I am sick of repairing more than I ride, So so long POLARIS. I have owned Yamaha and Honda ATVs and Polaris is just crap. 15 min. ago I replaced the 200.00 fan on an 11 month bike and a CV broke backing out of the garage. So now 4 tie rod ends, 3 sets of brakes, busted reverse actuator, broken shifter shaft, ect., ect..Every thing after the 6 month warranty expired. NO help from Polaris.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

BigBubbaQuad, sorry to hear about your problems. I too had a Polaris, and it was keeping my wallet dry from repairing it. I made a similar post like this one about it, and the replies I got said that I was "abusing" my quad. I've owned many honda's, suzukis, kawis, yamas, but only one polaris. I'll definately admit that the polaris was awesome in the mud, had great power, and the ride was great. But the reliability wasn't there. I'm sure that you'll get a bunch of replies saying how people have 1000's of trouble-free miles on their polaris's, but I didn't have such luck. I'd be so afraid to buy the new model 700 before they work any problems out. Anyways, best of luck. I didn't mean this to be a bash, but I'm just giving my experience.

 

How about a little preventitive maintenance !!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]
I see this all the time joe blow buys an ATV does'nt have to be polaris, rides it something goes wrong...wines...fixes the problem part but never checks anything else. This machine is lucky if it see's an oil change, and they don't put grease fittings on all the major moving parts because they look pretty.
I own a polaris ATV and ride it hard in the woods and mud, when I come back I wash, grease, and inspect so if there is something about to go wrong I can catch it before it happens, I owned my polaris for about a year now and the only thing that needed to be replaced was the a arm rod and bushings from when I hit a tree going uphill.

I think I've made my point.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

2000 SCRAMBLER 400 2X4

SCRAMDADDY400

 

I don’t see your point. I had more problems with my Polaris in warranty and out of warranty that I care to think of, and I maintained it too. I spent close to 40% maybe a little more of my purchase price on repairs for a 97 Xplorer after the warranty. So go figure.

I liked all the options that Polaris offers and I’ll be the first to say ride what you want, I don’t care. But I hate to say Polaris’s quality just does not match that of Japanese machines

 

I haven't had one single problem with my 99 Sport. Sounds like BigBubba got a piece of crap. I'd be pissed too. I hope you have better luck with your next atv. It's very frustrating to spend a boatload of hard earned cash on something, only to have to keep pumping more into it. Walk away, and don't look back.

 

All bashing aside,polaris simply has more problems with reliability,then other brands. The one thing that polaris always gets recognition for,is being the first company to introduce new features. It's true,polaris has offered alot of firsts in the industry. But the problem is,polaris introduces these new features without testing them properly or with poor designs and then these new features fail,leaving the consumer with the problem. Chances are all the ATV manufacturers have access or knowledge of what their competition is going to offer,long before the product hits the market. The only differance is,these other companies take the time to do research and development on their products ,before they dump them on the public. These companies are also business smart,why offer a new product if you don't know that a market exsists for it. A prime example of this would be the PVT,polaris was notorious for its PVT and the problems it had(belts slipping,excessive belt wear,poor waterproofing,no engine braking). So when kawasaki introduced their auto,it was sealed against water better,it was smoother,and belt life was alot better.Then yamaha introduced auto's and offered engine braking,better waterproofing and a drain so you get water out, and they also offered a system that provided constant belt tension(AC also offers this)which resulted in far better belt life. Polaris deserves credit,they strive to market new features before the competition,the problem is,alot of these products are designed poorly and the public gets hosed.

 

SCRAMDADDY400 :
DUDE, CHILL, I AM MAD @ POLARIS NOT YOU. AND THE MANOR IN WHICH I MAINTAIN (PMCS) MY BIKE, IT HAS WORKED WELL FOR OTHER ATVs, TRUCKS ECT.

I THINK ONE SHOULD SPEAK TO WHAT THEY KNOW, AND I KNOW MY 425 XPED IS JUNK. AND ALONG THE SAME LINES HOW WOULD ANYONE HERE (EXCEPTING 425XPEDITION) KNOW HOW I MAINTAIN MY BIKE.

WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT MY BIKE I WOULD FIGHT TO THE DEATH OVER OTHERS, ONLINE AND IN PERSON TALKING DOWN POLARIS. NOW IT IS DAMN HARD TO FACE THESE PERSONS GIVEN WHAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH WITH THIS BIKE.

I RIDE WITH 30 OR SO GUYS TWICE A MONTH OR SO (WHEN THE XPED ROLLS) AND I HAVE DRIVEN 2 OTHER ATVs (YAMAHA AND HONDA) THERE AS WELL. ONE YEAR AGO I BOUGHT THE POLARIS AFTER WATCHING THE POLARI IN THE MUD, NO DOUBT THEY RULE. BUT OUR BIKES (POLARIS) SEEM TO SPEND MORE TIME IN THE SHOP THAN DO ALL THE OTHER BRANDS THAT RIDE IN THAT AREA. I AM NOT SPEAKING TO OTHER POLARI OR OTHER PEOPLE AND PLACES, JUST WHAT I HAVE SEEN HERE. SURE OTHER BIKES BREAK, IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT THE MORE COMPLEX A MACHINE IS, THE ODDS OF BREAKAGE WILL INCREASE.
I HAVE SEEN MANY BIKES LIFTED AND ON LARGE TIRES (YOU KNOW TEXANS) AND AGAIN POLARIS BIKES SEEM TO HAVE MORE BREAKAGE UNDER THESE CONDITIONS THAN DO OTHER BRAND.
WHEN THE XPED RUNS I LOVE IT, IT IS A MONSTER, BUT I BET EVERYONE HERE WHO LOVES THIS SPORT, GET KNOTS IN YOUR STOMACH WHEN YOUR BIKE IS DOWN.
ME, I LOVE TO RIDE, AND 3 WHEEL DRIVE THAT WORKS IS MORE FUN THAN SITTING AROUND WAITING FOR ANOTHER UPS TRUCK CARRING THIS WEEKS PART.

RIGHT NOW I AM VENTING, GIVEN THE TIME AND MONEY I HAVE WRAPPED UP IN THIS BIKE, IT MAY TAKE ME A WHILE TO SELL IT FOR WHAT I WILL NEED TO BREAK EVEN, THE UP SIDE THAT THE MILAGE WILL BE LOW WHENEVER I DO SELL.
IF I HAD PURCHASHED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, WELL IT WOULD BE DOWN JUST AS OFTEN, BUT IT WOULD BE A HOLE LOT CHEAPER. HINDSIGHT IS COOL.

 

O.K. Guys,

Looks like I'll be the reasonable one here. I have never had any trouble with my two Polaris quads, would you like to know the reason? They are two wheel drive. It just seems like the VAST majority of problems are coming from people who own 4x4s. Sure I beat the crap out of my quads, but I also maintain them too. I'm not saying that the 4x4 guys don't maintain their quads, but it seems like they are far more prone to break downs (more moving parts = greater chance of failure).

This is just my two cents.

 

BigBubba I understand where you are at. I too have had a ton of problems with my quad. I have had the swingarm bolt come loose on me more times than I care to talk about and once even worked out so bad that I snapped my chain. I have had brake pad problems also I get about 12hours of hard riding to a set of rear brake pads, the first time that they wore down all the way I didn't expect it and it blew a rear seal and all of the fluid leaked out and I had no brakes at all the dealer said that it was typical if you didn't change the pads right away, what a design flaw on polaris's part. The bushing on the steering column and the tie rod ends are the worst I have ever had the pleasure to own. I am now having a problem that resembles "tank lock" and seems to be due to the tank not getting enough breathing with the stock vent tube. I do a lot of preventative maintenance every time before I ride because I want to be able to ride and not watch from the bushes. I too am getting very fed up with the poor reliablity of the polaris machine. I will be getting rid of mine as soon as I find a way to have another one there minutes after I get rid of this one. To get the power and the performance of other machines I have had to dump a ton of money into it only to be able to ride it once and a while because I am waiting on parts too. I feel your pain and I think I will be riding the raptor by next year. I like the polaris but I don't like fixing things that should never have to be fixed but only on a polaris.

Balzak
2000 modded and still acting up scrambler 400 2x4

 

BalzaK: I believe Lurch posted a thread about someone selling vented gas caps for Polaris. Maybe this will help your problem. Look through the threads.