Polaris vs Honda
 

I am looking to buy a 4 wheeler but can decide between either of these 2. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Honda' s are generally simpler built but as a result they are much lighter and much more reliable.I have owned both honda and yamaha while friends own honda,yamaha,polaris,suzuki and arctic cat.The hondas require the least maintenance and always seem to make it home under their own power.The polaris machines require a lot more maintenance and have come home on the end of a tow rope more than any other brand.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I have to agree with stumbblejumper. I have noticed the diehard Polaris fans have usually not had anything else to compare it to. A friend of mine just sold his Polaris 500 sportsman and bought a Honda 650 Rincon and loves it. He said he always liked his Polaris until he got the Honda and now says he would' nt go back. I also would' nt count out the Yamaha Grizzly, another great machine.
That' s just my two cents.;)

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I own a Polaris 500 2002 model so far so good, (except when my 19 yr old son rolled it in the driveway) I only have 350 miles on it can anyone be more specific as to the problems their having.

elknut1

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I own a 95 Polaris 400 Sportsman and 00 Honda 400 Foreman. By far the better of the 2 is the Honda. It is quiter, more reliable and lighter. The sportsman I have at the cabin and basically retired it from hunting duty. I have one problem with it and that it' s starter location, it is on the very bottom of the bike. It always takes on water and seizes. I got to the point where if I was in bogs, swamps, I would take it off, soak, dry and put back on...a real pain. I have heard they have since changed the location and design due to this problem. Other than that it is a really nice bike to drive and operate...however due to my experience I' ll never buy another.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I own a Grizzly but heres another tip look in your local want ads and look under the atv section and look at what brand most people are selling, They' re selling it for a reason, either they are getting a newer model or are switching brands.In my loca paper the Polaris is the most.I' ve owned honda' s and yahama' s i' ve had buddies that owned Polaris and got rid of them after one year.and switched to either honda or yamahas.But the one thing that I' ve noticed with honda is that they are gas hogs,but make the best engines,The major drawback for me was that they don' t make one with a big enough motor for my taste.thats why I went for the Grizz.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I actually found my rancher be as easy on fuel as any comparable sized atv.The rubicon also gets decent mileage for a 500 but the fuel tank is smaller than most other atv' s of the same displacement so you can' t go as far on a tank.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I would go wiyh the Honda I used to have a Polaris and had nothing bit trouble with it.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Back in 1997 I bought a new Polaris Sportsman 500. It' s been pretty reliable so far.Polaris did replace the drive belt and cover because of the belt slapping the cover.It still does when first cranking until I give it a little throttle.Most of the 500' s have a knocking pinging sounds. I checked with several 500 owners, Polaris dealers and the Polaris Factory. This is a normal sound ,something to do with the gear on the oil pump.Approx 235 hours my tie rod ends were worn out.By the way they are very expensive little mother' s to buy.The Polaris has several grease zerks(fittings) and some are very hard to get to. I found taking the rear wheels off helps allot. The oil plug is a bear to get to. I' ve only used Polaris fluids since I got it. Their synthetic oil is no bargain @5.00 a quart. The oil filters are right at 10 bucks ea.I' m by no means a mechanic.I' m sure even a good mechanic would have his hands full working on these.Another thing I would recommend is since the Polaris 500' s weigh right at 700 pounds install a winch.I buired mine once in DEEP mud. There was no physical way to get it out. I had to get a friend with his tractor to pull that beast out. The next week there was a Warn 2000 winch on the front of it.This Polaris will probably out last me ,the little bit I use it. It still has less than 300 hours on it.If I were looking for a new 4 wheeler I would check the Honda' s out first.Overall I would rate my Sportsman very good,but there' s room for improvements.I have mine set up the way I want it and severs me well during hunting season,with no intention of getting rid of it anytime soon.
Ruger Redhawk

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I' ve owned a poaris for over 10 years now NO PROBLEMS, not one. I' ve owned honda, yamaha, and sua sucky. I will never go back my polaris has been very good to me, and I beat the sh** out of it. Even droped a tree on it once bent the racks and handle bar but it still runs like a bear. I' ve rolled it atleast a dozen times, and a friend of mine took it over a clif. Took a licken, but keeps on tickin. Honda is a good machine also, but I still would rather have a polaris. We had a debate on this awhile back and came to the conclusion that it' s kind of like ford verses chevy. It just depends on what you like and what your needs are. If you are looking at polaris I would strongly recommend looking at the 700 I doubt highly you' ll find any other machine with more power.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

If someone gave me a polaris i would sell the thing and buy a honda!!!:D

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

If someone gave me an atv of anytype I' ld be gratefull:D
H- helpless
O- overpriced
N- no good
D- doomed
A- atv
[:o]:(:( :D:D:D

