550 xp pics
#21
10-14-2008, 06:19 PM
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: North Carolina
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550 xp pics
i keep a tow rope hooked to the winch and the rope is strapped to the top lid so i dont have to stick my hand in the mud.
does it not make sense to have the winch closer to the bottom of the frame for more/better pulling power? if the winch is closer to the top of the bike and your trying to pull say big tree laying on the ground, the bike would lift the back wheels off the ground. where as if the winch is closer to the ground and more inline with what you are pulling it will be easier to pull. hope that made sense [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
does it not make sense to have the winch closer to the bottom of the frame for more/better pulling power? if the winch is closer to the top of the bike and your trying to pull say big tree laying on the ground, the bike would lift the back wheels off the ground. where as if the winch is closer to the ground and more inline with what you are pulling it will be easier to pull. hope that made sense [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
#22
10-14-2008, 06:26 PM
Ride like you own it, Not like it's stolen!
550 xp pics
My winch is higher on my 2006(in your Rad location) and when a pull trees or other Quads out,The front end just squats down on the front suspension and does not lift the back end at all.......Remember my Quad Sp 450 weighs in at 715 pounds Dry Thats with no winch,fuel,rider,rear box,oil etc...
..Caper....
..Caper....
#23
10-14-2008, 06:26 PM
550 xp pics
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: wlvrn
i keep a tow rope hooked to the winch and the rope is strapped to the top lid so i dont have to stick my hand in the mud.
does it not make sense to have the winch closer to the bottom of the frame for more/better pulling power? if the winch is closer to the top of the bike and your trying to pull say big tree laying on the ground, the bike would lift the back wheels off the ground. where as if the winch is closer to the ground and more inline with what you are pulling it will be easier to pull. hope that made sense [IMG][/IMG]</end quote></div>
It makes complete sense, I have actually done that winching a large tree with my 800, front squatted down and then lifted the rears off the ground.Being so high it pulls at a downward angle, and if you are winching something heavy it puts alot of stress on the front suspension and just feels wrong. With the winch mounted close to the center it should pull alot better. I get what caper is saying too...winch under water not real good either, it is a give and take world, cant have it both ways I guess. I like the lower winch/higher rad. Winch better be water proof,lol I mostly ride trails that are fairly dry so I'm not concerned with sinking my atv in mud or water. We have some of that but I avoid it, I enjoy the techncal stuff more.
BTW caper, those aren't hinges, they just look like it, there are tabs on the rack that slide into brackets on the machine at those locations. The back is held by lock and ride fasteners.
i keep a tow rope hooked to the winch and the rope is strapped to the top lid so i dont have to stick my hand in the mud.
does it not make sense to have the winch closer to the bottom of the frame for more/better pulling power? if the winch is closer to the top of the bike and your trying to pull say big tree laying on the ground, the bike would lift the back wheels off the ground. where as if the winch is closer to the ground and more inline with what you are pulling it will be easier to pull. hope that made sense [IMG][/IMG]</end quote></div>
It makes complete sense, I have actually done that winching a large tree with my 800, front squatted down and then lifted the rears off the ground.Being so high it pulls at a downward angle, and if you are winching something heavy it puts alot of stress on the front suspension and just feels wrong. With the winch mounted close to the center it should pull alot better. I get what caper is saying too...winch under water not real good either, it is a give and take world, cant have it both ways I guess. I like the lower winch/higher rad. Winch better be water proof,lol I mostly ride trails that are fairly dry so I'm not concerned with sinking my atv in mud or water. We have some of that but I avoid it, I enjoy the techncal stuff more.
BTW caper, those aren't hinges, they just look like it, there are tabs on the rack that slide into brackets on the machine at those locations. The back is held by lock and ride fasteners.
#25
10-14-2008, 06:48 PM
550 xp pics
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: scrambler400enoge
Nice machine though I think it would look better in the color of mud.</end quote></div>
LOL! Then you will like it in camo!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
Nice quad wlvrn! Congrats!
