your 4wheeler choice and why

[stumper]

I didnt have time to read all the responces,but I got through half of them.

I have an 07 Brute 650 . It has 3900 miles on it. to say I run it hard would be an understatement. I use it in the summer mud racing, sled pulls, and grass drag racing. I have used it to pull 2 different cars over 50 miles total. I use it to drag trees into the yard to cut for fire wood.And of course it gets used to pull my prmy the 8 miles to and from the lake.

I replaced the belt at 3300 miles because I figured it had to be needing it. Belt showed little wear. I entered a sled pull in which one of my competitors was on a 680 Honda rincon. He was giving me flack about my "rubber band' drive system. I told him I would rather replace my 60 dollar rubber band than a 2000 dollar tranny when it let go. His first pull the tranny exploded. I went on to win the sled pull and the 150 ft mud drags that day. As far as the needing to pull the diff lock being a down fall, I dont agree. it has been very benificial when climbing icy hills getting off the lake. you see, you can feather the locker and control what your front end is doing. With the front locked in solid ,when you break loose the machine will slide sideways on you. IMO, you really cant go wrong with any of the machines out there. All will have had issues at one time or another.Ride as many different machines as you can before you bite the bullet.

[Crappie Killer]

Oh come on, this is fishingminnesota, not fishingcalifornia, not fishinggeorgia, not fishingnebraska. I'm sure the folks that assemble the ATV products in those states are fine Americans, but they're not paying much of our state and local taxes, compared to Polaris and Artic. Sometimes it's disgusting to see all the Polaris and Artic bashing on this Minnesota HSOforum.

All I'm saying is if you've shortened down your list to a couple choices, and can't make up your mind, then the fact that keeping the money in-state has got to be worth something.

If your choices aren't that close in your opinion, then buy what you want.

[CrappieBart]

Crappie Killer, I agree with you 100% With today's economy, attitudes have changed. With some people it's all about me, me, me, and some never think about the big picture and don't care about others. It's sad, but it's a fact.

[Dave S]

Oh come on, this is fishingminnesota, not fishingcalifornia, not fishinggeorgia, not fishingnebraska. I'm sure the folks that assemble the ATV products in those states are fine Americans, but they're not paying much of our state and local taxes, compared to Polaris and Artic. Sometimes it's disgusting to see all the Polaris and Artic bashing on this Minnesota HSOforum.

I wasn't bashing AC or Polaris by posting where each mfgr has a plant. My point was to state a fact of they're creating "American Jobs". We should not be obligated to purchase a Polaris or AC just because most of us and these 2 companies reside in the same state.

[Larson15]

How about the number of atv's Polaris imports from Taiwan. Read this, go and try to find info like this on any other big manufacturer, you cant. There are postings like this all over the net about polaris. In all honesty, if they could make a machine that could match up to what I got or its competitors maybe I would consider one, but the bottom line is they dont.

Iam not against anyone who owns a polaris, but i do have a problem with polaris AND the dealers i have dealt with.

and from what i have seen i think people should be aware of the problems with polaris machines.

Over the years i have seen alot of problems with polaris at my shop.

I have seen tons of factory defects, some polaris will admit to and a lot more that they wouldn't admit to.

I have tried working with the polaris dealers to get them to honor the warranty for my customer on these defects and they flat out refused time and time again.

I have had them even refuse to honor the warranty for

defects they do admit to.

I have lowered my labor rates for polaris to $20.00 an hour because the polaris owner shouldn't have to pay for the manufacturers mistakes.

the recalls i listed in my earlier post are all accurate and true as reported to "the consumer product safety commission". and each of those defects is life endangering and HAS caused serious injuries to riders.

Polaris has been careless, they have had these defects for years, and it takes them so long to do anything about some of them,

and the rest they simply don't seem to know how to fix as some of the same old defects keep showing up year after year in the new models.

even the 2008's had recalls on them in 2007.

and polaris is not all american made.

they are co-owned by fuji heavy industries.

so to be clear, iam not against anyone who owns a polaris, iam against polaris selling defective atv's to their customers and then charging them to repair those defects.

in my opinion with all of the problems that polaris has with their machines, they should be forced to close down until they effectively deal with them.

and yes every atv has it's problems but you don't see yamaha or honda or even suzuki with a defective steering shaft. or shock towers that collapse due to weak welds. the defects that you see with polaris are far and above totally different than any you see with one of the big four atv makers.

are they very dangerous to the rider.

if you read the recalls you find out that thousands of polaris atv's are recalled not just one or two.

you actually see that anywhere from 6000-40,000

at a time are recalled on each recall.

we all go out to ride and have fun and there's always a chance that you could do something and get hurt...

do you really want to up your chances of getting seriously hurt by riding an atv that is already defective from the factory? and especially when polaris knows they aren't putting quality first.

[CrappieBart]

Come on Coffey, anyone who reads that and believes that is on cra$%!! I can go and collect negative reports about any brand out there and put them together to make it "look" as bad or good as you want. Your last post means pretty much nothing just like the following...

