I started work in a cycle shop in about 1990. One day the boss told me he was getting a Polaris dealership.

I said WTH is a Polaris. My area was crawling with Jap ATVs and none of us had even heard of a Polaris.

I got the very first 1992 250 Trail Boss ATVs he got in out of the crates and put them togather.
My first thoughts were these were these were the weirdest things I have ever seen and he will never sell the first one.

After I rode one in the parking lot I was impressed with the power the handling and the suspension but still I did not think I wanted one. I just had bought a new Yamaha Timber wolf and I liked it but it had serious problems. The brakes were unsealed cable operated drums and after only about two weeks of riding in the mud I had no brakes. The headlights were almost useless and we rode a lot at night.

He sold the first two machines in the first week and he got another load in. After about a week one of the guys who bought one of his first ones brought it back. His kid was riding it and going way too fast. He was afraid his kid was going to get hurt so he traded it back in on a kids bike.

I told the boss that I wanted to take it home with me and try it out for a weekend and if I wanted it we could trade. I took my Timberwolf up there and left it and took the Trail Boss home. I told him not to sell my Timberwolf until I let him know something. I was still not sure about this Polaris.

That night I went out on the Polaris. The next morning I called the boss and told him to sell that junky Timberwolf because he was not getting this Polaris back.

After years of riding all the other ATVs with a top speed of about 35mph and about two inches of suspension travel no brakes and poor lights I was so impressed with the Trail Boss.

 

In those days in my area the ATV that most people bought was the TRX 300 Honda. It was the standard everything else was compared to. It was rugged reliable and the woods was full of them.

The Honda riders made all sorts of fun of my Polaris but they could not catch me. They got hung up in mudholes my Polaris went right through and they fliped backwards on hills that mine went up with ease.

I noticed that I had to stop and wait on everyone even thought it seems like I was going slow.

After a while they quit laughing at my Trail Boss and wanted to ride it. A bunch of them traded in their Hondas as soon as they could. The ones that did not were conserned about the reliability and quality of the Polaris.

 

What are you riding now? Just curious.

 

They had good reason to question the quality and reliability of the Polaris on those days.
They has some really poor parts on them.

They had some brass or bronze a-arm bushings that actually wore out the first weekend you rode them. The swing arm bushing were gone after about two months.

The little two stroke 250 engine and the trans and the belt drive system was great with very little problems but all the little things would drive you nuts trying to keep them in good shape.

Later in 92 they came up with a better a-arm bushing to replace the brass or bronze junk but they did not fix the swingarm problem until around 96.

The 350 Polaris was a really nice ride. It was very powerful for a utility type machine. He sold a bunch of those until it was replaced with the 400 in about 94.

I bought one of the first 400s that came in. Now that was a nice ATV. Very powerful. You could ride wheelies and the top speed was about 60mph. You could really PO the Honda riders with one of these.

 

Having a nostalgic moment Overdrive? I remember our first shipment was the last of the butt ugly 1987 Trail Bosses! Didn't think too highly of the style! Gear shift on the tranny,humongous tank! Next shipment was the new body style 1988 models,then I saw em in a different light! Simple,good looking ,2 or 4 wheel drive just had the little 250 that could go anywhere the big boys could at that time! Still a lot of the old ones still running around down here. Wouldn't mind having an old Trail Boss 2x4 myself to clunk around on! Simple days,simple machines! OPT

 

In those days the 4 wheel drive machines were a nightmare to work on if the owners did not take care of them.

Three chains six sprockets and the middle and front jackshaft bearings were such a pain.

No one greased these bearings.

Also on the 400 engine so many people did not ever check the oil in the counter balancer.

Along about 96 Polaris really started trying to upgrade all the old parts that gave so much trouble. They redesigned the swingarm bushings and they did not wear so quick. But for some reason they did not tighten the bolts correctly at the factory. So after about two months of riding the swingarms were so lose it was not even funny. You had to take the belt covers and clutches off to tighten the bolts on the left side and the caliper off to get to the right side.

After you tightened the bolts as long as the owners greased than they did not wear much at all.

 

Right now a 98 425 2x4 that I found with only 650 miles on it. It still had all four of the original tires and it was so clean that it looked like it just came off the showroom floor in 98.

I was riding a 2004.5 500 Sportsman but it just needed so much work that I did not have the time and money to deal with it.

Where I ride I seldom need AWD and now I don't have to worry about the high cost of CV axles drive shafts and differentials.
Plus I have access to a lot of junk bikes for parts.

Today I have to live the life of the poor man. No more high tech high dollar toys for me. Thank you ex wife for that.

 

Now those things were junk. Every part other than the main drivetrain was worn out in a month after you bought it.

I always found it so hard to believe that they could make such a good engine and clutch system but they used such terrible parts on everything else.

 

TOTALLY AGREE! They were found mostly in farm and ranch stores at the beginning of Polaris atv introduction and did have a following from old farmers and such! But the next generation is what brought Polaris into the mainstream atv world! We were the first Polaris dealer that opened in Dallas county! Will never forget though when we opened up, we had a woman drag a pool sweep into the front door thinking we repaired them since the brand name on the sweep was Polaris! OPT

 

I wanted one of their new four strokes when they came out in 95 but from past experience I knew that every time they came out with something new their first production run always has some sort of problem. So I waited until 96 to buy my first 425 Magnum 2x4.

I kept that thing for years. I can't remember how many sets of tires and chains and sprockets I went through. I never had to touch the engine except a valve adjustment about once a year. Belts lasted for years and I never had to do anything to the trans. I put one set of "buttons" in the rear clutch and I can't remember how may tie rod ends.

About every two years it would start to run rich and I would replace the jet needle and needle jet. They wear out on these and the 500s.

I am guessing it had at least 20,000 miles on it when I sold it in around 2004. I rode it every weekend. When I was not on it some of the kids were.

The day I sold it the engine still did not use any oil. It ran and sounded as good as it did when it was new.

I do believe their 425 and 500 engines are the best of the best.