The January 2003 issue of that Suzuki/Kawisaki supported magazine takes a breather to offer some coverage of the HPD race quad....and the 600 Sportsman. They had some really inaccurate (that's read uninformed "Dirty Wheels") comments. Down right laughable. "With the rev limiter set higher for transmission engagement" Huh? That's should read "With a stiffer primary clutch spring". These people are clueless. They rant and rave about the frame.....Duh! It's a 250R race chassis.

They even go on to discount the 600 Sportsman, hmmm, everything I've head and talked to owners about, they love the machine. Dirty Wheels, you better go back over the pond and get some more Saki to blur your vision. What a biased rag of a "magazine" They still couldn't even give Cannondale it's proper dues in a shoot out. Don't give me your opinion, give me a photo shot of the finishline. I don't care what someone feels about a machine, give me statistics, give me proof (that's read photos). Let the people make their choice from the information gathered, and they're dealership test-rides.

Sorry, there's that soapbox again.

Ken
TLD Predator

 

Oh, I just loved it when they were talking like it was just hanging with the modded other quads. But I think I have finally come to terms that people are going to bash the pols, and that if they want some of mine, just bring it on. By the way, my local dealer got in a Pred and has it on the showroom. He actually called me first like he promised. Nice looking machine and sounds great. If the first year bugs are at a minimum, it will rock for sure and gain the much deserved appreciation.Bubba

 

After all the info from project engineers, and other locals, I think (hope) all the testing this thing has been through should prove to pay off. If not, oh well, I still want to thank Polaris for coming out with this beast....the best way to do that, is to buy one. Now how to get it in the house and under the tree. No bows allowed, just "Remove Before Flight" flags. Be careful, Bubba, you ride one, you'll pobably be loading it up to take it home.

Pssst, Hey Dana, I know what Bubba would like under the tree. I bet he'd do the cooking and cleaning for the year..hehe.

Ken

 

I would like to have one, but have you seen the list of crap under my posts? I've spent so much on 4-wheelers already, I should own stock in Polaris and Suzuki! LOL Actually Ken, Dana is the one who wanted the Pred in the first place.

 

Bubba, you've got a good one there. I'm gonna have problems waiting til next week. Knowing there's a crate with a pulse beating in the warehouse. Might have to haul it up to HPD land and "tease" the guys. Have to give Darrell a ring and razz him about the Dirty Wheels deal too.

Ken

 

Yeah, you have to give the "dw staff" credit for being innovative in their ways of bashing Polaris. They never have enough bad to say about them. The Predator article is one that comes to mind.

As a matter of record, it's interesting now that Kawasaki is coming out with a "high performance" belt driven quad (KFX 700) when Polaris has had one for years in the Scrambler/Sport/Trailblazer series. Of course, Polaris machines were mere "sport" machines because the weighed too much (around 500 lbs, just like the KFX 700) or that they had a CVT (again like the KFX700) or that their motors weren't powerful enough (when I bought my Sport it was in the top two as far as power was concerned) or that part of the quad is based on a utility machine (Hmm, sound like the KFX?). They don't know how it handles, or how fast/quick it is and it doesn't even have the "all important" engine braking (does anyone remember them bashing Polaris a time or two for that?). Yet they are practically claiming it is already the "king of high performance"! Oh and one final note, does anyone remember the article on the Predator where they said "Does it have an auto tranny? Are you kidding?"

Tests in those two magazines are driven more by cubic advertizing dollars than cubic centemeters plain and simple. Take for instance the "High performance" shootout between the 400EX, Z-400 and the Cannondale Cannibal a few months ago. The Z-400 won because it was easier for a novice to ride than the Cannondale. Using that same (fuzzy) logic, since the 400EX is easier to ride than the Z-400 it should have won, right? These are high performance machines and they're worried about novices? Give me a break!

 

That says it all Mike. I am going to send a nice letter to the staff of Dirt wheels when the renewal comes up and not renew again. I had just done a 2 year about the time I learned of all the polaris bad-mouthing and other things. The more time has passed the more I realized that they are very brand specific. Guess one of the other mags will get my money.

 

Must've been one heck of a red light district that that the Suzuki factory has access to. When in doubt give 'em more Saki too.

Ken