride hard on there Honda, But I know for a fact that my Hondas can no way keep up with my sp500. The harder a atv is riden, the more chances somthing will go wrong.

 

There's no doubt that Polaris makes one helluva comfortable machine...and they deserve credit for their innovation...as well, Honda deserves credit for it's reliability...as you say, it's partly because of their simplicity...they play the safe game and are slow to add new features...it's good to see people like you who will admit to the pros and cons of different brands.

 

A buddy of mine who has a Sportsman contends that if you drove your Foreman the same speed over the same terrain as he does his Sportsman, your back surgery bills will cost far more than the repairs to the Polaris would. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

In all fairness, I have both makes, and in short, the Honda has shown better reliability, and the Polaris has shown better performance.
I guess it boils down to which suits your preferences.

 

Here's my equation: Reliability= regular maintenance and vice-versa. This formula never let me down.

 

All brands require more than just regular maintenance at times....again, some more than others...that's the point here....Farmr123 put it in a nutshell....polaris is a great ride, probably the best ride out there....if that's what you want, get a polaris....if you want reliability, polaris probably shouldn't be your fist choice.

 

GreatCanadian,
I have to say, my Polaris has never made me walk home yet, or needed a tow due to breakdown. However, it has had it's share of little annoying parts to replace. As of right now, I consider my Honda 300 and Polaris 400 to have about the same amount of miles/use on them.
So far, on the Honda, I have replaced:
the battery

On my Polaris, I have replaced:
Outer tie rod ends
Belt
Rear clutch bushings & buttons
CV joint boot
front brake pads
piston & rings

To be completely fair, I loaned my Xplorer to my brother & his friend, who proceded to take it 'drift busting' in heavy, deep snow, and drove it in high range all afternoon. I told them to use low, but they didn't listen. That is what toasted the belt, as well as the clutch buttons & bushings. I consider that to be due to abuse. The CV boot, I snagged on something. My Honda is a 2wd, so I can't compare them that way.
The piston was starting to rattle, so I replaced that to avoid failure @ 5200 miles. Chain & sprockets amazingly are still going @ almost 5500 miles. The brakes & steering joints just plain aren't as good as the ones on the Honda.

Now the Honda has some play showing up in several different places, steering joints in particular, but nothing to need replacement yet.

As a side note, I have greased my Polaris over 20 times since I had it, and the Honda is just a gas it & go machine, just change oil every 50 hours & clean the air cleaner each spring.

 

Hey Farmer...i had a honda 300 also....4x4....probably the most bulletproof quad out there don't ya think?....in my opinion anyway....

 

Mine is a 2x4, but same basic machine.
You bet it is a good machine! Just runs & runs. Easy on fuel, nothing seems to break on it.
It IS outclassed by the Xplorer in the performance department, but it really isn't fair to compare a 300 head to head with a 400 IMO. On it's own merits, it is a great quad in the 300cc size range. We install hourmeters on all our machines, and my brother has logged 1200 hours on his with no breakdowns! Front brakes are barely there, and the steering is getting loose, but all parts are still original (except tires)! I put brakes on my Xplorer a little before 400 hours. I will say the disk brakes are easier to change, though.
One of the things Honda does better than anyone else is the little details. The light switches have a precise feel and 'click' to them. The handlebars are in the right place for everyone from 5'3" to 6' tall. Everything just seems to feel right where it is supposed to be.
Don't get me wrong, all the controls work fine on my Xplorer, they just don't have that same positive 'feel'. Also, it is a little tall feeling for people under 5'6" or so.

 

For the record: IRS, selectable 2wd/4wd, and true 4wd are Suzuki's innovation, not Polaris. Suzuki came out with those features looong before Polaris.
And they did it in such a way that reliablity isn't lost.

John
Suzuki King Quad