Some of you guys crack me up with your comments about me being a HONDA salesman.

Lets get one thing straight,a few of you[especially MT] seem to THINK that because MUDDY has been in sales at a local HONDA dealership since Janurary of this yr,that I favor Honda's?Muddy buys what MUDDY wants,my below statment will prove this.

I beleive I have owned and operated more differant brand ATVs[3 and 4 wheelers] than most posting in this Polaris Forum?I been owning/operating them since 1983.I have also OWNED two brand new Polaris ATVs,one was a STOCK 1999 500cc Sportsman and the other was a SLIGHTLY MODDED 2000 Xplorer that is currently up for sale.So much for the guy that said something in regards to hearsay from others and a lack of product knowledge!Put simply,BOTH ATVs were allways in the shop for something.And forget the maintenance thing,there is NOBODY that maintains ATVs better than myself.I currently also own two 2002 Kawi Lakota's and two Honda 2002 Recons,NONE of them have EVER been back in for repairs for ANYTHING.They been with me for a yr now.

Im also a member the the Michigan ATV Association.I ride with ALOT of differant brands,I see first hand which ones are most probmatic.Im also a licensed ATV Safety Instructor.As an ATV Safety Instructor,I frequently visit about a dozen DIFFERANT dealerships in my area on a monthly basis.I can tell you first hand that without a question,POLARIS ATVs are the ones in for repair more than any other ATV on todays market..No other manufacture has as many problems as Polaris,at least not in my area.

We sell HONDA ONLY at the dealership where im employed.We have only enough work to employ a mechanic TWO days a wk out of six.Since Janurary of this yr,there has been ONE HONDA come back to the dealership for warrenty work.It was a 2002 Recon ES that had a defective battery.We replaced the battery and have not seen the customer since.Polaris cannot even come close to that stat.Any dealership manager I visit that sells Polaris will tell you the same.

Sure,I'll be the first to say that Honda's are overpriced,somewhat boring,dont have all the features,and dont have the ride of a Polaris,however,they also dont have ANYWHERE near the problems/maintenance of a Polaris.

Im just sick and tired of all the continued problems with Polaris and have made a decision to turn away from them and buy the new boring Rincon when it arrives this summer.

Im not telling you to not buy a Polaris,its your cash and if thats what you want,than by all means buy one.But dont come in these Forums and tell me that you think its ill manured for someone to come to ANOTHER brands Forums[WHAT,I own Polaris?]and express his opinion to.

Bill

 

Spoken like a true Honda salesman. When you make your living selling Honda ATV's your opinion of Polaris doesn't mean to much anymore. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. YOU ARE PAID TO MAKE HONDA LOOK GOOD-BOTTOM LINE. And of course you would pick your biggest competitor to try and make look bad.

 

I know one thing for sure my 1984 honda runs a whole lot better than my son in laws polaris or my brothers artic cat. The only thing that has went on it is the tires.

 

ScramblerX,
are you over 12 yrs old yet?I ask because your very illiterate at comprehending things.You made some very immature statements about me,like me making other manufactures look bad because I get paid to make Honda's look good!I dont make my living selling Honda ATVs and I sure as hell dont get paid to make Honda look good.I make my living by instructing the safe and responsable use of ATVs to all concerned in my ATV Safety classes.Working at the dealership just compliments my ATV classes.

I'd make sure your daddy proof reads your posts before you post them in here?

Bill

 

Muddy......come on.....now you have posted these same arguments over and over. Who are you to call one childish? You sound conceeded(sp) to me.(you give your opinion on atv's, so I gave you my opion on you...sorry). I know you are just telling of your experience with Polaris', but after you give your opinion you go on and on about how you have been riding since 19whenever and done this and done that. Cant you just give your opinion and let it go? Yes people are going to get offended, they come in here for help or to chat and this same ole' argument gets brought up. Now I know your going to lash out at me...... but its getting old.

 

okiedude,
im not lashing out at you or anyone else.

Me childish?Come on!Some clown comes in here and tells you guys that because I sell Honda ATVs that I get paid to to make Honda's look good and other makes/models look bad?This is a guy that dont know how to perceive a post properly,bottom line.I also said something about Honda's not having all the innovative features or ride like a Polaris.You dont see a single Honda guy ripping me for that statement??

The topic of this post was about someone's brother saying Polaris is junk.I gave my opinion based on my many yrs of ATVing and OWNING Polaris ATVs.Again,someone accused me of coming in another brands forum and slaming their product when this guy forgets that I OWN Polaris and AM in my own brand Forum!

I did'nt tell you of my many yrs of riding experience to sound conceeded,only brought that up to add some credability about not being new to the sport of ATVing.Im not some first time ''wanna be''ATVer that cant back up what he posts either.

