Polaris Outlaw 525 Long Term Ride Test

Words: Joe Tolle
Test Riders: Robbie Fredde, Billy Maddox, Brandon Smith and Chris Earlywine
Photos: Joe Tolle
Video: Joe Tolle and Byron Goggin of Wild Weekend TV

With its super powerful motor and independent rear suspension, the Outlaw 525 is a trail rider’s dream machine. Polaris has jumped into the high performance ranks head first offering not one but three high performance machines in their impressive 2008 line up, including the all new Outlaw 450MX, the Outlaw 525S and returning for the second year, the original Outlaw 525 now dubbed the Outlaw 525IRS. The Outlaw 525 came about last year when Polaris took their original Outlaw 500, the first production sport ATV with independent rear suspension, ditched its mellow 500cc Fuji motor and added a fire-breathing KTM 525 power plant.

Not only did the motor swap pump some serious power into the Outlaw, it also shaved off quite a bit of weight, with the new 525 weighting in at a claimed 395 pounds. The reduction in weight and increase in horsepower were so significant that it elevated the Outlaw 525 from an ordinary sport quad, to a true high performance machine. With a win and several strong finishes in the WORCS Series, Doug Eichner and his new Polaris Outlaw have pretty much confirmed the performance capabilities of the Outlaw 525.

After learning about this machine we talked Polaris into providing us with a long term unit. During the last six months, several test riders and a handful of skilled racers have punished our 525 in both woods and motocross environments while we kept a detailed log of notes. Besides the test riders used in this feature, we acquired the services of CT Racing’s Allen Knowles. “Knowles It-All”, Knowles has a lifetime of ATV knowledge under his belt so we were anxious to hear what he suggests is needed to improve this already steller quad. What’s more Knowles raced an Outlaw 525 at the recent GNCC in Unadilla, NY. We’re excited to be able to offer his valuable expertise so make sure you check out the included video in this article for all of Allen’s trick setup tips.

Technical Stuff

So what’s the big difference between the original Outlaw 500 and the Outlaw 525? Considerably less weight and considerably more power thanks to the KTM 525 motor. The Polaris Outlaw 525 is powered by the KTM 525 power plant which actually displaces 510cc. The motor is a four valve single overhead cam design. Fuel is fed by a Keihin 41mm FCR carburetor. The motor features a five speed manual transmission with reverse. Shifting into reverse is done by pushing the lever mounted next to the thumb throttle and shifting down from first. A hydraulic clutch smoothes shifting effort and final drive on the Outlaw is obtained via a 520 O-ring chain.

Mounted to the Outlaw’s tubular steel chassis are a set of dual A-arms front and rear. The Outlaw’s preload adjustable shocks deliver an impressive 10 inches of suspension travel at both ends. Helping to fight body roll is a sway bar mounted at the rear of the machine.

Slowing the machine are hydraulic disc brakes front and rear. The Outlaw features dual piston calipers in the front and a single caliper in the rear. Combined with steel braided brake lines, the Outlaw 525’s brakes should be a good match for its potent engine.

Two things people dread on big four strokes are kick starting and heavy clutch pull. The Outlaw 525 has neither thanks to electric starting and a hydraulic clutch. As we have come to expect with Polaris, the Outlaw 525 comes with a first rate tire and wheel package stock. The machine features Douglas Ultimate wheels; a wheel that we often choose for our project builds on ATV Scene. For its tires, the Maxxis Razr-R was chosen for their good all around performance and willingness to slide when asked. On a machine with independent rear suspension, it’s nice to have a tire that will slide through the turns instead of hooking up so much that you end up warn out from fighting excessive body roll.

Air filter access wouldn’t be a problem if getting the seat on and off wasn’t such a pain. Apparently the seat has a tendency to come off because ours came safety wired from the dealer. Once you get the seat off, it is a royal pain to get it back into place. Thankfully Polaris fixed this with thier recently released 2008 model.

Rider Reviews
Since this is a long term test, we wanted to put the Outlaw in the hands of several different kinds of riders, so we selected aggressive trail rider/occasional racer Rob Frede, C class racer Billy Maddox and WPSA A champion Brandon Smith to have their way with our long term test machine. Each rider has their own style and varying level of skill and we feel this will help us develop an accurate overall opinion as to how well the machine performs, who it best suits and what you might look for as far as wear and tear goes.

Brandon Smith WPSA A Class Champ
Whats the big difference between a regular sport quad and the Outlaw 525? The extra plush ride of independent rear suspension. A sway bar helps keep down unwanted body roll. 6’-5″ 203lbs
When I first found out that I was going to ride the Outlaw 525 I was excited about the opportunity, but didn’t expect much more than a fast quad with lots of body roll. After spending some time on the machine, I would have to say that I was correct when it came to the motor. The motor pulls hard from bottom to top. I was especially impressed with the machine’s top end power, especially with a stock exhaust. Down low the machine has plenty of torque, but it doesn’t respond quite as quickly as my fully race modded 450R.

