If you want to just change the oil and ride get the Honda but if you want to ride in comfort get the H.O. I owned a Honda for 3 years and at 1700 miles I had to put new brakes,brake seals, front wheel bearings and races (around $200 worth of parts),not bad for three years.I've had the H.O. for 1 year and have had to put a speed sensor, water-pump seals, tie-rod ends and (disc) brake shoes on it this was all around 800 to 1000 miles (around $155 worth of parts).The Honda would be cheaper and easier to maintane, but I do a lot of trail riding on rough rocky rutted out trails and personally would rather pay more for up-keep and keep my smooth riding H.O.

 

OH YAH,
Shaggy is correct.I did leave out some things,like my 99 Sportsman 500cc was completely STOCK except for the MudRunner tires that are advertised as a Polaris option.And I STILL had the same reliability issues as I did with my slightly modified Xplorer.

So much for blaming my problems on the Mods?

Bill

 

Didn't say the mods were the problem. I have mods and have not had wear problems. But I am willing to bet that I will have some problems at some point. This is due to how its used not because its a Polaris. Mud tires tend to find big mud holes. Engine mods equal more speed/power and work the chains, brakes, cv's, tie rod harder. Hi pressure washers tend to force dirt and grit into seals and bushings. Doesn't matter what brand you/me owns, it will have good and bad points. I am pleased with my current atv. If I wasn't I would be looking at something else regardless of brand.

Shaggy

 

Bill, something tells me that if you spent as much time in the mud with a Honda as you do with your Polaris... you'd be stuck a LOT more...

That, and I bet you'd still have a great deal of worn out parts to replace.

 

Chromo, getting back to the original idea, do you ride in mud a lot???

If you don't mud ride, you will have MUCH better luck with parts wear. I use my Xplorer mostly for chore running around on the farm, and can't really complain about breakdowns. The outer tie rod ends are about the only thing I replaced so far that I thought should have lasted longer. I am told the new style are more durable, but I went aftermarket since they looked to be stronger, and weren't any more expensive.
Mud wears out all everything Muddy mentioned faster. If you get mud in the belt housing, it will eat up both the belt & primary clutch. Mud in the bushings acts like sandpaper. I am not saying Muddy abuses his machine, from what I can tell, he likely keeps it cleaner than I do, I am just saying that a machine with brass bushings, when ridden in the mud, will wear them quicker than rubber bushings. Think about it, you ride around, warming everything up, and then hit DEEP mud. The cold of the mud actually 'sucks' it into the bushings. That said, as long as the seals are good and you grease it enough, it shouldn't be too bad. You just got to kind of keep an eye on the seals. And one tip, you are better giving every zerk one shot fairly often, rather than 10 pumps 2 times a year.
Brakes (& chains on the chain drive models) wear out fast when mudding. However, in general riding (very little mud past the floorboards) I got 5000 miles out of my original brakes (they were the severe duty from the factory).

I have 5200 miles and have never replaced a suspension bushing, hub seal, or anything else major, so far. (I grease everything 1 shot, every 250 miles, or after I hit deep mud - which was about 6 or 8 times only so far)
I have replaced:
Front brakes - @ 5000 miles
Outer tie rod ends @ 4800
belt @ 4800
2 $10 bushings in clutch @ 4800 (they got overheated when the guy who 'burned' the belt got done with it. It still worked OK, but he cooked the teflon off the bushings).
Headlight bulb @ 5000
and I upgraded to a Wiseco piston @ 5200
That is all I can remember, I have it on file if you want me to be 'exact' about it.
I am still on the original chain & sprockets (I am **** about chain lube)
The 4-wd system has never acted up (I change hub oil 2 times a year)
The kicker, however, should be the dealer. A good dealer can make you happy with an average machine, and a lousy dealer can ruin the fun of a superior product.

I still think (my opinion only) that most of Muddy's problems are due to not leaving it stock. Just a pipe can add 5 or 6 HP EASILY to the 400 engine. Doesn't sound like much, but add 5 HP to a Foreman, and drive it to the max, and watch what gives on it!

That said, I also own an older 300 Fourtrax Honda, which has been absolutely reliable. Only thing ever done to it was replace the battery 2 times, and clean the contacts to the battery.

My opinion - go with the Sportsman, and get the extended warranty if you are worried about breakdowns, and are willing to grease it, change the hub oil, etc. Doesn't cost much, or take that long, but needs to be done for maximum life. Go with the Foreman if that is your fear.

Personally I would go Rancher if not the Sportsman. Around here, a 500 HO with extended warranty doesn't cost any more than the Foreman ES without (might just be our local dealers, though) so why not go with the more capable machine, if you won't have to fix anything for 5 years?
If you are on a budget, the Rancher is a REAL nice machine. Actually rides better than the Foreman, and will about keep up with it on 90% of the trails. About all it won't do is be as good a 'tractor'.

