I would agree with the lemon part if it wasn't for all 3 of the 700's and the 500 giving them overheating problems. There's another 700 in the group that hasn't had any issues though, and 2 of the 3 others seem to have resolved their issue over the winter with changing to engine ice coolant (though we've only gotten one weekend ride in so far). The other 700 and 500 however, have put on manual fan switches and still, were overheating in southern ohio just this past weekend. All these bad experiences leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to the Polaris' is all.

 

i have an 06 700 efi and i dont have a overheating problem ,the fan comes on but never seem s real hot... and i ride in the MUD.......

 

I don't see overheating becoming a large problem for me. As I've said, I'm not much for mudding and neither is my wife, so the only time that the rad area will become plugged up would probably be with snow in the winter, and if the rad is hot, then the snow will melt anyway .. plus, it doesn't get over-warm here .. a hot day is probably around 78 - 80F (typically less than 30C)

 

now I haven't ridden in NF, but in most trails here size matters and bigger is not always better. Those big machines are great for fire roads and the pit you have in your photos, but I always watch the biggest ATVs go from the fastest down the road to the slowest in the trails

Just 2 weeks ago a fellow came to ride with an 800, borrowed from a friend because his 700 was suffering from a problem that kept him from bringing it. He passed everyone on the road! Once he got in the trails his pace slowed dramatically and he had to stop. Everyone noticed that he had ripped the strut from the spindle and his (or his friend's) front driveshaft was flailing around banging stuff up. Darn rock, can't these trails be wider!! He would only comment that it has happened before and it wasn't that expensive to fix. More expensive than not having to fix it I say.

Be careful with financing too. Nothing sucks more than repairing and replacing parts on something that you are still paying for. Look at resale values as you never want to be upside down (owe more than it's worth). Paying it off early is a good idea as is insurance. Any one of the 3 you listed should be more all-year all-around fun than the Warrior, so don't get caught up in marketing or propaganda from my-brand-is-the-best posters, pick the one that fits your area, finances, and likes the best.

I ride with a couple of Kodiaks and they are nimble and quick in the trails. I don't like belts on quads, but the older of the 2 Kodiaks has 3K on the stock belt. Besides replacing the brakes and a bushing here and there it has been bulletproof. Plus it has split brakes. The Outty has got a lot of unique and smart features, but the earlier ones were coming back to the local dealer more than I liked to see, I came really really close to buying one. Now that they have a couple more years on them I'm sure they've worked most of the bugs out of it. I just won't comment about the Polaris. Good luck.

 

Hey thanks for the sound advise propnut. The primary reason we're thinking so keen on the polaris is the 1 year "free-ride" financing. Hopeuflly next year we'll pay it off with taxes before the interest kicks in.

99% of the trails I ride are wide-open with very few tight trails. After having sat on one last night, I doubt I'll be ripping in tight areas anyway .. too damn big. I'll wait till I get my sport later on to do that.

The other reason is the simplicity of operation on the polaris. Put the key in, turn it and go, just like a car really. And they're known for a very cushy ride which is important to my wife. The single brake I could care less for, but will be a good thing with my wife who's not overly familiar with quads.

The X2 is attracive in that it has the 2nd seating position for another rider, and the foot rests seem much more ergonomic than the add-on ones for the regualr sportsman. When I sat in the "up" seat on my budd's 05 500HO it was VERY uncomfortable to have my feet on the pegs .. felt like I was on the delivery table .. if you get my meaning .. I definitely would not be getting one of those if I went with the HO or EFI sportsman .. maybe the 2nd seat on the x2 will be worse still, but I doubt it.

Anyway .. I'm going to look at them tonight and see what they will do in regards of goodies to go along with it. A buddy of mine is interested in getting one too at the same time, so might be able to work a deal for two quads vs. one. Only time will tell ...

cheers,

Trev

 

you said your wife is going to riding it so personally I would have her pick it out on the one she feel most comfortable to drive. My girlfreind hates my arctic cat because its to big and didnt like the x2 either because its to big ergonomicaly. the brp is a smaller vehicle that tends to fit small people better. If she's not happy your not riding so take that into consideration. especially when you said you will get your own next year.

 

It's actually a done deal now ... my wife actually did pick it out. She liked the seat on the X2, but didn't really like the style of it. The polaris dealer was actually pretty clever in the placement of the machine she did pick as it was right where you enter the showroom.

She picked out a 2006 Sportsman 500 EFI Limited Edition in cherry metalic red, 26" after market tires on aftermarket wheels. We got the *free ride* for a year, plus a winch, up-seat and pegs for 10,200 (cdn). Was 200 cheaper than the X2, which didn't look nearly as impressive.

I guess I have to update my sig. now .. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Congrats, we looked at an LE like yours. We would have bought it too if my wife didn't want the utility of the X2. Tell the wife congrats as well.

 

Buy a Kodiak or grizzly

 

Yeah, the wife saw the LE as soon as she stepped in the shop .. all bling .. and she likes bling :-D. Got to ride it yesterday for the first time (only a very short ride) and I'm so far, impressed with the ride quality. The power isn't what I expected and coming from my Warrior it seems a little shy, but having said that, i haven't really asked her to perform for me yet .. sure is smooth though, and I like not having to pull the choke out too !!