BTW, did you finance or pay for it? Also, what octane are you using?
Nice color!
Nice machine though I think it would look better in the color of mud.</end quote></div>
LOL! Then you will like it in camo!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
Nice quad wlvrn! Congrats!
BTW, did you finance or pay for it? Also, what octane are you using?
Nice color!
#28
10-14-2008, 11:30 PM
550 xp pics
I test drove the new xp's today. My opinions:
550XP:
Very ample engine that is capable of anything you want it to do. Really impressive throttle response. The engine does rattle the bike a bit when at idle....but turns absolutely silky smooth as soon as the rpms get above idle. That is one of the things that impressed me most was how smooth it is. The active decent control really works well....almost too well in my opinion. It would take you 10 minutes to get down a 100' hill! But I guess that's what it's supposed to do. The low range is indeed capable of higher speeds. I didn't pull anything with it but I assume it is still capable of pulling very well. But that new low gear I think will be really nice for slow trail riding. I really like the sound of this engine as well....has a throaty bark to it that pleases the ear for us thump-heads.
850XP:
That thing is a baaaaad boy. Some serious power and torque and the engine barks nice. Power in high range is excellent - very controllable with more than needed. Power in low range will break your neck and leave you looking staight up at the sky if you grab a handful. I have never in my life felt that kind of raw torque in a quad (I have to admit, I've never ridden any big bores a whole lot though). What a ton of fun. Again, the vibrations are non existent above idle - smoothness was again an impressive factor of this quad. One thing I did notice on the 850 that wasn't there on the 550 is some sort of clunk noise in the tranny. Now I've read about the typical clunking of the Polaris ATVs that are not a big deal...I have no idea if this is what it was or not, but it was there when letting off and then getting back on the throttle again.
Thoughts that apply to both:
Suspension is excellent on these quads. Smoothest ride I've ever been on. Seat feel really good, soft and nice and narrow up front. As others have noted, steering effort is minimal (and I was riding non EPS models). I did not experience any push, but then again, I didn't take any turns at high speeds. Styling is excellent and really like the looks....though I know that this is probably the most subjective thing about any atv. Tires had some nice grip on the gravel that I rode on, but wheel spin occured on both due to the ample power. Brakes are really strong as I expected they might be with the 14" wheels and big rotors. The ATVs also had what I would describe as a very solid, tough feel overall. No flexing, creaking, or anything that didn't make it feel absolutely solid. I come from a long line of Yamaha loyalists in my family and I still love Yamaha's, but they don't hold a candle to the Polaris in terms of being tough built. I really like the full built in skid plate of the sportsman. Instrumentation pod is excellent and I really like the way they focused on lighting. I come in from bow hunting all the time in the dark and poor lighting can be an annoyance....this quad definately delivers in the ligthing area.
What I didn't like:
Not much not to like, but 1 thing stood out. I think they could have done a little bit better with CV boot guards. None on the rear and none that protect the inner CV boots up front. I do a lot of forest riding and have jammed my fair share of sticks into the frames. I'd like to see them not skimp here...
Overall, I have to say that Polaris really did a nice job with these atvs. I think they really looked at what consumers want and put it together in a nice looking package that in my opinion is priced relatively competitively for everything it offers. I think I'm going to pick up the 550. I'd love the 850 but too much coin. I am a bit worried about buying a first year model, especially since there is only a 6 month warranty. This is the one thing that might prevent me from buying right now...I really want to, but they just didn't come through on a decent warranty for the guinnea pigs that will be the first to buy. The 24 mo warranty is another $560 according to my dealer, which kind of sucks to pay on top of the already premium priced atv.
Anyway, sorry for the long essay, but thought I would try to get detailed with my write-up because I was trying to find info and very few detailed opinions have been written on this.
NICE JOB POLARIS!
