Yeah I know I will have to go through these growing pains, you hit a good topic. The sales guy had told me this was a Made in USA Quad, I would have gladly moved up to the Trailboss if I knew the Phoenix was made in Taiwan. Although my KX80 went through hell & back for years and we know where that was made.

Hopefully today I will have the call I have been waiting for. Its a week today!!

 

While I like and Enjoy the polaris Machines, and my current machine has been relatively trouble free, I have friends that have tried to rely on Polaris customer service and they are , bar none, the absolute worse in the industry. if you dont believe me, look at the Better Business bureaus Website for Minnesota. I mean they get to the point where they just outright hang up on you, But not before telling you its a dealer decision, and of course the dealer saying its the companies decision. POlaris Has the most Horrible dealers in the country, Well in 2 states anyway that I have direct Experience with.
Half the dealers have techs in there that know nothing about the machine.. FOr Example, MY dealers tech thought the only difference between an HO and non-HO motor was a carb. They also had no idea what a Shim was.
Now tell me How, with this being such a new machine, suddenly a dealer knows that backfiring is "normal" (their favorite word by the way)?? Its A lean condition off the pilot, nothing serious, but, already, a brand new machine out on the market having NORMAL problems..

 

Well, I found a dealer who is willing to look at the Phoenix with open arms. They said it sounds like a timing problem. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on what happens with it. I bought this for my 8 year old son who is pretty much bored with his 90's. (Honda and Eton). We looked at the Rally, but to a 8 year old it looks too much like a utility ATV. I have a 450R and he wants one that looks like dads !!! Anyway, the Phoenix, for the price, is a nice quad. I just hope he never rolls it because it weighs 10 lbs more than mine. It'll kill him !!! The market is really missing the boat, I think, when it comes to mid-size quads. I figured Polaris has the best transmissions out there and my son is nowhere ready to start shifting a quad. He would loose interest if he couldn't climb a hill because of being in too high of a gear. We were down in Attica (The Badlands) and the Phoenix really impressed me as far as climbing some pretty steep and long hills !!! Granted, it's not going to win any speed contests, but it's got a lot of torque for climbing, and thats the kind of riding were into. Anyway, I'll let you know what this dealer has to say about our problem. GOOD LUCK with yours !!!

 

Horseplay, you honestly got to much machine there for your child. Im sorry if hes Bored with 90's, But he just doesnt have the umph or weight in his britches to counter that machine if he needs too, and indeed if it rolls then there is a great chance of Injury or Death. I know its tempting, My kids have been on Bikes since the age of 4, One rides a KTM 50sx pro, The other an XR 80. And while both have Great skills, and I consider them better than many adult riders I see, Never turn them loose on a machine to large for them. Make sure you keep an eagle eye on that young un .. Man 8 and on a 400 pound machine, Im telling you this is an accident waiting to happen.

 

Hey spoRtRax450R. You're beginning to sound like a broken record. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

Horseplay. When you say the top end is noisy, are you saying you hear something like tappet noise? Might be a quick check on the tappet adjustment might reveal the noise problem.
I hope this helps you.
BryceGTX

 

I really think this soley depends on the dealer like you said. But not all Polaris dealers are bad. In my neck of the woods the Yammy-Honda-Suzuki-Kawasaki dealer is "Horrible" one. 12 count them 12 bad '01 Raptor Trannies from friends and aquaintences and the dealer AND Yamaha both said" tough ****, too bad, soo sorry and hey if you want to trade that thing off just let me know and I'll make you a good deal- lube included"[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]. The Polaris dealer in town has covered things that Polaris said no just to keep me happy.

 

Bikes and quads are a differant story.If the 8 yr old is of a decent size the Phoenix will be ok.My son was on a 50cc Eton at 5 and a 125 Breeze at 9 and a 250 modded Trailblazer at 11.Size is no big deal what is a big deal is the we the parents are with them when they ride and they dont get too far out of our site.I even let my son take my 500 Scrammy out for a run as long as I can hear him.He actually uses better sense than me at times.

 

Hi.
I have an 10 year ols daughter that loves to ride one of our scrambler 500's, a very stable platform. As long as you are with them and don't let them climb mountains common sense rules!

 

I have to agree with ktmguy on his last responce, an 8 yr old on a 400 lb machine is an accident waiting to happen!! I'm sure some of you out there think "your child" is physically able to handle a full size machine, and physically maybe they are, but it really isn't a physical matter, it is more a matter of mental ability...being able to make a very fast decision if the situation goes south!!

 

D#*n I hate this bandwagon, but I'll throw in my $.02. I bought my kids three wheelers at the age of 2...One a honda and one a yamaha. They were accomplished riders by the age of 4. Even though they never rode without Mom or me...when the oldest boy tumbled off while riding off camber and split his chin open...the Dr. at the ER called the friggin sherriff on us for negligence and reckless endagerment of a child. Nothing happened because this was 20 years ago.

Nowadays some states have age laws for quads and I will guarantee that the way the greenies and others are looking to close down areas....injury rates is a prime candidate for justifying closing areas. Thurston County in Washington shut down the ORV park and injuries was the #1 reason they stated. I just try to avoid anything that will give my off-road sports a black eye.