input from owners

[bluticSC]

Hey to all. As stated in my intro, my wife and I have not bought an ATV yet and have narrowed our selection to Yamaha, Honda, and Polaris. Although I like the Honda and the Yamaha, the Polaris has the two up model which is great for my child and I to ride on safely. I also think the polaris is the best looking of them all. I have read a lot of posts regarding some issues with the Polaris and am wondering if this is just a minority of disgruntled customers or if these issues are serious and not being dealt with by Polaris as a company. So here goes my questions and I hope that you can help me out with some answers. Thanks in advance.

1. I have heard the sprague carrier is plastic on the front differential of the sportsman model ATV's. I am looking at the 550 and the 750 xp models. Is this still true of the 2012 model year? If so, how unreliable is this and how diffiucult is the fix with the after market aluminum sprague? Is the aluminum one a ton stronger?

2. I have been told by many people and have read on countless posts that Polaris is known for serious electrical issues that reoccur on a regular basis. Is this isolated or is there a lot of truth to this? How serious are these issues? Will they leave me stranded miles away on the trailside or are they easy to fix with limited tools on the side of the trail? Are any of these issues resolved in the 2012 models?

3. Are there any major problems or small ones that agrivate the dickens ouf of owners, i.e. engine problems such as oil leaks that constantly drip, weak points in the suspension or driveline, weak points in the frame or anything else that has not been addressed by Polaris?

4. Last, what is your experience dealing with Polaris customer servie, dealerships and mechanics, and the availability of parts when they are needed? Does your ATV spend more time in the shop than on the trail? Would you buy another Polaris the next time around?

I know this is a ton. Thanks for your time and input. It is very appreciated.

[Russ C]

1- I have not broken the cage on either of the machines that I have owned, I think people are spinning rear tires and engage awd and thats what break them
2have seen some t-bap sensor, wiring harness and some broken wires around steering stem on a couple of customers machines

3-the only problem I read about is the oil in airbox on the 850, I have a 09-850 and havent had any trouble with it , it has 1000 miles on it now
my dealer has been good , some arent, I get most of my parts from e-bay or cycle parts warehouse, I work on machines for other people and would rather work on polaris than other brands, polaris is all Ive owned and I really like the 850

[golf12]

I have a 2010 850 Touring with 800km's on it.. Not a single problem with this machine so far.. If you're going to carry a passenger on a regular basis this is the 2-up to buy..
Research until you're satisfied of course, but you'll find that the polaris touring's come out on top of every head to head comparision that the professional's have done..

[lost cause]

1. The sprague cage is only an issue if you do not keep the proper fluid in it or if you run large tires. I have destroyed the sprague cage and armature plate in my diff., but I run 29.5 outlaws at WOT. I do have the aluminum one now with no issues. Unless you plan on running large tires or not maintaining your machine, you will have no issues out of the cage.

2. Never had any electrical problems and my sportsman spends most of its life submerged in water/mud. I do have di-electric grease on all connections to prevent any water/corroding issues. I do recommend this even if you don't plan on riding in water.

3. Front axles on the XP's are week, but again, if you don't plan on running large tires and lift then you will be fine. Other issue is the oil in the airbox which seems to be hit or miss. Some have it others don't. There is a sticky on this forum that tells you how to fix the issue if you have it.

4. Polaris customer service really is only as good as your dealer. If you have a good dealer then when it comes to warrenty issues than you will be fine. So do your research on the dealers in your area. These machines are very reliable though in my experience with my 800 sportsman. You will not be dissapointed with a sportsman.

[bluticSC]

Thanks for all the input. I am happy to hear the positive comments. I went to an independent mechanic who works on all ATV's. He is a pretty jam up honest guy I have known for a while and he had very positive things to say about both the Arctic Cats and the Polaris ATV's. Russ C stated he gets most of his parts online which I think sounds like a pretty good plan. The dielectric grease is a great idea, and from what I have read the people who are applying this are having significantly less electrical problems. I have also read it was mostly the Rzr's that were having the sprague problems. As light as my wife and I will probably use the ATV, I doubt we will encounter enough abuse to snap this within any short amount of time. Thanks for all the input. I have pretty much narrowed my selection down to the Arctic Cat and the Polaris. One of the highest selling points in my opinion of the Polaris is it comes with an 850 engine versus the 700, and it also comes with the 14 inch aluminum wheels versus Arctic Cat's 12 inch wheels (not a big deal either way really). After talking with the mechanic I have resolved that all manufacturers are going to have a lemon every now and then and often these are the ones you hear about and not he ones that are doing great. Polaris would not be doing so well if they were not doing something really right. So thanks again for your input. Safe riding.

