I just wanted to get some feed back from you diesel owners out there. I haven't heard one so just how loud are they compared to the conventional 4-stroke. I know Top speed is about 35 so speed isn't a factor but how good are for average trail riding. I am thing of getting one for hunting mainly because I can get one new for less than $5000. Maybe Banks or ATS can come up with a powerpack or Propane Injection for it. Thanks for your help in advance!

 

I just bought a 2000 sp500 last month, and inquired about the diesel, and the dealer said they would stop making them because they were just to slow and for the fact the vibration from the torque of the engine had loosen all the bolts on the unit. The price of the sp500 shocked me at first but I realized quality costs, but in the long run pays you back.

 

Think twice before making that purchase. Resale will be close to impossible because the word is out on the machine. Buy a Magnum 4X4 and you will be much happier now and in the future if you want to sell your quad.

 

Gee I'm sure glad that Polaris is done making that flop of a machine. Of course they could have made a high performance quad, but NOOOOOOO! They might have sold more than a handful of those and made money in the process. Besides it is much more in their line to bring out an overweight, underpowered utility machine, than something the people really want.

All griping aside, I've only seen one actually out on a trail. If you want to sneak up on deer, that is NOT the machine to do it on. It sounds like a cross between a helicopter and a riding lawn mower coming down the trail.

Good riddance to bad rubbish!

 

Don't Candy-Coat it Mike, Tell us what you REALLY THINK..... LOL

 

Polaris intended the diesel as a super utility, targetting farm use.

My dealer had only one. It took forever to sell it. In his words 'nobody will buy that thing, its too damn noisy'.

Sorry that's the extent of my diesel SP knowledge!

DJ

 

Other than the novelty, I can't quite understand why you would want a diesel in a quad. The engines last longer, but heck, everything wrapped around a gas engine is shot before the engine goes! Off the top of my head the engine is a 3 cylinder yanmar? I may be thinking of the JD Gator, but the little yanmars are excellent boat anchors from what I've heard.

 

Single cylinder Polaris was my understanding. I don't believe it was a Yanmar. The Gator certainly comes optional with the 3 cyl Yanmar diesel.

DJ

 

....it is a single cylinder 455cc i think
made by fuji industries (same people who make suburu car engines apparenlty)...yanmar...make all the small john deere ultility tractors up to 50 hp or something....japanese built

what is the price of diesel in the states compared to petrol?? over here its just over half the price of petrol....running costs therefore are good

the bike may appeal to european farmers who have tougher fuel taxing systems.....wasn't the diesel designed with D-Bat??...isn't that what they call polaris in england...built to compete against a english built bike called the diablo

 

For some time before Polaris came out with the Diesel, some bike shop owners in England were outfitting the Sportsman 500 chassis with a single cylinder Yanmar diesel engine. It was reported to be a real dog, even in compairison to the present Polaris diesel.

Here in the Colonies, diesel is just as expensive if not more (in some places) expensive than petrol.