Honda vs. Polaris ATVs (1 Viewer)

[egautr1]

Outdoor guys, quick question for you atv owners. Which atv's are better or which would you buy:
A Honda or Polaris??

We recently just bought some property in Miss. and we are looking to get a four wheeler to work and play on and I was wondering which atv's are the best for what we are going to be doing.

We will mostly use it for clearing trails/brush, moving logs/rocks etc., some trail riding and light mudding, hunting, and just playing around. We would need at least a 500cc's, I think, to make do. I am a big guy, 250+, as well as a few other people, so it needs to be strong enough to carry one to two people, but not necessarily one of the 2-ups. Not sure if we need one of the big 700 or 800 cc engines, but maybe.

Keep in mind I never owned an atv before, so I am not sure what all I really need. I have ridden several different ones through the years but never bought one. I want one that is reliable, powerful, and easy to work on and find parts/service. I think I have narrowed it down to a Polaris or Honda, but if you really like another brand please let me know which and why.

Thanks guys, and any comments or advice is most appreciated. Take the poll if you would like so we can compare.

 

[soggymoss]

I'm a die hard Polaris fan.. I currently own a 2012 sportsman 500 and can honestly say as an all around bike its the best I've ever owned... Its very easy to ride and has plenty power but not too much power where it will scare a first time/inexperienced rider... As far as reliability this is the second Polaris atv I've owned and only breakdown I've had was a broken axle (my fault too much throttle in the mud lol)... If you have any other questions about them feel free to ask

 

[egautr1]

I'm a die hard Polaris fan.. I currently own a 2012 sportsman 500 and can honestly say as an all around bike its the best I've ever owned... Its very easy to ride and has plenty power but not too much power where it will scare a first time/inexperienced rider... As far as reliability this is the second Polaris atv I've owned and only breakdown I've had was a broken axle (my fault too much throttle in the mud lol)... If you have any other questions about them feel free to ask

Thanks for the info soggymoss. I like the polaris myself, but my two brother in-laws and some of their buddies say Honda all the way. Say they are more reliable and easier to handle.

The main draw for the Honda's seems to be the hydraulic transmission as opposed to the CVT trannys. But is that a real big deal or is Honda just trying to sell their brand??

 

[soggymoss]

Dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with Honda as far as reliability... They are known for building the most reliable bikes out there... As far as the transmission goes I prefer the Polaris tranny due to the ease of use and also the ease of simple maintenance... It is a very easy bike to maintain yourself compared to a Honda... As far as power goes in Honda you will be severely disappointed after riding it awhile... To me it just never seems like they have that extra oomph that you would want for trail riding (my brother owns a rancher 450 btw thats why I can compare them pretty good)... Another advantage I love with the Polaris is the 4x4 system it is a true 4x4 and not a three wheel drive with a limited slip front diff like Honda offers (although some do have a locker)

 

[egautr1]

Dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with Honda as far as reliability... They are known for building the most reliable bikes out there... As far as the transmission goes I prefer the Polaris tranny due to the ease of use and also the ease of simple maintenance... It is a very easy bike to maintain yourself compared to a Honda... As far as power goes in Honda you will be severely disappointed after riding it awhile... To me it just never seems like they have that extra oomph that you would want for trail riding (my brother owns a rancher 450 btw thats why I can compare them pretty good)... Another advantage I love with the Polaris is the 4x4 system it is a true 4x4 and not a three wheel drive with a limited slip front diff like Honda offers (although some do have a locker)

Thanks again soggymoss, I was wondering about the LSD as well. I guess if I were to get a Honda with the LSD, I need to be sure to get one with a locker correct? That way I can lock in the 4 wheel drive when I need it. What system does polaris have? Do they not have an LSD?? Do they have a locking differential? Thanks for all the info.

 

[0rion]

I have an older (2000) polaris scrambler 500 4x4. I love it. Plenty of power and fun to play on. We mainly use it to play on though. If I were buying one for work I'd make sure it had a low gear which the scrambler does not for pulling. The 4x4 is actually an awd set up....it engages automatically when there's slip in the rear tires. That's a cool option but the trade off is you can't do sprocket swaps or it messes with the awd.

 

[egautr1]

I have an older (2000) polaris scrambler 500 4x4. I love it. Plenty of power and fun to play on. We mainly use it to play on though. If I were buying one for work I'd make sure it had a low gear which the scrambler does not for pulling. The 4x4 is actually an awd set up....it engages automatically when there's slip in the rear tires. That's a cool option but the trade off is you can't do sprocket swaps or it messes with the awd.

