Hello,

I will be in the market to purchase a new ATV, either by the end of this month or early next month and I'm still undesided.

A couple of weeks ago, I rode a Polaris Sportsman 800 and a month before that, a Brute Force 750. Both machines seemed to hold out well on the trail, but the 800 seemed to accelerate more from take off. The Kawasaki had some good power too, but never had the chance to open it up. It seems like the Polaris has more ground clearance then the Kawasaki.

As for the 4wd on the Polaris, is the AWD constant, meaning as soon as you switch from 2WD to AWD, will all four wheels have power, or just three? That may be the selling poing between the two machines.

Any information you can give me to aid me in my decision would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Pete [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

The Popo pulls with all 4 and is locked front and rear when in 4x4. It isn't "limited slip" where the tire with the least traction gets the power once the force over comes the clutches. All 4 pull, it makes a HUGE difference in the amount of places a machine will go. And it isn't a system that requires the rears to spin so many revolutions before the front pulls. Polaris calls the system "on demand AWD", meaning no power goes to the front until the rear starts slipping, but it is quick and seamless and you won't ever notice it. Are you looking at an 800 or an 850, the BF isn't even in the same class as the 850 IMO.

 

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

The Popo pulls with all 4 and is locked front and rear when in 4x4. It isn't "limited slip" where the tire with the least traction gets the power once the force over comes the clutches. All 4 pull, it makes a HUGE difference in the amount of places a machine will go. And it isn't a system that requires the rears to spin so many revolutions before the front pulls. Polaris calls the system "on demand AWD", meaning no power goes to the front until the rear starts slipping, but it is quick and seamless and you won't ever notice it. Are you looking at an 800 or an 850, the BF isn't even in the same class as the 850 IMO.</end quote></div>

Thank you for your reply HighOctane. Because of the host of changes, Polaris people were saying to go with the 850. Moving the radiator up is one of the big enhancements, and I was told that the 800's used to overheat pretty quickly, is that true? Also, I like the narrower seat position and the 14" wheels [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Knowing that the AWD drive system is instantaneous, and it has a differential lock would have me sold on the new 850. My other biggest, and only concern would be reliability. I always owned either a Yamaha or Kawasaki and those machines were bulletproof.

IronBear

 

The 800's don't overheat quickly although they do throw a lot of heat out on the right side. The new 850 has yet to prove itself, but the sportsman has been the #1 selling atv for many years for good reason.

 

My vote is still for your third choice the Grizz 700! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

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

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



The Popo pulls with all 4 and is locked front and rear when in 4x4. It isn't "limited slip" where the tire with the least traction gets the power once the force over comes the clutches. All 4 pull, it makes a HUGE difference in the amount of places a machine will go. And it isn't a system that requires the rears to spin so many revolutions before the front pulls. Polaris calls the system "on demand AWD", meaning no power goes to the front until the rear starts slipping, but it is quick and seamless and you won't ever notice it. Are you looking at an 800 or an 850, the BF isn't even in the same class as the 850 IMO.</end quote></div>



Thank you for your reply HighOctane. Because of the host of changes, Polaris people were saying to go with the 850. Moving the radiator up is one of the big enhancements, and I was told that the 800's used to overheat pretty quickly, is that true? Also, I like the narrower seat position and the 14" wheels [img][/img]



Knowing that the AWD drive system is instantaneous, and it has a differential lock would have me sold on the new 850. My other biggest, and only concern would be reliability. I always owned either a Yamaha or Kawasaki and those machines were bulletproof.





IronBear</end quote></div>

The 800's do not overheat quickly, that myth arose from people letting the radiator get packed full of mud and not cleaning it out thoroughly. Cleaning the radiator properly after submerging in mud takes a more than just spraying the front with a hose. When people do that eventually the mud builds up on the back side and clogs the radiator. It will look clean from the front but the back can be caked solid. Like GAS said the 850 hasn't proven itself yet but the 800 IMO is the cat's meow of ATVs. I love mine, and I'm confident the 850 will represent Polaris very well. I'll let you know as soon as mine arrives.