Hello, I am sending my first posting on this site any am going to buy two atv's in the next couple of weeks. My first choice was a 2006 sportsman 450 for me and 2006 hawkeye 4x4 300 for my wife. But I read some very bad reviews about the hawkeye incl. carbs.. bad welds.. a-arms broken...not running very well in water crossings etc.. So for the extra cash I was going to get two sportsman 450. I can not seem to find much info on this new model and would like some feedback if anyone out there drives one of these polaris!!!How are they holding up? Thanks great site (I am hooked on it ask my WIFE) LOL...

 

well i got a 450 had problem as soon as i unloaded it at home. carb. needle was bent causing it to flood out and over heat. got that fixed, dirt and debries can get to the fan and stop it and cause it to over heat. just have to keep an eye on that. it spits and sputters in mud holes and going up hills going to take it back and see what is causing this. just doesnt seem to have enough power. well i think that is about all so far.
but will keep you posted.
ricky

 

how long did you own it? and how many miles on it so far? Thanks for the reply!!!

 

i've had it for about 2 and 1/2 months. i think it has around 3-400 miles on it

 

Sounds like your carb is not right. The coughing/spitting in the mudholes is the same thing causing the problem on hills....sounds like an overly rich condition. Check your plug to see if it looks black/wet. You need to get your carb adjusted right and I think you'll see it has plenty of power.

With respect to the question posted:

I would spend the extra and get two 450s. The Sportsman is a well proven design and has been in production for many years. It's been updated along the way. The 450 is the latest update of the 400......more power. I have a 2004 Sportsman 400 and it's been extremely reliable. I currently have just over 1500 miles of rough-and-tumble trail riding year-round. The only problems I experienced so far are one cut CV boot......replaced it myself $29......new clutch buttons......replaced them myself $3 each for total of $9. The new 450 has way more power than my 400. It's the same basic engine as the 400 (proven and bullet-proof)...but they increased displacement to 455cc and massaged it to get a really nice power increase.

The Hawkeye is a brand new model/first year machine......new design from the get-go. I personally would not buy any brand new design model in the first year.

 

I bought an X2 and a Hawkeye for the wife. Just brought them home from the dealer...put the hawk in reverse to back off the trailer....gave it gas and it went forward. Apparently the trans was missing some parts. The wife rode it that weekend anyways. Took it back to the dealer and got a 450 loaner. Wow what a difference. We ended up trading the Hawkeye in for the 450 loaner. No problems with the 450 so far (400mi). The 450 is well worth the extra cash. More power, nicer ride, more storage, more ground clearance. Parts and accessories will be more readily available.

If you have the money and the wife doesn't mind the larger size then get the 450.

 

How do you like the X2? What was the price?

 

I have a Hawkeye 4x4, I have ridden it about 5 times. I have had no problems with it and climbed some pretty steep and greasy hills with it. The power is ok. I don't know where you have seen the bad reviews, ATV TV liked it and the mags I have seen have liked it. There is an owners review at polarisriders.com and a picture of mine with a front rack extension. With all that, mine could be for sale. Are you in Huntsville, AL? I am just down the road. I traded a streetbike for mine before it got warm and now want another streetbike. If your local and want a test ride and talk, pm me.

 

I like the X2. It has some vibration issues that the dealer is working on right now. Once they get that worked out I will be very happy with it. I rode an 04 Outlander Max (2up) for 6000miles before I got the X2 so I was used to the longer wheelbase already. The rear seat isn't near as comfortable on the X2 as the Outlanders. Since we have a second quad now, backseat comfort isn't a big issue for us. The ride on the X2 is stiffer than the regular sportsmans...but it has 2X the rear capacity as well. The rear dump box and turf mode is great for doing stuff around the yard and hauling small stuff. There is a lot more space between the driver and passenger on the X2 than the Outlander, but you also loose most of the box space in 2up mode. The box/backseat could use some refining to eliminate some rattles and to keep some more usable space in 2up mode. Power and throttle response is excellent for a 500cc ATV with that much weight and size. Price was $9400+tax Canadian.

The hawk does what it was designed for very well. I was impressed with its abilities as it doesn't have hi/low gears. It has way more features than anything else in it's class. We purchased the hawk for the wife to ride occasionally and the X2 so she could ride with me the rest of the time. Turns out she likes riding hers more than she thought she would. The X2 back seat has only been used for maybe 2 miles. She grew out of the Hawkeye very quickly and liked the 450 power and size much better. So for us the 450 made more sense. Take both for a test ride and see for yourself.

 

I am so frustrated with hawkeye right now due to the fact it has not run correctly at altitude since getting it. Rejetted twice, no luck. Runs great in the desert at about 1500-2000ft, but despite rejetting twice, won't go over 15mph at 6500 ft. I have not touched my Bomb and it runs everywhere and goes over everyhting.

Price was right for feastures for my 5'2", 110lb wife.........but I am going to dump this thing the first chance I get after they actually get it to run! I was hesitant to by a Polaris due to reliability issues, but I couldn't beat features for the price....bad mistake. Stick to a reliable imports.