Thanks for the feedback Orion. What is the reliability for the polaris? Have you had any problems with it? One of the cons of the Polaris that I have been hearing in my research was that the Polaris aren't as reliable as the Hondas or other brands. But you can't tell from some people since sometimes it is user error that causes the machine to break or lack of maintenance.

 

[0rion]

I got mine from my uncle and he did little to no maintenance on it. I rebuilt the carb when I got it because he had let it sit with old gas in it and clogged the jets up so as long as I was tearing it down that far I just did a rebuild kit since they're so cheap. All that taken into consideration and it's 13 years old and starts/runs like it was brand new. I have no complaints. One thing that might be small to some and a little bigger deal to others is the spark plug location, at least on the scramblers. It's right under the fuel tank so in order to change the plug the front plastics have to come off and the fuel tank has to be removed. Not sure on the Honda's how they're laid out but I wouldn't think the same crappy engineer works for both companies haha. It's not that big of a deal to me but I could see how that would bother some people making a job as easy and frequent as a plug change into a pain in the neck to do.
I do like the fact the scrambler is liquid cooled which is nice to have. I think you'll probably be happy with whatever you get. Make sure you stay on top of the maintenance and it should last you a good long while.

 

[soggymoss]

sorry it took awhile to get back but like Orion was saying on the Polaris you can switch it to 4x4 but the front wheels don't actually pull until it senses slip in the rear wheels. I had a 2008 scrambler 500 before my sportsman that I loved (until somebody decided to be a theif)... What sold me on the 500 sportsman was it was the same exact motor from my scrambler which gave me zero problems besides a fouled spark plug once. It wasn't that hard to change though maybe they got redesigned since the older ones.. My 2012 sportsman has been to hell and back with me as a rider and it has never let up once besides me breaking an axle which I should've changed them when I went with the big lug mud tires anyway... I knew it would've been just a matter of time before I snapped one but hey gotta pay to play especially if you play rough lol

 

[deltadawg]

Honda atv... Polaris Ranger... Only way to go

 

[egautr1]

sorry it took awhile to get back but like Orion was saying on the Polaris you can switch it to 4x4 but the front wheels don't actually pull until it senses slip in the rear wheels. I had a 2008 scrambler 500 before my sportsman that I loved (until somebody decided to be a theif)... What sold me on the 500 sportsman was it was the same exact motor from my scrambler which gave me zero problems besides a fouled spark plug once. It wasn't that hard to change though maybe they got redesigned since the older ones.. My 2012 sportsman has been to hell and back with me as a rider and it has never let up once besides me breaking an axle which I should've changed them when I went with the big lug mud tires anyway... I knew it would've been just a matter of time before I snapped one but hey gotta pay to play especially if you play rough lol

Hey no problem man. Thanks for the info. I was also wondering about the axle set up as well. I know some have solid rear axle and some have the Independent Rear Suspension. Which do you prefer? I know the IRS gives a better smoother ride and get better traction as all four wheels maintain contact more often. But the solid axle gives you more payload and towing capabilities. Is this an option to consider or does it just vary by model and make? Like do the more powerful atv's have solid axles and the smaller cc ones have IRS? So many options to consider it can get a little confusing....

 

[egautr1]

Honda atv... Polaris Ranger... Only way to go

So deltadawg, if you were buying a utility atv, you would buy a Honda??

I have heard the Ranger's are the best sxs, but they are pretty pricey and that would be down the road. I need an atv for right now. And I had narrowed it down to either polaris or honda, but I was looking at the Yamaha grizzly yesterday and it has some pretty nice specs and features. Any thoughts on the Yamaha Grizzlies???

 

[deltadawg]

Yeah you can't go wrong with the rancher or foreman. I own a rubicon and it's the best atv I've ever owned hands down.
If I were gonna go polaris it would be a ranger. But you know polaris has came a long way. They don't make junk like they used to.

Look at the new utv honda just came out with...

 

[Bayouboy]

I have a 1988 Honda fourtrax still going strong (my dad bought it new)....how you like dem apples?

 

[ThisIsNewOrleans!]

I have an 88 model fourtrax 300, an 08 model foreman 500 and the new 2014 model pioneer 4 seater sxs.. Have never owned anything but honda and it will probably stay that way.. You can buy a polaris or a can am and have a little more power and top end speed if you don't mind putting them in the shop and repairing them pretty often.