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Here is a long winded ATV history story:
I started with an Arctic Cat 400 in '01. It had a good ride but it was very low on power power. Wound up selling it and going to an '06 to a Suzuki KingQuad 700. It had good power and speed but had handling problems (got squirrely at 20 to 30 mph). Within a month I traced that down to the BACK wheels being out of alignment. (1/2 inch of tow out). The independent rear suspension has no tow out or tow in adjustment. The rear wheels should run parallel. When I went back to the dealership with that problem they looked at me like I just stepped off a space ship from Mars. There is no repair for that. Other new KingQuads at other dealerships all had the same problem.
Then a salesman tricked me into test driving a Polaris 850 with power steering. I first told him I wasn't interested because it was too big and heavy and expensive. They told him over the intercom that he had a phone call. He tossed me the keys and told me just to try it while he answered the phone. I had not gone half way around the lot when I knew I was a buyer. It was the best feeling ATV I had ever been on.
So I loaded it up and drove two days to Utah for a group ATV ride. Day one on the trail it quit me after about five miles. Hauled it to a Polaris dealer 35 miles away and got introduced to the "Polaris Wrench" (proprietary computer diagnostic device) which showed an over heat error code among others. They couldn't figure it out and finally got on the phone with the Polaris factory in Minnesota and started replacing parts. That didn't fix it. It turned out that it needed a sensor which they didn't have. They would order one and Polaris would ship it free by UPS (in five days). I ask what about overnight mail? Oh well you would have to pay for that. So I paid for overnight mail and the part came two days later. And in two more days they had it going.
This was a week long trail ride and I had spent over $9,000 on a new ATV and over $1,000 in travel and lodging expenses. I rented a Honda rancher from another member of the group for $50 so as to not completely lose my trip. My Polaris was ready on the last day.
When I got home I stopped at the my dealer and demanded an extended warranty (beyond the six month standard warranty) because the bike had overheated. Stepped off another space shop from Mars on that one also.
The stamped steel factory wheels on the Polaris were badly out of round and the tires were even worse. The bike is a 70 mph bike but at 45 mph it would vibrate and shimmy so bad it would scare you. You will find that all oem ATV tires are badly out of round. Thats what the dealer said. You can see that for your self by putting the bike on blocks and running it.
I finally found a set of after market tires mounted on aluminum rims on ebay. I took them to the tire shop and had them computer spin balanced. I watched the balancer machine spin and the tires were dead on round. SUCCESS! 70 mph on pavement, smooth as silk.
I have 5,500 miles on the bike now. I have hauled it all over the US and rode trails from West Virginia to Oregon. I take it to Arizona every January and ride desert trails. I also like to go to Silverton, Colorado and ride the Alpine Loop trail system in the mountains. The belt wore out at 4,100 miles and I replaced that. The back CV axles went bad and started clicking at about the same and I replaced them. Those are normal wear items. Then the power steering started cutting out. A red light would come on on the pod and it would show various error codes. Had to come back early from a trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats because none of the five polaris dealers in Salt Lake City could get it in the shop in less than two weeks. Had it in polaris shops three times, no success fixing it. Finally on the fourth trip to the original dealership (the service manager there does not like me much but he knows his business) he found the problem. The voltage regulator was bad and the voltage to all of the computerized sensors would cut out. New regulator and she is going good.
In addition to trail rides in other states I use it to deer hunt and farm. I mount a tractor field gps on it and a broadcast spreader spread seed. I bought an Aluma brand aluminum flat bed trailer (model 548) which has an eight by 4 1/2 foot bed. The trailer weighs 310 lbs. and has a fold down ramp tailgate. I haul the ATV on it and it is light enough that I can hook it to the ATV to haul deer stands to the woods and harvested deer out of the woods. I deer hunt the entire deer season in Missouri every fall. I That trailer has been from West Virginia to Oregon too.
I wanted to the Polaris for a big CanAm 1000 but checking the CanAm forums I discovered they run hot. So hot in fact that they melt the plastic. There is apparantly no cure for that.
Polaris has good basic design and marketing but you can forget about customer service once you get one.
To do what you are talking about get a Honda Rancher. It will be less expensive and more dependable. If you decide to go to a bigger bike later you can readily sell it.
