# Polaris, fact or fiction



## Fish_hunt12 (Feb 14, 2005)

*was told by multipul people that polaris dose not make a quality atv. but when i read thread's on this site.... most people have polaris. if you own a polaris could you tell me if you have had problems with it and if yes what problem. ( looking to buy a atv this spring and am interested in polaris, but if what i hear is true i might go a different way ) Thanks*

*-Adam*


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## snakebit67 (Oct 18, 2003)

I have a 2000 sportsman 6x6. Hate to say it but i abuse this thing while working my property up north. I have never had a problem except for the ones i created myself. I have overfilled the bed with rocks, made trails through the tags by running them over, buried it to the frame in a mud hole. Crossed rivers etc. and it still keeps ticking. I know several people who own them and not one has a bad thing to say.


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## shadow7663 (Feb 24, 2004)

I love my polaris quad and know several people who have them as well. They take a good hard beating and just keep on going.


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## slayer (Jun 1, 2002)

Let me start by saying before i buy any high ticket items i always do alot of research and i did plenty on atv's... Im not quite sure where you found neg .feedback on polaris atv's but i can tell you mine has been used and abused and i have NEVER had one thing go wrong with it. Mine is a 2000. Could it be that im just lucky with this one ?? I think not.. if you want my opinion buy a polaris 500 h.o.


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## neversunk (Jan 21, 2004)

Theres a multitude of opinions, facts, experiences and allegations about every brand of ATV at this site. All my friends think I'm nuts for not buying a Polaris....but after reading so many comments about them breaking down in various forums at this site I coul'dnt bring myself to buy one. Its not that they're junk by any means...and its not that they have a single issue like the Suzuki King Quad transmission does....its just that people either swear by them or swear at them...and I found less people swearing at yamaha than polaris. It seems that owners fall into two distinct catagories...those who have had absolutely no problem at all, and those who have had nothing but problems. And personally....I can't stand the noise that comes out the right side of their transmissions that the manufacturer calls "normal". It always makes me think something inside is breaking....so anyhow...use this site to dig out tons of infomation to get more confused with....

http://forums.atvconnection.com/


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## woodsrat (Jan 4, 2005)

I have a 2004 Polaris 700 Sportsman and am very, very happy with it. I have some buddies that have them and they love theirs too. One buddy has a 2002 Polaris 700 Sportsman and he had to take his back to the dealer because it needed a new fitting where the coolant line connects to the block. This was like a re-call kind of (not an official recall, but a repair advisory). The fitting was prone to leakage. They fixed that and he has no other issues.

My machine goes through stuff that you would not believe and can pull like crazy. I threw this years buck on the back rack and headed back to camp (6 miles) through bad terrain. Hardly knew the deer was back there and it was a medium weight/size buck. 

I LOVE my Polaris!


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## modo1221 (Jan 17, 2003)

I have a polaris 6x6 and so do two of my friends We don't ride together BUT
Last year the Cam went out on mine it was about a week later and each of there cams went! 
Now get this we all fixed our ATVs we all still have our Polaris 6x6's and we still love them. They beat their ATV's I baby mine but I beat the dog out of my Polaris sled


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## polarbare21 (Feb 17, 2003)

We have 3 polaris's. and have worked the hell out of them. No complaints!

We also have 1 honda, 1 yamaha, and have had suzuki's and a kawasaki.

I personally could NOT recomend the kawasaki, we had warranty issues, and they chose to lose a customer that buys a LOT of quads!!


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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

Living in a rural area it seems everyone has a quad so i get to see and drive most everything. Polaris used to be at the bottom of my list but they have come way up in the last couple of years. I may even buy a polaris. I like the ground clearance and the way the sportsman series sets. I would only buy a polaris if you know you have a quality dealer. Like was stated earlier it seems like you love them or hate them, the right dealer can make all the difference. The 500ho pretty much has all the bugs worked out. I love the new efi machines but I would wait till their a little more proven.


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## skulldugary (Apr 12, 2003)

I've got a 88' Polaris Trail Boss 250cc,that has been rode hard and put away wet,I use it for everything.I would hate to guess how many miles I put on it in the last 15 years.It needs a ring job bad.I'm thinking of buying a new quad myself and may buy a Polaris but I like the Yamaha Grizzly also which I think is a good machine....


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## grizzly (Dec 11, 2000)

MADE IN AMERICA do I need to say more. Wish i could have afforded a new one had to suffice with a yamaha 600 grizzly that was bought used. Been a good unit and have whipped the snot out of it. I have my eye on the new 800. One thing I will mention is these bigger units are really nice until you frame one out. I hit a snow drift on saginaw bay this year and it stopped my dead in my tracks. Thank the good lord there were 3 others with me to help get it unstuck.

