ATV Television - 2002 Big Bore ATV Roundup Part 2 of 2

[@whytezombie]

I've driven many brands but I do own a 02 sportsman 700....having said that, your reviews are 80% opinion and 20% useful information. I don't typically write negative comments....heck I rarely comment at all....but this was terrible. I was expecting you to give one ATV a positive for its paint color but not mention it has 3 wheel drive as a negative.

[@rundownaxe]

I followed your advice on the prairie 700 and i am so glad! It will haul my father's 26 foot boat. And haul my a** fast enough to stay with racing quads on everyhing but the fastest trails. In the mountain trails with lots of hills the ''engine'' brake and pure torque for going up makes me get the upper hand. Kawasaki struck gold with the prairie. Thanks to you i own a prairie instead of a grizzly. Even with thumb limiter i would not let a kid on this machine.

[@Kostelnick]

polaris sportsmans are one of the best atvs out irs is great their awd system is the best in the industries the new 500 has the highest ground clearance in its class and they have the most sealed storage they have descent stock tires and a very comfortable seat lock and ride racks that hold more weight then most that 06 sports an 500 is a very good and reliable atv

[@ATVTVCOM]

Let me count the ways; We like two brake controls. We like engine braking that goes to all 4 wheels. We like an automatic transmission that engages at a lower rpm and doesn't leave the belt spinning when not moving. We like a real 4wd system that allows us to run an open dif or locked front differential. We like 4wd to work in reverse without having to push a button. And we like an ATV that you just ride and not take to the shop.

[@vondutch5690]

i got a 2002 sportsman 700 its the best bike i had i drove a kaw honda and yamaha and i love my sportsman way more and i dont need high revs to get it to move and put it in low and get it gas you will pop a wheelie and my steering is bettter then the kaw honda and yamaha

[@dharmi44]

Driven both an 03 Sportsman 700 and 08 Kawasaki 650 Brute Force (succeeding the Prairie). The Sportsman drives like a Cadillac and floats over the rough terrain the BF is like driving a tracked Abrahams tank, hard to control and you feel every freakin' bump, if you wear dentures you'd loose them all after 100 feet of riding!

[@ATVTVCOM]

So true. The biggest issue to us was reliability. Next was the braking and lack of engine braking.

[@GusgusA1]

Martin Short predecessor of the brute was the prairie you mean

[@dharmi44]

Thanks, hope it reads better now!

[@ATVTVCOM]

Pretty much...You won't have any trouble finding parts. Plus they are very reliable.

[@ATVTVCOM]

It is one of my favorite ATVs - good at a lot of things.

[@The02polaris]

well im not going to argue with you about some stuff about the polaris 700 but i still still love it and pulls like a dream

[@dankruger2890]

Great review. I took it all in. It is so much fun having a lot of atv' brands to choose from when making a decision to buy a wheeler. I find it very interesting what people like and dislike. Its so hard to give a review when a atv can be used for so many different things. Personally I look for comfort-ease of ride and then storage-hauling ability. Mainly using my atv for hunting and family trail riding. I need to haul on a family trail ride, chairs, cooler, big bag for cloths, guns, gas can and safety gear. when hunting I bring pretty much the same thing except I need steel line so I can wench a deer-elk up a hill If needed and haul it to camp. So a big bore is a must and hauling capacity is very important. Its mazing how much power(hp) you need when hauling a deer up a hill. When hunting we do go places that are to small for a side by side. So I bought a 05' Polaris mv700 and it is perfect. I love the comfort and how it takes more throttle to take off and the one break lever. But I can also see why someone wouldn't like though feature if they ride in rough trails and need more control of the machine.

[@DukeWhite04]

Good Video, lots of people only ride one brand of ATV and it leaves them believing that is the way all atv's drive and handle. Some swing arm atv's are as smooth as IRS for example. I had the same problem with the polaris 700, I found in the rough stuff it was almost jumpy because of the un-sensitive throtle. I really like the Vinson, I never feel bad letting the kids on it, low range, 4x4 it's a real sturdy, perdictable machine. I find the grizzly tippy sometimes. could be IRS though.

[@ATVTVCOM]

@hipowercycles Thank you. Thank you very much (that was done in an Elvis impersonation by the way;-). Unfortunately we only had the time (and money to take the time) when we aired on The Outdoor Channel. Now, as an internet site only we just don't have the resources. It is indeed a bummer....

[@ATVTVCOM]

I don't know but it kept going - I think keeping it running is the big key.

[@junvaleriano7074]

What do you consider high miles for a atv in the usa? Here in New Zealand we do about 12,000 miles a year here on dairy/sheep farms .the biggest seller here is king quad 400 use to be Honda trx 300 by far and then trx 350 ,the 420 to light a lot of farmers traded these in for Honda 500 which is 2nd most sold atv in NZ, The vision 500 is sold in high numbers too its wet brakes a big plus now.

[@MrDudeAwsome237]

I've talked to the guy and he said there have been no problems exept one and it wasn't no big deal but the water pump seal went bad it's nice clean and low mileage

[@ATVTVCOM]

@The02polaris I agree - kinda ;-) If you've read my blog, "These are a few of my favorite things!" you'll see a whole bunch of Polaris machines on there. I hate some things about them that's for sure, but I still love them for the things they do that other machines can't - or just aren't!

[@old509cc2]

try switching the plugs for the grey and brown wires runin down to the hubs. check your fluid in the hub too. My 99 only had one tire spin like yours because the spedometer went out awhile back. Since the 4WD runs through the spedometer it created the problem. hope you get it workin

[@midwesternoutdoors]

I might be getting a sportsman 700 2002 for 3000 is it worth it?

