What to Buy????
 

I am going to buy something this week before our Illinois Bow season opens. I want to stay around the 500cc range for price reasons as well as what I am going to use it for which is Primarily Hunting/Trail riding. I rode a Polaris 500HO the other day and I am now sold on the IRS quads. I am not brand loyal so any suggestions on a 450 or 500cc IRS quad would be helpfull. My buddy has a new Kodiak 450 with IRS seems to have plenty of power for me but did not feel stable. I don't care about going 60mph and power sliding but when I got the kodiak on a side of a hill it felt narrow and tippy. I have heard that Polaris are junk with lots of problems and Honda are the King of reliability but when it comes to riding them I hated the Honda and Loved the Polaris. Again I am not brand loyal so anyone that has any non biased info would be appreciated.

What to Buy????
 

It sounds like you have tried a couple out. Since you have no brand loyalty. Get what you feel comfortable on. If you like the polaris get it. You will probably be satisfied with any of them in 500 class. You may want to look at the Artic Cat 500 if you do more hunting than trail riding.

What to Buy????
 

get the polaris. i don't know where people get the reliability problem stories from and they act like the other manufacturers have no problems. if you take care of it, as with any brand, it'll be just fine. we have over 4000 miles on our 98 sp500 and it's been a great machine, i'd highly recommend one!

What to Buy????
 

Try a Bomb Outlander before you buy anything.

What to Buy????
 

THE OUTLANDER IS SUPPOSED TO BE A GREAT MACHINE! IT IS NOT THE FASTEST BUT YOU SAID YOU DID NOT NEED THAT. MY NIGHBOR PASSED UP AN OUTLANDER FOR A NEW 04 POLARIS 600 AND IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MORE TIMES THAN HE HAS BEEN RIDING. THIS PASSED WEKEND IT STRANDED HIM AND HE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOWN AND HIS BUDDIES ON THERE RAPTORS WENT TO GET HIS TRUCK FOR HIM. NOT EVEN OUT OF WARRENTY YET SO I AM NOT SURE HOW MUCH MORE MAINTENANCE HE COULD DO?

What to Buy????
 

Polaris is definitely the most unreliable of all the manufacturers. End of story. If you have the money and patience, get the Polaris I suppose. You mentioned the Kodiak was unstable on the side of a hill. No IRS will be as stable on an off-camber compared to SRA. I think you should give SERIOUS thought to a Honda Rubicon and Suzuki Vinson. I mean the '04 or older Rubicon because the new '05s are ridiculously priced and even though I'm a Red Rider, I hope they sell a tiny amount of them because they need to wake up when you can get a Suzuki KingQuad 700 EFI for less money than a Honda Rubicon 500[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img] The '04 models have AWESOME RELIABILITY, plenty of power for your situation and what I would consider to be a very nice ride for most SRA quads. Whatever you do I recommend against the Polaris. They are infamous for breakdowns and actually rollovers in my neck of the woods on side hills. Polaris may be "the way out"............but they are the way IN to the shop.

What to Buy????
 

i own an outlander 400 4x4 with IRS.very nice smooth and the most softest comforting quad ive owned thus far.ive owned 7 other 4x4 quads.the polaris is nice too.but you wont be disappointed with the outlander.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

What to Buy????
 

I would get the Sportsman if that feels the best to you. I also don't know why people think Polaris is so unreliable. I use mine EVERY DAY summer and winter. I have almost 6000mi on the 2002 and almost 3000 miles on the 1997. They have gone to the shop for warranty work - never. I have had to replace a couple of cv boots and the primary(drive) clutch on the 2002. Keep in mind I use these for work whitch includes pullin a pipe trailer to put out and pick up handline whitch greatly exceeds reccomended towing weights. I have a buddy with a 2003 Kodiak that is also used for ranch work and it's falling apart, been in the shop more than at the ranch.

Also keep in mind whitch dealer you can work better with, my Polaris dealer is tops. i can't say that about others.

What to Buy????
 

Try reading this

What to Buy????
 

I would go with the polaris ... i think honda and polaris are on the same par for reliability.