I've hear a lot about how poor the fit and finsih of Polaris machines is. Now that I've got my new SP 500 I might agree that they way the snap together body panels fit isn't too great, but I think the finish is excellent. Mine is yellow, and it really has a very nice shine to it. The whole machine looks to be rugged and well built.

When I was looking around, I looked at the Arctic Cats, Honda Ranchers and a couple of Kawasaki's (Kodiak maybe??). I thought the Honda engine looked very impressive and well finished, but the red plastic looked pretty used even though the machine was new and the metal racks left something to be desired and there weren't any graphics that I can remember. The machine also looked a little smallish. The . I thought the Kawasaki model that I looked like a lot less machine somehow. It was dark green and didn't have a particularly snazzy look and also looked smallish. The straight rear axle on whatever Kawasaki model I looked at looked rather puny and the welding looked a little amaturish. The Arctic Cats looked very rugged and quite nice with appealing graphics, though I personally preferred the Sportsman styling with the more rounded fenders and the very nice instrument/light pod.

By the way, I also hear a lot about weight. It's a little hard see how some of these utility machines can be 100 lbs lighter than a Sportsman with out giving something up. Now that I've removed the dumb warning labels, I think the SP 500 looks great. Course I'm a little predudiced cause I just plunked down a wad of cash. Anyway, just my 2 cents worth.

 

I think at least part of the fitting of the plastic panels is done at the dealer. They need to remove them to properly prep the machine, and I thik that some dealers take more time to be sure all the panels line up than others, which is the reason for the variance of fit from machine to machine.
Yes, Honda takes the cake for the 'details'. Everything looks like it was made to fit there, and has an air of precision about it, all the way down to the 'click' in the lightswitches. The plastic does show every scratch, and also fades over time. They can only be a few years old, and if left outside, look like they are 10 years old. Their machines also don't seem to have much extra room on them. I am 6' tall, 195#, and my Fourtrax just 'feels' small to me.

I like the Arctic cats. Well built, and rugged. A very good workhorse. However, your SP has 2 advantages over it. Unless comparing to the i machines (with independant rear suspension) the Polaris still has the edge on smooth riding, although the Cat may be a little more stable being lower to the ground. What the Cat really lacks compared to the SP is speed. The machines I have seen are not very speedy at all. To some, it doesn't matter, but to others, it does.

I have neighbors who like Kawasakis. Good machines, well built, nothing to really find fault with, but nothing to get too excited about, either, though (never saw the 650 up close yet, so can't say anything about it).

With the current discounts Polaris is giving, I think they give a good bang for the buck. Keep it greased, and use Low range whenever you are going to be going under 20 or so, and you will be well served.

 

Is okay with the way his plastic fits[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]