I'll say it again,its your hard earned cash.You need to feel good about whatever ATV you spend your cash on,even if its a Polaris.I did'nt come in here to start a brand bashing war.I only come to tell of my personal experiences and give others my opinion.If you'll look over these posts,it was others that started the childish''he works for Honda BS and gets paid to make other brand ATVs look bad.There is not an ounce of fact in that statement.

Good Day!

Bill

 

I hate to tell you guys, but all the experiences I have had with Polaris has brought me to the conclusion that they are junk. And I'm not a Honda salesman, but I do know Muddy. And nobody works harder than Muddy to promote the sport. He really doesn't care what you buy, as long as you ride it and ride it safe.

As far as Polaris goes. I currently own my last 2. The last 1 I purchased was in July of 2001. I got 16.8 miles on it before it blew a hole in the side of the motor. Polaris refused to even give me a short block, let alone a long block or new complete. They rebuilt it and I I got a whopping 5.1 more miles on it before it blew a hole in the side of the crank case again. They have the most arrogant customer service that I have ever dealt with. They still refused to give me a new motor, a long block or a short block. The accused me several times of mistreating the bike. That was my decision to buy my last. I buy a minimum of 1 bike per year because I own an outfitting business. They are nothing more than a tool to us. My Lund boats, Mercury motors, Remington rifles, PSE bows, Gorilla Tree stands, Baby Grand tree stands and every other piece of the $100,000 in equipment we own, is nothing more than a tool.

I have also owned Hondas and Yamahas. The Hondas have run forever. The only thing that has stopped me from Honda again is the drum breaks. I have never had any luck with Yamaha, however, most people that own them like them.

I sponsor a poker run in the UP of Michigan every summer. Of the 200 bikes that have ridden with us in the last couple years, we have had about 15 break downs. Every one has been a Polaris except for a 1988 Warrior last year that busted the tranny. This would seem to be a trend.

My first Polaris has had some trouble and has about 5000 miles on it. It is a 2000 Expedition. Bad bike for Polaris. The one that has its 3rd motor has about 1000 miles on it. Very bad bike. My warranty ran out the same day I got my bike back after the 2nd rebuild. It had 1700 miles on a trailer and 22 on the ground.

Polaris doesn't get any endorsements from me and never will until they start taking care of their customers. They ride nice and that's about it.

I'm now looking at the Artic Cat or going back to the Honda and putting up with the drum breaks.

In conclusion, your brother is right. Polaris is junk.

TQO
Tahquamenon Outfitters
Hulbert, MI

 

I would say junk. Polaris seems to be getting alot better, but still junk. Honda utility quads do ride like junk, but motor does not run or sound like junk. I believe that Kaw, Suz, & Cat are the best all around bikes at the moment. But if I owned a Polaris, I would just run the crap out of it, and if it held up then that would be the best way to get back at your friend.

 

If its a Pull-ar-is,its prone to breakdown and repeated premature parts wear.That could be a major factor in no one caring about it?

Bill


(re[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]redator 500 in the honda forum)

Another post from Muddy.
Is there any where you do not trash polaris atv's?

 

I have both a Polaris Xplorer, probably one of the most maintanence-intensive machines out there, and a Honda Fourtrax 300 2wd, probably the least. Here are my personal experiences and opinions on the two.

The Polaris really isn't prone to break-downs, as far as anything failing, nor is it expensive to fix. However, it sure likes to see my tool set.
I'll give you a couple of examples.
Tie rod ends: granted, they are only $12, but I would gladly pay double that if they would last twice as long. The new ones are supposed to be improved, but my machine still had the old style.
Clutch buttons: I put new clutch buttons in @ 6000 miles. Cost was only $5, BUT, it took a half hour of wrenching to get it done.
Belt - again, it went over 5000 miles, and took only 20 minutes to change, but still had to be done.
Chain & sprockets - cheap & efficient, allow for long suspension travel, but lots of upkeep.
Also, the Polaris needs greasing, whereas the Honda does not.
Brakes - The Polaris brakes wear pads quicker, but when the Honda ones go bad - HOO-BOY, are you in for FUN!. A 10 min. job on the Polaris is a half-day job for the Honda.

Except for brakes, all I ever had go bad on my Honda was the battery & tires.

Is one better than the other - I say it depends on your criteria. IF you drove the Fourtrax the same speed over the same terrain as the Xplorer, I believe it would have far more problems. So would your back & backside. However, just for normal trail riding, or slower utility work, they are the ones to beat (unless maybe A/C - watch your back, Honda, they are gaining fast).
The Polaris isn't bad at all for failures, but it takes a lot of nickle & dime maintanence items. The new ones ARE improved in many ways, better brakes, better steering components, roller clutches instead of buttons. It just took them a while to get to where they are. For my uses, where I value performance, and have the tools & knowlege to do 90% of my own wrenching, my Xplorer suits me just fine.

Farmr