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Model 722-You say that you have rolled your polaris over a dozen times,dropped a tree on it and had it taken over a cliff.You should stay with your polaris until you learn how to handle an atv.It would be a waste to abuse a quality atv like you have your polaris.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Other than me tearing th plastic on both sides getting an elk out the ' 95 Honda fourtrax 300 has had guess how many failures or problems after thousands of nasty miles?---ZERO/ZIP/NADA:)

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

SJ like I said I' ve owned my machine for over ten years when I first got it I liked to be reckless, push it to the extreme, I always liked to take the road(trail) less traveled, so to speak. I' ve been riding atv' s for over 20 years I used to be rough on my machines. I was just stating how rough I' ve been on my polaris to show how well it has held up. I' m no longer rough on my machines because of health problems. I figured I was the one paying the payments on my machine so therefore I was going to ride the way I wanted to. As far as your handleing comment well like I said back then I liked to push things to the limit. I' ve never been reckless near other people or put anyones life in danger. When I would drive reckless I would make sure there was no one around I' ve always liked doing different stunts and things(hillclimbs etc...). Of coarse you guys with hondas are probably to afraid to try and go off the trail, thats ok just sit tight and a polaris will come along and clear the trail for ya:D:D:D

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I' d say that each has it' s advantages when pushed to the limit. Honda' s have great engines but are under powered. When I' ve seen the Yamaha and Polaris pushed to the limit the Yamaha overheated and the oil light came on, the Polaris was pushed so hard the drive chain broke. It was a nice feeling to find out that you can still drive a Polaris out of the bush with 2 wheel drive. The Polaris had the most guts of the three I have experience with.

Dan O.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

model 722-When I want to go fast and have fun I put away the atv and take out the two wheeled bike.It' s a whole lot faster than any quad and definitely more enjoyable but unfortunately it won' t carry loads or drag game like an atv.My atv on the other hand is a working tool so reliability is the most important factor.After all someone has to be able to tow the broken down polaris home.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Well atleast we agree alittle bit, when a polaris breaks down it is worth towing home and fixing. When we ride here and a honda breaks down we just bury it :D:D:D
Well like I said, before I had problems I liked to ride alittle on the crazy side, I used to have a dirt bike and a road bike pushed them to the limit too. I also only use my atv for work around the house and draging deer. It' s getting alittle old so I' m probably going to trade it in for the 700 polaris someday in the near future.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

722 your cracking me up!
my honda has never broke down but brother alot of polaris' s have been pulled in . i at one time thought about one. then i noticed when i would go on large group rides polaris' s and kawasaki prairies were breaking down . and not really doing anything to tough just riding! i decided then no way!

I have a few guys that have them in my club. they are not worth a sh** in the mud!! they are thinking of buying honda after seeing me just ease through mud and never spin a wheel and they get stuck trying. i told them to get some real tires but they think it' s the honda! what can i say?

polaris has made some improvements over there early models . they are more dependable than they were . i still will stick to my honda. i work my machine. pull loads of wood , drag stuff and whatever else i can think of doing with it. the honda foreman s is the best around that i have found for this. it is made to work!! period!
the polaris' s pull to but to me it sounds like they are going to blow up with that engine reving so high . plus i will have NOTHING with a BELT drive!!!

And price on hondas is well worth it considering the money you save on repair bills!;):D

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

The best thing about these debates is everyone likes different bikes. It makes for alot better ride when everyone is on a different kind of bike. There is always someone kicking #!! and someone getting their #!! kicked. I don' t mind being on one end of the equation as long as I can get on the other.:D
PS If anybody gets around Western Washington and wants to go for a ride let me know I have hundreds of miles of trails in my back yard and we are always looking for fresh meat ;)

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I just got to thinking how dare anyone compare the two!!!
HONDA hands down!!;)

go here and read about them and see what you think. if you are going to inquire at least get opinions at a site that is dedicated to the subject!

http://www.highlifter.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

I' have owned both and both machines have been bullet proof. It' s really unfair to compare a 5 yr. old machine to a new one or a 2 stroke to a 4 stroke machine like others have posted. Go out there and test ride one. (in the dirt)
and pick out the one you like. I bought a Polaris and the wife took it for a ride and that was the last time I got to ride it. So I had to grab her Honda and sell it to the dog club so I could buy my Polaris. One other thing... most of the guys own jap Atvs at the club and say they would never buy a Polaris but if I leave my key' s in it " they" are always on that no good Polaris of mine. I wonder why that is?

