Same quad that FastasHeck400EX saw yesterday 45 miles north of here at the fair. The Polaris DSM for AR & LA stopped in at my old man's grocery store and showed it to me. We went for a quick test ride with it and my 660. Nothing big, but still a lot more than you could see at a dealership. This quad was pretty well thought out.

Clearance was unreal. Huge in the rear. More than the Grizz with 27" tires. The front was pretty good too, even though the struts do limit it. It was still higher than most other stock quads other than maybe an AC 500i. Ride was impressive. It is heavy, but that takes away from a jumpy feel. At moderate speeds, you didn't feel bumps or potholes. The Grizzly seems possible a bit better at high speeds, but getting aggressive with the grizzly tends to throw the bars around on you where the heavier sportsman doesn't. It has 1 34mm carb, not 2 as some thought. I didn't see where this limited anything. Power was great. It come on smooth, rather than a hard hit like maybe a shifting feel. This seems to make acceleration feel less than it is. I had to swap tires later on the Griz to get a comparison. They feel different, but probably accelerate close to the same. In other words, after hitting it on the 700, I couldn't see where the 660 had any acceleration advantage. They felt pretty close from what bit of riding I did.

Intake is snorkeled high, up to the gas tank. 4wd is excellent as is engine braking. I didn't take it in any gnarly places, but I was checking it on every downslope I came across, and it is there. I only climbed one little tiny spot, but I know this spot like the back of my hand. It is loose dirt and a limited slip quad will fire right up, but you can notice a spin on the tires while going up. The Polaris didn't spin a lick. Not much of a test, but enough to notice a difference in 4 wheels pulling. The seat is a Polaris seat. Wide and comfortable. Feels like sitting on a horse only quite a bit softer.

Handling was superb. Steered as good if not better than the Grizzly 660. Rear wheel articulation is as good as I have seen. This sucker would be a hell of a rockhound. New stock tires look a lot better than the old trackers. Prefabricated winch mount area in the front bumper. Fit and finish was excellent. The "Sportsman 700" thing is not a sticker. Its a plastic emblem thing. Looks cool. Key start is wicked. I sat there and pushed the damn rev limiter trying to start it for like 10 seconds before I remembered what I was doing. The color is pretty tight on it as well. A good design. I could sit here and tell you a bunch about it, but it would take all day to write it.

I was impressed regardless of what anyone else might think. Did I jump the gun with the Yamaha? Well, if that was the case, then hindsight 20/20 I guess. This quad will do everything an HO will, as well as pull the teeth out of one. I think Polaris loaded the bases and parked one with this quad. For its price range, its right there with a silver 660 so thats not a big thing. Anyone willing to jack up $6500 plus is not going to worry about another $700 that much anyway. "It takes money to buy whiskey".

My opinion stays the same as far as recommendations go. Each person is suited to their own style of quad. Some want one thing and some want another. Sure this thing is heavy, but thats probably what the new Scrambler is for anyway. Still, I think this here will be the Cadillac of quads. Big, powerfull, smooth, and agile. If somebody has the cash to spend, the 700 would work fine. I can also mention that it fits nicely in a short bed pickup as well, with the tailgate UP. No straps required.

Do I still like my 660? Sure, you can like more than one. 700 sportsman- thumbs up.

AB

 

I might also mention that the Polaris Rep was a hell of a nice guy. Even if I had thought the quad was crap, I still probably would have said something good about it. As you can see, that wasn't the case though.

 

thanks Andy,

Sounds like the sp700 is a winner.

Do you know how much GC it has???

later
jon

 

Andy,

Nice review. I am glad that you had the chance to ride the 1st one. I think all the current big bores are excellent quads. Each one is built for special for different riders needs. Sometimes we get too brand loyal out here in the forums. Thank you for you ride review [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

Odin

 

The guy he is referring to is David. I met him a few weeks ago myself. He lives in South LA. I agree he seems to be a pretty nice guy... I just wish I could have test ride myself. It will be a few more weeks before my local guy gets a 700.

Greg

 

Andy,
I have allways appreciated your posts.As you probably know by now,im pretty fed up with all the replacement parts on both my Polaris ATVs and am seeking another brand.Thanks to your post,I will at least take the new Sportsman for a test ride before deciding.

Bill

 

That Was a very nice post, Not because someone finally said something positive about the new 700, But because it sounds like you really gave it a fair shot and had a 660 to compare it to!! Nice Job Andy!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

<< I can also mention that it fits nicely in a short bed pickup as well, with the tailgate UP. No straps required. >>



Unfortunatly my short bed is only a 1/2 ton. If I had a 3/4 or one ton that would be fine. 800 lbs. is quite a bit back there.

 

<< I can also mention that it fits nicely in a short bed pickup as well, with the tailgate UP. No straps required. >>



I wish my P650 would fit in the back of a short bed. When I put it in my buddies '01 Ram short bed truck, I can't close the tailgate. Even with the stock tires.

 

Padzz,
What kind of a half ton truck do you have that you can't put 800# in the bed? I didn't know Honda was making trucks yet! LOL [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]