OK,TRAIL HOG I have owned 3 POLARIS ATVs a TRAILBOSS,a 400L 4X4,and now a 500 SPORTSMAN H.O. over a period of 9 years and the only problems that I had was a bad output shaft bearing on the 400 and a bad hub coil on the new SPORTSMAN that was caused by the factory overtighting the hub on the right front.I guess you could say that I have been very fortunate by all the bad post or replys that I have read.I also owned two KAWASKI ATVs a 220 and a 300 with the locking differential now the 220 had several problems the brakes wouldnt work half the time and I had a carb problem that resulted in the dealer replacing it.The 300 was bought used and it was a tank it ran great pulled great and never left me strainded,but when you got over 30 miles per-hour it felt like the front was about to walk away.I hated to sell it but someone wanted it a lot more than I did.Now to answer your question about who makes the motors for POLARIS ATVs I want to say HITICHE of JAPAN if I spelled it right,other than the engines being made out of the country I think just about everything else is made in america.I have a short memory so excuse me if I ask you again but,where did you say that your KAWASKI was made.If you get down this way look me up and I will let you ride my POLARIS if you can stomach it.

 

samclow,is there any places to ride around where you live? I would like to go riding with you one day,that is if you trail ride,I didn't mean that funny,I just don't know if you just use it to hunt or ride. If you want to we can go down to the bowl and ride, there is someone else on here that I told about the bowl and he went and said it was great, I was suppose to hook up with them,but I had the flu then.We could get all the people here that live close by and all go riding at the bowl or anywhere else.

 

Trailhog, I personally haven't seen all the reliability problems that people have been associating with the Polaris Machines. Mine has never made me walk anywhere yet (never even got it stuck enough that I couldn't push it out myself).
The pre-01 models needed more durable brake pads, and beefier steering components. I haven't heard of the tie rods actually failing, but the older ones used to wear out quicker than most.
I have a theory about why some people have good luck and others not. It is maintanence and MUD. If you constantly bury the pre 01 machines in mud, the brakes, and steering components wear very quickly. They have been improved in '01, but it will take time yet to see how much better they are. It seems some mud is 'slimy' enough it can work its way into things, and causes premature wear, where on a machine that has 'permanantly' lubed suspension components seems fairly well sealed out. This mud also can chew up the front hub seals. Again, they seem to have taken care of that, also, the 700 now has hub seals and bearings the same as everyone else, now. The 2wd to 4wd mechanism has been moved to the center differential, eliminating the oil bath hubs.
I personally have 5300 miles on a 2-cycle Xplorer, and have had about $75 worth of repairs up to the time I replaced the piston @ 5200 miles. I grease it religiously, and lube the chain every 50-100 miles. I do NOT ride deep mud often, hardly ever. My brake pads went 5000 miles, as did all steering components. Front pads & outer tie rod ends were replaced @ about 5000 miles. I thought the piston was getting a little loose about then, so I ordered a new one & a re-bored cylinder(the 400 2 cycles are known for that, they get loose enough a piece of the skirt will break off and fall into the guts of the engine, not a good thing). Replacing the piston ran another $200, I replaced it with a Wiseco, which is known to be much better than the stocker.
I am even still on the original chain & sprockets (they are getting a little sad-looking, though), and never had a hub leak, or not work right. The rear tires are about bald, but still hold air. I guess what I am getting at, is, at least for me, I haven't had reason to gripe.

The engine on my Xplorer says 'Fuji' on it, and I think it is imported. The tranny housings all have USA cast into them, though. I am told the 700 engine is USA made,by Polaris, as well. I know the frames & many other components are USA made, probably more than any other bike right now, and the 700 is almost entirely USA made. There are a FEW things imported (like cables, possibly a few small assemblies) but it is more a product of the US than any other one I know of.

 

Farmr123,I agree,mud and no preventive maintanence is a quads worst enemy,thanks for the post also. As much as I love my Prairie 650, I'm wondering if I should have gotten a IRS quad, because all I do is slow tech.trail riding and work. My old Bayou 220 had some sort of IRS,but it had a straight axle. Does a IRS quad really ride that much better to trade for one?And what about side hills?My bayou 220 would scare you to death on a side hill,it kept feeling like it was going to tip over.