For Example

"05 sportsman h.o. If any of you morons know what that is. I live in a mountainous area with plenty of rocks, hills, PONDS, etc. I have over 3000 miles and none have been easy on it. It was the baddest bike on the trail for years. Honda made a good lunch(rubicon). I'm getting an 800 soon so i'll let u know how that goes. polaris truly revolutionized atv's. i challenge any one to find a standard that was'nt started by polaris. AT, 2 or 4wd, floorboards, irs, anything else. i did have to buy a battery after it sat out over winter, no shelter whatso ever."

I have a 2004 sportsman 600,great machine has all the go you could want.will go where no man has gone before, if you know how to ride one.theres no other machine that compares to the ride and power of this machine ! compared to a honda with crappy suspension,no balls and electronic shift!COME ON NOW GET REAL....... honda rancher 350 you would be lucky if it beat your own [PoorWordUsage],then again it probably did!!!!!

"I have a 2007 polaris sportsman 500 H/O and unlike you guys mine rides really good. i have 1500 miles on it and over 100 hours. It has more power then the Yamaha Grizzly 600 that is around me. I think the quad rides good and is very powerful."

[rundrave]

hey Coffey,

Just for the record have you gone out and actually ridden any Polaris quads?

I challenge you to go out and ride the new sportman 850. If that quad doesnt meet your expectations for an utility ATV than I dont know what will?

[Dave S]

It won't be long now and the mudhole will dry up

Anything that can be said for any brand has been brought up.

[Larson15]

The information I got is from people I know, deal with, and see. I am not brand loyal, and will buy almost anything that is of high quality. I am not saying that polaris is a pile of [PoorWordUsage] but I dont think it is made as well as the others, plain and simple.

I have ridden a few polaris atvs specifically the 700, 800, and 850. When I drove the 700 and 800 it felt like I was riding a tank and felt it was underpowered compared to riding a brute force 750 and the can am. I do alot of river riding in the winter and the polaris guys are always in the back. The strong majority of dealers I have dealt with have always steared me away from the Polaris and pointed me toward Kawi, Yamaha, Honda, etc.. Why would dealers do this and why would shop managers that I know tell me not to purchase Polaris?

I rode the 850 a few weeks ago and I will say that they have made much improvements with this atv. Power wise it felt like what I got but still thought the finish and welds on it were kind of choppy. It handles a little better than previous years but still doesnt ride as sporty as the other big bores. Being a first year bike, there are going to be problems with it and hopefully they can figure them out. I see it is going for 9-10 thousand which is rediculous and would much rather something else

[Bassman55]

I love my Honda Rancher 350 with electric shift. It has been a solid machine. It is not fast, but I still have plenty of fun on it.

[gr8icefishinmind]

Maybe you die hard polaris boys need to try riding a different machine to be able to see the differences! I rode everymodel, except can-am cause if i rode one i would have had to buy it, before buying and polaris didn't come close to the others powerwise or with handling!!! Owned a polaris sportsman 350 years back and vowed to never own one again...problem after problem!!! Yahama grizzly or Brute force hands down were the best machines! With honda in a close third!

[Dave S]

I rode the 850 a few weeks ago and I will say that they have made much improvements with this atv. Power wise it felt like what I got but still thought the finish and welds on it were kind of choppy. It handles a little better than previous years but still doesnt ride as sporty as the other big bores. Being a first year bike, there are going to be problems with it and hopefully they can figure them out. I see it is going for 9-10 thousand which is rediculous and would much rather something else

There's your first problem. Expecting a utility machine to feel sporty? The Sportsman line was first intended to be a utility machine. I sure hope your not making any judgements against the Sportsman for not feeling "Sporty".

[titelines]

Gee - Didn't see this coming It's funny (or is it scary?) how seemingly heated these discussions get.

As I read through these posts, one thing becomes clear, and reiterates the most important point. Just wanted to reiterate it - Hopefully to help the original poster with his/her question.

Go out and drive as many machines as you can and make your own decision, based on your own needs and preferences. There's usually an ATV Fair in May or June. That's a great opportunity to compare lots of brands/models all in one place.

I sat down and listed the things that I was going to use the machine for. I then went out and drove lots of machines prior to making my decision. I ended up with a Polaris X2 for various reasons, the biggest being that it fit my needs and preferences the best.

Lots of factors went into my decision. If I based my decision strictly on dependability, I maybe would've ended up with a different brand. Then again, I've put mine through it's paces and have never, ever had a problem with it. Doesn't mean it's a perfect machine, or that it's better or worse than any other brand. Just means that it's been great for me.

[Larson15]

The original question was asking for an opinion on a quick and fun atv not an atv to haul hay with. Based on this, the Polaris would not be a good choice.

Sporty means handling and the rest of the big bore atvs handle pretty sporty other than the polaris

[Dave S]

Tyler,

Along with what titelines said in his last post, you obviously have your sites set on the BF750. I've had Kawi's in the past and they're a great machine with lightswitch throttle response, above average reliability, a great 4x4 system and for a great price.

