Polaris Sportsman

[Paystar]

Bought my first Sportsman 500 H.O. back in 2004. It's the 04.5 half year model with the updates. One of the best purchases I ever made. It plowed my yard for 8 years plus all my trail riding. Only ever changed the battery and tires. NOTHING else. Has been bulletproof. Only today just noticed it needs rear wheel bearings.

Also have an 09 Sportsman 300 for my kids. Only issue with it is it is hard starting in the winter. But no mechanical failures.

So when it came time for another new one as my kids are outgrowing the 300 I naturally went Polaris, even though my fantastic Kubota dealer sells Can Am.

Well I have to say, I am disappointed in the build quality of my new Sportsman 570. The good....it will outrun my 500 by a huge margin. It rides like a Cadillac and the power steering which I always thought was foolish...is amazing. It is so nice to ride.

The bad....the day I picked it up, the salesman and I noticed the side panels did not fit and stay in pace properly. So he ordered new ones. Still the same. Polaris's answer......drill holes and put screws or push pins in the bodywork to hold it in place.
Then it was hard to shift. And the coolant kept going down. Brought it back to dealer for warranty. Found out the clutches were out of alignment and it had a bad water pump housing. Then they gave me a bill for $56 to use the warranty at 25 hours!! Not to mention the $90 PDI I paid when I bought it.
Called Polaris.....they said, that is normal. There is a deductible to use the warranty!!!!
And the water pump housing is still leaking around the gasket.

And the first ride the Lock and Ride windshield cracked around all the mounting bolt holes. No warranty on that.

Pretty disappointed on this one. Either going to replace it with an RTV or a Can Am now.

 

[timswi]

Sorry to hear about this. I've had my Sportsman 570 Touring for three years and haven't had a single issue with it. Your dealer should be fixing that for free regardless of what Polaris says. I like Polaris's machines but not a fan of the company mainly due to accessory fit and finish issues.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Man that stinks. Had one of the earlier vintage and was great like yours. We have a canam four wheeler and I wouldn't buy one again. No issues really with it but I wish we had bought a UTV at the time in its place. What we did just buy was a kubota rtv x1100c and it's awesome. It is slow but will pull my trailer around like nothing is there and the four wheeler would be screaming.

Brett

 

[Clint S]

My panels fit like crap too. At least you have not had the random shut offs, horrible heat on your leg and bad starter issues many others have had..............

 

[Paystar]

Yes, had the heat issues also Clint S. Just had it in for that non-mandatory recall. They put an extra side panel on that now completely closes the full side in, and added a tiny heat shield above the exhaust pipe. Now there is a tiny cheap snap in door you have to remove to check the oil. I'm sure those clips will get brittle and break off before long.
As for the heat now.....can't tell, it's been below 0*C on my last ride.

A lot of my problems were bad dealer prep, but it is Polaris's complete lack of trying to make things right that turned me off.

But like I say, build quality aside, every time I ride it I love it. But it just left a bad taste in my mouth right from day one.

 

[Paystar]

Some other tips for anyone interested. I used the Lock and Ride plugs to hold the passenger seat on, thinking it would be nice and easy to take it on and off when not needed. I used a flat blade trailer plug for the light and heat power.
But they do not stay tight. I'm going to have to bolt it on.

And that seat......it is a Bronco Made by WES. It has heated grips and seat cushion. If you ever buy one...do something to protect the bottom of the bottom seat cushion. Mine already ripped open after the first couple rides....just from rubbing. So put some kind of abrasion protection under it.

 

[ovrszd]

Bummer. I struggle to overcome that disappointed feeling. Hope things get better!!!

 

[Paystar]

I know what you mean ovrszd. I had bad dealings with my Ford dealers, changed brands because of it, now the same guy owns my Polaris dealer and after being happy with my new brand of auto's....having issues again. And same even with the class 8 trucks.

It's like you just can't win, LOL. Not worth losing money trading stuff off. I gotta just learn to live with it.

 

[ovrszd]

Always surprises me how easily a manufacturer will cut quality to increase profit. That's such a short term fix.

I'm not bashing JD at all here so hopefully I won't offend anyone too bad. I believe JD's trek down this path is why we have such a diversity in brands of Utility sized and down tractors now.

As Kubota grows they too will face this issue.....

I bought 3 new Polaris ATVs from 2000-2004. Last being a 700 Sportsman. All great machines. Again, sorry for your hassles.

 

[Ortimber]

I have a love/hate relationship w Polaris. They are comfortable, powerful, and generally fun to ride. Unfortunately their quality and general lack of attention to detail drives me crazy. Wiring and connectors in particular seem to be sub par as compared Japanese brands.

So, I have compromised. I own Honda and Polaris machines. Hunting and exploring, the Honda’s go. Breaking down in the middle of nowhere isn’t fun. Recreation, checking on critters, getting a couple of bales of hay for the horses, I grab the Polaris. I will say they have a better rack system than Honda.