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Who out there LIKES 2UP atvs? - Polaris Touring vs. ???

47K views 128 replies 47 participants last post by  carch4 
#1 ·
I am in the market for a 2up ATV or a large 1up atv. I currently own two single rider ATVs (Yamaha big bear 350 and a Popo sportsman 500) and we ride double on them a lot since there's 4 of us in my family. I already know how unsafe that is, but we typically ride slower flat trails, not rock crawling or hill climbing. Feeling a bit cramped riding double I am interested in a 2up ATV like the Polaris Touring bike. The only atvs that come in 2UP bikes that I know of are Can Am Max, Arctic Cat TRV, and the Popo Touring bike. Please share with me your likes and dislikes about your 2up bikes. I would like an atv that rides comfortably 2up, but is also fun to ride solo. I do a lot of mud riding in the summer time since here in FL we get a ton of rain. Makes for fun mudholes to truck thru. I would like a bike with 4wd and at least a 500 motor or larger. Share your opinions if u own a 2up bike or know some one who does. Are they worth the money or should I opt for a SXS like the RZR 800? I want a trail capable atv, not a clumsy over sized extended bike.
 

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#3 ·
I love my 07 500 X2. My lady rides comfy behind me when in 2up mode & then when she's not along I can haul stuff. Best of both worlds IMO.
 
#4 ·
I have an 08 500 touring. It a very capable trail machine, there hasn't been anywhere I couldn't go that a non touring machine could go. Haven't done mudding, but that is OK with me. It is very comfortable for the passenger. I have been a passenger when my son, and my son-in-law wanted to drive. Would get one again if I had the chance.
 
#5 ·
I was in a similar situation. I was riding sport quads but having trouble finding others to join in. I can usually find a female friend who wants to go, but doesn't have a quad. That was a big part of my decision to buy my '13 850 Touring. The option to bring a passenger if nobody else could join in. It also provides the re-assurement that if a fellow rider breaks down I can comfortably and safely give them a lift out. That's pretty important in my area, riding deep into the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

With over 30 hours in varying terrains (sand dunes, rock crawling, swamp pits, trails, grasslands) I am super happy with my choice to go with Polaris. I wouldn't have considered Artic Cat due low knowledge and Can Am was out of the question due to sticker shock and stupid Visco Lock differential design.

My Polaris 850 Touring is without question the most comfortable ATV I've owned rather riding solo or double.
 
#6 ·
I have a 550 Touring and absolutely love it. It is definitely NOT a clumsy over sized extended bike. It's a couple inches longer than a non-touring model but that just adds to it's stability. It will go anywhere a regular ATV will go. It's extremely comfortable to ride, as the driver or passenger. You can remove the passenger seat and fill in the hole/space with an OEM cargo box which makes it a single rider ATV with extra storage. I carry a passenger for only about 10% of my riding but would still pay the little extra for the 2-Up model...well worth it!
 
#9 ·
brand new 570 touring. I love this thing and i come from a sport quad
pros:
very comfortable with 2 people.
very comfortable with 1.
added lenght really makes handling much better.
added length helps tons on steep hills.

cons:
none I can think of.
 
#10 ·
any one of the brands are very good they are all about the same money yes Canam can get expensive BUT you need to compare apples to apples A XT Canam is more then a standard XP but it comes with a winch bumpers front and rear handgaurds and better stock tires so expect the price to be higher...that being said my 500 max xt is a sportier feel then a Polaris 550 but the 550 is softer and very comfy they are the same but different if ya now what im trying to say both are great machines my wife more than once has been on the back of my max for 100 plus miles a day and was pleased with the ride and comfort and I would imagine it would be the same if I bought a Polaris..I would try them both out and if you can have family try it with you and go with what feels the best and fits your budget you cant go wrong with either...I cant comment on the Cat I havent had any experience with it but sure its a good machine
 
#18 ·
yes. over rough stuff the ride is much smoother and more controlled. think smart car vs sedan over bumps in the road.
 
#12 ·
I've had my 850 touring since oct 2010.. Its been a beauty so far.. Not a single problem with it.. I've only ever had one passenger say that the back seat wasn't comfy, but this dude is huge and there isn't a 2-up seat in the world that would be comfortable to him.. I really don't have a dislike of any kind to report.. If you forced me to complain though, I suppose I would mention that there are a lot of grease points on an XP to keep up with whether its the 2-up or 1-up.. Kind of a pain but very necessary to keep up with..
 
#13 ·
I just picked a sportsman 570 touring. I'm loving the ride and power this thing has. I can't imagine how much power it will have once broke in. The seats are really comfortable and it's such a joy to ride. It's not too big and is easy to drive.
 
#14 ·
you guys are killing me.....i was at my dealer last week and was sitting on the new sportsman touring 570 2 up.....wanted the xtra seat area for my wife when we go riding(have a '12 sportsman 500ho camo) and was debating to get the lock n go box from thor or trade mine for a new one and now with all the talk not sure which way i will go....thanks lol
 
#15 ·
here is the thing you cant compare how the 2 atv's handle with a passanger, a 2 up even with a person on the back it still handles like a 1 up as you know with your setup you have now put someone on the back with the seat on the back it really changes how it handles and drives....its nite and day I had a Brute with a seat on the back and it was fine after having a max I will never go that root again you almost dont even know someone is on there with you
 
#17 ·
Great point vtprarie.. If you do plan to ride alot with a passenger, you really do need a dedicated 2-up machine.. On a 1-up with an aftermarket seat, the geometry is still the same and the passengers weight will be almost entirely behind the rear axle.. Thats how flip overs happen.. On a 2-up machine, they are designed so that the passengers weight is in front of the rear axle, which prevents flipping over backward.. Its been said before and for the most part I agree.. In most cases a rear seat on 1-up machine is fine once in a while if the rider really knows what they are doing, and is confident that you will not getting into any rough terrain.. The problem is that most folks who end up in a bad situation on a quad, didn't plan on being there.. Its when you're in that "can't turn back" situation that bad things happen.. And the last thing you need when it happens is a machine that has already has its handling compromised by another person on the back that it was never designed to carry in the first place.. As the driver, you are soley reponsible for what happens to your passenger..
 
