Polaris Any Good?

[muff]

I need some help from the polaris owners here, i want to know how reliable a polaris 500 2001 H.O. is, i dont really know much about them, i know that its a heavy machine but are there any manufacturing problems?

I'm planning on trading my '99 400ex for one

[lildude]

i know people that have polarises not ne with scrambler 500s but every other one there is 4 trailblazers and 1 425 4x4 and 1 500 4x4 and alls i know is other thatn the 500 4x4 i hate them and the reason i like it is couse when i get stuck it is always there to get me out but on the other two the trail blazers suck bad there was two of them riding with us one day and 1 stalled twice and the other once couse of water
and i dont really like the 425 couse it shifts like crap and once mud ot sumthin got up in like the shifter or sumthin i dont know how but when ud go to shift the shifter would get stuck
the 500 wil go pretty much anywere though dont know how many times it winched me out the only two times i ever get stuck was once in like a big mudhole but it was like quicksand and the other was goin up a hill on the side of a creek it rolled over
i know none of these bikes is a scrambler 500 but how much different could it be

[muff]

actually i was talking about the sportsman 500 H.O., thanks for the help anyway, better than nothin

[flyin#5]

a 400ex for a polaris 4x4? you may need to sing up for the insane insilum.:huh

no but for real the 500 h.o. has a crapload of power but isnt that reliable just like most other polarises. id keep the ex unless you all you do is mudding.

[YamaWarr0121]

500's a good engine runs nice n strong my uncle has it in his sportsman and i like it no problems yet and hes had it for about 2 years

[muff]

Originally posted by flyin_400EX
a 400ex for a polaris 4x4? you may need to sing up for the insane insilum.:huh .

well if you could read my profile you would see that i already have another 400ex with is bored to a 440 so i have no use for the 400, plus, my parents only want to have 3 machines and we'll end up selling our prairie,
because which would you rather have, a 2wd prairie 400 or a polaris sportsman 500 h.o. with a warn 2000# winch, supertrapp complete exhaust system, k&n powerkit, front wheel spacers, bi and tri claw 27" tires, and heavy duty springs on the front?

yamawarr that was the kind of reply i was looking for, from someone who owned one, thanks

[Scott]

Hey Muff, I'll tell you what I know without getting into my personal opinion about Polaris.

2 neighbors have Sportsmans, both are '00 models (before the HO debuted). One is ridden by a 35 yr old, the other by a 15 yr old. The 35 yr old has smoked a belt and broken a second belt, and busted the shif linkage inside the gearbox (broke a c-clip being a dumb*****). He also tried to be a submarine and submerged the dash, after which the speedometer/etc has never worked again. The engine is still fine, no problems. One word of advice, lose the factory paper airfilter and put a foam one in. The factory yamaha warrior/wolverine foam filter is a drop in replacement for the sportsman, I put my wife's factory filter in the 35 yr olds sportsman.

The 15 yr old has had much less trouble, and I think he rides harder, but smarter. He now needs a-arm bushings, but after 2 years, my Honda has one bushing going bad also, so can't bash Polaris for that. He did discover that if you ride it with a dead battery, it will destroy the electrical system. He disconnected the battery and rode it and had to replace a LOT of stuff, including dash, switch assembly on the bars, front and rear light assemblies (not just the bulbs). I can't tell you why it did it, but it did.

The Sportsman with IRS weighs in just over 800lbs with all the fluids, so yes, they are heavy. I think the 35 yr old said his tipped the scales at like 816. But they do ride smooth. It's not a sport quad, but it seems to be a pretty reliable quad, as long as you're not an idiot and do a little bit of routine maintenance. They also have grease zerks EVERYWHERE!

[muff]

yeah thanks for the good info, the guy i'm buying it from has an extra belt and it has a k&n filter in it so there shouldnt be any problems with that, he's also replaced two of the tie rod ends

yea polaris sportsmans are really nice ujust maintain them also there are so many grease zerks on them i think i remember my uncle who owns one said tehre are like 26 on just the drivetrain! :huh but aso i would do the trade the ho must be so fast. On just the regular modle i was pushin 55 and that wasnt even all out one piece of advise though is to carry an extra belt because it sucks being out on the trail and the belt goes and u have to walk back(happened to me kinda got pulled back by a lil honda 300 4x4LOL)
Killer

[muff]

is there any place where i can get a super heavy duty belt?

[Scott]

2 things.
1. The top speed of the 500 Sportsman is similar to a 300EX. My 300 (stock gearing and 22s) will outrun both Sportsmans I mentioned on top speed, but they're within a couple mph of one another. Neither make will run with a 400EX. The 500HO has slightly higher HP, but the tranny is identical, so the top speed will be the same.
2. Devco makes a lifetime guaranteed belt, and since they started making that Polaris now offers a limited lifetime warranty on their belts.

[bermbanger400]

go to www.hpd-inc.com they have belts that will withstand 80hp polaris motors.

as far as the sportsman goes you will like its ride its a very good trail quad just dont try to ride it like the ex jumping and stuff they will not take that kind of abuse.

[Sick0]

good info

[GreatAim]

My neighbor has a 2001 and he has had no problem with it, and my other neighbor bout a 2002 one, they are both H.O.'s, they are really smooth and nice, the power is ok, just get something that suits u, if u race, keep the 400, if u go slow woods and hunt, polaris is the way to go.

[flyin#5]

Originally posted by muff


well if you could read my profile you would see that i already have another 400ex with is bored to a 440 so i have no use for the 400, plus, my parents only want to have 3 machines and we'll end up selling our prairie,
because which would you rather have, a 2wd prairie 400 or a polaris sportsman 500 h.o. with a warn 2000# winch, supertrapp complete exhaust system, k&n powerkit, front wheel spacers, bi and tri claw 27" tires, and heavy duty springs on the front?

yamawarr that was the kind of reply i was looking for, from someone who owned one, thanks

sorry man didnt see the profile. yeah that sounds like a nice 4x4.

[muff]

thanks for everyones opinions/help, i'm hopefully going to be doing the trade this sunday