I bought an 05 in the fall with a bad motor. Rebuilt the engine and am finally able to use it. My question is does the trans shift when in forward to additional gears or is one forward gear? Mine seems to rev and I almost feel like it needs another gear.

Thanks for any input.

 

One FWD gear, one REV gear. Only. The CVT tranny allows the engine to rev a lot under load in order to deliver enough torque to the rear wheels.

If you are not familiar with CVTs in general, or are used to CVTs with larger engines, this performance may seem surprising. Even if it is performing correctly.

Note that there can also be a problem with a warn out centrifugal clutch in the driven section of the CVT. Or a worn belt.

 

10-4, thanks
I def am new to this type of atv. Just wanted to be certain I didnt have a trans issue.

 

A lot to the clutches on this machine. Check the belt first for any stretching or burnt marks on the sides. Hopefully it just needs a new belt. Plenty of wear items also in both the drive and driven clutches.Hopefully they don't have be torn into,but to replace the belt the front clutch outer half has to be removed.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki & Kawasaki OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki & Kawasaki OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse Again I keep pushing cheap manuals on this,but they can really help you especially if you want to do your own repairs and aren't familiar with the machine. 2005 Polaris Phoenix 200 Service Manual PDF Download

 

OPT, she doesnt feel like slipping. Not sure if im just paranoid and not acclamated to the Polaris 1 speeds or if im still loking for reasons that the original motor burnt up. She engages good but imo seems like it needs another gear. Really wish I had driven one prior to this one or had somebody local to compare to. I may take a look at the belt and see if there is any wear signs. May very well be that its suppose to be like this from the factory.

 

My 05 Phoenix was like that, and the smallest ATV I have now is the same configuration: 250cc full auto, no LOW range. It is a like-new Kymco MXU 250, and it drives like that, too. I even had the BRP Rally 200 full-auto, and again, a lot of revving when starting off on a uphill slope.

What you may have is a feature, not a bug.

I do always check the belt on these CVTs when I get them used.

 

I've never owned one but its a 200cc cvt auto, its going to scream. It just doesn't have much power. Cvt auto transmissions are just not efficient in small engines like this. There's always some power loss with a cvt but you don't notice it on bigger engines. The belt probably is worn out but it is what it is, an underpowered, slow quad. The older 2 stroke 250cc trailblazer was much faster.

 

A 2-stroke 250 is going to have the power of a 400 or 450cc 4-stroke, so CVT will not be any problem on take-off.

I have had numerous smaller CVTs, and the driving experience going from 250cc (4-stroke) to 300 is significant. My Kymco Mongoose 300 CVT had no problems starting off on a slope, while my AC DVX250 revved and struggled a bit. Same ATV, except for engine displacement.

It is interesting to note that the Bombardier Rally is only 172cc, but it has a 4-valve Rotax engine, and feels more powerful than any 250 I have driven. It works OK with CVT, better than the Phoenix.

To the OP: the Polaris Phoenix is a low-end quad from Polaris, but it has some deluxe features, including a very nice front double wishbone suspension and shaft drive. Sadly, the shaft drive makes it so that you can not lower the final drive ratio, which is what is needed, IMO. I have done that for chain-driven ATVs, and that helps a lot at take-off.

 

Thanks for all the info guys, it was bought for my two boys who are 12. Its a weird age to accommodate w a good machine thats not a dog but not something so powerful that they hurt themselves.

My concern was more with high end revving once rolling along more than on take off. Just seemed like it almost should shift to another gear. Power is linear and consistent, just seems to rev more than I would expect.

 

You will find many things in common with Asian ATVs since Polaris do not built their small bores for quite a while now and subcontract them to Asian ATVs manufacturers who rebadge them.

Most all big brands subcontract their small bores now. I think only Honda and Suzuki do not.