Just my opinion

Farmr

 

Campy,
My wife's 98 Recon has seen alot of mud,and its only a 2wd ATV[I cant keep my 14yr old nephew out of the mud].NEVER in the shop for NOTHING.My 87 Suzuki 4x4 Quad Runner has seen alot of mud,more so than either of my Polaris 4x4 ATVs,and except for a front differentail rebuild and leaking brake drums,this quads also been far more reliable than both my Polaris ATVs COMBINED..I agree with you about being stuck more on a Honda 4x4 vs a Polaris,however,im starting to weigh the trade off?You know,stuck a LITTLE more with a Honda or in the shop ALOT more with a Polaris?

Farmr thinks alot of my Xplorer problems are because of my FEW mods?I would tend to agree with that statement IF I did'nt have the same problems with my 99 Sportsman.Except for the MudRunner tires,the Sportsman was completely stock and still,a TON of problems.

I just got the Xplorer out of the shop this past Friday for warrenty work on a front leaky hub [3 or 4 times now]and a defective fuel valve.I rode yesterday and while I was doing routine maintenance,I see that my SideWinder front sprocket with about 400 miles on it is allready half worn.Going to call SideWinder Monday.I bought the very best chain/sproket combo[250 bucks]and seems like I should get more than 400 miles out of a well maintained front sprocket?

Bill

 

Muddy4life,

I really can't give you an explaination as to why you have so much bad luck with your Polaris machines. If I was your local dealer I can say I would actually get sick of working on your machines. I would never like to see a customer come in as often as you claim you do. Although warranty work is good easy money so to say because the customer doesn't have to pay hardly anything other than a $25 deductable and the gas to drive his wheeler in. I just wouldn't be happy seeing you their that often. I hardly ever see the same Polaris twice, let alone the same problem twice. Something is not quite right about your machines but I have a hard time believing that it is the machines fault this often. I just don't know what it is but I almost bet your dealer smiles when you bring your machines in. He must make a pretty good living.

I wish Michigan wasn't so far away because I'd ask you to bring it to me so I could try to make you a happy Polaris owner. I don't like to see any of my customers be unhappy with their quads no matter what brand it is because if your unhappy with your machine then I'm unhappy with it too. No machine should have as many problems as your two Polaris's do.

 

elroy,
I dont know of any Polaris mechanic that does not make a respectable living.Because im a licensed ATV Safety Instructor,I visit differant dealerships ALOT.I personally know of one dealership mechanic that works on Honda's only because thats all they sell.He barely has enough work to keep him busy 2 days a wk.He comes in and works on Wed,Thur,and Fri only.

My mechanic?
Steve works very hard to keep me happy.I did not buy either of my Polaris ATVs from his dealership and he still works very hard to keep me happy.My repairs used to go to the dealership that I made my purchases from,but the mechanics there really suck.Your quad stays in their back room for 3 wks,they than bring it in and if parts are needed ,it takes another wk for them to come in and than another wk to finish the repairs,and HOPEFULLY,the repairs were done right?

I got so sick of this type of service,I sought another dealership.Im pretty pleased with Steve's work.Though I do wished I never let him talk me into the Heel Clickers clutch kit.What a waste of $$.

I dont have an answer for my problems either.At first,I thought it might be because I did like to mud alot,so I said I would not mud my Xplorer nearly as much as the Sportsman,and I dont.I keep all my quads clean and maintained,allways have.Never had these amount of problems with any other brand ATV.The Polaris problems seem to stem on their UTILITY ATVs?I dont read or hear of alot of problems on their 2wd models.

Bill

 

After reading posts from Muddy and Elroy I think a picture is starting to develope here. Muddy, you talk about your after market accessories failing and being a waste of money, I don't think its fair to blame Polaris for that! You also say your a mudder, thats nothing more than liquid sandpaper. If you stay in the mud I think you can reasonably expect your fair share of problems. My experience has been that a lot of
different brands break down on the trail and have to be towed in. On the other hand a lot of owners have questioned the reliability of Polaris ATV's, too many to ignore. On the other hand its fair to say that the whole ATV industry is following the lead of Polaris, big, water cooled, auto trans with soft riding suspensions seem to be the norm. One thing I can personally relate to is your comments on the dealership, they can make or break your machine. Lets hope that all brands keep getting better as a result of our posts and that the buyer will eventually be better off no matter his choice of nameplate. Good luck with your problems.

 

deebee,
To date,the only aftermarket part that has ever failed me has been the front SideWinder sprocket.I dont ever recall blaming Polaris for any aftermarket part that has ever failed me?Nor do I ever recall blaming Polaris for the waste of $$ I spent on my Heel Clickers clutch kit?I fail to see any point in you bringing that up?

Mudding?
as I've said before,I have owned over 7 differant ATVs since 1983 and rode all of them in the mud,some more than others,and I dont STAY in the mud,especially with the chain driven Xplorer.It really does'nt matter to me what anyone thinks as my cause of problems with my Polaris ATVs,they wont change my mind about them,especially giving the fact that I have never had these amount of problems on a non Polaris brand ATV.

I agree with you that things are looking alot better now for the ATV industry than before,however,before I purchase another Polaris ATV,that quad will be a PROVEN ATV over many yrs.Right now,Polaris cant lay this claim on to many of their 4x4 ATVs.

Bill