if you want a strong, reliable quad i would go with the polaris, from my experience,and two other close friends, don't go with an ac, unless you like investing in junk. what i mean is that the ac's my friends have are really hard on cv joints and fuel (one friend has a brand new 650 twin and a 400 and the other friend has a 500), another problem is in cold weather, they don't want to start. the dealer has no idea why. another problem that i've seen is in the wheel well the head light conections are easily accessable to rocks and sticks to poke them out and leave you lightless. now that i'm done bashing ac's, i'll let you make your own decision. (go with the polaris!!!!!!)

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: polaris5610

the Sportsman 500 will out perform just about any 500 class machine. they are VERY reliable ATVs mine has never (knock on wood) been in the shop. it has 3395 miles on it. i just do the normal oil changes, and ride normal and it treats me great. i've owned a lot of machines in the past and the sp 500 so far has been my fav.</end quote></div>

Wow that is a pretty bold statement - 'that the Sportsman will outperform about any 500'. Is this from personal experience or something a salesman said.
What measurement are you using and what conditions are you talking about? "Out perform" - what, when, where, how, why?
Are you talking about drag racing, top speed, towing. Will it negotiate deeper mud and water, will it climb bigger obstacles, can it travel over smaller bumps faster without the machine bouncing all over the place and track true and straight.
I do have a question - if the suspension is so good and they handle so well then why do they need a sway bar? Sway bars deprive articulation and limit wheel travel.
I will add my comment, I have seen many Sportsman's in action and although they are an adequate bike they are by no means 'king of the hill'.
There is no one single machine that can do it all and do it best in all categories.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: 02huntinquad

if you want a strong, reliable quad i would go with the polaris, from my experience,and two other close friends, don't go with an ac, unless you like investing in junk. what i mean is that the ac's my friends have are really hard on cv joints and fuel (one friend has a brand new 650 twin and a 400 and the other friend has a 500), another problem is in cold weather, they don't want to start. the dealer has no idea why. another problem that i've seen is in the wheel well the head light conections are easily accessable to rocks and sticks to poke them out and leave you lightless. now that i'm done bashing ac's, i'll let you make your own decision. (go with the polaris!!!!!!)</end quote></div>

My friend, you don't have a clue - and if the only way that you can make a point is to bash then smarten up. I don't see qualification and or experience on your end to make you an encyclopedia on the topic. I can say one thing at least, your friends are smart as indicated by their choice of machines, maybe some of that will rub off if you keep hanging around long enough. Anything will break if you abuse it, maybe your friends abuse their machines.

The man is going to buy what fits his needs the best, and by your post I hardly think that I would weight any of my decisions on it. Why don't you deal with facts and personal honest evaluations instead of making unfounded bashings.

You like your Polaris and that is fine. I am glad. I hope you enjoy it. And some day when I come along and you are stuck or broke down I will not hold this against you and will give you a tow.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote> i'll let you make your own decision.</end quote></div>
I didn't realize that you had such control, as to ALLOW him to make his own choice.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote> investing in junk.</end quote></div>
Sometimes people will speak negatively when they are jealous, could this be such a situation? Do you need a loan?

Don't associate the lack of knowledge of a dealer, to not be able to adjust a choke, or adjust FI to a problem with the machine. I ride mine year around and it has always started no matter what the temperature. But then again my choke is adjusted properly.

If you wish to expand your paradyne then maybe a visit to other forums and viewing topic discussions would be in order. And you may just discover that in the AC forum, by comparison, that most is on tips, tricks and how-to's with regards to mods, with a lower percentage based on complaints and repairs. For example - What tires should I get, What is the best oil to use, How do I change jets, Should I buy a 400 or a 500. What is the difference between a 650V2 and the 650H1. Should I buy an automatic or a manual. What is the best way to break in a motor. Should I buy one with a carb or FI. etc etc...

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote> (go with the polaris!!!!!!) </end quote></div>
And just why should he do that, just because YOU say so!

The man asked Sportsman or Grizzly - based on my knowledge and experience here is a direct answer without bashing. I personally would opt for the Grizzly, and equal choice with the Griz would be Can-AM or King Quad for different reasons. And as you can see what my choice is - and I have it for my reasons over and above others.

 

In my post I have tried to be as fair as can be and only point out some positives. And some of the reasons that I have what I have. If my reasons for having made a certain choice parallels Battlegun's reasons or his type of riding or terrain or what his idea of what an ATV should be or do then possibly taking a look may be a solution for him. If he does not have the same reasons or ride the same type of terrain or his type of riding is different then possibly a different machine would suit him best. I don't care what he buys and I am not trying to convince him. Only to point out some areas for consideration to help him make a decision and a choice that would be best for him (not me - I've already made my choice for my reasons and my riding style and the terrain that I ride in).

