If people find that they can't ride a Polaris because of the two wheel drive EBS, then buy another brand of machine. I'm not saying it's better or worse than other brands, just that it's not dangerous. Before I bought my 500 Sportsman, the only other quad I've owned was an '89 300 Bayou (great quad, by the way), but I still don't have any problem with Polaris's EBS. Oh, by the way, all my riding is done on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, so I have to occasionally deal with a steep slope or two.

 

A quote from atv rider shoot out where the pol 700 ended up in third [Unfortunately Engine braking is on the rear wheels which can make for unconfortable situations on big down hills] Mabe the people who conduct the shootouts for atv rider don't know how to use polaris's ebs eather like you guys say I don't.They did move the pol 700 up to 3rd because the efi.Maybe you guys should write atv rider mag and let them know they don't know how to ride [May Issue page 24]Most the guys who do these shootouts are pro riders and the polaris 700 ebs made them unconfortable.

 

I just got my money back on my 2004 Arctic Cat 650 with 4 miles on it (Lemon). Although I've heard of many problems with the 650, the main reason I didn't want to go back with Arctic Cat was they have no customer service. You guys are talking about engine braking, well the 650 was supposed to have engine braking but just freewheeled then jacked you violently. According to Arctic Cat this is normal (at least this is what the dealer said). The brakes were so bad it wouldn't hold on a down hill. With the Polaris you know you have brakes and at least rear wheel engine braking. Now, my brother has a 2002 Arctic Cat 500 with no problems. As an experiment try to call Arctic Cat and see what I mean. Before I bought the Polaris I called them and spoke to their techs and customer service directly. The AC500 is supposed to be good but stand by if you have a problem. This is just my disgruntled opinion so take it with a grain of salt. Good luck.

 

If polaris at least had 2 brake levers one for the front and one for theback you could control the 700 better.The way it is now the foot brake for the back and the one brake lever for all 4 wheels it would be nice to be able to apply the front brake seperate,I also own a arctic cat 400 with the one lever brake but its not a factor on it because the ebs works on it. As for the ac 650 I dident know there was a ebs issue with it thats nice to know.When I test drove the ac 650 it seemed like the steering was stiff as was the suspention.My polaris 700 rides alot smoother .

 

I can't think of a single reason why you'd want to use the front brakes only. You don't even do that on a motorcycle. Maybe for stunting/stoppies... but that's about it.

 

So if you are whining about it you are inexperienced, yet they put one brake leaver for all 4 tires which is basically designed for people who do not have the ability of modulating the brakes separately, ie. inexperienced people.

Secondly they put the leaver on the side where generally all clutch leavers go. So, you need 2 hands at all times on the bike. You can't let off the throttle and apply a brake with one hand. ie. Climbing a hill slowly and then needing to move some brush away or whatever with your free hand, you can't apply a brake to stop from rolling down the hill since the foot brake does nothing. (At least on the 2 machines I ride.)

 

And still, many non-Polaris riders complain about not being able to safely modulate the brakes on a Polaris. Yikes, if they're designed for inexperienced riders as you say, that doesn't say much about the abilities of people who have trouble using them.

So, if the left side of the handlebars is designed for a clutch lever as you say, then what is the lever for on all the other brands that have automatics ? What the heck do you mean you can't apply a brake to stop from rolling down a hill ? I do it all the time. If I need to stay on the throttle on a hill and move a branch out of the way, I use my left hand to move the branch just like you would on any other brand. If I need to brake and move an obstacle, I use my right hand to move the obstacle. It's really not that complicated. I really don't understand why you think you need two hands on the bars at all times. If that's the case, I guess I've still got a lot to learn.

 

The lever on all other brands is for the rear only, which you can access with a foot pedal, hence really not needing it at all. I guess just an additional convienence.

I'm not bashing, so quit getting defensive and quit defending something that may not be as perfect as you say. I'll give another example, you driving up the trail on a hill, everybody stops and pulls up close, and you have a pop in one hand (or an ice tea, or a GPS, or camera, or a beer, or any one of numerous things you shouldn't have in one hand while riding but you do occasionally) what do you do? Keep riding the gas to stop from rolling back into the guy behind you or quickly let go of the gas and reach over and grab the brake with the same hand? Hey it doesn't happen often but it does happen.

When someone mentions that I drive a machine that has brutal CV joints and Yamaha should do something, I agree, not defend how well they work and that I have never had a problem. I admit Yamaha has a problem.

 

danzo, you're reading things into my replies that aren't there. I never said it was a perfect system. I'm only stating that it is not dangerous as others have said. I've never had problems with the Polaris brakes and EBS, but if you or others do, then so be it. Luckily, there's lots of brands and models to choose from. I do think it's wrong though to state that Polaris's are dangerous because of the EBS and braking systems. That is opinion only, NOT FACT !!!! Do you not think if they were truely dangerous that they would've been bombarded with lawsuits over the years and forced to change the offending systems ?
As far as your last example, anyone who would ride down the trail with a pop, camera, GPS or anything else in one hand, should be talked to by his/her fellow riders. That is an extremely dangerous habit. It's one thing to momentarily take one hand off the bars to move a branch out of the way, but quite another to be carrying crap in one hand that may hinder your ability to execute a quick handling or braking manouver. I definitely don't want someone with those kind of habits riding behind me. If I have to stop quick because of a log, hole or other obstacle, the last thing I need is some bonehead sipping on an ice tea piling into the back of my quad.