Newer Polaris atv's are just as reliable as any other atv. Yes they will have torn boots if you do alot of mudding. Just like any other atv they still have normal problems. All atv's will have wear and tear and will break something at one point. It all depends on how you take care of the quad. If you go mudding wash it afterwards. Dont let the mud sit on the quad thats what kills the boots. If you get stuck in the mud dont keep trying to get out of an impossible situation. If you are stuck your suspension is usually at full drop and people like to just keep hammering the throttle andf that also kills boots. That will happen on anything that has ifs or irs suspensions. It just so happens that polaris has ALOT of ground clearance and suspension travel and has alot of positives but the bigger you are the deeper you go. Of course your friends will say stay away but if you get a Polaris they wont be able to go the places you will. Most guys highly rec the 500ho. It is about the most reliable motor that polaris has or you can just go for the 800. You can also wait till next year and get a 500ho efi. Go ride one and check it out yourself. Dont worry about what they say. Be the oddball and you can laugh at them when they get stuck in your ruts.


BTW welcome to the forum.
2many

 

I have had 2 polaris quads and never had any major problems with them. Years ago polaris quads were junk, now they are some of the best ATVs you can buy and you get the best bang for the buck with polaris in my opinion.

Over all the best thing to do is pick the quad that best fits you.

TR

 

Hey dcl,

I was a die hard Honda man and had been for well over 20 years. I bought a new Honda Rubicon in 2003, drove it for about a year when I finally swallowed my pride and come to terms with the fact that my 3 wheel drive Rubi usually got stuck where the Polaris would easily pass but more importantly, the Rubi rode like a TANK !!!

I bought a 2004.5 500 HO last September, and I recently bought a 2005 500 "LE". As far as the 500 class goes, the Honda Rubicon can't even come close to comparing with the Sportsman overall. Take it from a man who's been there.

In all fairness, the Rubicon is a darn good machine with a tranny that is second to none but there's allot more to a quad then simply a transmision.

You also speak of the Kawasaki. Personally, I know NOTHING about the Kawa.

I truly believe that ALL quads are very dependable nowadays. It's always a matter of trying them all and buying the one that feels good to you. Trust me, the last thing you ever want to do is to be "brand loyal"............. That's just plain stupid !!

 

I also love my sportsman 500 , Iam not brand loyal either , I love the IRS , Relability ( so far ) , the ride , true 4x4 , EBS.... and the list go's on but I highly recommend this 4 wheeler ! Good luck in your purchase !

 

I agree with what's been said so far. I am not brand loyal as you can see in my signature file. The first thing you want to do is drive all the ones you think you would get. Feel has a lot to do with which quad you get. That's preference.

Reliablitly won't be much different between the brands if you take care of them. There are lemons in all brands.

 

what part of ottawa do you live in? I like in gatineau right across the border

 

My quad for sale, PM me if ur intrested

 

I have owned a 1990 Polaris Trailboss 250 and had good service..I now own a 1997 Trailboss 250 and have encountered problems with the front end and starter...Which was known when I bought it...Still no problem...The starter seems to be in an awkward placement as it is horizontally mounted on the underside...Look for about $300 when replacing plus it is more likely to get water in it...Now the really bad stuff...I also own a new 2005 Trailblazer 250 Limited Edition ...I bought in February and has a vibration in the front end...It has been in two dealerships for a bad vibration and I was told this was a characteristic of the ATV...After calling Polaris (at my expense). They do not have a toll free number...and after mailing letter to the CEO I finally got a customer rep to call me...The outcome is pending...AtV has about 8 hours on it...I had a Kawasaki (1993) and was absolutley satisfied with it but I like the fully automatic transmission in the Polaris.. Good luck with your decision...The Polaris are not very popular in this region of the US.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

I worked in a Polaris dealership from about 90 to 96. I still own a Polaris today.

I have seen them go from junk to a great machine.

Their first major improvement was going to a better type frame in around 90 or so. They still had A- arm bushings made from something like brass that would wear out in one week.

In about 92 or 93 they changed to a better A-arm bushing that would last almost forever.

Their swing arm bushings would wear out in about a month or two untill about 94 when they changed them but about half of them came from the factory with the bolts loose so they still had slop in the swing arm.

Their 250 and300 two stroke engines were always good for two stroke engines. They did just fine as long as they were treated right and they kept a good clean air filter on the bike.

The 350 and 400 two stroke had plenty of power and they also were reliable as long as their owners kept the oil checked in the counterbalancer. The problem was the majority of the owners had no idea they had a counterbalancer so they never checked the oil and then the bearings went out of the balancer it destroyed the engine cases.

Then in 95 or so came their 425 four stroke engine. This was one of the best engines you could find on ANY ATV including Honda. They let a few out with soft cams but that only happened one year. The little 325's also seem good if they are taken care of.

If you took care of the 425's and changed the oil and used good synthetic oil they run almost forever.

One of the best things they did on their 4X4 machines was get rid on all of those damn chains. The older ones had three chains and six sprokets and all of those shafts that no one greased.

My current Polaris is a 04 500HO. I really love this machine.

 

This is what I did, I first went into the dealers and rode all of the ATVs I was interested in. I picked the top three. If you ask the salesmen what kind of maintenace their ATV requires, they all say very little compaired to the other brands. So what I did, was call the dealers and said that I just purchased a ________ and I need to bring it in for the regular scheduled maintenace. Yamaha griz 660 was $650 dallars for the first scheduled maintenance and about $400 every 40 hrs. They told me if I didn't have the valves adjusted every 40 hours I would ruin my motor. Suzuki wanted $275 for their first scheduled maintenance (Vinson 500), then just oil changes after that every 100 hrs or so. Vinson seemed to be low maintenance. Polaris charged me $40 for the first Scheduled maintenance and just oil changes every 100 hrs. Just recently I had all my fluids, filters, spark plug, the whole shabang for $175. Now, alot of the cost is up to the dealer but if you just ask the salesmen you might not get straight answer.

Buy the ATV that you like best, they are all pretty reliable. I've had no trouble with mine.