When I go down a trail I wanted a machine that would handle just about any situation that the trail could throw at me with the highest degree of success. I was willing to give up some things for that, such as being slow in a drag race (it is not a turtle by any means either), dealing with a tippy feeling (only a feeling, they are very stable as proven by the static roll test of all machines). That with a small investment of $188 (wheel spacers) that not only could my IRS handle better than any IRS that it would also compare to SRA type machines. For a $6.00 investment I was able to boost the hp to a higher level with a feeling that it was close to gaining 50cc's and if it did come down to a drag race then by no means would it be a dominant win but my machine would be suprisingly close, and who knows might even win. And by doing so also boosted the mpg by 22%. Pretty good $6.00 investment I would say.

Now if those reason are along the same line as his then that is good if not then yes a different machine may be better choice for his reason.

Now, isn't it interesting to note that with a lot of other brands, the owners are making major modifications just to be able to go where a stock AC can.

 

wow - this is turning into a bash o rama [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] OK I havent ridden ANYTHING or seen ANYTHING against a Polaris so I think I can be fair as far as Polaris goes

What I like - comfy ride ride, enought power for me, all the right specs I need and it's great looking comparedt to others in my opinion, very fun to ride, goes through a alot of stuff. it's big and you dont feal cramped

What I dont like - exhust does get hot on your leg, HATE the dry sump, front box isnt water proof, wheel bearings wiggle a tiny bit, front springs are too soft.

thats my LITTLE opinion after 25 on it [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

sounds to me like buckaroo50 has a chip on his shoulder for guys that don't like arctic cat ( well thats too bad, suck it up princess) ha ha ha!!! the main point is that i know what my quad can do, and you know what your quad can do so just leave it at that. there are both good thing and bad that go along with any atv, so if you want to write a whole page on how it hurts your feelings that i think polaris is a better atv than an ac, get a life

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: 02huntinquad

sounds to me like buckaroo50 has a chip on his shoulder for guys that don't like arctic cat ( well thats too bad, suck it up princess) ha ha ha!!! the main point is that i know what my quad can do, and you know what your quad can do so just leave it at that. there are both good thing and bad that go along with any atv, so if you want to write a whole page on how it hurts your feelings that i think polaris is a better atv than an ac, get a life</end quote></div>

You can think what ever you want but maybe you should grow up. I don't care if you like Arctic Cat or not, the guy wanted to know about Polaris vs Yamaha, so why do you find it necessary to bash AC. Just give him information about Polaris or Yamaha. I only offered information about AC for him to maybe consider. Who cares what you think - you didn't offer anything constructive except your own childish prejudges.

And again you don't have a clue what my quad can do - you may know what some AC's will do. You didn't hurt my feelings, I just feel sorry for you that you know so little. It is better to just sit there and look like you don't know anything, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

What positive input did you contribute other than (buy a Polaris!!!!), like that is the only thing he needs to consider, and you are the voice of authority, and know all.
Are you a self proclaimed know it all. What are your credentials, what is your experience (with 2 or 3 friends - obviously they don't listen to you they are riding AC's).

So why don't you give this man some positive feed back that will help him to make his choice. In case you don't know any I can send you a private message and give you some hints if you want me too.

 

polaris is the second largest seller of atvs in north America that did not happen because they build a bad product. they are second to honda who build an awsome atv as well.
now to your question they are both good quads with different strengths yamaha builds very light very fast quads if your going to be doing mostly trail rideing with stock tires and exhaust the grizz is fine. the polaris is much heavyer built with a full steel bottom, very thick axels and great tires from the factory it is not as fast as the yamaha but will
accept mods such as bigger tires and power upgrades better because of its stronger
drive line. just looking at them these are a few things easy to pick out. now i have a 500 ho carb and it has been great i get to spend money on upgrades rather than fixing things and i like that. the polaris is not as fast but is more powerful kind of tourq vs horsepower
between the two like ford vs chevy. the sportsman will pull you around fine any of them will. 10 years ago 300cc was a huge machine. another thing i like about the polaris is the awd system you can set it and just let it go and it will work when it needs to this system works great for everything but climbing rocks becaus there is a little bit of wheel slip needed to engage the system but for all other types of rideing it is awsome. also the fenders are awsome you can ride all day and not get muddy if you dont want to because of the fender protection. and last would be the overall size of the quad my buddys are always makeing fun of how big it is but that makes for a very stable platform
that handels uneven terrain great and it climbs hills like a billy goat. thats about all i have as far as positive things to say. just look them all over and make sure your getting what you want and $ for $ i think polaris is the best deal.

 

i know of an arctic cat 500 that has to be pulled around in the snow by a polaris and then it's pushed by a polaris at the same time. our 425 magnum out performs that 500, i have a pic of it if u wanna see it

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Kerbmonster

i know of an arctic cat 500 that has to be pulled around in the snow by a polaris and then it's pushed by a polaris at the same time. our 425 magnum out performs that 500, i have a pic of it if u wanna see it</end quote></div>

Yes, let's see the pictures. So you know of one AC that doesn't have good tires for snow, so you just assume they are all that way. Just re-read your post and tell me just how it sounds to you. I am glad that you drive what you drive either that I would feel bad having spent the money on my winch and not have a reason to use it. My goodness, the guy was looking for some valuable input and all you can do is bash....
Look at my pictures, does it look like a Polaris is pulling and pushing that AC around.