I have a 2002 Polaris Sportsman 700 that I just picked up. I test drove it a bit before buying it. It runs great. The problem is that the thing darts all over the place starting at 15 mph and increases as speed increases. It is actually a little unnerving. I checked the pressure and all four tires were around six psi and the alignment looked like it toe'd out just a little. Has anyone ran into this before? Is there something obvious that I should be checking? I have never had a vehicle that would swerve unpredictably like this. Any an all help and suggestions are appreciated!
TJ

 

Jack the front end up and check a-arm slack along with tie rod ends. Usually it's worn bushings or tie rod ends or both than could be causing this. Plus you'd have to realign the front end after any repairs as this would alter the the toe out/in.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki & Kawasaki OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse

 

Thank you for the help. I will get to work and report back!

 

You will want a slight toe in rather than a toe out. Toe out can cause some slight wandering, but as OPT stated the front end is probably worn out and needs rebuilt.

 

Not trying to dispute you Kymco 450i but Polaris does recommend an 1/8" to 1/4" toe out.Other makers may be different on this.I've had them brought in with them toed in and on some tire wear was really uneven.Plus on sharp turns you could feel machines tend to lean over. These got realigned quick. We got tired of trying the old chalk and string method years ago and started using a good straight metal stud. One guy would hold the bars straight,one guy would hold the stud against the tires and adjust the tie rod to get the tires aligned right. Worked out great plus a lot quicker if you have help. Here's one guys method of doing one by himself. Guess it worked out alright for him.

 

Hey there OPT...feel free to disagree, I understand that some mfgrs want toe out but from experience from years of auto racing and atv repair (non professional) I have found that toe out causes wander and oversteer. In the rough terrain it becomes less noticible. On circle tracks we used toe out but on road courses toe in was mandatory if you wanted to maintain control of your racecar. I won't even try to argue with the mfgs, as they sometimes create circumstances that I believe cause parts to wear faster....oh well so much for my conspiracy theories. In short, every machine I own and have ever owned has used toe in to dead straight and I have always had better tire wear than others and people have complimented me on how well my machine handles compared to theirs....even the same brands. I like your pic enclosed as I use a similar setup as I explained in another posting. I have an 8' straight edge that I use for alignment to be sure all 4 wheels are aligned to each other and then adjust to get about 1/8" or less toe in. While in may not be in recommended service specs, I have found a slight toe in was far better than toe out and the people I helped appeared to feel the same. But like everything else in life, some things work better for some than for everyone else.

 

Thanks for all the opinions. I will start with the factory suggestion and alter as needed since this is a new (to me) machine.

 

OPT, does this look like the correct parts list?
Thanks again!


MFG
ITEM
QTY
PRICE
TOTAL
Polaris
ROD-END,3/8,1/2-20RH,44DEG for 2002 Polaris A02CH68AA/AB/AC/CA/CB SPORTSMAN 700

7061139

Save Changes
$31.05
Save to Wishlist $62.10
Remove Polaris
ROD-END,10MM,1/2-20LH,42 DEG for 2002 Polaris A02CH68AA/AB/AC/CA/CB SPORTSMAN 700

7061138

Save Changes
$31.05
Save to Wishlist $62.10
Remove Polaris
BUSHING-A-ARM,LONG,102.36MM(10) for 2002 Polaris A02CH68AA/AB/AC/CA/CB SPORTSMAN 700

5436973

Save Changes
$4.73
Save to Wishlist $9.46
Remove Polaris
BUSHING,A-ARM SPACER(10) for 2002 Polaris A02CH68AA/AB/AC/CA/CB SPORTSMAN 700

5020677

Save Changes
$5.40
Save to Wishlist $10.80
Remove

 

My little 90 was all over the places especially when braking. Checked the alignment which was slightly off but found a severely worn tie rod end. Replaced the tie rod and it fixed my problem.

 

Inner and outer rod ends show to be correct along with the bushings. Manual suggest using new a-arm bolts (7512492) but most people never do. Just be sure to use blue loctite on the bolts. Plus don't overlook excessive slack at the ball joints.This is another problem area on front ends plus can be dangerous if neglected and if they happen to break. Saw the results of several wrecks when this happened and it's not a pretty sight either for the machine and also for a few riders that happened to be moving pretty fast when they broke.