Kawy or Polaris

[danny boy]

you may get some bias but at least it will be good bias. haha. No i dont have either but in my bike club there are a few people who own 750 brutes and some 800 sportsman. when we are out on drives i find the brutes would be more fun to drive and be sweet to have. On the many runs with them i found either bike ever had any problems holding up to abuse. The only time i saw the polaris get a little sick was it got its rad filled with muddy sawdust and over heated but that could happen to any bike.
I dont know how either bike stands up to house hold chores but think the 800 would be better becasue of the unlocking rear diff. Not so hard on your grass. other than what i said i cant think of anything else about the bikes.

[86klf300guy]

hello ,well iv seen a brute force pull 3 quads hooked together out of a big ole mud hole,and not get bogged down.i said man when i get momma to give me sum money i am getting me of those,they have alot of pullin power.plus does polaris have such a awesome forum as this one?,where can you go and find out about kawa bikes and have such helpfull people to help when thay go south. -corey-

[MrGiggles]

Kawi all the way, they've won me over. Not to mention I've never been a fan of Polaris, nor anything vehicle-wise american made.

[RCW]

I frequently work on both, and feel they are close in quality.

If I were splitting hairs I would buy Kawasaki, but more from the standpoint that service and parts will be readily available. Just try and find engine and transmission parts for a ten year old Polaris, and then try the same for the Kawasaki.

The real problem I have is paying close to $7 grand either way, when just a few dollars difference will get you a Mule with a diesel and room for the family. The Mule will out pull, out work, and certainly out play any ATV. And with the diesel you can go a week at a time on the same tank of fuel.

If you are a farm or have a business use, the Mule generally raises no questions as to its intent as a commercial vehicle as far as tax issues are concerned. My insurance rates on the UTVs are also way less than the ATVs - enough so, that that alone would pay the difference in price in less than a year.

Also, think about what is coming with new fuel taxes, probable rationing, and the impact on ultimate recreational fuel prices as the new administration tries to pay for promised green programs.

I have both ATV's and Mules, and a Gator. The ATV's mostly sit, and the diesel Mule and diesel Gator are used all the time. Even the kids prefer the UTVs over the ATVs, and I feel they are much safer with real seatbelts and a roll cage, and I have a trick linkage that limits the diesel speed to 10 mph when the grandkids are driving!

Yes, I am biased!

[.22]

I know guys that have pulled a 20 foot long trailer full of logs with a Sportsman 800. It is a beast of a quad. I had a Sportsman 500 and while doing my research I found that Polaris wins when it comes to using it for work. (plowing, hauling, moving anything around) I also put my quad through some insane terrain and it never gave me any problems at all. If you are going to plow with any quad upgrade the front suspension, I changed out the stock front springs with a set from Erlandson Performance and it made a huge difference. Cost was about $100 and it only took about 20 minutes. As with a motorcycle go through a pre-ride inspection. Get a grease gun and keep it lubricated, keep the fluids changed and it will continue to perform.

I did say had a Sportsman, I decided I wanted to get into a motorcycle and traded the quad in for the bike. Seems like trails for offroading are getting closed by the second around here. That was the only reason I decided to trade.

[MrGiggles]

Have you test driven either? That would be something on my to-do list before I spend 7k on a new machine. Your dealer should be more than willing to make the sale of either.