2008 Polaris New Model Introduction

Words: Lance Schwartz
Test Rider: Lance Schwartz & Joe Tolle
Photos: Wayne Davis/Lance Schwartz
Video: Joe Tolle and Byron Goggin

The Scene
As my American Airlines Boeing 757 lined up for landing at Reno/Tahoe International Airport, a look out the left side of the plane exposed California’s beautiful Lake Tahoe. This gorgeous body of water is tucked between the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the west and the Carson Range to the east. It’s no wonder Mark Twain declared Lake Tahoe as “the fairest picture the whole earth affords.” I’m not so sure anyone could have put it more eloquently! For their 2008 new product intro, Polaris chose the high desert of Reno, NV as the location to debut their exciting new models. With an elevation of approximately 5,200 feet above sea level and the ambient temperature approaching 100 degrees, myself and ATV Scene video vanguard Joe “Magoo” Tolle were on a mission to ride every new model we could get our sweaty palms on. Our hard work (hey, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it) produced some really cool photos and video that will likely tell you how stoked we were with many of Polaris’ offerings for 2008.

 

 Sport
For 2008, the Predator name has been rendered extinct like some of the creatures they were once named after. From this point forward, all sport models will forever be dubbed Outlaws. The Outlaw 500 joins the Predator models in retirement as well. The only returning Outlaw model is the Outlaw 525 IRS, which is essentially last year’s Outlaw 525 with B.N.G., (read “bold new graphics”). The exciting news is Polaris’ announcement to jump into the 450 high performance market with their new Outlaw 450MXR and the Outlaw 525S.

 

Outlaw 450MXR:
The Outlaw 450 MXR houses a high-revving KTM powerplant mated to a 5 speed transmission with reverse. The engine features 11:1 compression, a 39 mm Keihin FCR-MX carburetor, and most importantly, a sweet Magura hydraulic clutch. The 450MXR sits on lightweight aluminum wheels wrapped with 20” Maxxis Razr MX front tires and 18” Maxxis Razr MX rears. Handling suspension chores are Fox Podium shocks sporting reservoirs, compression and rebound adjustability. Suspension travel comes in at 10” up front and 11” out back. Dry weight is 365 pounds.

 

The excellent suspension on the 450MXR made it easy to rail around corners.Riding the 450MXR was an absolute blast! The KTM 450 pulled hard from the bottom to the top and its broad powerband allowed the machine to be lugged a gear high fairly easily. The front Fox Podiums were absolutely awesome! The rear Podium on our unit was fair. If we had more time available to play with the compression and rebound settings, I think we could have gotten the rear dialed in as well as the fronts. But, with our limited seat time and the fact that our 450MXR test mule was being ridden by more people than the employee of the month at The Bunny Ranch in nearby Carson City, it was easy to understand why we couldn’t quite get the rear dialed in to our exact specs. The Outlaw 450MXR feels really small and maneuverable and it was able to handle pretty much everything I dished out.

 

Outlaw 525S and Outlaw 525IRS

Both the Outlaw 525 IRS and Outlaw 525 S feature a high performance, 510cc, 4-valve KTM engine with an 11:1 compression ratio and a 39 mm Keihin FCR-MX carburetor. Both units also incorporate the phenomenal Magura hydraulic clutch.

The excellent brakes and solid rear axle made technical rock crawling a breeze!The Outlaw 525S, with the “S” standing for “Sand”, has a solid rear axle while the 525IRS incorporates Polaris’ PRO independent rear suspension. The 525IRS weighs in at 395 pounds, while the solid axle 525S saves you 20 pounds for a total dry weight of 375 pounds.

 

Riding the Outlaw 525S was an incredibly fun experience. I think Polaris may have taken some suggestions from the public, who have been requesting them to build the Outlaw 525IRS with the option of having a solid rear axle as opposed to the IRS. In doing so, they created a killer machine. The KTM 525 pulls significantly harder than the 450MXR at all RPM ranges. The solid rear axle also allows you to ride it really hard into the corners without the machine rolling on its chassis.

