Well, my dad has gosh darn gone and done it!

I was visiting my parents yesterday and there in the garage was a beautiful, shiny nearly new Polaris Sportsman 700 V-Twin. Since my dad's not much of an ATV buff, this required some explaining to do.

He recently ran across this machine and checked it out just out of curiousity. Apparently, the dealership had taken it as a trade on another machine and they were itching to get rid of it. The price was really good, but the test ride was even better. Dad may not be an ATV buff, but he DOES like anything with power. Suffice it to say he was hooked and the Polaris came home with him.

Well, I rode it and I too was quite impressed. That dude will move! And, I love the sound of the engine and the wonderful suspension on it as well. It's a great quad with few, if any, obvious faults.

Which brings me to my question: is there anything about this particular model that he should be aware of or keep a close eye on? Are there any issues with this quad yet to be ironed out by Polaris?

 

What year model is it? The 02s had a few minor problems, but I have had none with my 03. One other thing, it isn't a V-twin, it is a parallel twin.

 

Heck! I knew that. I guess I'm so used to seeing that other 700cc quad mentioned...duh!!! Thanks for the correction!

I'm thinking its most likely an '02.

 

(You mean there is a V-twin quad? just kidding!) One problem I have heard mentioned a lot on the 02 models is the leaking water pump cover, but chances are it has already been fixed on the one your father bought, but you might want to keep an eye on the coolant level. In my opinion the SP500,600,700 are the best utility atvs available, I really like mine.

 

If it is an '02 it should have bronze bushings at the ends of the A-arms, watch for these to crack from time to time. The water pump cover has already been adressed, I have heard of the plastic(?) intake manifold cracking and causing a vaccuum leak but have yet to witness it. On my '02, the starter won't engage about 1 in 20 starts, no big deal though. And the big one, pay close attention to the frame. Check out all the welds on a regular basis as this machine is big and a lot of stress is placed on them. The paint will inevitably pop off but just look for cracks. The radiator hoses need to be protected from rubbing against the frame, 1-1/2" split loom tubing works great for this. As far as the running gear goes, I have 600 miles within a year on mine and it still goes like a champion![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I have an '03 600 twin which is basiclly the same thing just toned down a little. And Ive ridden the 700 I really dont like the way they take off. They jerk real bad. On the Plus side ya got enough power to get it up on 2 wheels if ya wanna bicycle it hehehe.

 

I can't figure out what kind of jerking you are talking about, the only jerking my 700 does is jerk your *** off the back if you are not hanging on good when you take off.

 

ya dont ya love that jerking. Most the time I wont even pump anyone cuz they end up almost flyin off when I take off. I wish they would make the 600 and 700 take off a little smoother like a 500 H.O. or somethin.

 

a good friend of mine own's one, he locked up his engine due to the oil dipstic tube getting knocked off while we were going through the worst that you could imagine! im' not a fan of where it's located. he had an extended warranty & a better than average dealer so the engine was rebuilt under warranty. what im getting at is, i would weld a small plate in front of the tube so that nothing can impact it while moving forward. other than that, you will not find a greater quad. great choice!

 

I've had a '03 for nine months now. Have had to replace the drive belt 3 times already, none covered by the warranty. Has anyone had any drive belt problems? Is there an aftermarket belt available for the 700? I love to ride the machine, but it's been expensive repairs and a lot of shop time. I'd like some suggestions.