if you have the money, buy the Sportsman 800 or 700 EFI. but if you want great reliable power, a perfect motor, and the best fuel economy you could think of, check out the new Sportsman 500 EFI.

 

i just bought 2002 700 sportsman and the bikr is awesome. it is the second polaris i have hadand so far so good

 

Pastor...I have the '05 700 EFI and I can tell you its tough, Polaris are 'utility' machines....

but you have a King Quad, its also a great machine...

 

Maybe I’m just having a little problem with the terminology here, but to me utility is spelled more like T-r-a-x-t-e-r than Polaris. We’ve been riding Sportsmans for almost 9 years and our riding is all recreational; mudding, rock climbing and woods racing (just between buddies). Our priorities in purchasing these machines have been comfort and capability. My ’96 Sportsman was bought because it was the most powerful automatic 4wd with IRS available at the time (and the best ground clearance out there). These days there’s a lot more to choose from that fits that criteria but we like our Sportsmans (and admittedly have put up with some design deficiencies through the years).

I guess you can use a Sportsman for pure utility and it would work out okay but it seems to me you’re wasting a lot of it’s design capabilities just pushing snow and hauling grain or firewood. A Ranger might be a better tool for that job, or a compact 4wd tractor.

Last spring a guy with a Traxter tried to ride with our group for a day. He won’t be invited back, at least not with that machine. We enjoy pulling each other out of holes when necessary but the weight and poor ground clearance of that machine had him stuck in stuff we didn’t even consider a challenge. After a while we learned it was easier to hook him up to a strap before we got to the mud, and took turns dragging him through it. At some challenges we just told him “No, we’ll come back for you.”

Now I’m not saying the Traxter is a bad machine, just the wrong tool for the job that day and for how we ride. (By day’s end the low ground clearance of that machine had earned him the nickname “The Cultivator”). The Traxter impressed me as a true utility machine, easy to get on and off, easy accessibility to serviceable parts, easy to ride and simple (probably reliable) design. It was a tractor with a saddle, in my opinion. That's probably the reason John Deere still sells them.

Not to offend any true sport riders out there but when I think of Sportsman it’s the Sport that stands out for me, not utility. I guess either one is in the eye of the beholder. I sure wouldn’t buy an 800 just to pull trailers or push snow, but that’s me.

For many years the brand bigots put Polaris on the hind end of the reliability scale and Honda at the nose. This is largely because Polaris’ innovations have had their problems while Honda has preferred to subscribe to the KISS philosophy (keep it simple stupid). The truth is the more complicated you make the machine the more you tempt failure.

Just about all the current manufacturer’s offerings include features we could only have dreamed of 10 years ago. They’ve all become more complicated but through lots of trial and error (and customer R&D) the reliability of all has evened out for the most part. Each machine has its own list of strengths and weakness and each rider has his (or her) own likes and dislikes about what they ride. But I’d not rule out any design that’s been on the market for a couple years on the basis of “rumored” reliability issues.

 

I don't think the polaris is 100% utility. If you said the the sport utes were 50-50 sport/utility, I'd say the sportsman is 85% utility. It makes an excellent utility machine, but as others said, it is also perfect for rec riding (but not sport riding). It's like a full-size pickup - not a tractor, but certainly capable of nearly any job.

Pastor, it sounds like off-road capability is a necessity for you, if so, than I can tell you the Sportsman is an ideal choice. Like floodrunner said, the PURE-utes are just that, heavy, low-slung machines designed to haul and tow. The sportsman is IMO an ideal compromise between the two. Try to let your friends take the polaris through a mudhole or over some rough terrain - the ability of the Polaris will quickly become evident.

 

I agree with tyler 711. The sportsmans aren't 100% utility. My 400 was great for rec riding, just crusing at maybe 15 mph down a trail the ride is exellent felt more comfortable than my King Quad's. But they aren't built for rough and fast sport riding the weight will catch up to you really fast ecspecially if you land wrong on a jump...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

 

What is it exactly that a Polaris can do that your King Quad can't do? I think you've been hoodwink'd by old Ragged. No offense, but I would guess that your skill level is more in play here than your King Quad's toughness.

 

Ditto on the 400 stuff. nice machine but Ya need more! 500 is much nicer EFI gotta be real powerful Polaris twins have plenty of power and handle better than any other ute

 

hey elkbow do prefer the lites or 589s for over all trail/mud riding? I tend to find alot of good holes big mud I have 589s now just sorta planning ahead

 

I don't understand what your saying...."I think you've been hoodwink'd by old Ragged."????????

Where did I say my Polaris could do more than my KQ? Uhh no where, yeah it could tow more and had a better ride, but that's about it, overall the KQ does more, and I like my KQ a lot more than my Sportsman, I've never flipped my KQ while jumping, I lost control of my Sportsman one time and it brought me back to reality in the fact that the heavy sportsman's aren't very sporty...I think you misunderstood what I said.