Which one would you buy?

[jcmoore82]

I have a 02 400ex i'm not getting rid of, but i'm in the market for a 450. I've been checking my local dealers and i've narrowed it down to 2. I could get a 09 Polaris 450 mxr for $6400 otd, or they also have a left over 08 Honda 450r for $5900 out the door. I'm leaning towards the Polaris, but i was wondering if that was a good price for the honda or not? Any input would be helpful.

[wali2408]

id go with the honda. i was looking at the Polaris because they were cheap. I heard they had some problems i know one was a leak in the header there might have been a couple more. You cant go wrong with a honda

[ish416]

If you plan on racing it while it is mostly stock, go with the Polaris. If you plan on either buying it for recreation or intend to make it a full out race quad, get the Honda.

Also, I believe the Polaris is equipped with 18 inch tires on the rear. If you plan on riding mainly on trails or doing some type of woods racing, you may want to consider 20" rears if ground clearance may be an issue.

I have rode both quads back to back and have to say the Honda was not impressive at all. The Polaris had an excellent feel and the suspension was surprisingly good for a stock quad. The engine on both are fairly close with the KTM powered Polaris having a small power advantage and it has reverse if that matters as well.

As far as reliability, I have not heard of any issues with the Polaris 450's but, I do know that the KTM engines are extremely tough. The Honda is a proven design and should last just as well as any other 450.

In my opinion you would have to spend more than the $500 you save with buying the Honda to get it to where the Polaris is stock.

[99400esex]

I would go with the honda.

[400man]

have you considersed looking for a good used 450? you can find a good honda 450 most of the time thats already setup with suspenion, tires, and all the other must-have bolt on's for racing for about 4500$ ready to race.

[gncc025]

Originally posted by 99400esex
I would go with the honda.


im with him^^

[TRX_450]

I cant speak because of my personal experience with the polaris....but....my best friends grandpa owns the polaris shop where i live ad i was in there a few weeks back looking at the 450 and was actually toying with the idea of applying to finance one. One of the salesman comes up to me and without hesitation says to stay away from them because the 6 theyve sold this year have all came back within 2 weeks completely FUBAR, 2 had blown tops ends, 2 had grenaded bottom ends, 1 had a seized rear end, and the other the frame broke. It may have just been a bad batch but it was enough to make me stray from buying one.

[honda400ex2003]

Originally posted by 99400esex
I would go with the honda.

here too. you are asking this in a honda section lol. steve

[TRXRacer1]

Not a great example but I've got an 05 predator 500 in the garage and LOVE the power. Piped it walks from my buddies trx450r and yfz's that are also piped. I'm no small guy either. I say it's not a great example because mine is from when Polaris was not using KTM engines. I can only attest to the build of the bike which besides a tiny battery is damn good.

We all know the Honda will have a solid engine but they aren't really breaking the mold anymore. I was looking at an IRS outlaw but the DEALER told me to look for an older pre KTM 500 bike. This was 2 years ago but when the dealer tells me something stinks and he didn't even have a machine to sell me besides the KTM powered one....... that was enough for me to walk away. I thanked him for his time.

[Hondamaster5505]

Polaris for sure. The Hondas are good bikes, but way behind the 8-ball. And stock for stock, the outlaw handles better and is faster.

[krt400ex]

polaris it crap. no matter how you cut it. its garbage. buy the 450R. its cheaper and you'll be happier

[Hondamaster5505]

Originally posted by krt400ex
polaris it crap. no matter how you cut it. its garbage. buy the 450R. its cheaper and you'll be happier

I used to think Polaris was one of the worst quads ever built. Their older quads were HORRENDOUS. But even I have to admit, their newer ones are much better.

[ish416]

Originally posted by Hondamaster5505
I used to think Polaris was one of the worst quads ever built. Their older quads were HORRENDOUS. But even I have to admit, their newer ones are much better.

Agreed completely.

I asked my local Polaris dealer if he was having any issues with any of the 450MXR's or any of the KTM powered quads. He said that of the 24 he has sold, only 1 has had any issues and it was with the rear bearings.

He said that the KTM powered quads are much more reliable than the original engines that were in the Predator and original Outlaw.

I would like for people to ride both a stock Honda 450R and then a stock 450MXR back to back. If you were to do so, you would quickly realize that the Honda 450R fails to match the Polaris in any performance aspect except for maybe in braking.