ya there is also two diamaters, of the head but they both seem to work. So any ideas for the suspension rate?

Anybody tried anything??

Erik trailblazzers@shaw.ca

 

Radial tires will greatly improve the ride quality....

 

It's almost 900 miles on my 4x4 Hawkeye and it keeps on running and keeps on running ....
Just the suspension springs are too stiff.

 

OK. I just purchased two Hawkeyes about 3 weeks ago, one 2-wheel drive and one 4-wheel drive. We live in Utah and ride between 5000 and 9000 feet above sea level.

Now before I go into my rant, I must tell you that I have owned Polaris sleds for the last 15 years and my father had them for 15 years before that. We have always been pleased with them.

Now, there are things I like about the Hawkeyes and things that I don't, like only being able to go 9 mph on them. I can't possibly believe that Polaris even tested these machines above 5000 feet because THEY JUST DON'T RUN. They have released two different updates trying to figure out how to get them to run at elevation. We have had them out three different times and it has been a disaster every time. I know how to jet two strokes, but four strokes are a little different. I tried several things but to no avail. And by the way, I think it is a joke that you have to take off the entire rear rack, rear fenders and several other large items to even get to the carbs.

They are back to the dealership now to see if they can get them to run. They said they will get them running but I am not too optimistic.

I have talked to Tri-City Polaris in Centerville, a premier Polaris dealership with a lot of respect and clout around here, and they said that they have figured out how to get them to run at elevation. I sure hope so!

The rear suspension is not the plush suspension found on the Sportsman and other models. The spring are way to stiff. We are in the process of trying to find other springs. It is softer than some other (solid axle) four wheelers that I have ridden but not as soft as other IFS equiped wheelers.

Now, having said that, I have high hopes that we can get these machines running. There are some things I like about these little machines. I like their size. I am not a big guy and the size is great. Also, guys have said negative things about them not having a low range. Well, Polaris claims to have fugured out a way to get a larger shift range from their clutches. And I have to agree with them. I rode the two wheel drive down about two miles of some of the nastiest, rockiest stretch of road that I have ever been down. It was rock crawling at it's best. And while the stupid thing would not run on the high end, it was great on the bottom. I would place the front tires against tire sized rocks, give it a little gas and it would gently crawl up and on top of them. It was incredible! It was indeed like it was in low range. So, it is my opinion that the lack of low range is not that big of a deal on these machines.

So, I will be picking them up later this week and I hope they have got it figured out. I will let you all know how it goes if you are interested.

 

Hope you get them running , The wifes is running great still once i (myself) figured out which jet to use. They are a great little bike and the low range is awesome. As far as polaris goes they have two ideas to get it running(this is what i have gathered from Canada, anyways. Step one continue to remove practilly the whole rear end till you get the right jet in the carb.. This is another one i have heard hear also... Which is to drill holes in the airbox to allow more air into the box, I may be stupid but wouldnt water be able to get in these holes also this would reduce your air intake height by 5 inches or so. Did your 4x4 one come with a oil cooler????? Ours didn't and now here when it is around 20 to 25 degrees celcius the bike overheats when not doing 20 mph down a road. So now i have to order a oil cooler which comes with the new ones i believe for 300.00 dollars canadian. O well Good Luck

PS don't bother phoning polaris for any information as they seem to be useless (at least who i have talked too)

Erik trailblazzers@shaw.ca
250 413 7847

 

Your dealer never should of sold that to you unless they corrected the jetting for your elevation before letting it go out the door. Right on the airbox it reads that the stock jetting for not for greater than 3000'. No way you can expect it to run right at about 9000'...

 

Yeap, the rear suspension is way too stiff, I have already searched for aftermarket replacement, but it is new machine and it will take a while before there is anything available. Doesn't need low shift, it crawls any hill any speed until the hill is so steep the machine wants to flip over on it's back. That is when it's small size comes handy, because it allows me to jump off and push it back down on it's wheels. With the engine brake it will not start running down the hill and onto you. Even when I got it eventually uspide down, it is not too heavy for one man to turn it over. I can make 45 on it at sea level on nice flat after tide beach. It runs good at some 3000 feet as well. 1000 miles on it and nothing wrong yet.

 

The problems with altitude and the stiffness of the rear springs goes to show they did VERY little testing with this quad. I said it before, i wish i'd spent my money elsewhere and would discourage anyone else from getting one.

 

Update:

I picked up the two Hawkeyes and a new 07 Yamaha Grizzly 450 (same as the 06 Kodiak 450) from the dealership and went out to do some testing. We got up to 7500 feet elevation and they seemed to work fine. I had my two boys on the Hawkeyes and there were no complaints about poor performance. We did some testing at the highest elevation and there was no sputtering or cutting out. We still need to take them up higher before we are sure everything is fine but it looks promising so far. Suspension is still stiff!

Just one observation. Comparing the Hawkeyes to the Yamaha when crawling over rocks. Even though the Hawkeyes do not have low range, the standard low gear is much lower than the standard gearing of the Yamaha in hi-range. I had to shift the Yamaha into low-range to match the torque of the Hawkeyes. Bottom line, if someone is concerned about the Hawkeyes not having low-range, don't worry about it. Polaris seems to have gotten this part right!

 

I just purchased my Hawkeye 4x4 about four months ago, and I now agree - Polaris sucks! First thing that happened is that the CVT drain plug sheared off when I took it out an reinstalled it after riding through some water. I hand tightened it, but since the crappy thing is made of plastic, the top sheared off. I called my dealer, and the replacement plug cost about $4 - they sent me two AT MY EXPENSE, and charged me shipping (this is after recently purchasing a new ATV for over $5000 with accessories). Then, I started noticing that my Hawkeye would cut out when running up hills - not even too steep, just normal riding on dirt roads. Not only was it cutting out, but it used twice as much gas as a Kawasaki Brute Force 750 during a days' ride! Oh yeah, also had white puffs of smoke (gas) coming out the tailpipe going down hills.

I took to back to my dealer, and they told me that there were all sorts of complaints about the Hawkeye, and that Polaris recommended that the dealers "cut holes in the airbox and plug them, taking out plugs until they run right"! Since my dealer didn't want to do that, he jetted down the carb two sizes and sent me home. I just rode yesterday, and no more cutting out yet, but now the bike tops out at around 38 mph, when it would do 45 before. Now, all I want to do is sell, and tell everyone that Polaris sucks. Next time, I will pay more and get a Honda and go worry free. Anyone want a Black Hawkeye with a 1500 lb winch with only 11 hours on the bike?? First $3500 takes it - email me (simmsmik@hotmail.com)