TRUTH.What do I mean by saying this?Well loyal Polairi owners always seem to DENY the facts.FACTS-Look at the broken parts lists,warranty issues,service problems.But the response is always"no mine has like 250,000 miles on it and going strong so be quiet and go away"WE will not be silent for anyone!My 500 is pretty quiet right now though,it does'nt make a sound.(ssssshhhhhhh its sleeping now nite nite.)

 

6 years old, never been to the shop

 

Im not going to BS to anyone about ANY quad I own.If it Rocks,so be it.If its a POS,so be it.I love my Polaris,however,they manufacture some very cheap parts that wear out very quickly.I know,I own 2 of them.

Bill

 

<< TRUTH.What do I mean by saying this?Well loyal Polairi owners always seem to DENY the facts.FACTS-Look at the broken parts lists,warranty issues,service problems.But the response is always&quot;no mine has like 250,000 miles on it and going strong so be quiet and go away&quot;WE will not be silent for anyone! >>



Well, my Polaris does have something like 250,000 miles on it and is going strong. Well, maybe not that many miles, but it does have quite a bit, and it is going strong. I won't tell anyone to be quiet and go away, but I will say that I have been very happy with my very reliable Polaris. And I am not denying the truth, that is the truth. And it is the kind of truth I like to handle. (Maybe I am the only owner of a well built, reliable Polaris? Maybe I actually do preventative maintenance? Maybe I am lucky? I don't know, but I am happy. And that's all that matters.)

 

<< TRUTH.What do I mean by saying this? Well loyal Polairi owners always seem to DENY the facts.....FACTS-Look at the broken parts lists,warranty issues,service problems....) >>



Why would you put some much credence in thread spiced up by non Polaris owners and disgruntled people who don't even know how to change or check the oil their own atv.

FACTS? You want facts? Here they are.

Ok what do I do?I just bought a 2001 500,10 hours or so on it and it is smoking badly.I checked the oil it is a little lower but not much.I am so upset with it I may trade the thing back in for a Honda or 650 prairie on friday.Anyone had this problem?

What are the real facts? Something has been left out of this scenario.

In any event a smoking engine at low hours is a cause for concern and disconcerting for any newer owner. What was the official answer from Polaris as to the cause of the smoking engine?

Even Hondas smoke after their engines have been water damaged. You can read about it all the time over there at Highlifter.com

What are you leaving out here?

 

Sportsman500camo,now that you know that all Polaris quads are crap and there replacment parts aren't any better,i would like to know what type of quad you would of bought instead of your SP.Remember the 650,660,quest,ruby? were not out when you bought your HO. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]


When people say that they have got over 5000 miles without changing anything, do you really think that's the TRUTH,i have a hard time beleiving that but i don't make a big deal out of it.The TRUTH is that when you get to 1500-2000 miles the tie rod ends and brakes are shot and the bike is starting to get loose.On my 98 i ran my stock tires up to 2000 miles but got sick of putting plugs in them,so i put on some 25 inch Bearclaws.Maybe it's just the way i ride but if you get to 5000 miles on the same brake pads your rotors are going to be in bad shape. Later.

 

Listen, for about 12 years or so I made fun of Polaris four wheelers because, &quot; They are a snowmobile on wheels.&quot; Then one day I came across a good deal on my 96 300 Express. I took it for a test ride and fell in love with it in the first 100 feet or so. I took it home and dumped about $500 in it the first couple of days because it was in need of some TLC. Then I decided to sell my Honda because I needed some more money to finish my Polaris. Do I regret getting rid of my Honda? NO, NOT AT ALL! Even though it was a good reliable machine and only ever let me down once, I don't miss the rough rider. You don't see me bashing any Honda's or any other quad for that matter.
If you don't like your brand of quad then get rid of it and get another one. MAYBE you'll find that perfect quad. Just because you don't like the list of broken Polaris parts doesn't mean that you have to get on here and tell all of us Polaris owners that we have a piece of crap. I love my crap and look forward to spending time with my crap everyday.
I'm not saying that they are perfect, because they are not. Lots of things wear out way to quick and I have done things to correct this. I think that people should be smart enough to see that some things are wrong and be smart enough to make them better. One example is the outer tie rod ends. I too had to replace mine every couple of months and got sick of it. So, I decided to match some tie rod ends out of a car and modify them into my wheeler. The whole project took about 3 hours and now I'll bet no one has as heavy duty tie rods as me and won't have to replace them until about the year 2050.
See, I was smart enough to see something that could be better and I had the persistence and desire to do it. Instead of bitching and complaining, I made it better. Does this make me smarter than you (sportsman500camo). I would think not(maybe). No, this just means that I actually cared enough to make the quad that I have better.
If you are only smart enough to take your quad to the dealer or keep putting on parts that you know are going to give you the same problems that you are having then you are right. You too, will be on the broken Polaris parts list.
You will have parts wear out and need replaced, all four wheelers do. If you think you can replace it with something that would make it better then you should do so. If you can't think of anything to make it better then you should have your broken piece replaced by a new piece that will break just as quick as the old one.
I love my Polaris and when ever I have something break or wear out then I'll replace it with the same piece or hopefully something better. I will not however get rid of it because of some small details that Polaris should address. Instead I will be smarter than them and build my quad better then they could.
By the way you will see me on that list of broken parts. I will admit that I have about $2500 in parts in mine but I have slowly been replacing all their problem parts with new and better ones. This only makes me love my baby even more.
Someday, I will have the STONGEST Polaris alive. I will be glad to help all that envy so that they too can love their Polaris as I do.
I LOVE MY POLARIS!(even though I have to make it better than they do)

 

Nobody makes a machine that won't break down. They all have their problems. In my opinion, the people who get 250,000 miles out of their Polaris would likely do so with whatever they are driving, and the ones with a lot of breakdowns will have more breakdowns with whatever they drive. There are always exceptions to this, and you may just be one of those guys who got one built on Monday morning.
I have 4800 miles on my Xplorer now with so far a belt &amp; 2 bushings replaced (total cost - under $50) I had it since the spring of 99, and couldn't be happier with it. Yes, I grease it often, and lube the chain often, but it is still going strong. All makes have their problems, just some people won't own up to them.
Our neighbor has 2 ATVs of a certain brand (All I am gonna say is they are not made by Polaris). One has been trouble free for many, many miles (it is a 2-wd, which helps). Their other ATV, a 4-wd model, has had it's share of problems. It gets roughly the same amount of miles put on it, and roughly the same types of use as my Xplorer, but has had many more repairs. Specifically, they can't go over 2000 miles without the front differential needing a bearing or something, and have had several CV joints give out on them. I can't talk too loud, though, as it has just over 9000 miles, and the motor is still going strong. I will have to see if mine goes that far.
The truth:
All manufacturers make good ATVs now
Yes, Polaris made some in the past that should have gotten a little more R&amp;D before the hit the road, but so has anyone else (what about the 'first' Honda 4X4 - ever rode one of those, or how about the Yamaha flip-O-matic as we called them here, the 3 wheeler with the engine between the rear wheels, or the early 90s Kawasakis that had ignition &amp; clutch trouble (3 in our neighborhood, all 3 needed new ignition modules and were bears to get the auto clutch set within 2 years of being new).
I don't mean to rankle anyone with these comments, as they are not meant to bash anyt other machine, I am just pointing out they all had one out there at one time that wasn't what it should have been, and believe me Polaris had their share.