Picking first UTV?

[AlaskanDad]

Brother-in-law had a 2009 Polaris RZR 800 decked out. He loved this thing, and was a real treat to ride in, but after a few hundred miles the belt slip and then after another chuck of miles it busted something internally and would not turn over any more. He eventually fixed all this and sold it. Not because it was unreliable (he is known for breaking motorized equipment).

Anyways, fast forward a few years and my wife and kids are getting excited about purchasing out first SXS. However, there are a few issues we're worried about. After doing some research online and talking with locals, Polaris has issues, which appear to be related with their PVT. This is their biggest gripe and did not mention anything else requiring much maintenance.

Problem is, I've always wanted a Polaris since drooling over the Scrambler 500 after it was released. I've owned a Honda 300 back in 1999, and it was a great machine. Naturally we decided to stop at our local Honda dealer and liked their offering and price range, especially the 700-4 model. With this we could take out kids riding on the weekends. However, there is a small issue, My wife was in an accident last year and still recovering from a spinal fusion, and seizures. Therefor, she will probably only ride on the beach and a few groomed trails for the next few years. My daughter may or may not ride, she is only three years of age and a very cautious child, but my son will (5 y/o) ride all day long. Thus, it will likely be me and my son riding 80% of the time.

So this bring the shopping process full circle and decided to look at other manufactures. We REALLY like the Yamaha Wolverine Spec-R, and my wife found it very comfortable in comparison to the Honda. Though, I am unsure if they allow test rides like the local Honda dealer. Having done research on the Yamaha CVT system, I feel confident with this manufactures reliability.

The Wolverine is on the outer limits of our budget. They want $12,999 with included winch and roof. This dealer has it marked down from $13,499.

Anyways, I do not want to rule out Polaris and curious if there is a after market clutch kit that fixes the known problems and how is rest of the machine. Most of our riding will be moderate cruising with some spirited driving with my son once in a while. Other wise just a simple trail machine with excellent seats is needed. Would like it to be reliable since we live in Alaska and worried about being in the bush...stranded...

Any input. I am not brand loyal and willing to listen to any unbiased information.

 

[XMICKEYX]

You might look at the Kawasaki Teryx 800 also, They make it in a two seat and four seat version, both models are built on the same platform. With the two seater you get a larger dumping bed and tons of rear storage, with the four seat that storage and bed is taken up by the extra two seats. The seats in the Teryx are super comfortable and it also shares a similar cvt drive setup as the Yamaha. I have a 2012 teryx4 that I regularly beat the crap out of and it has never once let me down in 2,300mi. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with either Yamaha or Kawasaki, hope this helps.

 

[Steve0]

I also agree with the Teryx. I had a 2 seat 750 for 5 years. The thing was built tough and never let me down. If the Teryx is in you budget, I'd go with it. I don't know anything about the Yamaha, but if you've done your research and feel comfortable with the manufacture, you probably couldn't go wrong with that choice either.

 

[AlaskanDad]

We're going to check out Kawasaki tomorrow, or maybe later today if we can find someone to watch the kiddos.

Nice thing about the Yamaha, I can drive it home since it is 6 miles down the road and a full size trail runs all the way 80 miles south along side the main highway. The other shops will require delivery since they can not be driven through town. Sadly, they do not deliver around here. Should never have sold my truck last year, and not sure if my car will sell easily since it's a manual.

 

[jajl22]

Can you street legal UTV's in Alaska?

Might be an option for you to look into since your spending a chunk of change on it, could potentially be another street vehicle for short jaunts and such. Along way away in the desert of Arizona we can and it is fun for the kids to take them around in it every once in awhile, just a thought i had while reading your post.

What model Polaris are you interested in? They have a lot of offerings in a lot of different price ranges, and on most of them the belt is super simple to change if it was ever to break on you...I would equate it to about as much work as putting a spare tire on minus the danger of getting hit by a car and struggling to get the jack out from the contraption under the seat haha!

 

[AlaskanDad]

Sadly they are not street legal in Alaska, although some smaller villages allow ATV's to be used around town. My neighbor is from one that allows this and is primarily a Honda village.

However, I have seen some putter along side the road at 25mph going between trails.

We're looking at the RZR 570 which is a great price! Also we're looking at RZR 900 and RZR S 900.

My concern is reliability with the belts and all information point to Polaris needing a new CVT system. However, there are options with aftermarket for this. So, would love to know about anything else concerning Polaris reliability.

Today we took this kids over to their grandmothers and then ran my mother around for the day. We decided to stop at the local Arctic Cat deal and test fit a Wildcat Trail. My wife LOVES the seats. She thinks they are far better than the Wolverine.

Nice little machine, but worried about ride comfort for her. As stated, she will just do cruises on side roads and the beach, which we live about 2 blocks from. Otherwise, it will be me alone, or with kid, or with my best bud on some fun rides.

Personally, I really like the Wolverine.

 

[bdk]

I've owned 2 Kawasaki teryx's (2011 2 seat & 2012 4seat) and now own a 2014 Rzr XP 900 and an Ace 570. I have had a blast with all of them and they are good machines but the Kawasaki's build quality is far better and the transmissions are on par with the Yamaha and use a very similar clutch. I think you will find that the seats in the Kawasaki are extremely comfortable and the suspension is a little more plush than the Honda. It is no where near as good as the suspension on my Rzr but that's built for a whole different purpose. If kawasaki every releases a long travel machine I'll probably be selling my Polaris's immediately. I also like the Teryx4 because there is very little compromise to have 4 seats. Most 4-6 passenger machines are very long and can be a bit cumbersome on tighter trails but I really didn't notice much difference between my 2 and 4 seat teryx's. Obviously the Honda gives you the best of both but the Kawasaki is a very close 2nd if 4 seats are required. If your only looking for 2 seats I would still consider the Teryx but I think the wolverine r-spec would be my choice in your price range. Excellent suspension for trail riding and good blend of sport/ utility with good ergonomics. Good luck with your purchase, there are a lot of good machines out there and they all seem to do one or 2 things better than the others so make a list of your priorities and I think you'll find there is a machine that's perfect for you.

 

[AlaskanDad]

Would love a four-seat machine, but the only one remotely in our price range is the Honda 700-4, and while it is a nice looking machine, my wife needs something with nicer seats and a smoother ride. Trying to keep this under $13k, and while waiting another summer would have some extra cash. We really would like something sooner, rather than later.

She wants the Wildcat Trail over the Wolverine because of the seats. However, we really need to test ride both machines to know which has a smoother ride. Would love to just replace the seats in the Wolverine, but do not like the idea of having to make any fabricated modifications on a new machine.

Thinking about looking at John Deere's Gator 860i. My neighbor is the mechanic for the shop that sells them and even with him being a Honda guy, he said they're worth looking at.

Anyone know about the 860i, or have personal experience?

 

[Ali Baba]

We love our Kawi's! Solid platform. I have over 8k miles of playing on mine.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AlaskanDad]

Sharp looking machines.

Edit: Would have to drive 3 hours to view one of the Kawasaki's in person. The local dealer is a nice guy, but he has not had a UTV on his lot in over a year. I think he only orders them with cash down.

 

[AlaskanDad]

Update: Wife initially decided on a Wildcat. She loves the seats, and the price is right. However, after learning the Yamaha YXZ seats fits directly into a Wolverine, we decided to stop back at the local Yamaha dealer and test the seats out in a YXZ. . .She didn't like them.

I then asked her to sit in one of the Can-Am's and she wants one badly. So now were researching these machines.

How are the CVT on Can-Am's, in comparison to the others?