I felt that the machine is geared pretty high. It’s extremely fast in wide open spaces. Everywhere I rode, I seemed to ride a gear higher than I do on my race bike. The Outlaw’s smooth hydraulic clutch and strong low end power made it easy to make corrections. If I ever found myself in the wrong gear, all I had to do was slip the clutch to get the RPMs up a bit.

The Outlaw’s suspension works very well. The only problem I had was when the rear end packed up on me in the whoops. I was coming in hot and kept it pinned in third. By the time I hit the third one the rear end started to bottom. The rear shocks need less rebound damping for sure. The machine does a good job of tracking straight in rough rocky or heavily rooted conditions. The suspension is plush on small bumps yet does a good job of absorbing large hits. Coming up short on an uphill triple, I was relieved how well the suspension absorbed the big hit. I didn’t expect the suspension to be that good.

Jumping the Outlaw 525 feels a bit heavy and is a bit harder to throw around in the air than my race bike. Through the turns, the machine has some body roll, but it wasn’t as bad as I originally expected. Actually I didn’t think it had any more body roll than a lot of other stock quads on the market. This was a nice surprise.

Overall, I think this machine would be great for someone who wants a fast machine to take out trail riding or take to the dunes. I don’t think you will see one at the WPSA or GNC series next year, but I think it could be a hit with some cross country guys for sure.

Billy Maddox, 2007 Class MX Competitor
Maxxis RArz R radial tires front and rear work well in most situations. They are claimed to help aid in ride quality and from what we felt we agree. 5’-7″ 160lbs
I used to race KTM dirt bikes, so I knew that the motor would be fast. I also assumed that it was going to rollover a lot in the turns. After riding the Outlaw, I felt that it was at least as stable as one of the 400cc class sport machines, but not as stable as many of the stock 450s. Through the woods, I had no complaints, but felt it was hard to run at race speed through the turns on a motocross track.

The KTM power plant delivers plenty of power. It seems like it’s geared tall, this is especially noticeable back in tight woods. However with the motors strong torque, even on an uphill or gnarly situation you could easily slip the clutch and get rolling. Riding along in third gear, you can lay into the throttle and pull wheelies all day long. On top the thing is extremely fast!

While putting it to the test in the woods I got in some tight spots. I was glad to see that the KTM motor was equipped with reverse. To get into reverse, you shift the Outlaw into first, push the little lever next to the thumb throttle and shift down into reverse then shift back up into first after you’re done backing up. It works very well. I think cross country racers will like how easy and fast you can get in and out of reverse.

Former GNCC Pro Chris Earlywine was very impressed with the Outlaw 525. So much so that he wanted to race one at this year’s 12 Hours Of ATV America this November. We so badly wish he were still with us and able to do just that.

At 47.2 inches wide the Outlaw 525 feels just a bit wide in the tightest of situations, however you’ll be glad for the extra width during high speed cornering both in and out of the woods. I found it hard to fault the Outlaw’s suspension. In tight woods it eats up everything and provides great traction. One wheel could be up on a log and the other would be on the ground. The thing rolls over stuff like a rock crawling Jeep. On the track the machine tracked better in the whoops than my set up YFZ. I was also very happy with the way that the suspension absorbed jump landings.

I felt that the machine’s weight balance was a bit off in the air. For me, it felt as though the rear end wanted to dip out of the sky before the front. This was more noticeable the bigger the jumps.

Overall the brakes worked great. However, I had some problems using the rear brake while sitting. When I was sitting normally in the saddle it felt as though my feet were behind me little. This made it difficult to raise my toes to push the rear brake pedal. While standing, this was not a problem.

As far as what this machine is good for, you could have fun with it at a motocross track. However, it’s not going to be a good motocross racer, but it will work fine for going out and hitting some big jumps. For the weekend warrior who wants something fast for hardcore trail riding this thing is the perfect choice.

The Outlaw’s suspension did a good job of working for a wide variety of rider weights and ability levels. Here, Chris Earlywine flies above the woods on Aaron Meyer’s private track.

Robbie Frede, Aggressive trail rider/occasional MX racer
Polaris’ Pro Steering linkage is designed to help reduce bump steer. With narrow front frame rails, the right amount of rake and a front end geometry that works well, we don’t think this linkage is even necessary. 6’-2″ 275lbs
The Outlaw 525 has a lot of power. It has lots of torque for climbing steep hills and really hauls in wide open spaces. I found myself stalling the machine more than usual in the woods due to its tall gearing. The more I learned to slip the clutch on takeoffs in tight situations, the better it worked.

The Outlaw’s independent rear suspension lets the machine float over rocky stream beds and over logs. After hitting a few jumps on the track I was surprised that even with my 275 pounds on board, I never felt the machine’s suspension bottom. The Outlaw’s suspension worked great as far as I was concerned.

I felt that the ergonomics of the machine were great for a rider my size. It has a reasonably slim midsection that allows you to grip the machine with your legs and overall the machine is easy to move around on. The seat is real plush meaning your tail bone wont be hurting after a long day of riding.

Overall I think this quad is great for the guy who wants something that works better than most quads on the trail and will still keep up with his buddy’s 450 off the trail. It’s just plain old fun! I really like it.

