What is the overall perception of Polaris's quality compared to other manufacturers?

 

My experience with my 99 Sportsman is not so good so far. In six months I had an new front strut, now I have one Sachs and one stock. Seems that Polaris switched to Sachs now. They would not replace both struts. ! new PVT cover, 1 new belt, new clutch system, new speedo. With all that drivetrain work it now goes a screaming 45 mph and maybe 50 if you are on a long paved road. Seems that Polaris is not interested in doing any repairs related to top end.

Sixty9cobra 99 Sportsman Slug

 

SIXTY9COBRA,Get that Sportsman back into the dealer at once.45-50 mph top end on a 500cc is WAY off.You should be experiencing more like 55-58mph top end.I've got 26'mudders on mine and can do 57mph with it.Dont let them idiot jerks push you around at the dealership.They'll get away with what ever you allow them to.Im presently suing Polaris and the Dealership over my Lemon of a Sportsman,and definatly expect to win.I dont know hardly anybody thats having problems with the Sportsman,so dont let a few isolated problems blow your confidence in the whole line of Sportsmans,there are tons of good ones out there.I went quad shopping yesterday,and quite frankly,I [THINK] im going back to the Sportsman or the Magnum.Nobody has the locking front end that I personally cheerish,[except the undersized Kind Quad]or the flawless AWD system of the Pols.I also like the ride and the fact you can switch it from 2wd - 4wd.I was leaning in the direction of the new Rubicon from Honda,but im not one for buying a first yr quad.[too many flaws usually]If I go back to the Sportsman,you can bet on one thing----IT WONT BE FROM THE SAME DEALER THIS TIME. BILL

 

Bill, Dealer and Polaris will not fix it. Its been in 3x for top end after sitting in dealer for 6 weeks picked up 5mph,will fix it myself and do a better job. They claim there is no warrenty for top end.

 

69COBRA,The dealer is full of shi.There is certainly a warrenty for top end,especially if it's a manufactures defect.Im sorry to hear you have to fix it yourself.I'd personally never repair something that I paid so much money for myself.Thats why I hired an Attorney.Good Luck BILL

 

Well there you go MetalGuy....based on these two unlucky guys, if I were you I'd NOT buy a Polaris!

Get a Traxter.

 

The obvious difference in quality between the Japanese manufaturers and Polaris is due in part to the manufacturing techniques that Polaris employs. Looking at the engines one can distinguish at once which is manufactured by Fuji and which is made by the big-4. In short, the techniques used by the big-4 are more costly, but yield lighter and stronger results. Polaris... well, I must say that on some cases and top-ends I have seen what can only be described as borderline "shut outs"... you engineers know what I'm talking about. Also I have seen swirls produced by uneven cooling and poor casting technique. It also appears that Polaris tries to make up for a lack of engineering by just making most suspension and drive-line components overbuilt (equating to their immense weight compared to the competition). Besides the obvious lack of actual "work" put into the finish and overall quality of the bike, I'm sure that some people enjoy riding them.

i.e. look at the time that manufacturers like Honda and Yamaha (well maybe not Yamaha) take to prepare a quad for the market (3-5 years) and compare that to Polaris (I've heard 1-2 years) and it is obvious. I'm sure that if Polaris actually took the time to evolve their machine before hurrying it in to production to satisfy the huge market, their quality and appeal would be more far-reaching. I said "machine" because basically they are all based off the same archaic frame design, IRS or not. It does allow Polaris to manufacture their entire line cheaper, but their end result is a cheap line of machines.

 

The words "Polaris" and "quality" just don't mix. I bought a new '96 Trail Boss 250 right at the beginning of 1996. It lasted through its first ride and worked good for almost three years. At the beginning of '99 is when the first problems started. This machine was not rode hard at all and I considered a three year old machine to be "new".

First my spark plug wire came off of were it connects to the cap that goes on the plug. I don't mean got ripped off by a stick, this thing simply fell off. I am not sure why, but now the wire is to short to reach the plug very good. A new coil costs $50 plus another $50 for labor if you don't do it yourself. I took the thing off and clamped it together the best I could. I pulled it as tight as possible and it bearely makes it. I'm surprised the engine vibration hasn't torn it off again.

My second problem was the tranny. I am really not sure what happened and maybe it wasn't the machine's fault. One day I went out to ride and when I sat on my machine it felt stiff, like the brakes were locked. I checked and it was out of gear and the brakes were not engauged. I got off and pushed it a bit, and it would not move. I pushed hard and the rear wheels just drug the ground, completely locked. I checked the tranny fluid and it somehow had dried up! I don't know if something had a leak or what, but it was just a puddle of goo. I don't know how long it had run with no fluid. I got new fluid and put it in. I pushed and pulled on the machine hoping to free the gears. Finally I heard a pop and it was free.

So far it has worked fine after that. I don't really trust it anymore and I sure won't go way out somewhere by myself.

Here's a good one:
Polaris Quality! HAHAHA!

 

Reading about "tranny fluid" in a Polaris baffled me at first; Ed Kowalsky set me straight in his post below.

Thanks for sharing your experience, PolarisPower500. From your description of your incident and from Ed's help, I learned a lot.

Tree Farmer



[This message has been edited by Tree Farmer (edited 10-12-1999).]

 

Well other brands have troubles too though. I bought a brand new Yamaha Warrior , had it 3 months sat in a shop with the motor in a box waiting for the new motor, 6 months later i had it back.
The people i know that have Polaris machines have good luck. All atvs will need repairs. Were i bought my Xplorer, they sell Hondas and Polaris, I have been good friends with the owners for 17 years, over half my life. And I asked straight out, Which to buy and they said Polaris. They were going to get my money anyway so they had nothing to loose. Actually i was looking at a Honda that was 1000 more than the Polaris i ended up with. so they actually lost out on a grand. They ride Polaris and they can ride any Honda they want, now i am not saying Hondas are not good cause they are. I would have to Say i Bet they are the most reliable of them all.
but i have not actually met anyone who has had the kind of luck I read about in here. My friends have not encountered any of these issues and they have had Polaris ay there dealership since 1987.
So far for me Yamaha was the worst for me. I do agree that the right dealership is the way to go. Especially if problems occur.