# Polaris Sportsman 700???



## NorthernRedneck

Just got back from looking at a used one with fairly low miles for the year and all around in good shape for a good price.  Are these good atv's? 

My other option in my price range is a Yamaha 400 4x4.  It's 2 years older with more miles for the same price roughly.

I'm leaning towards the 700 simple because it's closer.  The 400 is 7 hrs away.  I also looked at an older 400 sportsman but one walk around it and that was enough for me.


----------



## AAUTOFAB1

Polaris makes great machines(very durable but not as fast),do you have a dealer close buy? the ability to get parts easily is always a concern to me. some thing to think about if the closest dealer is  Yamaha.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

The polaris rode like a dream.  I'm going to pick it up tomorrow.  Dealers aren't a big issue.  The yamaha dealer is closer but there is also a polaris dealer within a couple hrs each direction.


----------



## thcri RIP

I have a 700 and had 2 500's.  If I ever buy again I doubt it would be a Polaris.  My 500's had lots of trouble and my 700 I am not sure was any better.  My 700 had a defective water pump from the factory a recall was made and fixed but until after I believe the motor was wrecked.  The water completely leaked out on it three times and the hot light if no water would not detect it.  At the end of the first year the motor started knocking really bad after using it for two or three hours and totally lost all power.  Polaris would not stand behind it.  I have the rig yet today and only use it at my cabin for moving the dock in and out of the water.  Mine was a 2002


----------



## BigAl RIP

I have a 2006  500 and a 2008  450 Sportmans and love them . The ride is excellent and I love the independent suspension .On my bad back it is very easy . I have had very little trouble with any of my machines and would buy another in a heart beat .The only way it could be better would be with power steering . 

 A good friend has a 700 sportsman and the amount of power is scary !!! He also has had very few if any problems that I know of . A 700 can not be pull started if the battery goes bad , which you can do on a 500 or 450 .


----------



## NorthernRedneck

I plan on getting a plow for mine this fall and putting it to work this winter doinng my driveway.  This one looks to be in very good shape.  I couldn't beleive the ride.  Like sitting in my lazyboy at home riding that thing.


----------



## thcri RIP

If getting a plow get the good Moose Plow. We had one of the Mooses and a standard.  You could move a lot of snow with the Moose. Another thing to keep in mind when plowing snow. Once the snow has set after moving it the ATVs have a tough time of moving it a second time. Starting out push it as far back as you can.


----------



## AAUTOFAB1

thcri said:


> If getting a plow get the good Moose Plow. We had one of the Mooses and a standard. You could move a lot of snow with the Moose. Another thing to keep in mind when plowing snow. Once the snow has set after moving it the ATVs have a tough time of moving it a second time. Starting out push it as far back as you can.


 

Now i know why you polaris stared knocking after a few hours of running.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Thanks for the tip.  When it comes to plowing, I'm knnda lucky where I live.  I have an open emtpy lot across the street where i can push my snow.  the whole block across the street is open and everyone pushes their snow there so it makes it handy.


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

i own a sportsman 550 and work on some of the other models here where they are used quite a bit polaris has a great ride but they arn't built like a yahama honda or a suzuki and i wont even try to compair the bombadier  quads i find the polaris built cheap the 700' are prone to cracking the y pipes and carb boots also the rear axles arre at too much of an angle the 4x4 system with electrical actuated sprags are a cheap way to get 4x4 wth out a locker and you must hold down a button to get the 4x4 to work in reverse the plastic over the exhaust gets melted on hot days and on the 700's darnd near impossable to change pluge with out dissassembly save your money buy jap or canadian don't know much about the new a/c products but i have an old 300 that cost me nothing more than gas and 1 cv boot in the last 10 years but now the engine is wore out


----------



## thcri RIP

AAUTOFAB1 said:


> Now i know why you polaris stared knocking after a few hours of running.



Sorry but the 700 never saw a plow. My 500's each had plows. 

My 700 had a piece of shit plastic water pump the would allow the coolant to leak out after it got warm.  The temp sensor would not detect it thus running the motor under extreme hot temps.  This was a major recall for Polaris for that year.  Unfortunately Polaris would do nothing about it leaving a bad taste in my mouth over it.


----------



## Doc

Given the choice I'd go Yamaha.  Mostly because of my experience with Yamaha's.  Like Honda's they are bullet proof.  I've known folks who have Polaris and after hearing of the issues they had I stayed away from them.


----------



## thcri RIP

Doc said:


> Given the choice I'd go Yamaha.  Mostly because of my experience with Yamaha's.  Like Honda's they are bullet proof.  I've known folks who have Polaris and after hearing of the issues they had I stayed away from them.




I think if you are going to go easy on it and use it for chores around the place it will be fine.  It is a nice riding rig.  Maybe I was just too hard on them.  But of course the others would have been also.


Upnorth


----------



## 300 H and H

I have an Artic Cat 400 4WD an 03 I think. It has been good to us so far. My daughters ride it much more than I do however...

I just know that other than maintanance, I rarely have to do anything with it. So far anyway, so good. Your milage may vary however.