 

TRAILHOG,WE need to go riding sometime,as far as the bowl I havent ridden there yet would like to also.It would be good for us to hook up sometime and go I would like to try out your new KAWASKI and you can ride on my POLARIS.I have read several post about how fast the PRAIRIE 650's are would like to find out,also I do not use my machine for hunting just trail riding.I have a friend at work that has been telling me about a place to ride behind HAYDEN HIGH SCHOOL he says that there was about 10 to 25 people out there riding last time he went and it was very muddy.Before I bought my SPORTSMAN I looked at the PRAIRIE also and it was my only other choice besides the SPORTSMAN it is a sharp looking machine they looked like they where bullet proof it just did not have the IRS that the POLARIS had.Ok e-mail me sometime and maybe we can go ride.

Thanks,Charles

 

There's this particularly rough trail back to a cabin where 10 or 12 of us go on our bikes 3 or 4 times a year....we all have hondas...except 1 guy has a polaris sportsman 500....on the way to the trail he leaves us in the dust....however, every time on the trail before we get out he loses a belt....he bought a new bike polaris 2001 sportsman 500...first trip to the cabin, clutch and belt gone...he brags of the lifetime warranty on the belt...not much good when you're 10 miles back in the country.

 

oh yeah one more thing...i have rode his polaris 500...and i have to admit, it rides like a cadillac...wish my honda had the ride of his polaris.

 

GreatCanadian,
He loses a belt??? Where does it go? If he burns the belt, it is due to misuse mostly. You have to have enough sense to put it in low when it shoudl be in low.

As far as 650 racing a 700, I have to say this... unless we are on fire roads or tight fast trails, the 650 guys will have his hands full keeping up with me on my 2000SP500. It did take a set of progressive adjustable front suspension to stop the nose diving. It was $160 well spent. I have ridden both bikes and they both have their strong points... put them in the mud, and it is all Polaris.

Greg

 

Trailhog, the Arctic Cat solid-axle machines (anyway the 500 I looked at) had the sort of rear suspension you mentioned. It had a solid axle, yet allowed one rear wheel to move upward without the other. The new i models have moved to fully independant suspension.
The Sportsman will not be as scary on sidehills as your old Kawi, because it has an anti-sway bar. It still is not as solid-feeling as a straight-axle machine, but compared to most others out there, it is a couple inches wider, so it really won't tip over much sooner.
Yes, the ride is all that they brag it up to be. I had an Xplorer, and thought it was a lot of hype, until my brother in law showed up with his Sportsman. It is a pre-HO, so I can still outrun him OK, but, man, what a CADDILAC of a ride. You really can't appreciate it until you go out where it is ROUGH. The rougher it gets, the more I was amazed. Ride through it with your current (non-IRS) machine, then go the same place the same speed with a Sportsman, and you wonder where all the bumps went. I was so impressed that the question isn't IF i get a Sportsman, but when.

As far as the belt going south, either the clutches are set up wrong (mis-aligned or having some sort of defect) or the guy going through them is hillclimbing, pulling, and/or puttering in HI when he should be in LOW. My original belt went over 5000 miles, my brother's Xpress has 6000. Just gotta use Low when you need to.

 

I had an sp500 before my current ride, an Xplorer 400, and I can say that there is worlds of difference in riding each machine. Like gregsims and farmr123 stated, most belt problems result from using high range when low should be used. Just getting the front wheels in a ditch and trying to get out in high range can smoke a belt on the 4-strokes. Since drive clutch acceleration determines how quick and hard the drive clutch grabs the belt, 4-strokes are more likely to smoke a belt in high range than a 2-stroke. This is because the engine on the 2-stroke accelerates much quicker. When I had the sp500, I used low range to climb most any hill, but with the 2-stroke 400, I only use low range occasionally when the hill is long and steep, or I'm in bad mud. There is the chance that something is wrong with his machine, so he should get it checked out. I have read that the first belt replacement is a "no questions asked" exchange, however, on the 2nd belt failure, the bike is supposed to be inspected.......if all checks out ok, the owner is to be schooled on when to use low range versus high range.

As far as the 650, it is very fast, but you maintain so much more control with the better suspension of the sportsman series that in many cases, the sp will be able to run at higher speeds through the rough stuff. When I had my sp500, about the only thing that was tired on me at the end of a long days ride was my shoulder area from steering. The prarie 650 isn't any easier to steer, and more than just your shoulders/arms will be tired at the end of a long ride.

Waylan