Hello,
Just wanted to check in and give a little background. I rode quads and dirt bikes from ages 10-18. I had miles of trails in my back yard so all we did was ride. I then moved on to crotch rockets and never looked back...until now. I had a moment of maturity and decided that I do not poses the self-control to own a bike that dose 170mph so I sold it and purchased a 2004 Polaris Predator-Troy Lee Edition. MUCH less likely to kill myself on this thing...i think?
I took it out for the first time yesterday. On the way in to the play area the trail was either frozen, flooded, or both. I struggled all the way through that while my buddies 700cc 4x4 quad made it look easy. He had to pull me through several icy spots and was laughing all the way. I must admit, at this point in time I was contemplating selling the Predator and getting a 4x4 quad. That lasted right up until we hit the sand dunes. The thing became a blast to ride as soon as I got traction. While this thing is pretty fast, I don't think this quad is as fast as some of the modded Banshee's I rode on the Oregon sand dunes. Thinking that this thing is going to need some upgrades. What are the best ones?

 

Well welcome to the dirt side ,yes a 2x4 machine can be tough to ride in the snow and Ice ,but well worth it come warmer weather

 

I dont have that much for my pred because i dont have a buttload of money to spend, but i would tell you to replace the air filter (the one in it is garbage, made of paper), get a polaris pure exhaust for it (and jet the carb), and if you have enough money get a better rear grab bar because it doesnt have reverse and the one on it can be tough to get good leverage to pull the bike out of tough spots. There are some bars that even come with a space to store a gas can, which is a bonus.

 

Open it up with new air filter and box are the cheapest ways. Maybe mess wit the gearing a little bit. Thats a pretty fast bike, there's not too much to do w/o lots of money. ($500+)

 

Congrats on your predator purchase. I am on my second one and think I can help you out on mods, just refer to my profile below. You don't have to spend much money to open it up. Removing the stock airbox and opening it up while rejetting and installing a good aftermarket exhaust is a start. I spent about $750 for all of that from www.partsforatvs.com or mod3. They are by far the cheapest I have found. BTW, the HMF is reportedly the best exhaust out there, and the least expensive which helps! Feel free to ask any more questions....

BTW, I'm in Oregon too! Klamath Falls to be exact. Where are you at?