Originally Posted by beergut

bob- what on earth are you talking about?
you live it? you don't watch videos about it?

I also 'lived' it- I owned a 2006 sportsman 800, and a 2009 xp850... and rode it in extremely rocky terrain in the northeast-

you either don't fully understand the differences between the xp & sportsman line up (see video below) or you're just kidding yourself by ignoring it.

comparing the xp 550 and the sportsman 570 is like comparing a camaro & a corvette! there are no similarities between the two other than they are both made by polaris and have 4 wheels!
you may choose to ignore these hard facts, and continue saying the sportsman rides like the xp- but you'd be 100% wrong with your assessment-

coil over struts dont ride like, or physically behave like double a-arms and shocks-they just dont, on any terrain! the steering components and the entire chassis is different; from the placement of the ball joints & tie rods and how the suspension compresses over terrain to the rear mounted cvt! the entire fuel map is different between the two models-

the whole reason the xp line up exists and was engineered was to correct all the negative aspects of the sportsman line! So yes, whether you feel it or believe it, there is a huge major difference between the xp and the sportsman models!

once you say theres no difference between the two atvs, you've lost all credibility in your assessment. I'll leave it at that. and move on...

Originally Posted by MooseHenden

BobX2, Beergut didn't mean anything by it as far as you go. He's had plenty of seat time on both McPherson front end, and the XP platforms. It's just his opinion. He didn't intend it as a slam or anything. -Moderator.

Originally Posted by bobx2

As for that anti-Polaris clown that makes those videos......HA! Don't know why anybody would waste their time watching those.

Originally Posted by beergut

bob- what on earth are you talking about?
you live it? you don't watch videos about it?

I also 'lived' it- I owned a 2006 sportsman 800, and a 2009 xp850... and rode it in extremely rocky terrain in the northeast-

you either don't fully understand the differences between the xp & sportsman line up (see video below) or you're just kidding yourself by ignoring it.

comparing the xp 550 and the sportsman 570 is like comparing a camaro & a corvette! there are no similarities between the two other than they are both made by polaris and have 4 wheels!
you may choose to ignore these hard facts, and continue saying the sportsman rides like the xp- but you'd be 100% wrong with your assessment-

coil over struts dont ride like, or physically behave like double a-arms and shocks-they just dont, on any terrain! the steering components and the entire chassis is different; from the placement of the ball joints & tie rods and how the suspension compresses over terrain to the rear mounted cvt! the entire fuel map is different between the two models-

the whole reason the xp line up exists and was engineered was to correct all the negative aspects of the sportsman line! So yes, whether you feel it or believe it, there is a huge major difference between the xp and the sportsman models!

once you say theres no difference between the two atvs, you've lost all credibility in your assessment. I'll leave it at that. and move on...

Originally Posted by beergut

huh?
where did you see any "anti-polaris" rhetoric?
did you even watch the video?
Are you reading the posts I am?

I've become invested into this debate-

do you understand, the xp was made to only improve over the antiquated sportsman model? it's not a matter of opinion; it's a matter of physics and ergonimics- which is what polaris took into account when designing the xp- they started over on an entirely new platform and removed the weaknessnes of the older sportsman...

you can say riding in rain is better than riding in the sun, that's opinion-

but you can NOT say a double a-arm that has been redesigned to remove camber gain as it compresses does not ride better then struts that cause unwanted, unstable camber while compressing- that's not opinion; that's being stubborn and not taking facts & physics into account.

you can not say the sportsman mechanically rides & handles better over the same rough terrain than the XP! it's mechanically impossible to make such a claim! it's the same as saying "a shallow hull boat handles large ocean swells better than a deep hull boat" it doesn't, it can't, it never will.

I'm sorry bob, hate to beat a dead horse here, but why is this point not making it through to you? I feel like we're not commenting on the same thread or the same debate I really do apologize.