I am shopping for my first ATV. I have 4 close friends who have been riding for quite some time and all ride Jap quads. They all have different quads and each are trying to convince me that what they have is the best. One of them let me keep his Prairie 700 for a few weeks for a long term test and I decided it's a nice quad but to big and top heavy for my back yard trail system. I'm looking for a quad that is sporty yet has an auto trans and selectable 4wheeel drive. The scrambler seems to fit my wants but when I mentioned Polaris to my buddies you'd of thought I insulted their girls friends. I heard things like.

"You are crazy to buy a Polaris."

"Polaris is junk and will fall apart on the trail"

"You will spend lots of money keeping it running"

"Jap quads are more refined than Polaris quads"

"Polaris quads are for Rednecks"

I just don't believe all this stuff. Why would so many people buy Polaris if they are junk. What is the real deal? I don't care what my friends are saying. They don't own a Polaris quad. They are basically just repeating what they read and hear.

 

well ill tell u what the polaris Trail Boss 330 (which is automatic i might add) is one of the BEST EVER atv that i have ever rode on....when we went hunting all the guys had 4x4 hondas and stuff like that...u know the real expensive ones and i will tell u that polaris did not need 4x4 to go on any of the trails that they used it for so i will suggest u look into that GREAT atv! ill give u a picture.


'03 the one i had is this http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ailboss330.jpg

here is the 2006 model http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ailboss330.jpg

...im serious its a very good investment! LOOK INTO IT!

 

Hell ya, there for rednecks. You know us rednecks don't take care of our stuff, thats why we buy polaris, they can take the abuse we put them through. Opinions are like $#@holes everyones got one. Try to find someone with a scramy and ride it and you won't have to ask your yankee friends what kind of bike to buy. If you don't go polaris,I think suzuki, yamaha make good bikes- you couldn't pay me to ride a honda- I like Polaris-USA. If I had to buy a different brand I like the suzuki edgier. Good luck.

Just my $.02

J " REDNECK" Claude

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

my friend has a trailboss 330 and its great!very reliable.

 

lets just say, we own 2 polaris and not reliable at all

 

i kno ima get trach talked for this but oh well its my opinion and you wanted opinions right? dont waste your money if you want a polaris just take your 6000 and buy toilet paper, there big heavy tanks, but i do think the sportsman 700 and 800 are nice quads other then that go japanese honda or yamaha

 

To answer your question, their is nothing wrong with a Polaris. Every manufacturer is going to have problems with something. ESPECIALLY first year models, I dont care what brand!
You can look at my sig below and see how brand loyal I am!

Their is a reason Polaris has been becoming one of the best selling atv's on the market! They make a good machine with good features.

Number one thing to think about is, what do you like? If you ask a Honda owner what he thinks,,,, He will tell you to buy a Honda!!! And so on and on!!!!

As for them being tanks? I dont know about the Sport Quad's, but that is part of the reason I went with Polaris for a Utility ATV. It is built like a Tank! And as for the weight, why would I want a light weight ATV for work? When its time to plow, or haul wood, or drag a tree out of the river behind my house, I want something with some weight to it. I have had other ATV"s and the weight of my Sportsman is one of many reason's I own it.
I hear people complain about the weight of a Polaris and it makes me laugh. They evidently dont know what working a Quad is!

 

Rob..

Ok listen up man.. If you look at my profile I have a Yamaha Big Wheel, Yamaha Maxim 400, Kawi bayou 300 4 wheeler and Just got a Polaris 500ho...

Dont listen to what they say. BS in BS out...No matter what the machine is sometime is is going to break down. I dont care if it is a Polaris, Yamaha or Bomb or Kawi or Artic Cat. If anyone says they dont break down just wait it will. Ill bet your freinds atvs at one time have broke down. Have you ever has a car that didnt break down? It is the nature of the beast.

I went on a trail ride back in September, I got hooked. I spent the next 6 months lurking here on these boards, fron the Artic Cat forums all the way to the Yamaha forums, i was watching reading and learning.

I went to every single dealer here where I live. Test drove a few. You know how I picked mine? When I test drove the Poalris I liked the feel of it the best of any of them, power ride and handleing. Yeah it may be a tank at 715 dry weight but with the 499cc engine is gets up and goes. I looked at the Yamaha's Grizz and Kodiak. Just didnt like how they felt. I have a Yamaha bike and have been very very impressed with the way they have held up.

I have my Kawi 300.. at 20 years old it still runs strong I did look at the new Kawis.
I will say IN MY OPINION. I dont like the way they are built. I think they are built really cheap. I told the manager of the Kawi store that I thought my 86 Kawi was built better than the 2006.. He didnt like that. The Kawi offers almost no protection underneath. The engine protection, well lets say a Chinet plate is bigger than the engine skid plate, prolly thicker too, it is made of plastic.


I have seen the Bombs and they are nice machines. The 400 I looked at came with no skid plates. That was a $400 option. I rode with a guy that has a Bomb 800. The power in it is unreal. But really are you going to do 70mph down a trail?
I looked at the Artic Cats and they are a nice machine also, skids are make of plastic also.

I rode my friends 06 Honda Ricon. It is a very nice machine but was to spendy for me. But in my opinion i think the Polaris has a little more power and speed out of the hole that the Honda does.

But their is pros and cons to every machine.

To tell you the truth in my top 3 picks of machines it was between a

Polaris 500 $6045 out the door
Bomb 400 $7400 out the door (-400 if you dont want skid plates)
Artic Cat 400 $6400. out the door.

I went with the Polaris, the best deal price wise and the way it felt made the decision for me.

You mentioned a selectible 4 wheel drive system. Polaris had the awd switch, turn it on and forget it. It engages so fast you cant even see it go. I had my friend punch my 500 in the snow and i couldnt even see the rears slip til the fronts engaged. I absolutely love my 500. If it was me id go with a utility quad. Sports are ok but can you throw a plow on a sport quad? Can you haul a deer out on a sport quad?

Also on mine i went with Yellow. Hides the scratches really well...

Guess I should go annouce to the Poalris forums I got a new 500!! Been too busy riding and working. Anyways.

Just read the forums. Go out and test drive the machines. Dont be in a hurry. And buy what fits you the best. Buy what you like. Dont disreguard a machine because your friends say it sucks ect.
The manufactures today all make great machines.

Oh yeah.. I have a friend that has a 04 Polairs 700. He has 4k on his machine now and still runs strong. He took it up to the Canadian Yukon last year for 2 weeks and put over 1000 miles on it and it never gave him any problems. The key to keeping your machine running good? Maintain it.

I hope i didnt step on anyones toes here but it was just my opinion. Just trying to help the guy out. Anyone else has a opinion just chime in. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

My polaris
My 86 kawi

 

viper65,

Well put. Spot on. I am not flatly brand loyal to Polaris either. They have won out on my last to comparisons. I could have bought whatever and chose Polaris for many of the same reasons that you listed. I ain't skeert o' no Polaris.

Pobc65,

Compare them all and then get the Polaris just to rub your friends raw. Yes they are tanks, but compare the axles, cv's, frames, and skidplates to the other brands. No contest.

 

I dont think you really understand whats going on here.... a scrammy is not a tank at all... it is faster then the yamaha 660 and i recommend that for viper because he is going to be riding with the kawi 700 and a 330 would be way way way too slow