#20 ·
I tried out both the can am outlander max 2up 500 and the polaris 500 touring when I was deciding what to buy. My friend has the can am and let me tell you he can go nowhere near where i can go and he has the same tires as me so that is not the problem. The AWD of the polaris is better than the can am. his does not have the visco lock that the bigger can ams have so i blow him away in mud. his is slightly faster, but it rides a lot rougher. my parents have a 550xp and we are talking about trading as they ride double a lot more than me as they haul the grandkids around more and i ride single a lot more. i do however like the longer wheelbase and added stability of the touring.
 
#21 ·
my 500 max has the same visco lock as my 1000 Renegade never had an issue I tried out a 500 touring it was nice but it was carberated not EFI and no PS the XP is much nicer I actually got my Canam cheaper then what I could get the 550 for I am no way brand loyal I go with what feels good in my wallet like I said in my other post you will be hard pressed for a softer ride then a Polaris they ride sweet
 
#22 ·
Hey everybody, thank you so much for all the input! Great comments guys. I think I'm definitely buying a 2up bike now. I just have to decide on which model. I currently own 2 utility quads; one is an automatic cvt Polaris sportsman 500 4x4 and one is a semi auto shift Yamaha 350 big bear. I prefer riding my Polaris because it's a bigger bike, but I always get stuck riding the Yamaha because no one wants to drive the bike you have to shift gears on. My wife and kids prefer the automatic due to simplicity. Apparently I'm the only one who mastered shifting gears on an ATV. LOL. For all of you Polaris ATV owners who have the front utility racks with internal storage. Do u find the internal storage useful? I always strap a cooler to my rack which means I'd be unstrapping it every time I had to remove items out of the front internal storage space. It's looks cool in concept, but I wasn't sure if riders actually found it a useful addition. How well does it keep water out?
 
#23 ·
I would say the only down sides to a touring is its size/weight and resale. plain and simple they take up more room on your trailer, they won't fit in a short bed pickup with the tailgate shut and while they will go anywhere a regular atv will go, in tight situations on tight trails you may have more problems catching stuff on your rear fenders just because the longer wheelbase won't let it turn quite as tight. I saw a guy the other day on the trail with a 550 touring that had both rear fenders busted from exactly that.
I guess another question is how often do you ride 2up? if you ride 2up rarely an x2 might be worth checking out, they're great versatile machines. I owned an 850 touring and it was a great all around machine, but I think if I were to buy another 2upper I'd buy an x2.

On resale, if you decide to resell later.....depending upon your location it may be hard to get rid of. when I sold my touring I tried to trade my touring and dealers avoided me like the plague. they said they couldn't move a used 2up, usually the customer that wants a 2up will bite the bullet and buy new. good luck with your purchase!
 
#24 ·
I would have to disagree you only talking 8 inches of length added that should not be an issue what so ever and unless you have an 8 foot box a 850XP with aftermarket tires is not going to fit in the box these bikes overll are getting huge...Resale value up here in New England dealers cant keep new and used in stock so you may be correct about were you live.
 
#25 ·
I have a 800 and 850 Touring and loved them. The majority of guys I ride with have gone to 2-ups for the added stability in going up steep hills. We mostly ride the WV Outlaw Trails and some HM. My 850 has EPS and that is big help in a bigger bike. I have never had a rider and have the large box on the back. I don't have to make any more "K" turns on sharp switch back than the 1-up ATVs. I do believe the Polaris 2-up has a 2" shorter wheelbase than the CanAms. I would never buy a 1-up again.

I think the 2-up re-sell as good or better than the 1-ups where I live in NC.

I use the front box for my rain suit and have gas pack mounted on it.

My 850 with Guru bumpers fits in my Chevy long bed with the tailgate closed.
 
#26 ·
Welcome to the forums!
 
#28 ·
having a different opinion doesn't mean we are arguing...from were I live there is no way shape or form are you finding a new 850 touring for under 11,000 up here even the left over one I found was a 2011 850 for 10 grand 2 ups around here sell for what they are worth like I said it may be different were you are. Now I have had no experience with the Polaris 2 ups as I and my buddy bought Canam's pretty much because we got better deals and the local dealer was well kinda a pud. But yes depending on the trailer it can be a pain but from when we went to the HM trails and we used my buddy's enclosed trailer there were more issues with width of the Polaris then the length of the Canam 2up by golly they are wide esp with fender flares
 
#29 ·
this fall I could have bought a 2013 850 touring for basically 9000 with the rebates and coming down on price. where I live the touring's aren't near as popular as the 1up machines. its seems like if people want to ride 2up they buy a rzr or ranger......no sales tax on side by sides in the state of MO.
 
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