[@ATVTVCOM]

They still make it with different plastic and call it the Brute Force 650 so everything's still available if that's what you mean.

[@ATVTVCOM]

All 4! You most likely have a problem with the front drive system.

[@ATVTVCOM]

There are so many variables, but I would look for a clean, low mileage Honda Rubicon, Rancher, Yamaha Grizzly, Kodiak, Suzuki King Quad, or Kawasaki Brute Force....

[@ATVTVCOM]

Interesting to know. Not real sure on miles....but I don't know anyone that puts on 12,000 miles a year! I know many folks that put between 10,000 and 20,000 miles on their machine in 5 to 10 years...

[@pingpingpong13]

I have an 02 Polaris Sportsman 500ho, and I was using the 4 wheel drive and only the right front tire was spinning, not the left front! Are all 4 tires suppose to spin or only 3?

[@codymcclaugherty3210]

I have a Prairie 650 and i Have 2 questions. 1) Can you jump it and do wheelies with it? 2) Is it good at hill climbing and going through mud holes? The video only showed it going over rocks.

[@ATVTVCOM]

That depends on the condition...

[@Mikes_rc_adventures]

love the reviews and ive learned so much from them but theres one atv i know very little about i just know it seemed to be very reliable and thats the magnum 425, what do you think about it

[@ATVTVCOM]

Well, not really a Polaris mechanic but I'd say the hub is broken.

[@fishnquad1]

how was the sportsman not swamped from that water crossing it showed???

[@pingpingpong13]

Ok I have been looking at it for the past days and I have found that the axle spins but not the hub? What do you think that might be? Thanks

[@TobiasKIversen]

2012 kawasaki brute force 750 is a awesome machine

[@MrDudeAwsome237]

Is theyre any problems with the 2006 polaris sportsman 500ho efi?

[@colepegelow63]

What kind of winch setup and mount is that on the prairie? i have the 2003 and cant find a good setup that keeps it centered. all the ones i find are putting it to the side.

[@ATVTVCOM]

Sorry to not be of more help but we filmed this some 14 years ago :-) It looks like a factory mount. I have a personal Prairie that has a Warn winch on it and it is centered - I think....

[@colepegelow63]

ATVTV ok i will see if i can look into it online and see if i can find it somewhere possibly. and i understand it was that long ago lol just was curious. thank you though for responding!

[@MrDudeAwsome237]

Would u say it's good for a first REAL atv I've got an 86 Honda fortrax 250 and hate it and was lookin for a new one and found an 06 Polaris and just looked at a bunch of reviews and such and thought I would ask an expert

[@whytezombie]

Or the fact that I see a review that's not done well. Or the fact that I have had no problems with mine. Or the fact that I know how to ride.

[@turbolq4]

You probably broke one of the wires that goes to the hub. take the tire off and inspect the wires that run down the strut.

[@theak07]

Great test! Most honest I've seen so far. Now tell me what happened with tests this days! money? $)

[@ATVTVCOM]

If you do not mention all the nice talking points in the corporate propaganda you are not likely to receive any more test units for review. and I must say that it's understandable from their point of view....why give anyone a machine to test if they are not going to say nice things about it. It's al a very sharp and two-edged sword.

[@theak07]

Right, but there's almost always some things to say nice about any machine. Usually some are better in this field, some are in another. But now there are so many reviews that are bluntly lieing!

[@ATVTVCOM]

Alexander Kolos Equal parts ignorance of the machines (a lack of experience) and needing to make sure you continue to get units to test.

[@theak07]

Is that you do as a hobby or job?

[@ATVTVCOM]

Alexander Kolos I've been in the motorsports media full-time since 1995. Started ATV Television on The Outdoor Channel in 1999. Stayed on TV through 2009 and have been on the internet since then.

[@polrais850xp]

I Love my 2009 850xp polaris!!!

[@MrDudeAwsome237]

Is it a good strong AWD atv?

[@ATVTVCOM]

@DukeWhite04 Great points.

[@codymcclaugherty3210]

Oh ok thanks!!!

[@ATVTVCOM]

I say almost everybody has an opinion. And most opinions are based on your personal experience. Most people really don't spend much time on any ATV other than their own. The other 'opinion' is that most people feel the need to 'justify' that they own the best ATV. Otherwise they would have to admit that they don't. What's the chance of that happening?

[@shmelfdog5000]

we bought our 2002 for 2000 but it was only a 500

[@ATVTVCOM]

With all those facts you must be right then ;-)

[@Mikes_rc_adventures]

ehh dont plow with them the 4wd tends to stop working

[@wyattlockhart2546]

Would you say that the Prairie 650 is noticeably faster than the Vinson 500?

[@ATVTVCOM]

VERY noticeably faster!

[@MrDudeAwsome237]

I say 99% of the comments on the sportsman 500 are opinions

[@MrDudeAwsome237]

Why is that

[@ATVTVCOM]

Certainly not one of our favorites

[@ATVTVCOM]

@rundownaxe Yeeee Haaaaaa!

[@ATVTVCOM]

Old machine.....

[@ATVTVCOM]

The fact that you own a Sportsman 700 might explain your commenting ;-)

[@ATVTVCOM]

Nothing other than the typical polaris problems.

[@ATVTVCOM]

So the Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, Arcitic Cat, Can Am, Kymco automatic ATVs and UTVs are not belt driven? Hmmmmm. I will say the Polaris is the only ATV with a spinning belt and no centrifugal clutch system and it does require at least 500 more revs than the other ATVs to get moving. That's just silly, but the most dangerous part is that due to the Polaris drive system that all the engine braking goes only to the rear wheels. Stupid and dangerous.....