550XP:
Very ample engine that is capable of anything you want it to do. Really impressive throttle response. The engine does rattle the bike a bit when at idle....but turns absolutely silky smooth as soon as the rpms get above idle. That is one of the things that impressed me most was how smooth it is. The active decent control really works well....almost too well in my opinion. It would take you 10 minutes to get down a 100' hill! But I guess that's what it's supposed to do. The low range is indeed capable of higher speeds. I didn't pull anything with it but I assume it is still capable of pulling very well. But that new low gear I think will be really nice for slow trail riding. I really like the sound of this engine as well....has a throaty bark to it that pleases the ear for us thump-heads.
850XP:
That thing is a baaaaad boy. Some serious power and torque and the engine barks nice. Power in high range is excellent - very controllable with more than needed. Power in low range will break your neck and leave you looking staight up at the sky if you grab a handful. I have never in my life felt that kind of raw torque in a quad (I have to admit, I've never ridden any big bores a whole lot though). What a ton of fun. Again, the vibrations are non existent above idle - smoothness was again an impressive factor of this quad. One thing I did notice on the 850 that wasn't there on the 550 is some sort of clunk noise in the tranny. Now I've read about the typical clunking of the Polaris ATVs that are not a big deal...I have no idea if this is what it was or not, but it was there when letting off and then getting back on the throttle again.
Thoughts that apply to both:
Suspension is excellent on these quads. Smoothest ride I've ever been on. Seat feel really good, soft and nice and narrow up front. As others have noted, steering effort is minimal (and I was riding non EPS models). I did not experience any push, but then again, I didn't take any turns at high speeds. Styling is excellent and really like the looks....though I know that this is probably the most subjective thing about any atv. Tires had some nice grip on the gravel that I rode on, but wheel spin occured on both due to the ample power. Brakes are really strong as I expected they might be with the 14" wheels and big rotors. The ATVs also had what I would describe as a very solid, tough feel overall. No flexing, creaking, or anything that didn't make it feel absolutely solid. I come from a long line of Yamaha loyalists in my family and I still love Yamaha's, but they don't hold a candle to the Polaris in terms of being tough built. I really like the full built in skid plate of the sportsman. Instrumentation pod is excellent and I really like the way they focused on lighting. I come in from bow hunting all the time in the dark and poor lighting can be an annoyance....this quad definately delivers in the ligthing area.
What I didn't like:
Not much not to like, but 1 thing stood out. I think they could have done a little bit better with CV boot guards. None on the rear and none that protect the inner CV boots up front. I do a lot of forest riding and have jammed my fair share of sticks into the frames. I'd like to see them not skimp here...
Overall, I have to say that Polaris really did a nice job with these atvs. I think they really looked at what consumers want and put it together in a nice looking package that in my opinion is priced relatively competitively for everything it offers. I think I'm going to pick up the 550. I'd love the 850 but too much coin. I am a bit worried about buying a first year model, especially since there is only a 6 month warranty. This is the one thing that might prevent me from buying right now...I really want to, but they just didn't come through on a decent warranty for the guinnea pigs that will be the first to buy. The 24 mo warranty is another $560 according to my dealer, which kind of sucks to pay on top of the already premium priced atv.
Anyway, sorry for the long essay, but thought I would try to get detailed with my write-up because I was trying to find info and very few detailed opinions have been written on this.
NICE JOB POLARIS!
#29
10-15-2008, 12:00 AM
550 xp pics
Awesome review!!!
BTW Polaris is offering a 2 year warranty to camping World "Presidents Club" members for free...it's 14.95 a year for the membership!! You must be a member at the time you buy the machine. In other words if you already bought a machine it doesn't apply.
More details here:
http://www.highlifter....oru.....htm#2951574
</a>
I'm taking advantage of the offer.
BTW Polaris is offering a 2 year warranty to camping World "Presidents Club" members for free...it's 14.95 a year for the membership!! You must be a member at the time you buy the machine. In other words if you already bought a machine it doesn't apply.
More details here:
http://www.highlifter....oru.....htm#2951574
</a>
I'm taking advantage of the offer.