always hated popo's
 

i posted this in the honda forum already... i think i know your answers but want to know what problems are there with this bike? will the belt handle it being hooked up to a trailer all day? what type of life should i get out of the belt, how deep can i go w/o snorkeling, and maintainence on the machine i hear theres alot... thanks for the help

have always been a die hard honda fan and have owned many of their vehicles over the years. My most recent purchase was an 04 400 at. i am normally very traditional and prefer the basic tried and true models. Well i fell for the bells and whistles of the 400 at and its a great bike but i work my atvs hard from time to time amd this is the wrong model. I take excellent care of the machine becasue i expect it to last for years without any problems just like all my previous hondas. i have had none of the problems that other typical 400at owners have and am grateful.

after realizing this bike was to fancy for me and that i needed more grunt, i have been wanting to get rid of it and purchase a foreman 500 s 4x4 once the new models are released.

a friend is in love with the bike and has been trying to work a deal out for quite some time but we havent figured anything out yet.

today he comes at me with a proposition..
his dad wants to trade his 04 popo 700 camo for my bike...
the bike is in great shape and has less than 30 hrs on it.
this stopped me dead in my tracks, personally i would never buy a polaris b/c of what ive seen, heard, and dislike several things about the quads...

with that said, im also not stupid. i know this bike is 300cc bigger and has irs, locker, and storage. Not mentioning is worth more money right now.

my question to those of you who would never consider buying a popo or consider durability and reliability the most important factors in a atv, put yourself in my shoes and tell me what would you do? is the popo worth it or am i gonna miss my honda dearly?

sorry so long... oh yea i could always sell it if i dont like it later on. but will i like it?

always hated popo's
 

Seems clear, Trade the bikes sell the 700 and go buy what you already like

always hated popo's
 

yea but i might be stuck with the bike for almost a year so the durability of the machine is under question... thats what makes me skeptical

always hated popo's
 

Was i the only one that thought this thread was going to be about cops?

always hated popo's
 

the 700 will do anything you'd set your honda to do, and more, there is quite a bit of maintnance to do on polaris' but if you keep up with it and do it right, she wont fail you. id take the belt cover off and take a look at what kind of shape its in, if theres any fraying id replace the belt right away. and if you run it in low when your suposed to, your belt will last, but its always a good idea to take a look at it every now and then to see how its doing and if it needs replaceing. take it for a good hour test run before you do anything with it. the 03 was the first year for the 700, so its a first year model, i would be skeptical about buying it, first years always have a few bugs in them like it or not. remember to get the maintnance records if there are any before you do a trade and look the machine over closely. good luck!

always hated popo's
 

Honda is definatly known for there durability If they made the machine I wanted I would buy it over Polaris myself. I would be skeptical too. My 97 500 sportsman
has over 13,000 miles on it pulling the trailer that pulls it, full of lumber on several occasions. I have welded 9 6" spikes on the loading ramp to till up new camp sites
The only problem I have ever had is one U Joint. I have not owned the 800 long enough to give you any advise on the durability issues so far. I can tell you if your going to use it in low gear towing a loaded trailer there might be some melting of the plastic near the exaust.

always hated popo's
 

I find this myth, and I do mean MYTH, about Polaris reliability hilarious. As someone that researches the crap out of purchases, I think Polaris reliability is very good. I surveyed various mechanics from dealer service departments that sold Polaris along with other brands and not a one had any thing in particular to say against Polaris. These were guys that had no ulterior motives.

Guys working for dealers that didn't sell Polaris, generally, downed Polaris quality. Some, talked about quality problems of the past and improvements of late. But, guys working at Polaris dealerships didn't talk badly about the competiotion, the up sold their product. 17 years of sales tells me that Polaris is a threat to the big four. Also, if you simply inspect the materials on the products, you can see that they are, in fact, built well using good parts.

The idiotic rivalries irritate me. ALL of the machines are good machines, yet have their faults. Just pick the best machine for the job. A SP700 will do a GREAT job of pulling a trailer around all day. Just put it in LOW. The extra weight gives it excellent stability and it will pull a lot. (rated at 1500lbs)

always hated popo's
 

02 was the first year for the 700's and the had a water pump seal issue and all the bugs was work out in 03.

always hated popo's
 

ah, im sorry for the false info, i could have sworn the 700 came out in 03. thanks for the correction

always hated popo's
 

just get the 700 already. its a good swap in your favor. try it out, see if you like it. if not, your back in the same boat your in now but with more leverage. then you can get whatt you want, just easier this time.


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