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2012 Sportsman 850 HO feels gutless

4K views 26 replies 5 participants last post by  Falcon1772 
#1 ·
I have a new to me 2012 sportsman 850 ho and it feels pretty anemic on the low end. Its fast-ish, does about 65mph on a gravel road. Its pretty hard to wheelie it.
But I also came off a 2017 Canam 850 which would shove you back in the seat and topped out around 85-90. So idk if that's the issue or if there's something I need to look into on this quad. would a belt cause it to feel kinda lethargic? It has around 1300 miles on it and as far as I know its the original belt. It also kinda jerks when you go from a stop after shifting into forward or reverse.

Oh and it has the stock size tires, I put on ITP Terracross tires.
 
#2 ·
Lol, join the crowd. My 2018 feels gutless too. It’s tuned, piped and clutch kit done. My bone stock outlander 850xt is still faster than the popo. Even my brute force has better bottom end power. I was pretty disappointed when I bought it too. That’s why I spent all the money on the mods.
Don’t waste your time with the mods, for the cost it wasn’t worth it IMO.


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#4 ·
you guys are comparing v-twins to a parallel twin. v-twins build power better on the low end where the parallel twins build it mid range.

your 2012 only has 70hp. clutch engagement on the 12's and earlier were harsh. best bet is to get with Ryan over at RVSPerformance so he cant set you up with the right QSC clutch kit!!!!!
 
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#6 ·
they didn't go to 77hp until 2013!!!! if its a 12' its 70hp!!!! if hp close ft-lb is also close. so that's not it. comparing mechanically sound machines they should run the 1/4 mile the same. you may have some underlying mechanical issues and that's the reason the wheeler feels sluggish.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Everything I've read says that the 850 HO, High Output being the key words here, puts out 77HP. Even dirt trax says that it makes more power than the previous 850 non HO 15% more power to be precise.



This article also states 77HP
https://www.autoevolution.com/moto/polaris-sportsman-xp-850-ho-eps-2012.html

Regardless tho it still doesn't solve the bleh feeling. Could something as simple as the belt cause all this?
 
#8 ·
HP was 70HP up till 2015 when it went to 77HP.

I had a QSC clutch kit that I had in,.. did not like it because it would rev too high to engage on steep terrain and try to flip my quad backwards.. It is currently for sale and will not install another one on my machine.

Do you have any symptoms like hard starting,.. needing throttle to start,. you may have a slipped timing gear.
 
#10 ·
Yep...... 2012 is prone to the slipping timing gear issue........
 
#11 ·
These machines are a bit sluggish,.. I know mine will squat the back hard when I punch it and its hard to pull a wheelie. But start at a known issue first,.. pretty easy to pull the valve cover and look at the timing gear on the crankshaft,.. if that is fine, you'll have piece of mind and look elsewhere.

Here is my post from mine when I repaired it this past summer https://www.polarisatvforums.com/fo...d-poor-engine-performance-40.html#post1429945
 
#12 ·
yeah don't go ripping into the motor just yet!!!! I would inspect the belt and clutches.
 
#14 ·
Best knowing now regardless,.. rather than what if. I went the belt and clutches way at first,.. and it was the timing gear.

If it hasn't slipped, I wouldn't worry about it and just ride it,.. clean you clutches and check/change our belt.
 
#21 ·
But honestly yes they do. Just because yours didn't doesn't really has no bearing. That picture or video of whatever it is means nothing. You can't even see or tell anything by it. There are plenty of videos comparing Polaris twins to everything out there. Paralles pull mid to upper range and v-twins hit hard down low it's that simple.
 
#23 ·
You can’t see with your eyes, the bike on the right is loosing which is the Polaris?
If you would like to send me your phone number I can send you the video, and show you it’s not some photoshop bs or whatever your trying to imply
I have no dog in the fight
They are both my bikes
So you can believe what you want, I guess



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#22 ·
I couldn’t get the video to load. But from the start the stock outlander pulls the Polaris
I even put my son on it to make the weight even, him and my wife weight within 5lbs of each other. After my wife Beattie numerous times, I put him on the Polaris to see if it was a weight issue
It’s not. Not sure how you can say it don’t mean anything
I own both machines
A stock outlander beats a tuned, piped and clutched Polaris beginning to end
We raced like 10 times
Same results every time
So if you want power, go buy a can am
I’m sure the 1000 can am is faster than the Polaris too


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#25 ·
Hell even the smaller Kawi feels stronger on the bottom then even Polaris's 1k, I've heard!!! But like I said aside from any mechanical issues that may be a contributing factor to the "gutless" feeling a QSC clutch kit from RVSPerformance will wake it up. Not only was clutching harsh at engagement it was soft on the earlier XP's. The CK will remedy that!!!
 
#27 ·
Well I put on a new Ultimax UA448 belt today and cleaned the clutches as well as the shifter spring mod to make it shift smoother, just got back from a short ride behind the house. Put about 4 miles on it, mostly in low gear. Seems to have helped a bit. The oem belt that was in it was very loosey goosey, had a pulled cord, cracking inside the underside ribs, and was 2mm thinner than the new belt. So I'd imagine that was a good portion of my issues. I gave it a couple shots of throttle and it felt like it was pulling a bit harder. Didnt wanna do too much full throttle for too long until the belt is broke in.
 
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