Rode a Sportsman 550 XP the other day.
#1
08-30-2008, 01:50 AM
Join Date: May 2005
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Rode a Sportsman 550 XP the other day.
I described this in another post but I thought a lot more people would find it interesting. I got the opportunity to ride one of the new Sportsman 550 XPs last Tuesday.
I was test riding an X2 which is going to be my next bike provided I can get the ways and means committiee to sign off on it. The dealer also had a 550 XP on loan from Polaris for test rides so naturally I took the opportunity to hop on and go for a spin. I didin't get crazy and I was getting pressed for time so I only spent about 5 minutes on it but overall it's a nice bike. Polaris did a lot of things right with this bike. Seat was comfortable but narrower than a Sportsman, not so much that you immediately notice it though, footwells are huge, the seating, reach to the bars and all the ergos are excellent. Angle of attack and departure are very acute, gotta be approaching 90 degrees. Very plush ride as you'd expect from Polaris, although not remarkably better than the standard sportsman. Steering effort is the lightest I have felt, this bike did not have the EPS and honestly I don't know why you'd need it. Engine power was good but again not remarkably better than a 500 HO which is what I have rode most. Brake power was scary, serious stoppage. I gunned it on a straight stretch and ran it to 50 or so then grabbed a handfull of brakes with a mild right hand turn. Front end dove BADand it oversteered pretty hard to the right, thought I was going to do a right wheel stoppie, the brakes would take some getting used too. The digital instrument cluster was good too but a bit difficult to read at speed with vibrations from the tires and whatall. I know appearance is subjective but I think it's a much better looking bike than the standard sportsman. The only thing that gets me is the price tag, they want some serious coin for these bikes. I don't know that I'd be willing to ponty up the extra $$ over a standard 500 EFI. I would have like to ride the 850 XP, that thing has got to be FAST with 70HP pulling it. Oh yeah, engine sound, it sounds flat like a snowmobile. Go figure.
Q
I was test riding an X2 which is going to be my next bike provided I can get the ways and means committiee to sign off on it. The dealer also had a 550 XP on loan from Polaris for test rides so naturally I took the opportunity to hop on and go for a spin. I didin't get crazy and I was getting pressed for time so I only spent about 5 minutes on it but overall it's a nice bike. Polaris did a lot of things right with this bike. Seat was comfortable but narrower than a Sportsman, not so much that you immediately notice it though, footwells are huge, the seating, reach to the bars and all the ergos are excellent. Angle of attack and departure are very acute, gotta be approaching 90 degrees. Very plush ride as you'd expect from Polaris, although not remarkably better than the standard sportsman. Steering effort is the lightest I have felt, this bike did not have the EPS and honestly I don't know why you'd need it. Engine power was good but again not remarkably better than a 500 HO which is what I have rode most. Brake power was scary, serious stoppage. I gunned it on a straight stretch and ran it to 50 or so then grabbed a handfull of brakes with a mild right hand turn. Front end dove BADand it oversteered pretty hard to the right, thought I was going to do a right wheel stoppie, the brakes would take some getting used too. The digital instrument cluster was good too but a bit difficult to read at speed with vibrations from the tires and whatall. I know appearance is subjective but I think it's a much better looking bike than the standard sportsman. The only thing that gets me is the price tag, they want some serious coin for these bikes. I don't know that I'd be willing to ponty up the extra $$ over a standard 500 EFI. I would have like to ride the 850 XP, that thing has got to be FAST with 70HP pulling it. Oh yeah, engine sound, it sounds flat like a snowmobile. Go figure.
Q
#2
08-30-2008, 02:46 AM
#3
08-30-2008, 03:10 AM
Rode a Sportsman 550 XP the other day.
Frank, from what I hear from you, you should just buy another standard sportsmand and spend the leftover cash to purchase a storage building with outstanding security. Maybe the crooks won't take a whole building. LOL (I know its not really funny, I'm just a smarta$$) I hope you take no offense. Sorry about your bikes.
#7
08-31-2008, 11:43 PM
