polaris now has 3 ktm powered quads

They dropped the predator only to rename it as the outlaw 525S, and the outlaw 450MXR

Both are straightaxle, the 450 weighs 365lbs, and the 525 weighs 375lbs....polaris has finally managed to create a decently competitive MX quad... sure 365lbs may seem heavy compared to the 345lb can-am and 350lb yfz.... but its still lighter than the ltr450 and the ATK 450s (pretty sure most of them are at 370lbs)

Anyway, how do you think these new machines will do? if the outlaw525IRS slightly beat the raptor700, then the outlaw525S should smoke it- heck its even the same weight as the 350raptor

One disappointment for me is that it has no EFI

I like the width though, its just narrow enough to be good on the trails but just wide enough that amateurs dont have to blow a ton of money on axles, a-arms, and new shocks to fit the a-arms- just attach the reservoirs that came with the predator TLD. (im pretty sure it uses the same shocks)

These quads are pretty expensive, but still a lot cheaper than the actual KTM quads, and only 10-20lbs heavier

It's getting much harder to choose a nice quad to buy... all the 450s except honda (no offense but i dont like them, everyone has a yamaha, same goes for 660 and 700rap) then there is the outlaw450mxr, and outlaw525S (NOT the regular one) The KTM EXC525. So that makes it 6 nice 450s and 2 nice 525s... very tricky to choose- the nice ones are nice, but the cheap ones are cheap... see what i mean? you gotta love the ds450efi, its just so nice.... but you also gotta love the outlaw525S, imagine the power, and the 525EXC, with all its race-ready components.

What are your thoughts on this topic? (other than saying, "You're an idiot with issues" lol, listen to me, I have an opinion, and if i choose to share it, it is YOUR responsibility to control your emotions and either ignore me or listen.

Discuss

 

I think I'd wait and see what and if the problems they have from these first year machines before comparing it to something that has been around a while.

I doubt Yamaha is worried too much about the Polaris. Can ams 450 is a bigger threat to both of them.

 

Yamaha definetly shouldnt be worried (and i also doubt they are)....like think about it.... there dealing with polaris... and they dont have the best reputation around.

 

After waiting a couple of years for Can-Am to come up with a replacement for my trust '03 DS650 Baja, I finally gave up, had it narrowed down to either a '08 Raptor 700 SE or an '07 Outlaw 525(IRS). My son's got an'06 Rapptor 700 with I-Shock a-arms and shocks, extended rear axle, GYT-R exhaust, and a Power Commander. Really a nice bike, and definitely quicker and more maneuverable than the DS, but I just couldn't pull the trigger on having two of the same quads in the garage, that prompted my interest in the IRS outlaw 525. At 6'2", 210 lbs, none of the 450's fit me, hence the search for something bigger. I almost had myself convinced to go with the 525 IRS, but after riding a couple of them, I wasn't convinced that I want to change my riding style at this stage of the game to adapt to the 'quirks" of IRS. Then Polaris announces the '08 525 with a straight axle. Done deal. I'll be picking one up as soon as they're available. Out of the box that 525 engine is more than cometitive with a stock Raptor 700, I'm really looking forward to some intake and exhaust tweaks to really wake it up. And oh yah, as an added benefit, I won't be lost in a sea of Raptors, it'll be nice to be riding something different. Don't get me wrong, the Raptor is a great Quad, and I'm sure it'll outsell the new straight axle 525, but I can vouch for at least one sale that Yamaha lost to this new Polaris.

 

Bottom line is it's still a Polaris, and I've never seen anything good about them, I'd ride a Suzuki over Polaris

 

Competition is hooting up and that can only mean two things-

1 We get better selection and better Quads
2 More my quad is better then you're discussions :-)

Anyway more selection is best.

 

It's the same old story as the last 30 years.... To keep up in snowmobiles Polaris had to use Fuji motors and Artic Cat had to use Suzuki. In my view its just like how Harley couldn't design a non-pushrod motor so they had to get Porsche to design the v-rod motor for them. Maybe the new Polaris Outlaws will change my view on all this?.. maybe not... I'm sure they will still find a way to make engine breaking an "Option" even on a manual transmission.

 

How much hp does the outlaw 525 put out?

 

How can you even begin to think that this new 525straightaxle will be unreliable?

Shame on you for not thinking about this:

-You cant attack the frame cuz its basically the predator frame: which has already been proven to be decent (the predator was only heavy cuz of its motor, not the frame- and its stronger than the yfz450's frame... i saw a pic on predatorowners of a yfz vs pred head on collision. Guess who won?..... the pred by a long shot, the yfz was completely messed up, the front tire was basically touching the crushed nerfbar)
....The only thing that seems different than the old pred is that the front of the frame where the bumper mounts on seems to get shortened to make it more compact

-You cant attack the engine either because its already proven itself in the ktm bikes

I really dont see how these quads ARENT going to be reliable...

And about the HP... I really dont know, but i know it is slightly higher than the raptor700, cuz the stock Outlaw 525 Independent almost always (pretty darn close to always from what i read/hear) beat a stock raptor700r. But this new outlaw 525S straightaxle quad is 20lbs lighter than the 525outlaw IRS. Just think about what that will do for it in a drag... im sure it makes a bit of a difference

But you have to realize that the 525 engine already uses an 11:1 compression piston and the raptor 700 uses only a 9.2:1 compression piston... I'm guessing that if you bumped up the compression on the raptor700 to 11:1, you would be beating 525s all day long, no matter if they are SA or IRS

I guess you couldnt go wrong with either, but i would still take the 525 over the 700 cuz its just what i like, wide, but not ltr style wide, and pretty light with big power, and suspension on which you can just bolt on ressies for $500, and with a revalve i hear they are as good as elkas + its already long-travel in stock form, 10" front, 11" back- the only other quad with that much travel is the lt-r450

 

I think my nephew who has an 03 Predator sitting in his garage with a broken frame that Polaris wouldn't fix 2 years ago would argue about it's strength.

But the argument could be made as to how it was ridden. Which would lead to the question, just what is the factory recommendation for riding these?