First thing first, no one get mad at me for asking this question. I was just wondering what makes a person buy a Polaris? This is not intended to be a smartazz question. I have never owned,rode or knew somebody that had one. I just want to know why. I know I could ask this question for any brand of quad, but the other four major brands are probaly very close in what they will do. This is a question to all Polaris owners and their chance to open my eyes to see what I am missing. I have nothing against the Polaris, for how can I be against something I know nothing about.

 

I made fun of them for about the first 12 years they were out. I called them snowmobiles on wheels. Then one day I finally rode one. It was only about a 1/4 mile ride but I came back and bought it.

For me it is alot of little things. I like the fact that it is wider and longer than the usual quads. I like the softer ride they have over all other utility quads. I like the continious pull they have for acceleration because you never have to shift any gears. In fact I just plain like the fact that you never have to shift the gears. I never have to worry about pulling the clutch or finding the shift lever. For me I can ride alot harder and use less concentration. This lets me concentrate on the trail alot more so that I can go faster.

At my job, I am always riding different ATV's. I can honestly say I don't care to ever have to shift gears. I really hate having to pull in a clutch then shift a gear. I never realized how many times you have to do this on a 50 mile trail ride. For me its alot easier, I push the lever on the right to go faster and pull the lever on the left to go slower.

I have done alot of mods to mine so it runs way better than a stock unit but I'm still not done with it yet. After Christmas it is going to get about another $700 in mods. After this I will be close to be where I want to be on it. Then mine should be quite a runner. I will always be tinkering with it. I just might never be done making it better.

Polaris isn't the fastest quads out there, or the best suspension but for me they are the most fun. The only reason I would own anything different is if I were racing MX. At my age this isn't going to happen anymore. Now I am just mearly an insane trailrider on my Polaris.

 

Why a Polaris?

Back in September of 1998,I was looking for a larger 4x4 ATV that would give me the most features for the $$ I was spending.It came down to a choice between the 600cc Grizz and the 500cc Sportsman.The Sportsman had a smaller engine,it was a 500cc compared to the Grizz's 600cc engine,but there were far many more features that the Sportsman had over the Grizz,like,

1.Independant Rear Suspension [IRS]
2.A much nicer ride
3.Liquid cooled
4.True 4x4
5.More ground clearance
6.Disk brakes
7.And the Sportsman cost 200 bucks less than the lighter equipped Grizz.

Today,
Polaris cannot lay claim to having more for less $$.You can find pretty much the same amount of nice features on the new Suzuki Vinson,the new AC 500i,and the new Yamaha 660 Grizz.The Kawi 650 twin is also a nice 4x4,but it does lack IRS.The Bombadier Quest is loaded with nice features to,but just like the Polaris 700 twin 4x4,its extremly heavy and weighs around 760 lbs.Honda will soon be releasing the 4x4 Rincon.It has most every feature as the above mentioned ATVs except a locked front differential.TODAY,the above mentioned 4x4 ATVs are pretty close in what they can do and offer.

It USED to be that Polaris ATVs were ahead in the feature department.That cannot be said anymore.When looking at any ATV,make sure to also look into how reliable a reputation the manufacture had/has?This should play a large role in your decision on which ATV to purchase.A quad thats loaded with features vs one that has very few,will do you no good while its in the shop for repairs all the time.

 

I got mine for the features offered for the price paid. Had a smoother ride, true 4x4, floorboards (they keep things from grabbing your feet from underneath), and the auto tranny. Other makers at first made fun of these features, but now are all offering them, so that tells me something. Anymore, the other manufacturers are offering pretty much all the same features, so the choice isn't as clear-cut anymore.
I DO challenge you to find a 4x4 that will offer the performance of my Xplorer, and compare prices, though. That is why I drive one.
Farmr

 

I chose the Polaris because of the suspension. I took my Yamaha to Canada for a long weekend trail ride (500 Miles). The Yamaha beat me up pretty bad. I really wanted to go back to Ontario, so I looked for a better riding machine. I've got about 2000 miles on the machine so far, and havn't had any major problems yet.

 

Why dont you go by BASCH brothers in cullman and ask if they will let you demo one of there POLARIS atv's.I am pretty sure after you see one and ride one you will know the answer to your question.If they wont let you ride one come about 18 miles south on I-65 and look me up and I will show you mine.

 

i drove honda s for many years and when i finally decided to upgrade it took me a year of researching and comparing prices i looked at them all and for the type of riding i want to do i chose polaris above all , i compared the specs of just about every model made by the different manufactures and polaris was close to be being one of the best, sometimes they were number two but nottoo often ,what really put the icing on the cake was the dealer Big way Boat sales in timmins ont treated me like gold , when i ordered my bike it got back ordered with a recall and the dealer loaned me a demo for all the time it was back ordered so the combination of a very good bike and the service they provided me with as a first time client i ordered a 2001 expedition 425

 

I bought my 01 H.O. because #1 it rides so good on rough trails, #2 true 4 wheel drive, #3 disc brakes #4 I.R.S.,#5 choice of 2 or 4 wheel drive, #6 11 inch ground clearance in front 13 in back,#7 automatic tranny #8 ample power for a big utility quad.I owned a Honda for three years and was very leary of buying a Polaris because I heard all the rumors about how unreliable they were, but if I could go back a year and choose again I would make the same choice.

 

I want to thank all of you for giving me more insight about Polaris. Now I understand more about it , I think I will buy one for my wife and sell her Bayou 220. Do any of you have any good ideas on which one I should buy? I'm going to keep my Prairie 650 because I am very pleased with it, I would like to get a Polaris for my wife so, I need one that is 4x4,auto,easy steering and a cushy ride.

 

For your wife a 325 magnum would be great.They arent quite as big as the 500s but still hve plenty of power.