While the engine is superior on the 525, I preferred the suspension on the 450MXR. There was a bit more adjustability on the 450MXR’s Fox Podium shocks with external reservoirs compared to the 525S’s reservoir-less Podiums. Ironically, the shock choice will most likely allow you to ride the machine with less engine a bit faster. I’m not sure that makes a whole lot of sense, but that’s the best way to put it. However, it would be very easy to upgrade the suspension on the 525S by sending the shocks back to Fox Racing Shox so they could bolt on some reservoirs to the standard shocks. The only thing I didn’t like about the 525S was the name. The “S”, which stands for “Sand”, almost seems like it ought to stand for “Silly”. The 525S does work well in sand, since that’s exactly what our testing conditions afforded us. However, being a native of the tight woods back on the east coast, I think this machine would do very well in woods riding, trail riding, or GNCC racing. The combination of straight axle and killer powertrain could make the 525S the dark horse at your local harescramble racetrack! Trust us, this isn’t just a “sand” machine.

The excellent powerband and suspension allowed us to hammer the terrain, even steep hills like this one.

The broad powerband of the KTM 525 engine may just make it the best powerplant on the market!

The KTM powered Outlaw 525 with a solid rear axle was an absolute blast to tear through the desert.

Utility

For 2008, all EFI models will come equipped with EBS (engine braking system) and ADC (Active Descent Control). Also new for 2008, the Sportsman 800 EFI will come with 10% more power, standard duel exhaust, lower gearing, new EFI calibration, cast aluminum wheels, and a really sweet paint job that makes it nine times more durable than the typical unpainted plastic.

Another exciting announcement is the reintroduction of the Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O., which is a carbureted machine. What makes this announcement exciting is this machine will be priced at a very low $5999. When you take into consideration that the 1996 Sportsman 500 H.O., the parent of the current model, was $6549 when it was introduced back in 1996, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this is a hell of a deal! Since the Sportsman 500 H.O. shares the exact same frame and suspension as its 800 EFI big brother, those that don’t need the extra ponies get a full-featured machine without breaking the bank. That alone makes me a big fan of this machine!

Another new addition to the 2008 lineup is the Sportsman 400 H.O., based on last year’s 300cc Hawkeye. The newest Sportsman shares only the name with his big brothers. The chassis is much smaller than the full-size Sportsman line, which makes this machine better for less experienced or smaller sized riders. Gone this year are the full-sized Sportsman 450 and the Sportsman 700EFI.

The Sportsman 800EFI is very nimble for such a huge machine!

The Sportsman 800EFI slammed through whoops amazingly well for such a large utility quad.

 

Sportsman 800EFI
When I told some of the guys from the other magazines that I liked everything about the Sportsman 800EFI besides the weight, they agreed. When I commented that I really wouldn’t want to be underneath it because of that weight, they laughed at me like I was crazy. What I came to find out is most of them have never been trapped underneath a big bore utility quad like myself. Had they ever been unfortunate enough to have that ugly experience, they wouldn’t have been laughing – I was serious. When they saw me rock crawling this behemoth on the giant slick rocks surrounding our pit area, they got a better idea of the type of riding the ATV Scene crew does with utility machines and my comments began to make a little more sense!

 

When you get past the fact that the Sportsman 800EFI could benefit from the engineers not feeding it Super Sized Happy Meals three times a day, it’s really tough to knock anything else about the machine. It is incredibly comfortable, very nimble, and surprisingly powerful. How a 4×4 weighing nearly 800 pounds can soak up whoops and rocks with the throttle pinned is still beyond me. The big Sportsman was very much in control even though I feel we were riding it outside of the terrain it was designed for. The twin cylinder engine had power on tap to climb everything we threw at it.

One specific feature I really liked was the ADC, or Active Descent Control. Not long ago, Polaris took a beating from editors and the competition because of the inherent design of their four-wheel drive system. The reason was, when crawling down a hillside, the machine would disengage from four-wheel drive and the engine-brake would only provide compression braking to the rear tires. This resulted in severe rear wheel slippage that could very easily result in a scary crash and the potential for a lot of weight to end up on top of the rider. What ADC essentially does it keep the machine locked in four-wheel drive on descents, therefore, transmitting engine braking control to both the front and rear tires. This feature allowed me to literally crawl down long, steep hills with no hands on the bars and without touching the brakes. I certainly wouldn’t recommend doing this, but it certainly proves the ADC and EBS work really well together.