Grizzly.


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## Fish_hunt12 (Feb 14, 2005)

*thanks guys for your posts!:chillin: *
*[/color]* 
* i am glad to hear they are a quality machine. *

*-Adam*


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## chiefsLB59 (May 18, 2004)

I am in the process of getting a 2001 polaris sportsman h.o remington special edition. I got a real good deal on it from Pilgrim motor sports in plymouth. The owner is my football coach so he hooked us up. only has got 300 miles on it. Cant wait to put it to use this weekend. Hope its a great machine like everyone says it is. Ive drivin a 1999 sportsman 500 and that was an awesome machine. alot of power and accelerated pretty fast for the size of the machine.:yikes:


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## slayer (Jun 1, 2002)

You will love it .......


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## grizzlyadams73 (Jul 13, 2003)

nobody ever admitts to the belt problems on the polaris. all my buddies who have sportsman's have had to replace there belts quite a few times. i've got a grizzly and pound the living sh*t out of it and never had trouble with the belt. the dealer i work with has never sold a belt for a yamahe atv yet. doesn't even have one on the shelf. also look there is no after market belt made for the yamaha's yet.


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## shadow7663 (Feb 24, 2004)

grizzlyadams73 said:


> nobody ever admitts to the belt problems on the polaris. all my buddies who have sportsman's have had to replace there belts quite a few times. i've got a grizzly and pound the living sh*t out of it and never had trouble with the belt. the dealer i work with has never sold a belt for a yamahe atv yet. doesn't even have one on the shelf. also look there is no after market belt made for the yamaha's yet.


thats because yama HAHAHAHAHAHAHA'S dont have the nads to tear them up.....:lol: :lol: :lol:  sorry I had too


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## explodingvarmints (Jul 1, 2004)

when i first started looking into a new quad i took the advice of a buddy of mine that races semi-pro 4 wheelers. he said find the models you think you like first from each of the brands that you think you like. then call a bunch of service and parts deptartments and ask what the most common problem and or the most frequently asked for part for that machine would be. so i did this and came up with my choice.............. me " what's the most common part people come in to buy for that grizzly?" parts guy " well i guess bulb for the tail light!" all of the other big boys seemed to go through belts and cv's when i called. so the grizzly it is and i for the first time in my life bought something new and nice and it did not and still has not had any problems. anyone who saw me out at the 'spuds-n-suds' outing could tell you that my machine does not have an easy life at all. feel free to pm me if you want more info.


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## Fish_hunt12 (Feb 14, 2005)

well im not so shure i am gunna go with a polaris...called a few dealers and all i got where the negatives. But i would love to hear more about the yammys 

thanks in advance

-Adam


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## grizzlyadams73 (Jul 13, 2003)

i've got a 2000 600 grizzly with about 4500 miles on it. there aren't to many easy miles on it. i put 27" 589 tires and steel wheels on it. the only time i've had trouble with the belt was when i had water up to the top of the seat. pull the plug and 15 minutes i was on my way. i've skidded logs with it pulled cars. when something needs to be hauled or what ever my bike is the one used. my 74 year old grandfather bitches about me beating my bike but like i tell him i'm making the payments. the only thing i've replaced have been thing i've mucked up.


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## neversunk (Jan 21, 2004)

Like I said....got to all the posts at ATV connection....go to the polaris site and look at how many questions there are about how to fix this...how to fix that...my this and that broke etc.....its not one item, its just a lot of different things that guys are having trouble with. And no....its not all of their machines by any means. Lots of people are totally happy with them. BUT....go to the Yamaha posts and notice a common thread....everybody is asking for info on how to modify their machines, what kind of bigger tire is best etc etc. There are practically NO postings about problems and how to fix them (on utility ATV's) except a couple about a plugged fuel line and a couple about bad front axles in the 2003 models (which has obviously been corrected). When the guys refer to issues with the Raptors its because that is the rear wheel drive hot rod ATV they make where everybody flies them thru the air, crashing them into trees, breaking suspension components upon landing, hitting rocks at high speed and modifying the crap out of their engines and blowing them up. Thats a totally different world and unit than the utility ATV units we're talking about here. It just seemed to me that the Yamahas don't have problems. And I know for a fact they don't have that annoying noise coming out of the right side of the engine that the polaris has due to the different belt and transmission design. And....the belt is not a sacrificial part on the yamaha like it is on the Polaris. They have clutches inside the transmission that slip instead of letting a belt slip and having it wear (as one of the previous posts said). I have no ideal how the resale compares....you might go to NADA site and find that out. I do know that on EBAY a 2003 Grizzly is selling for $5600 right now....which is awful high when you figure that I just paid $6440 for a new 2005! Whatever you buy I hope you enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying my new Griz....


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