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Soark, Now you' re a Honda Man? You' re going to be more work converting then I had planned. First Remington and now a Japanese Honda' s.There maybe still some hope for you but it will take time.LOL..
Honda would probably be my second choice in ATV' s.
Ruger Redhawk

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

we just bought a 4 wheeler last year and it was a honda racher ES (electric Shift) no problems with it and like subble jumper said its ez on gas. we have it on the farm and we use it just about every day. for checkin cows during calving, fencing and hunting and well just screwin around. we have over 2 thousand miles on it in one year. it runs great. have a buddy that has had a honda 4 wheeler for 15 yrs and was waiting for it to die before he got a new one but it never did so he finaly went in and bought another honda. they are super reliable and no maintence. plus scence ii live on a farm i put our 4 wheeler through some tough tests and its done real well. i say hondas the way to go

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Just a couple of questions do you want an automatic transmission, and do you ride through standing water much? If you do don' t pass go don' t collect your $200 dollars and head striaght to the Honda dealer. I will have no part of a belt drive scooter, I' ve pulled too many out of flooded bean/rice field in Ark. where I duck hunt. You can say what you want, but a belt drive transmission will slip in the water, it' s just inevitable, sooner or later it will leak and start slipping which ain' t fun. That aside there are a lot of good bikes, the Honda' s aren' t the fastest but they tend to have plenty of torque. To me the Polaris is one of the best riding four wheelers around, but it simply isn' t that good for what I do with a scooter. In addition in my area Honda' s generally have the highest resale value, something you might want to check out.

Gordon

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Gordon you said it !! honda developed a REAL transmission in the rubicon. no belts!
I will admit ONE flaw with honda. no disc brakes. but there is a aftermarket kit for them that is super. i expect to see them on new honda' s soon.

ruger i guess i like jap atv' s and tractors. kubota is #1..
i can' t seem to buy those jap guns though!;)

i am not condemning polaris i just think your money is better spent and you will far happier in the long run with a honda.

Oh one last note the best atv i have ever seen in the mud is a suzuki king quad. i have seen them put it in diff lock and go where others will not!and they they are very tough . but i am a honda man right now!:D

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Have 2 hunt; I wish I could take you up on your offer. I' ve always loved a good ride.

GordenGekko; I live in upstate NY, I live pretty much in a swamp, and I' ve never had a problem with the belt slipping, except one time. The one time the belt slipped is when I drove my polaris into a river that is over 10 foot deep. I wanted to see how well it floated. it floated just not high enough to keep running. I went home cleaned the carb, within 5-10 min. the thing was running again. Ran alittle choked up at first, but in about 5 min. it cleared up. The belt did slip for a couple of laps around the yard, then it was fine. I' ve always ran in wet conditions and not once had a problem, as long as the water doesn' t reach the seat, which is where the vent tube is for the belt.

Soarkrebel; Just when I thought you where a real ATV person you had to go and say something about SU-SUCKY[:' (]. Now lets be real almost any mag. or ATV comparison literature will say su sucky are the worst. They have more problems then a drunk hooker with aids.



Like I' ve said before a machine has to be what the PERSON wants, not what everyone else wants them to get. Polaris, Honda, Yamaha are probably the top choices (OF COARSE WITH POLARIS BEING #1, THE BEST, AWSOME:D). The best way for a person to figure what they want is to go to the dealer and ask questions, go for a test ride, ask friends if you can try there machine, etc...Most Polaris owners will let you take a test ride on there machines because we have nothing to hide, plus we know the machine' s can handle being treated rough. Those guys that ride those honda' s well some will let ya take a test ride, but most are too afraid to let someone else ride there machine because they know they' ll find out the truth. They' re afraid to admit they didn' t make a good choice and they want other people to be with them:D:D:D.
If I' m typing to fast for you Honda owners I can slow down and let ya catch up, you guys are used to that, just like trail ridding:D:D. If ya just want to go ridding then buy a honda, but if you want to ride with the big boys then ya best get a POLARIS.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Now 722 i said they were great in the mud. i watched a guy go through a hole that we all had to winch out of, polaris included. he just played in it and made us all shake our heads. it' s that diff. lock!
and i know one guy that has one that has been to he** and back and still going.