Issues
Don’t take these to heart, some of them were fixed on the recently released 2008 model, like the seat latch. We hear that some seats were prone to coming off on 2007 models. Perhaps that is why they sent ours to us safety wired on. Dealing with the safety wire and the clunky reinstallation of the seat is almost enough of a pain to make you dread accessing your ail filter. Once again, they addressed this on the 2008.

Another problem we encountered was a screaming clutch. Occasionally, the clutch would make a screeching sound. We spoke to Polaris about this and they had never heard of it. We had our dealer take a look at the machine, they made some adjustments and the problem seemed fixed for a few rides, however it eventually infrequently reappeared. We have spoken to several performance shops that have raced the machine and none of them had experienced this noise with any of their machines. Since nothing has failed in the six months of testing the machine, we haven’t been able to come up with a cure. We will let you know if this occurs again when we test a 2008 model.

The Outlaw 525 tends to run hot. Also, there are a few bolts throughout the machine which have a tendency to come loose. You’ll want to Lock Tight these. Click to the next page for the accompanying chart for CT Racings suggested Outlaw setups.

The Outlaws independent rear suspension provides lots of ground clearance and a super smooth ride through logs and creek beds.

Overall Opinion

Over the course of a season of abuse we heard the clutch make a few strange noises, but no matter how hard we rode it, we never managed to break anything on this machine! We will try harder next year, but it seems that the Outlaw is ready to take our abuse. We feel we did a good job of punishing our Outlaw 525 over the past riding season. We can’t imagine anyone besides Doug Eichner who will punish one as much as we have. In the end we were very impressed with this machine’s durability. There are no stress marks anywhere on the frame and for good reason, the suspension works well in stock form and is said to be even better on the new 2008 model.

With the traction, ride quality and ground clearance provided by the Outlaw’s independent rear suspension, the Outlaw is the trail rider’s dream. Its powerful KTM motor makes the machine capable of anything from aggressive trail riding to all out GNCC racing, although newbies will be a bit annoyed with the machine’s tall gearing in tight situations. But then again, this machine wasn’t designed for newbies. It was designed to give experienced riders superior trail handling capabilities with all the power and excitement of a true high performance quad and we’re here to say it does just that.

Even with its IRS it is possible to keep all four wheels on the ground driving out of turns. Our test riders felt that the Outlaw’s stability was comparable to most stock sport quads but not quite as good as most 450s.

CT Racing’s Top 10 Things to do to make your Outlaw better:

The KTM 525 responds very well to a pipe. The CT Sonic Pipe has been the choice of most of the top riders racing the Outlaw including Jeff Hancock for his Off Road Racing effort, Daryl Rath to win the Stateline Supermoto Championship, Nick Nelson for his Polaris Cup Effort, among others. The CT Sonic Pipe utilizes the spark arrestor disc system so you can tune it for both performance and sound. Heat can be an issue in slow tight woods riding and racing. We’ve found that a motor can actually run cooler if you pull the thermostat off of it and run the hose just straight to the top of the head, eliminating the Y section of the radiator hose altogether. The foot pegs seem to be a bit too far back with the seat arrangement. When you get slide forward on the seat it actually is hard to stand up and ride aggressively. We had an upholstery shop add 1” of 00 foam to the front half of the seat, then blend it in toward the back. Then we covered it with a CT Graphics Kit / Seat Cover combo. Change the front wheel hub bearings. The stock bearings are on the marginal side for serious off road racing. If they fail it leaves you with a junk brake rotor, and ruins the spindle and hub. Pick up some quality Japanese bearings at a bearing house. Spend a couple of bucks now to eliminate a big bill later. Istall a set of Fast Flex bars along with their anti vibration bar inserts. This combo can really save you some energy and they’ll take some of the pounding away from your hands and arms. A steering stabilizer is pretty much mandatory for off road riding on the Outlaw. It does not have a lot of caster, this makes it quicker turning, which is good, but it also wants to rip the bars out of your hands when you’re pounding through the rocks and tree roots. The Precision is arguably the best damper you can buy. It is adjustable for range of motion along with stiffness. The expensive dampers like the Precision are stiff when the bars are straight but they brake free when you have the bars turned. So you don’t waste energy cranking the bars when the quad is sideways. A PWR radiator can add some margin of protection for heat issues, especially if you run a lot of tight trails where the radiator is not getting lots of air. We also recommend putting screen or residential heater element foam in front of the radiator in muddy conditions. If you let a radiator get packed with mud, it stops working and you will eventually cook your motor. Stiffer anti sway bars let you be more aggressive with your cornering, so it doesn’t roll over in the corners. We tested two, one from Rath Racing and one from cross country veterain John Gallagher Sr. Both worked well. Aftermarket suspension will help any quad. We turned to TCS Suspension to make our Outlaw better. Their shocks will let you plane the top of the whoops instead of wallowing through them. They’ll also provide plusher ride and more wheel travel. An IMS tank might be a good move on this quad. IMS is making a high capacity tank that allows you to run a million miles before you need to re-fill, so we think you might be able to get to Alaska and back.  It’s nice to have the capacity so you don’t have to worry about fuel on the long rides.

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