Regards, Kirk


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

the other thing is all the electrical connections are small computer looking contacts that once corosion sets in they melt away you have to remember uphere in the bush most familys don't own cars they all have a snowmachine and a quad and polaris quads just don't ho;d up to every day use the local chief mechanic even said the stupidest thing ever did was tru to put wheels under anything he has owned yamahas up until last year when he got a new shaft drive 6x6


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Here she is.  A couple from when I picked her up this morning and one after I took her out for a mud bath in the feild across the road.

I don't plan on giving her a hard life.  Mainly for hunting and trail riding.  Also plowing snow.  So I think it will last for a long time barring mechanical problems.  I'm not one to pound my equipment.  My snowmobile still looked like the day I bought it 9 years later.


----------



## bczoom

Congrats!

Now that I see it, I believe the guy up the road has the same machine.  It seems to work well for him.  I do recall something about be careful when you replace the belt.  I'll check with him but as I recall, there's 2 different belts for that particular machine (depending on year?).  If they put the wrong one in, it won't be right.


----------



## Dargo

thcri said:


> I have a 700 and had 2 500's.  If I ever buy again I doubt it would be a Polaris.  My 500's had lots of trouble and my 700 I am not sure was any better.  My 700 had a defective water pump from the factory a recall was made and fixed but until after I believe the motor was wrecked.  The water completely leaked out on it three times and the hot light if no water would not detect it.  At the end of the first year the motor started knocking really bad after using it for two or three hours and totally lost all power.  Polaris would not stand behind it.  I have the rig yet today and only use it at my cabin for moving the dock in and out of the water.  Mine was a 2002



There used to be around 6 guys riding Polaris machines when we went riding.  Now there aren't any.  Every one of the guys had problem after problem until they finally dumped Polaris.  IMHO, it seems Polaris is a leader in innovation but has a severe reliability problem with their new technology.  Based on what I've seen and resale value, I can't see me ever owning a Polaris made machine of any sort.  Just based on my observations of others loosing their ass with them.  I'd be extremely hesitant to use one to plow snow.  We don't get much snow at all and none of the Polaris machines guys have in our group have survived plowing our average of 14" of snow per year.  I suppose if any had one, they would have survived this last year.  For the first time in around 60 years we had zero snow over the winter and it never even got cold enough for any of the lakes to skim over with ice.  Very much out of the ordinary.  I blame it on me buying a 10' blade for the front of my tractor this last fall.   We've been having far heavier snows in the winters and I've made nice side money plowing.  Not this year.  Hopefully your Polaris is an exception to what I've seen.


----------



## Dargo

BigAl said:


> A 700 can not be pull started if the battery goes bad , which you can do on a 500 or 450 .



I can pull start my Suzuki 750 King Quad, but it's not something I'd like to do often.  When it yanks back, it will try to take your arm off!


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

the other cold weather issue that polaris products have is they are dry sump engines and more than once the oil foams up in the oil tank and ruptures the tank so if using it in the wingte good advice is keep it in a garage  kind of like Big Als krusty


----------



## NorthernRedneck

That thing has Balls!  Just to see what it had, I got a slow rolling start on it earlier and decided to pin it in 2x4.  It spun the rear tires for 100 ft.  The ride is amazing!


----------



## muleman RIP

groomerguyNWO said:


> That thing has Balls!  Just to see what it had, I got a slow rolling start on it earlier and decided to pin it in 2x4.  It spun the rear tires for 100 ft.  The ride is amazing!


You been around Zoomer too much! Lets have a lotto on which bone you break first!


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

groomerguyNWO said:


> That thing has Balls! Just to see what it had, I got a slow rolling start on it earlier and decided to pin it in 2x4. It spun the rear tires for 100 ft. The ride is amazing!


 no broken bones comming polaris quads are like krustys and will break down shortly if it ever dies after crossing water there is a drain plug in the bottom of the magnito case


----------



## BigAl RIP

dds said:


> no broken bones comming polaris quads are like krustys and will break down shortly if it ever dies after crossing water there is a drain plug in the bottom of the magnito case


 


 I'll have you know, you "wingnut", that my Krusty has never broke down on me when running ,Of course I have never had the KT3 out of the shop yet


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

BigAl said:


> I'll have you know, you "wingnut", that my Krusty has never broke down on me when running ,Of course I have never had the KT3 out of the shop yet


 you never drive them i took another party in to the hills last night to look at musk ox and now i'm getting ready for another 50 mile trip 1 way towing up 500 gallons of gas for the university of alaska fairbanks have fun trying to keep up with the krusty


----------



## BigAl RIP

dds said:


> *you never drive them* i took another party in to the hills last night to look at musk ox and now i'm getting ready for another 50 mile trip 1 way towing up 500 gallons of gas for the university of alaska fairbanks have fun trying to keep up with the krusty


 

 Well .....I had good intentions , but then all these naked women started wanting me to take them . I just could not say No ! So here I am , stuck helping naked women feel better . It's a thankless job .