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I started with an Arctic Cat 400 in '01. It had a good ride but it was very low on power power. Wound up selling it and going to an '06 to a Suzuki KingQuad 700. It had good power and speed but had handling problems (got squirrely at 20 to 30 mph). Within a month I traced that down to the BACK wheels being out of alignment. (1/2 inch of tow out). The independent rear suspension has no tow out or tow in adjustment. The rear wheels should run parallel. When I went back to the dealership with that problem they looked at me like I just stepped off a space ship from Mars. There is no repair for that. Other new KingQuads at other dealerships all had the same problem.
Then a salesman tricked me into test driving a Polaris 850 with power steering. I first told him I wasn't interested because it was too big and heavy and expensive. They told him over the intercom that he had a phone call. He tossed me the keys and told me just to try it while he answered the phone. I had not gone half way around the lot when I knew I was a buyer. It was the best feeling ATV I had ever been on.
So I loaded it up and drove two days to Utah for a group ATV ride. Day one on the trail it quit me after about five miles. Hauled it to a Polaris dealer 35 miles away and got introduced to the "Polaris Wrench" (proprietary computer diagnostic device) which showed an over heat error code among others. They couldn't figure it out and finally got on the phone with the Polaris factory in Minnesota and started replacing parts. That didn't fix it. It turned out that it needed a sensor which they didn't have. They would order one and Polaris would ship it free by UPS (in five days). I ask what about overnight mail? Oh well you would have to pay for that. So I paid for overnight mail and the part came two days later. And in two more days they had it going.
This was a week long trail ride and I had spent over $9,000 on a new ATV and over $1,000 in travel and lodging expenses. I rented a Honda rancher from another member of the group for $50 so as to not completely lose my trip. My Polaris was ready on the last day.
When I got home I stopped at the my dealer and demanded an extended warranty (beyond the six month standard warranty) because the bike had overheated. Stepped off another space shop from Mars on that one also.
The stamped steel factory wheels on the Polaris were badly out of round and the tires were even worse. The bike is a 70 mph bike but at 45 mph it would vibrate and shimmy so bad it would scare you. You will find that all oem ATV tires are badly out of round. Thats what the dealer said. You can see that for your self by putting the bike on blocks and running it.
I finally found a set of after market tires mounted on aluminum rims on ebay. I took them to the tire shop and had them computer spin balanced. I watched the balancer machine spin and the tires were dead on round. SUCCESS! 70 mph on pavement, smooth as silk.
I have 5,500 miles on the bike now. I have hauled it all over the US and rode trails from West Virginia to Oregon. I take it to Arizona every January and ride desert trails. I also like to go to Silverton, Colorado and ride the Alpine Loop trail system in the mountains. The belt wore out at 4,100 miles and I replaced that. The back CV axles went bad and started clicking at about the same and I replaced them. Those are normal wear items. Then the power steering started cutting out. A red light would come on on the pod and it would show various error codes. Had to come back early from a trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats because none of the five polaris dealers in Salt Lake City could get it in the shop in less than two weeks. Had it in polaris shops three times, no success fixing it. Finally on the fourth trip to the original dealership (the service manager there does not like me much but he knows his business) he found the problem. The voltage regulator was bad and the voltage to all of the computerized sensors would cut out. New regulator and she is going good.
In addition to trail rides in other states I use it to deer hunt and farm. I mount a tractor field gps on it and a broadcast spreader spread seed. I bought an Aluma brand aluminum flat bed trailer (model 548) which has an eight by 4 1/2 foot bed. The trailer weighs 310 lbs. and has a fold down ramp tailgate. I haul the ATV on it and it is light enough that I can hook it to the ATV to haul deer stands to the woods and harvested deer out of the woods. I deer hunt the entire deer season in Missouri every fall. I That trailer has been from West Virginia to Oregon too.
I wanted to the Polaris for a big CanAm 1000 but checking the CanAm forums I discovered they run hot. So hot in fact that they melt the plastic. There is apparantly no cure for that.
Polaris has good basic design and marketing but you can forget about customer service once you get one.
To do what you are talking about get a Honda Rancher. It will be less expensive and more dependable. If you decide to go to a bigger bike later you can readily sell it.
.
Should be putting down nearly 100 RWHP when it's done. I don't blame Can-Am for that, as that abuse and damage was all done by the previous owner, not a testament to the machine itself. Every other Can-Am i've ridden, been around, know the owner has been an excellent machine.
