hey guys whats up, I just bought two 2004 model EFI's two weeks ago. my wifes is fine other than the driveline noise(very annoying). mine had a fuel pump go bad after 11 miles, and also has the driveline noise. the plastic fits like crap on both of mine. so with that out of the way, I have to say I don't care for the looks of the 05' models that much but there have been some nice changes. the plastic has changed where the gastank/fender cover meets with the side panels which should be a good thing cause the plastic has been the same on the 04's since I can remember. the plastic on the sportsmans, magnum, and xplorer are all the same. my father in law bought a 95 explorer and it has the exact same plastic as my brand new EFI. I don't like how they got rid of the the vents on the side cover under the gas tank. I like the storage compartment on the front but think they should have still kept the metal rack extenders on top. the 05 has longer suspension travel than the 04 which would be cool but not real necessary, I think the 04 has plenty of travel for just about anything. I do like the bigger seat, new styled headlights and dual taillights on the new model. Polaris must have heard of all the problems riders were having with the badlands tires although I have had non on either of my quads, Polaris is now putting on polaris tires. you can always go on polarisindustries.com and look at the spec sheets on both models to decide for yourself.

 

Jefffoxsr like I said, I paid 650.00 less in tenn. and I spent 90.00 in gas and food on the trip to pick it up. So I really saved 560.00 and it took 16 hours total to get there and back home. Yes I drove down picked it up and drove back home with just gas stops and to eat.

560.00 / 16 hrs. = 35.00 dollars per hour I would have had to work alot more than 16 hours to pay the differance. And the best part was that my son and I had a great time together on the trip.

 

hey jeff finally getting rid of the bombardier?

 

You must have seen my post in atv frontier dot com

 

Jeff:

I am considering a new ATV and was looking at the SP600 and the Prairie. I noticed that you sold the Prairie and currently own a Outlander. I wanted to get your opinion on the Prairie and why you will purchase the SP600 over another Prairie.

Thanks,

Dave

 

The prairie was awesome. I wanted IRS for the plush ride, and that's what I got. For a back that is often sore the IRS is better.

 

Jeff:

How have you liked your Outlander.

Dave

 

I was just out shopping for a new quad with my cousin saturday and we found our local polaris dealer who sold my my two 700 EFI's is selling the 04 500's for $5995 out the door plus $11 title and the 04 600's for only $6100 even out the door plus $11 title. for the extra $100 you'd be a dumb azz for not going with the twin over the single cylinder. and from there the 700 carb is only $6565 out the door plus $11 title fee. man I would have to say I'd go with the 04 model for the price, and looks. personally I don't like the storage box on the front and have seen the insides of them and they don't hold much anyways. I do however like the new plastic design around the tank area which should help the plastic to fit better which is a problem on the old design. as far as suspension travel goes, the 04's have plenty and I still have not extended mine to it's fullest even after climbing and stuff.

 

That is 900.00 more then Tenn. for a 500ho. Sounds like a rip off.

 

The deal in Tennessee is a great one but forme in the west just couldn't afford to take the time off work to drive out there and back. They don't ship you have to pick it up.
Anyway, here the scoop on between the 04.5 and the 05. Polaris way out tour rig pulled into the dealers a couple of weeks ago. They unloaded the quads about 20 of them. they took us up on a ride and half rode the 04 and the rest the 05. We swapped bikes back and forth so everyone could get the feel the difference. Let me say the difference in ride is like night and day. They lengthened the travel and softened the compression and spring rates on the front and softened the rear up too. Where the 04 start to bounce the 05 are smooth and beg to be driven harder. The down side is that under hard acceleration the 05 tend to squat too much causing the front to lift and loose steering control. The 04.5 could be punched from a dead stop with no loss of steering. However, when in the rocks you had to hang on for the bouncing and jolting. where the 05 could be pushed faster. As far as storage go the front is okay with some deep crevises to store small item but would be better if they flatened the bottom of the compartment out. Now hold onto your your britches when you see the rear storage. Can you say Awesome!!! and HUGE!!! I mean there is so much room in the rear compartment that you don't even need rack bags!!! I love the rear storage box and you can even access it from the rear of the machine!!! If I could put one thing on the 04.5 that would be it. I am looking at retro fitting it on and trying to see if it as all possible. I don't know if the seat is wider or just more squared off so it feels wider. I just didn't feel that I could move around on the machine when riding agressive on the 05 like I could on the 04.5. It really did remind me of riding a horse. I prefer the 04.5 seating arrangement. The lights are much better on the 05. I wish they were squared off so I could replace them on the 04.5. They also changed the foot well area. The material is made of rubber instead of plastic. It won't break and you can really bend the heck out of it and it will return to its normal shape. The plastic is wider and covers the wheels better and provides better protection from the water and mud. All in all the 05 machine is great. If you can afford it then go for it. If not the 04.5 is no slouch and provides and incredible ride. Myself chose to take the deal on the 04.5 model my dealer was offering and have been happy since.