A buddy of mine bought a Predator a couple weeks back and he wanted to see what it would do against a DS650 now that he has it broke in. Although it was only a drag race, it does give a good indication of the power delivery with equivolent riders on each machine.

About that power delivery. HOLY ****!!!! That Predator delivers. We were dead even through 3rd gear, sometimes longer depending on the hole shot. Once I hit 4th, I would "slowly" inch away. The power band comes on strong in the Predator and maintains it throughout. All I can say is wow.

As far as weight is concerned, the Predator/rider combo had an estimated weight of 655 lbs. Myself on the DS is about 705 lbs.

While riding on the motocross track, we did find 1 possible fault with the Predator that can result in loss of control. The steering is excellent to say the least. But a rock got on top of the frame and under the steering system. This locked up the steering and "Scrambler" (Connection member) was unable to turn and off the backside of a burm. Luckily he wasn't hurt. All in all, we had a great time. Both of us were hitting some decent table tops, doubles, and a small step-up jump. All of which I would have never attempted with any of my past machines back when I was 19-20 (I'm 35 now).

In the end I would definitely have a Predator as a second machine. One thing I noticed is that the Predator was able to keep up on the track no problem with virtually no rider effort. I really think Polaris has the Ace in their deck with this machine.

 

Thanks for the great review and comparison..............JJ has put a DS baja tach on his predator, and its a real nice addition.........

Looking forward to playing with any DS650's down in the Oregon dunes next week.

 

It really is amazing how Polaris, a manufaturer that hasn't built a full-on race quad, comes out with something like the Predator. After riding the Predator, it makes me wonder why the BIG-4 haven't made any serious attempt at making something to this caliber.

Over the years, I have been more of a Suzuki fan. I have owned 1 Polaris (500 Sportsman), 4 Suzuki's, and now the Bomber. I am real tempted to get the Predator as a 2nd machine instead of the Z400.

 

"It really is amazing how Polaris, a manufaturer that hasn't built a full-on race quad, comes out with something like the Predator.
After riding the Predator, it makes me wonder why the BIG-4 haven't made any serious attempt at making something to this
caliber."


what a cool world...

enjoy!