I fully agree with you, on the topic that the magazines, or TV shows, do not seem to give Polaris a fair shake on some of the tests. I was reading one the other day and they did not like the composite racks on the Polaris'. I think that they are great as far as tying down coolers and other things, but that's just my opinion or preference. They always seem to mention that the Polaris' are not quite as fast as some of the other ones too, but they fail to mention that they are usually more than a few pounds heavier which would make me think that they are built a little, (or a lot in some cases) more stronger than the others. Which in the case of trail riding in the rough rocks and creek beds and mountains that should be better, I would think, but maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Yeah, I want a atv that has some get up and go, but, if I want a rocketship then I will buy a Predator. I watch ATV Television religously every week and it seems like it really kills them to say anything positive about a Polaris, other than it is built like a tractor, which I take as a complement, considering what they are supposed to be used for.
The Polaris 4wd system is second to none, period! And also the ride. And I owned a Magnum 4X4 for about 7 months and went through a bunch of creeks with deep water in places and never one time had the belt slip. But what do I know, I am just a Polaris rider.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

i love polaris, but i remember back in the mid 80's the polaris was a little dinky quad and the honda foreman 4x4 was the best back then. Then in about 95 when polaris came out with the magnum things changed and Polaris was better.

 

sh$t you could'nt give me a honda i like the underdogs cause i know that i am getting the better quad if you listen to the magazines the pos you just bought will spend most of its pethetic life on a lift table at your local dealership

 

'95 was Polaris's first year with a 4-stroke. i bought one! a Magnum425 and it's been a terrific, trouble free ATV! it's still in the family- i sold it to my brother in Vt a few years ago and he uses it daily on his farm.

POLARIS RULES! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

later,
-MT

just think about how Polaris forced the ATV industry to change:
-automatic transmissions
-true 4X4
-IRS
-MORE POWER!
-disc brakes
-color selections
-dump bodies
(i know there's more but you get the idea! LOL)

 

My additions fot MTPOCKET's list of inovations:

-True 4x4 - With a kick (Scrambler Series)
- Military applications
- And I beleive Polaris was the first to come out with shaft drive

 

if honda doesn't do something quick to keep up with the raptor or predator they will be sorry. and as for the 4x4's. yes they are reliable like a john deere, but they also ride like one. where is the suspension?!!?

 

I can tell ya'll why polaris gets ragged on by the performance bunch (Myself included)

I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that they could build a machine that would revolutionize and squash the high performance/race atv market... They've had the technology for years... but they refuse to do it! Look at the quality of snowmobile they produce! Best out there!

Why not build a lightweight chassis (12" of useable travel front and rear would be suitable), get rid of that ridiculous MacPherson strut suspension, get rid of the single lever braking system, put an 800cc twin ((Can you say 150+ Horsepower????)))(Directly from an RMK would be fine!) with the PVT, good brakes, and HANG ON!!!! It would be the fastest, lightest, best handling RACE quad ever built! Look out banshee!!! LOL!!!

Now before you guy's flame the daylights out of me... hold on
They did an awesome job with the pred.... but it's a SPORT machine... (Big Diff b/w Sport and Race)
It does compete with the other mfg's in that class.... but why just compete??? build something that will smoke thier socks off!!!!????!!! They've got a great start.... now put a 800cc two stroke in there and drop the electric start and reverse... lose about 100# and WHOLY COW!!!!

Don't get me wrong... polaris is a great work-horse machine... and the pred is pretty cool.
I just need something that is factory produced that will compete and/or whip up on my antiques.

Feed the need for more power!!!!

 

I dont like polaris because of those junky belt drive automatics that they have for the most part.I like a 5spd myself and i own a honda foreman 400 4x4, and i have NOT HAD a single problem out of it. It has also never been stuck, and ive been in some pretty good mud with it. Polaris just doesent seem to be as high in quality as honda to me. I LOVE the torque my 5spd with super low 1st gear has. I have pulled a 5-700 pound cultipacker over plowed and disked up dirt with no problem, and if you chain it to something that will hold it back and not let it move(definatley not a polaris.lol), it will spin all the tires in at least second gear on dry ground(10mph), and probably in 3rd(15mph). I really cant say polarisis are bad from experience, but i just dont care much for them.

 

Hey redneck, I would love to hook your foreman up to my Polaris and watch you spin all "3" wheels while being pulled backwards. lol That would be a sight!! Just funning with ya but you do know that a Sportsman will drag that foreman anywhere right? Seen it done many different times. Again I'm just kidding around here not tryin to start a p!ss!ing match. Have fun, ride hard!

 

Many of these Honda guys are brainwashed just like I was, thinking Hondas are the best for all these years. I almost screwed up and wasn't even going to look at Polaris, but all it took was one test drive on the 700 and I was sold. Hondas are dependable machines, but people need to wake up and look at some of the other brands, the Polaris 700 is far superiour to any Honda offered, including the Rincon. If Honda had a machine with the features of the Polaris 700 I might have bought it , but the fact is THEY DON'T. As far as quality, the Polaris I have is excellent. Everyone that owns a late model Polaris knows the belt drive works great and is not an issue and will outperform any gear type tranny. I have a friend at deer camp with a Honda 450ES, it is a very nice machine but he is always studying everything about my 700 when I pull up at camp, like the 16 inches of ground clearance, 28 inch tires, 3000lb winch, brushquard and just basically a very mean looking, aggressive machine when compared to the wimpy looking Honda. it won't be long before he has one. The axles on the Honda are about half the size of the 700, everything is built stronger on the Polaris.

It is also good to support an American company, these damn foreign companies are slowy putting all of us out of work. Right now, my job is being threatened by cheaply built Chinese made products.