I wouldnt buy one though. my kawasaki has an unknown amount of miles. it is a 92 and still going. i have had to do a lot of repairs to it. i can' t keep water out of the front end. i have change every seal and vent hose several times. but it is still a dependable wheeler.
i hate to say this but it really is preference. and a very important factor in how long anything lasts is maintenance. and how it is ridden.
you have to take care of them. i just did my spring oil change on my honda last night. i change it every spring and fall whether it needs it or not. i also change the front and rear oil. make sure it has a clean air filter and really inspect the machine after i ride. if it is broke i fix it.
if you do these things i think most major wheelers will last.
And with as many zerk fittings as a polaris has you probably will spend a lot of time greasing!:D

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Soarkrebel You bring up probably the most important thing of all. Without the proper maintenace any ATV will fail. Yes you are right Polaris does like there grease fittings, it doesn' t really bother me, I' ld rather have a grease fitting instead of some cheap bushing that' ll wear out. Did you say you were getting ready for spring, we' ve still got more then 3 foot of snow on the ground:( Now one more thing you talked about su-sucky again if you keep this up we' re going to have to wash your mouth out with soap:D:D

To all the people that said they own, and, or like honda, when I' m putting them down I' m only kidding nothing personal. Like soarkrebel said it really is a preference thing(just like ford ver. chevy) coarse I like jeeps):D.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

i was talking to a honda dealer the other day. he said now days all are pretty good bikes,but hes found out that the 300- 400 class are usually the best and most maintenance free. he said the 300 was the best bike honda has ever made

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

bennie he was probably right . there are bunches of fourtrax 300' s running around . i am not sure about the ranchers they seem to have a following. my next will be a rancher in 2wd for my boys. they are wearing tires out on my kawasaki to soon and they are expensive.
My foreman s is a 450 and has 2500+ miles on it. the only thing that has broke was a cv joint boot. my fault! in the process i did change one ball joint that i didnt like.
I am going to get the disc brake conversion some time this year i hope. and i want some sealed front bearings will i am at it. my bearing were good but the sealed bearings will be much better.
i do try and avoid alot of water. it isn' t good for any of them. but it can be fun every once in while.:D

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Soark, just so you don' t feel bad the CV Boot on a honda goes all the time, due to clearance. I owned a 300 fourtrax, it was a great machine (other than some cv boots and lack of real tow power), but good on gas, quite and no costly repair bills. Knock on wood the foreman I have has only blown one CV boot and has 1500 miles on it. My polaris Sportsman is a better ride than the Honda, but the starter is terrible, other than that she' s been good. I second it is a bear to grease the nipples and work on. However I can get my snow plow pan and starter off in about 10 mins now. They are all pretty tight to get a wrench on, I THINK(Hondas and Polaris are all I have really worked on)

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

skeeter one cv joint ain' t bad taking into consideration the places i ride. and i have boot guards! i have found that you need to try and go through any brush straight as possible. that way the guards work.
my kawasaki i have replaced probably 5 or 6 boots. much cheaper than the cv joints.
the foreman s has plenty of pulling power. i have over towed with it pulling firewood . clutch still going strong.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Soark, no arguements here!!! I really can' t say anything bad about a Honda.

Just wanted to let you know CV boots can be the price of admission in areas we hunt. Your not alone on CV boot rips.

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

http://www.2faroffroad.com/html/warning.asp

Here you go the new honda warning labels!!

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

:D Well I have a 94 Suzuki King Quad 300 & I love it...like others have said, that differential lock sure does make a difference....I love the idea of been able to run in 2WD when the going is good & been able to switch to 4WD when the going gets rough & when i gets really rough, lock everything up.....with my King Quad, I have the best of both worlds...wouldn' t have any other, but then again that' s my own .02 cents worth....Brampton Mike [8D]

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

soarkrebel your to much:D:D:D I didn' t think Honda needed warning labels, I didn' t figure they had enough power to do any harm:D:D

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

Honda is definatly tops. Along with Yamaha and Kawaski.
Look around, you will see many old Hondas that are still going strong. You don' t see many older Polecats, er Polaris' they are in junk yards!
I wouldn' t trade a 16 year old Big Red for a new Polaris. My best hunting buddy has a Polaris and it stays in the shop way more than in his garage! (and this isn' t an isolated case!)
When he got his Polaris he said they sell more than any other bike, must be good!
No, they are cheaper! You still get what you pay for!

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

:D:D:D:D very nice!!!

RE: Polaris vs Honda
 

JagMagMan your funny that is a good urban legend. Did you hear the one about the guy with one arm that hunts kids up on lovers lane, they can' t catch him because he drives a polaris and the cops all have hondas:D Or how about the town named Honda it is a sad little town, no one there is happy, it' s where all the honda owners go when they realize they have a problem. Instead of AA it' s called HA. The first step is admitting:D
I understand why you make up stories and get mad at us polaris guys. It' s because you keep smashing your knuckles while fixing your honda:D If you notice I keep on smiling that' s because I can ride without working on my machine all the time.
Have a good weekend everyone