JacobSlabach

Ive never owned a 2-stroke either, but Polaris wont let you down

heres the pic i put up at the beginning btw

I will give that to Honda- they do take about anything you throw at them (at least the es and foot-shifts do) I really dont like how the automatics like the Rubicon perform-- they are 500cc (big) atv that feels like its got a 110cc engine in it) I will say that after watching my buddy run his 02 Sportsman 500 70+mph (no joke) and jump it over 4 feet in the air over and over again and swamping it just about every week with no snorkel and mud/water up to the racks, I feel pretty good about how Polaris (at least the sporstmans) hold up. His carb finally blew up after keeping the throttle pegged on some trails for over an hour.. He takes care of other peoples stuff..not his own.. He used it this way for i think about 4 or 5 years before the carb blew up and he popped a front axle.. now hes switched over to his 04 sportsman 400 and uses the 500 for parts..

yea some folks are like that... just out to scam people.. I got screwed on the bayou 300 I bought too.

did that come with a mounting plate?

yes definitely the worst mistake you can make when buying a used atv- getting in any kind of hurry.. dont ask me how I know-- just check out my thread '97 bayou 300 runs bad'

Like my dad has always beat into my head, the best vehicle/atv is one that runs, gets the job done, and is paid for. As for experience, I got into atvs when I was around 10 and only just got my first one (the bayou) in June knowing nothing about them. Everything I know now is thanks to youtube and this forum. I'm really in the same boat as you. As for the winch, you can get it mounted on anything- my bayou was by no means built for a winch, but I used a piece of steel to 'bridge the gap' and just bolted the mounting-plate to that. I'm surprised your bike doesnt have diff lock? I thought all bayous at least models like mine had it.. It definitely helps with 2x4.. weight... yes it certainly does! If you throw 400 pounds of sand/salt bags on your racks, you can pull anything. thats one thing I was impressed with my bayou. I made a dump trailer for it that had the capasity of 3 wheelbarrows and loaded it down with mulch and it pulled it up a steep bank no problem. I'd sell you my 97 bayou 300 right now for $1200..or even $1000. its got a tick in the exhaust rocker.. I dont want it because of the whole cvt/4x4 thing I already told you about..well I guess you already know all about it from the '97 bayou 300 runs bad' thread.

biggest con is most definatly the trans. Even that 'automatic' bikes have transitions like cars and have trouble finding the right gear to give that perfect balance between power and speed that you get with cvt, which for me is everything. Another one that comes to mind is the rigid axle in the rear. VERY easy to flip and trust me, I know from experience. at least the bayou has two shocks in the back and a flex axle where one side can absorb and still give the other side support. But for me, the trans is the biggest flaw with hondas. if you took a cvt trans with the same power and an automatic trans and raced them, the cvt would win every time. but if you were looking for just a ride here or there farm use bike, a honda would probably do great. I do agree that they are great bikes, just not as good as polaris, yamaha, arctic cat, or canam but dont get me wrong, I'm not a Honda hater- just not for high performance which is what I'm looking for.

yea ok. my main point was that a Honda could not stand how I drive atvs. Did not mean to throw shade at anything, I would get a Honda to resell if I found a good deal too.. just wouldn't want it for myself.

I agree that Hondas are crap as far as performance and durability. If i were to drive a Honda like i drive my bayou (and that still doesnt hold up), the Honda turn out looking like the one above... I know no life but the savage full throttle wound out life... Polaris and Yamaha are the way to go

lol also dont want to leave out the other folks that helped out on this thread too.. 😎👍 Thanks guys!

As far a Kawasakis go, I'm not a fan. the Kawasakis I have known/driven have not been built/held up well. I had nothing but trouble out of mine..(I do realize it was beat to pieces before I got it and like you, I paid an ram and a leg for it and have put in almost twice as much as I bought for it) For plowing, I have never gotten the chance to plow with an ATV, (bayou never held up long enough to get a plow on it ) I think a bigger 4x4 cvt beast would do better for plowing. Also, I think maybe efi would perform better for cold starts...? I just got a Polaris sportsman 500cc 4x4 and its a 900 pound pure beast! Still getting it running but I think that would do awesome for plowing! Anyway, I'm not trying to be the jerk that always tells you you made the wrong choice... I think my bayou is just a beat up lemon. I think this bike would do awesome for plowing!! I got beefy 25 inch wheels on mine and it gets so much traction, its scary...and its 2x4... I think the worst thing you can do is question your decision on which bike you bought. Just jump in and be all in with this bike rather than wishing you got something else or a different model or whatever..

