My ATV buddy and I where talking about the General life expectancy of a Polaris (he is a HONDA guy)
What Kind of hours/Miles should a well maintanined polaris get before having major problems or rebuilds?
500HO ?
600 Twin ?
700 Twin ?
ETC.



JP

 

this is kind of a tough one. im sure there are guys on here with several hundreds and even thousands of miles on machines. the twins are fairly new, 02 and up, so haven't really seen major problems with them. im sure there are a few tho. the 500's seem almost bullet proof. ive service many with several thousand miles with no motor problems, no smoking, lack of power, etc. iguess it all depends on the owner and the maintenance kept on them. had a guy awhile ago that had 2 - 01 expeditions, 1 335 spmn, 1 scrambler 500 & 500 spmn. all had well over 5000 miles each. no they were never babied. they were used day in and day out on dairy farm, most of the time you couldn't tell what color they were for the mud!!

 

Maintain it and it will last forever. I knew an old woodsman who had been cutting wood with the same ax for 50 years. He'd replaced the handle 30 times and the head 10 times, but it was the same ax.

 

Maintenance is the key. My 2000 has been rolled, wrecked, stuck and rode hard, but has always gotten the proper care. It's never been to a shop for service. My nephews both have 03 models (Scrammy and Pred) but don't keep up with theirs. Guess who's in the shop when it's time to ride.

 

Here goes! My ’01 RSE 500 HO has spent it’s life lifted front and rear, heavy springs f&r, easy-steer kit on the front, brushguard, winch and rear bumper. It has front and rear Polaris hard cargo boxes that are full of stuff like an axe. jump-start battery pack, tire repair kit, sawed-off shotgun, tow straps, ****** block, etc. AND I used to strap a 30# fuel pack to the front for a while then switched it to the rear (I made spacers so it would mount under the rear box). The point is I ride HEAVY. It’s worn out a set of 26” Mud Runners, 27” Tri-Claw / Bi-Claws and currently, 27” 589s on ITP Magnum wheels.

As big and heavy as this machine is, with all the extra stress of the lift and tires, I ride it HARD in mud, rocks and deep water like it was a sport bike. It’s been through about a dozen CV boots (mostly rear inners) two complete rear axles (CV to CV because the CVs wore out from the lift angle) two sets of tie rod ends, has new suspension bushings front and rear and replaced a broken stock clutch (with stock). It’s had three new batteries and 3 or 4 front inner hub seals replaced. Currently the shocks are worn out, the rear rack is broken from the mods, it could use tie rod ends again and after my last ride the upper frame is broken where it attaches to the tranny and A-arm supports in the rear. It didn’t crash, I just ride it that hard.

The motor still runs and sounds like the day I bought it (oil changes every 500 or so miles). Tranny still works good. I’m going to weld repairs to the fame (again).

8,189 of FUN, HARD miles.

 

dang it boy, i would have done give up and bought a new one. sounds like you had a blast breaking it though.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I have seen a few 500's with 3000+ HOURS on them. I've also seen an '05 500 run too low on oil and need a new motor. Maintenance is key.

 

Polaris used to get a lot of crap about the fact that they had so many zerk fittings that needed to be greased. But to me, every time I pumped in some clean grease and saw mud and water squirt out, I was proud to have all those fittings. Like others have said, just maintain it and it will last a long time. That is true of anything, any brand, but Polaris was nice enough to give us a way to actually do it. Too many others want you to buy entire replacement parts all the time.

 

I agree..When I got my 2004 SPT 600....I could not believe that their was not grease fittings
JP

 

A few Hondas have amazed me in the past. I've seen a few that you would not believe would still be running if you saw how bad they were neglected and how hard and carelessly they were ridden. I honestly feel that no other quad would have lasted through the years of neglect these have. You could not convince me otherwise. But, (here is the big but) I'm talking about a couple of good ol' Honda 300 4x4's. When you think about it, these quads are as simple as it gets and I believe that is why Honda has won a lot of people over on reliability. Their quads were never packed with features. They always stuck with (for the most part) simplicity.

I would not buy a Honda unless I was looking for a good reliable 350cc 4x4, which ain't happining any time soon. IMO they are boring and over priced (except the 450r).