|
|
Reverse
is a great feature on the Polaris Outlaw
& with the lever mounted on the handlebars,
it is extremely easy to engage |
Coming from a racing background, it’s almost
hard for me to admit how nice it is to have electric
start and reverse. I get on the Outlaw and immediately
try to pull out the kickstarter, when all I have
to do is hit a button and it fires up. Starting
the Outlaws is no problem when they are cold,
but if I would stall one while I was on the gas
it would usually take quite a few revolutions
to bring it back to life. In the event that the
battery gets run down and a hot shot is needed,
the terminals are easily accessible under the
front hood. The shifting is fine until you try
to find neutral while the quad is running. It
usually takes the old “rev it a little and
slip it in” method to find neutral. Finding
reverse is pretty simple, and becomes second nature
after a few rides.
After cleaning up the IRS Outlaw one day, it
refused to start. It would turn over good, but
it would not fire. After checking things out,
it was not sparking at the plug. I traced it
to the throttle override, and when I clipped
the wire coming from the thumb throttle assembly
it fired up fine. I had no other running problems
with either quad. They always fired up and needed
no other maintenance other than oil changes
and filter cleaning. The dual oil filter system
is easy to work on, and really doesn’t
add much time to the oil change.
|
|
|
The
rear fenders began to crack on both Outlaws
after several months of use, which was
earlier than expected, so hopefully Polaris
fixes this issue for 2009 |
The
foot guards also began to crack, but this
is very common among all OEM plastic foot
guards, but they did provide plenty of
mud protection and drainage for water |
During the dead of winter, we went down to
the Wambaw Cycle Trail near Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina. The state funded trail system has
a twenty mile loop that meanders through the
sandy coastal area. The trail is never narrower
than 50”, and twists and turns through
the pine tree forest. The Outlaw S was very
nimble through the trails, and I felt it had
great handling in that particular situation,
almost on par with a Honda TRX450R with stock
a-arms and aftermarket shocks. The turning was
very confidence inspiring when there were slot
car ruts in the turns and I could make quick
weight shifts with ease. The rear fenders did
start to crack around the seat from hanging
off the side of the machine, but the fenders
never broke completely or sagged down badly.
The very usable power and smooth delivery made
it fun to ride in the sandy trails.
|
|
| The
Maxxis tires provide plenty of traction,
but these OEM Maxxis tires are not as
durable as those found aftermarket, and
we suffered several sidewall punctures |
The
airbox lid doesn't require tools, but
the clamps are difficult to work with
and one cracked on the the 525S model,
and the airbox is real small on the S
model |
After a few months of daily contact with the
Outlaws, I came away impressed with the overall
package, especially the reliability and durability
of both the quads. Their performance was not
that of a race ready quad, but they definitely
are a good solid starting point for a competition
machine. In stock form the Outlaws are fun to
ride and ready for action whenever you decide
to go riding. The motor and chassis complement
each other well, and they are the fruits of
the testing and development that Polaris has
so strongly emphasized in its approach to building
two of the best sport quads ever.