I would ALWAYS go with cvt for atvs.

lol thanks and no, its a real bike- still get the tick on the exhaust, I'm hoping to order a new valve rocker and axle soon. And no I'm anything but a mech professor... I'm 15 and just getting started with engines- this was my first tear-down. Huge shutout to Frank for the awesome help on this bike!!!👍👍 would not have attempted this without this forum.

I think the difference between the products that harbor freight sells and other products is that their are more lemons. (this applies mainly to their badland winches and the predator engines) I think you should give them a second chance. you can get like 5 badland 2500 winches for the price of 1 warn 2500 winch...

I mounted my badland into the bumper of my bayou with the mounting plate onto a 1/8" piece of garden bed liner... thought for sure it would snap first time I used it but i guess bed liner is tempered and it has never bent out of shape or snapped and Ive done stuff to it that made the winch complain. Parked the bike behind a stump and pulled a shed upright with it- I know for a fact that it was pulling a LOT more than 2500 pounds. It was an oak stump and it started breaking lol... didnt do a thing to the winch or homemade mounting plate.

Wheres the fuel pump vent? I see three lines attached to the pump- one going to the gas valve, one going to the carb bowl and one attached to the top end of the carb. As for the rolling, it was like that before the axle popped out, but I will still throw it on a jack and see how free the front wheels are. Does anyone know if these polarises have diff in the front? should both wheels be spinning when I turn one side?

personally a yamaha/polaris guy. really like those newer yamaha kodiak 700s never was into kawasaki or suzuki and never will be...

update: I got the bike running today using another gas tank and gravity feeding it. It was still stuck in high so and the idle was screwed up to half throttle so it was a hectic ride... anyway, when I was riding it, I looked down and the pump was shooting gas out the hose (even with the valve off). hooked the gas line back up to the carb and ditched the makeshift supply. My mistake was to forget to turn the valve back on and I ran it dry so now I'm back where I started. Is there some way to 'prime' the pump so I can get gas to the carb to start the bike? Once the bike is running, the gas is just pumping away, but nothing comes out while I have the starter pegged. Also, the bike seems to be almost impossible to roll even in neutral. Is this normal for these bikes or might there be a brake or axle locked up? It seemed to take about half throttle to get the bike to move in high.

I was thinking about a daytona floorjack from harbor fright

I say they have really great value on most everything they sell for the price. I bought one of their 6.5 predator engines for a baja minibike and would buy one again- never had any problem out of it and I ran the crap out of it (including flipping the minibike upside down once lol). I think their winches and engines have awesome value. Would not recommend a socket set form there...

BadLand winches are sold at Harbor Freight. dunno if you have those retail stores down there...?

good reliable one to start on! Where you finding those??? I never heard of a sportsman 500/570 new for under $6000

I;d go with polaris or yamaha if you want performance (will cost a little more to fix up), honda if you want it to last forever with little upkeep, canam if you plan to race or want 'crap your pants' speeds. I love the Polaris Sportsman and Yamaha Kodiak

yep. got one of those on my Kawasaki bayou 300- never let me down (used it to pull a shed upright that was falling down, and to lift the front of my atv when I replaced the front shocks). I lost the remote, but just bought a rocker switch on ebay or amizon for $12 and it works just like a WARN winch now.. I'd go with the BadLand winches any day of the week cause worse case, you can go though like 4 of them for the price of a Warn the same size. They even have free-spool (and of course in and out) so you dont spend all night just letting the winch out. It is louder than the warn winch that came with my polaris but the warn sounds like its grinding gears lol I'll just run it till it stops and then get a badland for it.