Nice to see Polaris step up to the 1000cc class with their ATVs. Still a long way to go in performance for ATVs to match other forms of motorsports, but this is at least one more step in that direction. I'll bet the 1000cc Scrambler is a nice machine. I'll bet the 1000cc Sportsman will be even better though.

How many HP does the Sportsman 850 have? Isn't it 77 HP? If the Sportsman 1000 has 89 HP, the extra 22 HP is going to be a noticeable improvement.

Once the ATV manufacturers get the HP ratings up to a respectable level (~120 HP), then we'll start seeing competition for lighter weights, better handling, etc. Increasing HP every few years is easier, and cheaper, so I would suspect that is what we'll continue to see for now.

 

The Polaris liberty 750 4stroke twin makes a raw 85hp without a turbo assist. With turbo option its 145hp.
And that's not even Polaris bad boy motor.

I just think ATVs are left out of the serious hp game due to where they ride and there 5psi balloon tires would cause law suits.

Sleds on the other hand handle like a train on rail at 100+ mph across a frozen lake safely.

My old 1998 Polaris XC 500cc was 90hp stock.

Sure the displacement numbers of ATVs are creeping up but their HP numbers are sure staying mediocre.

 

Was thinking along the lines of what some have said. I hope Polaris comes out with a Scrambler 570 like they did with the RZR. Would be plenty powerful for everything but super high speed runs. Still, I'd love to throw a leg over the Scrambler 1000 for a day when it comes out.

 

I never said it wasn't a great machine.Im sure it is and will be,Its just disheartening to see the prices ever getting higher and not so slowly but surely getting out of my price range to have a hipo quad that costs price of a car or truck and its not even street legal.Whos buying these atvs and powersports?Habeebs,rich people,people in debt on credit and finance?I think next quad will be A sportsman 800,affordable w 54 hp is enough for me or even a used kawie 650 or 750 ute.

 

Polaris 800 is probably the best deal in that cc class.

 

What good is light weight, 90 hp 12 inches of suspension if one cant afford the price for admission?

 

Supply and demand. They'll charge what they can get for the machines. Lot more engineering involved on the IRS than the old swingarm style suspension. EFI is more expensive than carburetor, extra cylinder in engine....

Lot's of upgrades means more money on the consumer's end. I'm sure they're making a hefty profit but capitalism still beats socialism. The kind of competition that's going on between Can-Am and Polaris means we see upgraded machines with more features. The high end vehicles are going to have a high end cost too.

 

I wonder what there will do with the sportsman 1000 xp Exhaust ?

 

I'm not "habeebs,rich people,people in debt on credit and finance"
and just bought a 2013 outlander max xt 1000- (or, for relevance sake, a Polaris XP850 or Scrammy 1000)

it's my 11th big bore can-am. I personally know a dozen people on this site who are also not rich habeebs in debt and drive brand new $10k+ atv's.
I put $7500 cash down on my new outty and financed the rest- easy $90 month payment at 4% apr- that's about $3.00 a day (a cup of coffee) to own the biggest, most feature gifted atv currently made. Give me an example of something you can buy for $3 a day that will yield the adventure & excitement an outlander 1000 offers? .... nothing.

if you do the math on what you'd spend on a 1 week vacation- you'll find the price of an atv that you can use week after week for a decade is not that bad- and when you ride the kind of trails we do, hundreds of miles out from camp- you want newer, bigger atv's with features.

 

your 98 xc500 was a 2-stroke or 4-stroke?

have you ever ridden an 87hp atv?
an 87hp atv in the dirt feels like a 140 hp sled in the snow.

just saying.