I'm looking at a new ATV and was wondering about the Polaris Trailboss 325. The TB appeals to me because of the price, auto tranny, and 4-stroke engine; however, I've been reading about some mechanical problems with earlier models. Specifically, the '00 model. Anyway, I was wondering if Polaris shook the bugs loose from the TB (or if I'm just wrong) and what the general impression of TB was. I'm 5' 11", weigh 220 lbs, and plan on riding trails, hills, and a little sand but nothing too extreme. Just looking for a cheap 'n good-all-around ATV and was wondering if the TB was it.

 

It is good all around, but I would add a little power to it later on, especially if you want to ride much sand. Our 325 has been fine except for the rear brake pad/rotor. All of that was replace under warranty.

You can remove that intake sborkle and add a K&N withouht rejetting. This will give it a lot more punch off the line.

 

I have a 2000 325 trailboss . It has been a good machine . The only unusual problem on the 2000 is the oil line that is prone to leaking , polaris has a warrantied repair for the problem so it really isn't an issue .

On a few 325's I have seen connection rods break , it is seldom , but it does appear to happen . The ones I have seen toss rods are stock machines , the issue has not been assocciated with modifications . I have only heard of three of these machines do this , so , its not something common . In 2000 some of the first 325's would sieze the rod to the crank in 45 minutes , this problem hasn't resurfaced in later years .

The 325 is exactly what you think it is , a reasonably priced trail machine that is not prone to any unusual problems that don't *go with the territory of ATV ownership*.

Performance wise ,out of the box it is kind rather lack luster in accelleration .
however $1000 will have you pulling holeshots on STOCK 400 Scramblers. but about 150 foot out the scrambler will come back around and finish 4 bike lengths ahead at 300 feet out and be pulling away .

In summary , go on , buy one . You aren't likely to find any unexpected disappointing suprises.

Rick

 

I have two '00 Trailbosses. My wife's and mine. Mine looks like it been through heck and my wife's still looks brand new. We have had zero problems with my wife's machine and mine just lost the starter(one pull with the rope) and is due for sprockets and chains, but mine has at least twice the hours on it.
Excellent all around trail quad and a great value for the money.
I put the RCR stage 1 kit on mine minus the muffler. Hope to add a muffler this summer and if the business year closes out well would like to have the RCR 414 kit, porting, etc. done to it.

 

Thanks for all your input. BarelyLegal, it's interesting the K&N can be added without jetting. I've seen the part at RockyMountainATV.com and will keep that in mind if I get one. They've also got a few other performance parts. RickRitter, that 400 is a damn sexy machine but the 2-stroke puts me off. I don't wanna get stuck with a red sticker and have the local rangers give me hard time about riding. I had looked at the 500 because it looks to have the best of both the 4x2 and 4x4 worlds, but it's expensive. Any thoughts on that? DoubleBoss, I've seen your pics before and it looks like you've had a lot of fun on your TBs. Have you ever been in a situation where you wished or needed a 4x4, or are you glad you stuck with a 4x2 and didn't waste any money? I'm not sure how fun a 4x4 would be on the dunes...

All in all, thanks for the tips. Feel free to rattle back at me if you wish.

-Nine11

 

Nine11,
I just spent all day Sat. on a maintenance run for a local ORV trail. A thunderstorm on Fri. dumped alot of rain. The trail was over the floorboards repeatedly and never stuck once. One close call due more to driver error. Got stuck last Sat. in a big ol puddle. Was going along fine til I hit some holes from a stuck 4x4 quad! I'm always suprised what we've been able to go thru with these quads. We're not big mudders though and quite often will go around or find a different route, especially if the bottom feels real mushy(I poke it with a stick!) If most of your riding areas tend to be dry, I wouldn't mess with the 4x4. I like the lighter weight (I know it's a Polaris!) of the 2by.
As far as sand, the TB325 is a bit underpowered for any excitement. Mine will go up "test hill" at Silver Lake, but only when the sand is dense/flat. Nothing pretty, but your at the top. Enough fun for a couple hours til you get jealous of the guys on Bombs or Shees!

 

Your experience last Saturday sounds more in line with what I've heard from other TB owners. There are just so many things I like about the TB (auto, rear rack, 3.7 gal gas tank), that's what I'll probably end up getting. The only other ATVs I've seriously looked at are the Honda 250EX (which I rode and decided was too small and over priced) and the Kawasaki Lakota Sport 300. I'm still leaning toward the TB.

 

I have an 01 trailboss that is modded..I have not had any problems with it at all. Here are a few links, you can see the mods that I have done to it, including The RCR Stage1 kit. There are also a few mpegs..

Pics
Mpegs

Keep on Riding!!

 

Those are really nice! How loud is the exhaust? Sorry, but I couldn't get the mpegs to play. I have QT installed but they still didn't work. Even tried to right-click 'em and "save target as" but that didn't work as well. Still nice machines though. Man, I need to wait a month or two before making my purchase but I'm really gettin' itchy now...

Quick question. Do you have wheel spacers installed? The stance is pretty wide, or I can just be imagining things. Just woke up from working last night.

 

nine11, I do not have wheel spacers, that is the stock width of the machine. They are a little on the loud side, but a huge gain in performance with the mod installed. Have to sacrafice in one area to gain in the other, therfore I don't mind the extra decibles the exhaust puts out. You just have to use courtsey when riding near homes. The mpegs should play with windows media player, if you can not get them to work let me know and I can e-mail them to you..


Keep on Riding!!