[squidchief]

Originally Posted by bluticSC

Hey to all. As stated in my intro, my wife and I have not bought an ATV yet and have narrowed our selection to Yamaha, Honda, and Polaris. Although I like the Honda and the Yamaha, the Polaris has the two up model which is great for my child and I to ride on safely. I also think the polaris is the best looking of them all. I have read a lot of posts regarding some issues with the Polaris and am wondering if this is just a minority of disgruntled customers or if these issues are serious and not being dealt with by Polaris as a company. So here goes my questions and I hope that you can help me out with some answers. Thanks in advance.

1. I have heard the sprague carrier is plastic on the front differential of the sportsman model ATV's. I am looking at the 550 and the 750 xp models. Is this still true of the 2012 model year? If so, how unreliable is this and how diffiucult is the fix with the after market aluminum sprague? Is the aluminum one a ton stronger?

2. I have been told by many people and have read on countless posts that Polaris is known for serious electrical issues that reoccur on a regular basis. Is this isolated or is there a lot of truth to this? How serious are these issues? Will they leave me stranded miles away on the trailside or are they easy to fix with limited tools on the side of the trail? Are any of these issues resolved in the 2012 models?

3. Are there any major problems or small ones that agrivate the dickens ouf of owners, i.e. engine problems such as oil leaks that constantly drip, weak points in the suspension or driveline, weak points in the frame or anything else that has not been addressed by Polaris?

4. Last, what is your experience dealing with Polaris customer servie, dealerships and mechanics, and the availability of parts when they are needed? Does your ATV spend more time in the shop than on the trail? Would you buy another Polaris the next time around?

I know this is a ton. Thanks for your time and input. It is very appreciated.

Blutic, I just pulled the trigger on a new 400 Ranger. I researched the dickens out of similar models, ATV's, UTV's etc., all the different makes and I ending up buying Polaris. It came down to either the Polaris or the Arctic-Cat. What ended up being the difference maker with us was:
#1: American made.
#2: A good friend of mine is a mechanic who works on the SEAL team vehicles when they pass through here on training. He has seen and worked on every UTV and ATV made and trust me when I tell you the SEALs don't baby these vehicles. Hands down he prefers the Polaris based on ease and simplicity of maintenance, availability of parts and Polaris customer service/tech line.

In reality, no one makes a vehicle designed to do what the militarys special forces makes them do, but when you have to fix a problem on the trail, or service them back home, Polaris is the clear winner each time. Oh, and did I mentioned Made In America??

And by the way, I hail from Anderson SC also, though it's been awhile. GO CLEMSON!!

[shui5612]

well... lets just say i got my first polaris 3 years ago.. and got a second one this year... doe it mean something? i think so...

now honda vs yahama vs polaris...
DEPENDS on your uses... but having alot of friends with different machines.... i can somewhat give you an intro to them...
honda... well its a good machine, only one with "speeds" it is supposedly "reliable" and so on,
now the bad stuff its rough and over priced.... my friends took a ride on my polaris and well... he has shocked.... he wanted one....and once he found out the price i payed, he was jealous.... the ride is SO much better..... although i agree that switching speeds IS fun...

yamaha.... not much to say here.... great machines... BUT not my taste/style...
polaris: well... has to be the best for me... reliable... good for work... smooth and so on....

polaris has the 2-up machines that are better in comfort/stability...
BUT in some trails the extra lenth might cause a problem...

now as for 1... never broke one... none of my friends either..... and well.... some seriously dont baby the machine.....
2... no electrical problems what so ever...
3. well.........it might happen on any machine... never had it happen.... as a matter of fact... my friend has a 2001/2002 polaris 500 he jumps daily.... no problems what so ever... he just changes oil...
4. nothing to add here... it depends from dealer to dealer... 95% of the parts i order are in stock... and if i dont have them the same day i have them in 3-5 days...
and about buying another polaris... MOST probable... unless someone comes out with something cray that i will want... but most likely i wont buy it as it wont be polaris

[Trucker]

If I was set on getting a Polaris 2up it would be the 500 x2 .... Bullet proof and reliable. The newer models have problems that Polaris has not resolved....I am speaking from experience. I own an 08 500x2, 08 800 touring, and the new 2012 850 Touring. I would not recomend the 850 or the 550 . I sold a 2010 CanAm 800 LTD 2up to get the Polaris 850 Touring... BIG MISTAKE...

[Polaris Bear]

I would not buy an 850 or 550. I have had way to many problems with by 850XP to recommend them to anyone. If it were me I would look at the CanAm Max series. I have several riding partners with The CanAm max and they have had zero problems them and we ride the exact same trails and speeds. I love the ride and handling of the Polaris but the build quality is just not there.

[50wing]

I suggest you go talk to the dealers in your area and get a feel for their attitude and ability to work with you on problems.

There are two dealers in my area and one I like. The other is not very friendly nor do they seem smart about working on the quads.


Good luck