Polaris has made taking a riding partner along a much more comfortable and safe alternative with their new Sportsman Touring machines.

Sportsman 400 H.O
The Sportsman 400 H.O. , which is actually 455cc, probably felt most out of its element for me. The small chassis and smaller carbureted engine really felt the effects of the high altitude. The lack of oxygen is said to actually cut power by about 15%, although I didn’t feel the need to complain about the lack of power on the other machines I rode at this altitude! The lack of power on this unit however was really noticeable to me, especially after riding the 800EFI, and the Outlaw 450 and 525. At 6’2” and 185 pounds, I felt like I was hanging all over the small Sportman 400 H.O. chassis.

Putting me on this small machine and asking me to give an honest opinion is sort of like asking a crack-head if they’re satisfied with the Bubble Yum bubble gum you just gave them. In all fairness, my opinion is probably a little on the harsh side since I am used to riding the bigger and more powerful quads.

What I did like about the little “Sporty” was my ability to climb it through areas that would have ripped the plastic bodywork off the big Sportsman. It’s not a bad machine, but rather, an entry-level machine. It would likely take most riders wherever they need to go. You just wouldn’t get there as quickly, as comfortably, or with as much curb appeal as its big brothers!

2-Up

The Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI Touring ATV. The 2-up class of ATV’s is seeing record growth. To take advantage of the growth in order to gain market share, Polaris has introduced a few additions to their current 2-Up offerings. This year, models include the 700EFI X2, Sportsman 800EFI Touring, and the Sportsman 500EFI Touring.

The 700EFI X2 is very similar to last year’s X2 offerings. The 800EFI and 500EFI Touring models, however, are all-new. Touring passengers will enjoy more room than found on competitive 2-Up models; a larger, taller backrest; soft, vibration-absorbing hand holds; adjustable, vibration-absorbing foot rests and dual cup holders.

They also get the same painted body and aluminum wheels that the single seat Sportman EFI’s have.
Sportsman 500EFI and 800EFI Touring

The Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. Touring ATV. Covering a 2-up machine is a first for myself. My first ride on both the 500EFI and 800EFI were without a passenger. My initial impression of the two is that although they both ride and handle pretty much the same, there is no comparison between their performance capabilities. The 800 absolutely smokes the 500, as you might imagine. With only one rider aboard, the rear-end has a sort of numb feeling not normally synonymous with the Sportsman chassis. In all fairness, we were riding a prototype model that didn’t have the final and correct spring rates. This will definitely change on the production models.

With very little coaxing, we talked Polaris’ External Relations Specialist, Donna Beadle, into getting on the back with me so I could experience how the Touring models feel with a passenger. It was at that point that the typical Sportsman plushness came back. I was very surprised how much better it rode with a passenger, albeit a small one, on the back. Clearly, 2-ups are intended to haul passengers! I’d be curious how well the Sportsman Touring would do with a duo of “beefed up” rider and passenger than our experiment. I supposed I could have had Joe Tolle hop on the back with me to gain that experience. But, my fear of the repercussions and abuse from those pictures far outweighed my curiosity!

Donna and I were able to traverse almost everything a sensible rider would try to conquer. It wasn’t until I was about to rock crawl through a really gnarly trail that I felt the 2-up was out of its element. I simply had my passenger get off, crawled through the obstacle alone, then had her get back on. With a passenger, it’s important to keep in mind that they can adversely affect handling. Experience has taught me if you are unsure you’ll make it through the situation safely, have the passenger hop off.

Check ‘Em Out

We saw a lot of new products from Polaris in Reno, Nevada. As you can see, Polaris has listened to consumers, narrowed their focus, and put together a very impressive selection of ATV’s for 2008. Whether you’re in the market for a high performance machine, a four-wheel drive utility quad, or a machine that you can carry a passenger with you to your favorite destination, Polaris has a model for you.

More at polarisindustries.com

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