i would like to hear any thoughts or comments on the Polaris Expedition. i am thinking of buying one and just wanted to know if anyone has had any problems with the reliability of them or their offroad performance. all comments are welcome. and please i don't want anyone to bash the exped. if they don't have one. Thank you

 

i have owned a 2000 xpedition for about 3 mos. now. i.m.h.o. it is the nicest 5 speed atv offered.
in & out 4x4 being the nicest feature, it shifts very smoothly, and the water cooled 425 has plenty of power to do just about anything you need to do. for a heavy quad, it performs quite well.
for the $ i would try out & consider a magnum 500. it is basically the same bike, with a 500/auto combination. i don't regret getting the 5 spd, but my next one might be a magnum. the i.r.s. is not a huge factor to me. however after riding a sportsman the other day, i can see why they appeal to all the grown-ups. they are like a big ol' cadillac. to me, the straight axle seems to powerslide better, and is definitely lower maintenance.
good luck on your decision.

 

I bought mine last summer, & put about 800 miles on it in northern Ontario trails. It's a great machine, rides good, & handles the mud real well.
The only problem I've had was the front springs were junk. I carry a lot of weight on the machine and they just got too weak. I replaced thom with HD aftermarket springs. ( about $75 )
If I was doing it over I might get a sportsman instead. I don't think the price is that much different. Check out Polaris's web site & compare the machines. I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

I have had my xpedition 425 cc 5-speed for 2 years
now. I love riding it. Thus far, It has always brought me back out of the woods. I drive it in northern minnesota woods; i.e. logging roads and atv trails and on power lines and pipe lines. When I initially bought it. It did have some problems in the minor catagory. The sensor for the backup fan motor went out. The black box that the reverse shift uses to get out of reverse was flawed and replaced. I thought my radiator had an overheating problem but it was just me. I had to learn that cleaning my rad. with only a garden hose was not good enough after some real mudding trips. I had to use the high pressure gun at a car wash. I have not had a overheat problem since.
My outer tie-rod ends had to be replaced. Break pads once. My individual machine had a factory flaw where the rear axle was missing one space washer. It was found after my wasrranty but polaris shared the cost with me to fix it. Now that all this has been done. The last 10 months or so, the xped. just runs and runs.

I do enjoy driving it. It has a decent top speed. It does ok in the mud. Has pretty decent power for a 425. I have quite a bit of stuff on mine.

I bought from highlifter, there progressive lift heavy duty front springs with cams. Extender bars on the front and back racks. Tamarack utility box.
26 inch mudbugs with itp magnum billet aluminum rims, Rear bumber, polaris new brush guard, extended mudguards, k&n airfilter. It uses the same one that the sp500 needs. I have purchased and received from highlifter, 27 inch mudbugs but don't have them on the machine yet.

I think that not that many people have been buying the xpedition because polaris is famous for automatics and most people seem to want to buy an auto.. but these are good machines, I would say. We stand out in a crowd because there are so few of us. I have yet to run into another one in the field. Mine has been difficult to start in the cold winters here in minnesota. I put a light buddy under the plastic near the carb. for about 20 minutes, then it fires up.

It does seem to withstand tough use. I have drove it over logs, even log piles. over tree stumps, and of course down in the mud. Oh ya, I have a 2000lb. warn. winch on it to. I will keep this atv, for at least one more year of fun, if not longer. I anxious to see how it is with the 27's and my aluminum rims. I have taken it ice-fishing in the winter and some winter riding as well. I have had me and 2 of my kids on the machine tooling around on the trails. There is a couple of pics. of it on lurch77's web site. He probably still has them there. When I get my new pics. done. I will have a pic. of polaris's new brush guard which i do like. - my next machine may be a sp500 ho. some day, but I am in no hurry.

If your personality is something like mine, you will like the machine.... rangerchet

 

ive had mine since august of 2000..it does all i want and then some..no problems other than worn brake pads but thats typical for any quad with disc brakes thats in the mud most of the time like my machine is..i think its one of polaris`s best quads out there..i would buy another if i lost this one

 

I love mine. I have replaced brake pads and one tie rod end( my fault tire rub)in one year. It has plenty of power and pulls the 26" 589's well. Mine is an older one and had the reverse actuator problem but the new ones work well.I would buy it all over again, and I see more of them on the trails evey month.
Do a search on Xpedition in this fourm and you'll see all the pros and cons of this bike.
It is not a perfect ATV, but it is the perfect one for me, for now.

 

Dude, the Expedition 425 is a great quad, in fact it is one of Polaris's best quads, it does not ride as smooth as the sp500 but it does require less maintenence, only has about 3 less horses than the sp500, and is probably the smoothest shifting quad out there, the engine has great power low, mid, and the top end is pretty good too, it'l do just about any utility job u want it to and then some, it almost plays as hard as it works! Very good quad man, if i were you i would probably get one!

GOOD LUCK MAKING A DESCISION !!!!

PEACE DUDE !

BMXATV10

 

I have an H.O. my son has a 425 EXP which I ride here and there. We have put a H.O. cam in the EXP and a 38mm TMX flatslide Mikuni and manifold from the H.O. We also ported out the muffler with a torch. We've had good results, the H.O. and the EXP are now dead even in a drag race with my 80 lb. son aboard. The H.O. has a long duration cam from AAEN, but it does nothing. I think it might handle just a little better than the H.O.
but I like the little bit better ride of the H.O.
If you gotta shift, get the EXP.
Silly Later,,,,Fourlix