2012 Polaris Sportsman 850 EPS

Hey Jeremy welcome to the club. To answer your questions in order: purchasing oils and filters from the big box stores you mentioned I know a lot of guys use Rotella or Mobil One 0w-40. As for a filter idk the cross reference for it so hopefully some XP guys chime in. Personally I prefer Polaris brand oils and filters. I generally make my online purchases from https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com. Now for your EPS light that is most likely the sign of a weak battery. I would suggest putting it on a float charger and see if that remedies the situation. These machines have power steering units that are powered by electricity not hydraulics like an automobile, so no fluid needed. As for any additional things to do on the wheeler I would say proper maintenance is critical and that would entail greasing, oil changes (differentials, transmission, and engine), and air filter. I change my motor oil and drive-line fluids every 50hrs. I grease the machine every 3-4 rides ie days of riding. Air filter 2-3 times a year depending on how dry it is and how dusty the rides are. There are also a ton of mods to do but that would require more info from you. Good luck, that 850 is a beast of a machine especially for a first timer.

Hi jeremy. Good news is you bought a machine that did not have the front diff issues that started in the 2013 models. Bad need is that is you have a machine that might experience the timing gear slippage prevalent in the prior to 2014 models. Do research on the forum for that particular issue and watch for the warning signs that it's starting if you can catch it early you might save yourself thousands of dollars in a complete engine rebuild or replacement.

Have a good friend who works in sales at a Polaris and Suzuki dealership. He has stated on multiple occasions that the XP series is basically a 2000 mile machine. Meaning that somewhere plus or minus 500 miles at 2,000 miles you were going to get to do things like replace bushings one or two wheel bearings perhaps a belt or shocks etcetera. I did all the bushings and all my shocks on my 2010 XP 850 at right around the 2000 Mark and if you read the forms long enough you will notice that is a trend. Fortunately I stayed out of mud and water and never had an issue with any of my wheel bearings or Knuckles or steering. All of them were rock-solid tight when I sold the machine to another member on the board.

So the other good news is you are not even halfway to that point so you should be able to get some good riding done before you have to think about putting more money in.

However the other bad news is the EPS units on the XP series are notorious for failing even with very few miles on them and when they do everybody knows they are an expensive fix. By all means I would go with a new AGM battery but set your expectations accordingly. I wouldn't place any money that that will fix the problem you are probably looking at buying a new EPS unit.

You will see you literally hundreds of posts on this form and others regarding this oil being better than that oil for all manner of areas weather differential motor Etc I've gone through that phase and returned to Polaris OEM filters and fluids for the simple reason it provides one less area of discussion with the dealer when they are discussing problems. I never buy a new machine without the max warranty I can get on it usually 5 years so I want to keep OEM filters and oil in play to negate any possibility of a denial by a warranty. Yes I know all the laws in the rules but at the end of the day I'm interested in riding rather than fighting with the dealer and or polaris I'm interested in riding versus wrenching and I want as few headaches and stredd with a hobby that's supposed to provide fun and relaxation as possible.