All that and considering it was Dirt Wheels magazine's number 1 of the auto 500's.It even beat out the Rubicon

 

I also have been a Honda fan for years. There are three things about Polaris that have always bothered me. 2 cycle, chain drive, and the transmission. I'm not comfortable with not being able to choose which gear I want for climbing a difficult hill! I'm sure the 2 cycle would be more maintainence, beside having to mix fuel and oil. I have followed a 2 cycle on the trail before, and the smoke and fumes are not very pleasant! Also, can the chain drive possably be as dependable as shaft drive? Just wondering. Jim.

 

Thanks for all your help. Going to try one out next week. I'm looking forward to it. A couple of guys in town told me once I try one out I'll be hooked on the smoothness of the ride and the power.

 

im gunna say this, stick with the honda. That "true 4x4" is a bunch of crap. This is no advantage to it. Plus the honda will last you a whole lot longer than any polaris. I have a friend that has a 99 magnum 500, and the thing is ****. He has over $2000 in repairs on the stupid thing. My little Honda 300 4x4 is twice the machine of that thing. it goes through just as much stuff even without true 4x4. Snow, water, mud, you name, ill do it right ahead of it. Plus the oh wow, big belt drive and plastic everything. I dont see why people can be so stupid to take plastic and rubber belts over steel. Me and the rest of my Honda buds would really appreciate if you save your good old mind and stay with the good machines. Thank you

 

Well im not to say anything about this 4x4 system, but i know is that the AP front diff. works! some other things:

1. tranny isnt belt driven
2. Three choices to chose from with this tranny, polaris=Hi or Lo
3. while in automatic its either-performance or torque, jeez which one to choose!
4. drum roll please.... LEDGENDARY HONDA RELIABILITY! you know Honda makes sure their machines last forever without repairs, thats gotta make you feel good. I have a 87 250X and that thing was on this first ring and head job this summer..... can you say reliabilty???

 

You guys can have all that Honda reliability. We all know that Hondas are the closest thing to bullet proof that you will ever find. That is not the issue. If I couldn't afford to make a repair every once in a while, I would be into stamp collecting.

And anybody that says that a stock 300 4x4 will stay with a stock Sportsman, in ANY situation, has never seen a Sportsman do it's thing, or is in denial. PERIOD.

There is a 300 4x4 in our riding group, and is the biggest pain that we have to deal with. If he doesn't have to be pulled out of the mud, he can't make it over the dunes. He's also saving for a Sportsman. I can't wait. Bring your Honda out to the Badlands in Indiana, and watch the Sportsmans play in the mud while the Hondas and Grizzly's sit and watch.

Bottom line is, I'd rather have some trouble (which I have not) every once in a while, and have fun when I ride.

Ride the Sportsman, ride the Rubicon. Your choice will be obvious.

Dave

P.S. I don't remember anyone bashing anything until the Honda Kids got here. You can thank them for it. Someone once told me that you start talking bad about your competition, just about the time you realize you are going to lose.

 

I am sorry did i miss something here?? did i say anything BAD about polaris? not that i recall son, im sorry if you thought i was making fun of your drum roll line, but i thought the reliabilty issue deserved some noticing too before brake lights, please we arent on public roads here... You arent really making sense when you say you would rather pay for repairs than not pay. Does that make sense?

 

My two cents worth, I had both the Ruby and the Sp out hunting this year, my son and I road them about 350 miles in everything possable. Steep high climbs and decents, major mud, thick brush, rocky creek bottoms, etc. I have 3200 miles on my 96 SP and the Ruby had 7 miles on it when we took off. I will say up front that I love my SP and not many can stay with me when we "drop the hammer". This was a great test for the Ruby and the other guy's I was hunting with were eager to see how the Honda did. Here are my findings.
The Ruby tranny performed better than expected. Only time will tell how it holds up in the years to come. It had all the engine breaking you could ever want, I snapped a rear yoke and the Honda pulled my SP 18 miles (in a small trailer) out of the woods. Some of the trail was so steep I had to have another Quad push me from behind, traction was large round rocks on top of dirt, pretty ruff for any quad to get a foot hold on. This tranny is strong, smooth and responsive.
The front diff is indeed better than the old Honda ones, I had the Ruby buirred in the black oatmeal with one front tire part way out, when I got on it, the high whell spun for a second and than transfered the power to the one under the mud, out came a roost. Not bad for a three wheel drive machine. No match for the Hillard clutch set up on Polaris machines. A good set of Outlaws would help the Ruby a lot.
The floor boards on the Ruby are very week and would need reinforcement.
The ride is typical Honda, stiff in the rear, and it steers the same as all Hondas. Hard to compare it to the ride of the SP.
The turning is not as sharp as the SP.
The shifting was possitive on the Ruby, all three modes worked well. In "ESP" you can "power shift" by hitting the botton and not letting off the gas, I was impressed with how smooth it worked. The auto modes worked great also, I feel this is a better tranny than the SP, keeping in mind this is a utility machine boys not a Scram that you would want to trick out the clutch on.
All in All the Ruby is one Honda that I would buy, I will always have the old SP, but I have the miles and time on my SP to know the about the up keep and reliability of this machine. The Honda most likely will have the reliability that is sought after by those that like to ride hard and put it away wet. I do wish the Ruby had greaseable areas like the Polaris, I like to keep things lubricated, and if you have ever keept a quad for awhile, road it in the deepest mud, rivers and dust, and perform your one maintanence, you know that there is no such thing as "sealed" anything when it comes to bearings, u-joints and such.
Take this post for what it's worth, be open minded and remember no matter what quad you ride or choose, this is what makes us all individuals.

 

BigDog,

I was actually making fun of MYSELF when I did the drumroll...brake lights thing. I realize it's something not many people care about. But it is something that I feel is useful and a bonus.

What I was saying is that, I would rather pay for a repair every once in a while, than to ride a quad that doesn't perform the way I expect it to. I don't ride with sport quads. I don't care about jumps and arm stretching speed. I like to play in the mud, and nothing else will come close to the Sportsman. Money is not an issue. This is not a hobby for poor people.

There is no way that I could be happy with a 300 4x4. Ruby, maybe. IF, the new front diff works as well as they say it does. I also want to be able to switch in and out of 4x4. Honda doesn't give us that option. The reason I went with Polaris in the first place, is that I was tired of being outdone by them.

 

I've had a honda all my life. It is very difficult to change over and go to the polaris 500 ho but that is what I may do. Need some help here. Why a sportsman instead of a Rubicon? Need some support here.