No matter what you choose in the current market of big-bores, you really can't go wrong with any of them. Good Luck with your final decision.

[jltimm]

Paul Coffey and gr8icefishnmind thnks for someone seeing the light also. It's nice to see that polaris doesn't have everyone brainwashed into saying they are the best wheeler out there. I had the same thing dealing with polaris and their dealer as they would deny warranty work and gave me a hard time about every single thing that broke on the popo I owned.Good to see someone out of the dark and seeing the light!

[trolloni]

I thought this forum was suposed to be fun and informative? This discusian is interesting ,really has got the pot brewing nicely.So its my turn to stir!My dairy /stock cow farmin buddy just had to replace his honda 500 rubicon, the cluch pack went out! It still runs though just wont go anywhere!They want 1400.00 to fix it .I guess though after 24,385 miles day in and day out work , i wouldnt complain! He got another honda to replace it ,how many of those other manufactures can say that!I dont what you guys know about farmers, but ill just say this,dont buy anything used like a pickup or quad from them,[here we go !] The guy talkin about buying AMERICAN is right Our whole country is going down the crapper cause of all this foriegn influx if you dont believe that then tell me how secure are you feelin right now? ITS TIME FOR US TO ALL WAKE UP! NOW i have to get some sleep for turkey huntin in the mornin!

[Larson15]

Once these "so called" american companies start making machines that match up to the rest I will consider it. 1/2 of the Popo lineup is made overseas or has parts from overseas. The arctic cat atv's have had suzuki and kawasaki engines for years and without those motors there machines would have never sold. So I am tired of this buy american garbage. If there machines were so good and so american dont you think they would put genuine american made motors in them? You people thinking this way need to come out of your dark anti-foreign closet and wake up. Just because our economy is in the crapper Im not going to sacrifice my thinking and knowledge because of it. All the foreign brands employ and bring this country alot more money than the american ones do. So if everyone bought the so called american machines our economy would do better and less people would lose jobs? NO! Its the other way around.

[CrappieBart]

Coffey, you honestly believe what you are saying don't you? Yeah, lets protest ALL american products and buy from overseas, it will help our country and workers!!. LMAO......If everyone thought like you in this country would done! Also...I am pretty sure Polaris Engines are made in the U.S.A, in the past they were Fuji, not anymore!!!!!

[jltimm]

If there machines were so good and so American dont you think they would put genuine american made motors in them?

I've thought this exact same thought for years! Why does Polaris have Fuji engines if they're "American" made? Why did/does Arctic Cat use Suzuki and Kawi engines if they're "American" made? Why did Chevrolet Nova's have a Toyota motor in them? How about the Pontiac Vibe? The Japanese have been doing something right! How does Honda have such an awesome reputation for their reliability and years of use and abuse? I listened to alot of people with the "buy American" say, and bought my first polaris years ago, and boy did I get burnt! Bought a Yamaha and never had an issue and never looked back!

[CrappieBart]

This should answer your question. make note of the last sentence, all polaris engines are american made..like I said, American baby! Do I need to say more?????? Yamahaahaahaaa

Robin (a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries, which is the owner of Subaru) develops and supplies all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and snowmobile engines for U.S.-based leisure equipment maker Polaris Industries Inc, it is important to note that starting in 1997, with the introduction of the "twin" Polaris started the development and production of in-house produced powerplants, know as the "Liberty" line of engines, now found in many models across their current production lines. This production makes Polaris products 100% American made. (Fuji Heavy Industries now also maintains a US based production plant, in conjunction with Polaris, so that all engines are now American Made)

[Crappie Killer]

Once these "so called" american companies start making machines that match up to the rest I will consider it. 1/2 of the Popo lineup is made overseas or has parts from overseas. The arctic cat atv's have had suzuki and kawasaki engines for years and without those motors there machines would have never sold. So I am tired of this buy american garbage. If there machines were so good and so american dont you think they would put genuine american made motors in them? You people thinking this way need to come out of your dark anti-foreign closet and wake up. Just because our economy is in the crapper Im not going to sacrifice my thinking and knowledge because of it. All the foreign brands employ and bring this country alot more money than the american ones do. So if everyone bought the so called american machines our economy would do better and less people would lose jobs? NO! Its the other way around.

I think some of these comments would not sit well with the people in my neighborhood! Perhaps brand loyalty isn't such a bad thing?

FWIW, every one of the 5,000+ miles on my sportsman has been trouble-free, and I guess I for one will buy another Polaris when it's time to upgrade, without a moment's hesitation.

[Larson15]

You can be brand loyal all you want and its not a bad thing, but this buy american stuff is from the 80's and it never worked. If you think buying a polaris is going to do our economy better and make you believe you are getting the best made, go ahead. Its your money and your opinion. Why would it not sit well with people in your neighborhood? If polaris was made in California and not minnesota you and others would probably think a lot different.

[Dave S]

Well,

this thread was given enough of a chance to steer away from the the back and forth debate of which machine is better.

Everyone has had their opportunity to voice their opinion and there's nowhere else for this discussion to go.

Time to put this one to bed.