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

ok Al maybe thhats what Groomerdude will do with his polaris i still think you need to come north with it we can go down to the local bar and pick you up some big ones to shoe horn into it that way you can demonstrate the top secret heavy weight capabilitys of the krusty


----------



## bczoom

groomerguyNWO said:


> That thing has Balls!  Just to see what it had, I got a slow rolling start on it earlier and decided to pin it in 2x4.  It spun the rear tires for 100 ft.  The ride is amazing!





muleman said:


> You been around Zoomer too much! Lets have a lotto on which bone you break first!


Lean forward, very far forward.  I did that on my Kaw 700 when I got it.  It had so much torque it flipped over backwards in about 1/2 second.  I had no time to react (and wasn't expecting it), so I went over backwards with it.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

bczoom said:


> Lean forward, very far forward.  I did that on my Kaw 700 when I got it.  It had so much torque it flipped over backwards in about 1/2 second.  I had no time to react (and wasn't expecting it), so I went over backwards with it.





I finally got out for my first real ride with it.  I love the ride this thing has.  We only went out playing for an hour riding over a swampy muskeg trail. (yes, there was mud flying)   

At one point I was buried in a muskeg hole almost up the fenders and it never stopped.  I'm very happy so far.  Quite the improvement over the old trike I was riding the past 2 years.


----------



## Doc

Sounds good.  Glad it is working out so well for you.


----------



## muleman RIP

Have you noticed how he has not complained about the knee since he got the new toy??


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

glad he likes his toy i would rather use my jeep or snow trac on the tundra the only thing i use quads for anymore is to hunt off of i stillhook up a tow bar and tow it to base camp


----------



## NorthernRedneck

muleman said:


> Have you noticed how he has not complained about the knee since he got the new toy??



It still hurts like a SOB!!!

I just like that I can get out of the house and do something without walking too far now


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

glad you are having fun but how long till it acts like a krusty and beggs you to work on it


----------



## NorthernRedneck

dds said:


> glad you are having fun but how long till it acts like a krusty and beggs you to work on it



Hey now  That's just mean comparing my polaris to a krusty.  I'll have you know that it has already seen more action in the snow in the past week then BigAl's Krusty collection probably will in the next 5 years.


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

sorry i just had to poke fun i hope it orks out for you them polaris rigs are spunky with a good ride


----------



## NorthernRedneck

That they are.  I know they have their problems just like any other machine out there.  I do love the ride on it.  Feels like I'm sitting in my recliner while going over rough terrain.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

I picked up a storage seat/backrest for this this weekend and mounted it up solid.  The seat cushion is removable but it doesn't take up any room.  I have lots of room on there and I'm 6'2".  While shopping for the seat(which I got on a clearance sale btw), I found a fender mount storage bag also on clearance.  That will come in handy for holding smaller things like ammo, hunting knife, TP, snacks and drinks, etc...

Next thing to go on will be a gun rack for the front but I won't do that till the fall unless I find one on sale now.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Since I know we all like pictures, here are a few from my ATV trip yesterday.  I drove an hour west of here to meet up with a friend and head out riding for the day up in the hills.  There are bush roads that loop around the back and climb up to access the pipeline right of ways up there.  
It was a gorgeous day for riding.


----------



## muleman RIP

Be careful out there. 21 years ago on this date is when I broke my head riding gaslines in the mountains. Ended up with a lot of metal in me.


----------



## Doc

Yesterday was beautiful here to.  Thanks for sharing the pics.  What a view!!!


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Doc said:


> Yesterday was beautiful here to.  Thanks for sharing the pics.  What a view!!!



The view up there was amazing.  I had only ever been up there a couple times in the past with a snowmobile in the winter.  You wanna talk fun!  Try that!  There's a video of that area in the winter some friends of mine made.  I'll see if I can dig it up.

EDIT:

Here's the video of that area in the winter.  We went to the top of that hill but didn't brave going down.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cakX5MVQ1UE"]Riding at Death Valley      - YouTube[/ame]


----------



## muleman RIP

Is your snow all gone? That view is why I live up on top. Sure is nice to see the seasons change and watch weather roll in. Real pretty country up there. What elevation is it?


----------



## NorthernRedneck

There's still snow in some areas that are shaded.  But for the mostpart it's all gone.  I'm not sure what the elevation is there.  I'd have to look it up.  It's not that high but rather the steepness of the cliffs in that area.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Still lovin the 700. With our new seasonal site being where it is, we have access to countless miles of trail right from the camper without the need for trailering.  My son has his little yamaha breeze 125 which was my grandfathers before.  I have the 700.  So I introduced my fiancee to atv's a couple weeks ago.  She loves it.  Wouldn't you know it, she gives me the go ahead to start shopping for a cheap atv for her to use out at camp.  I found her a nice little Polaris trail boss 250.  It's in alright shape and had brand new front tires but needed new rears.  I pick up the rear tires friday and plan on hauling it out to camp that evening with the family for a week of R&R.


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

my wife has a big boss 500 and one of my kids bought a 600 like yours they both like them but, nobody pays me to keep them running rear wheel bearings on the 6x6 are a annual pm action now, just take them out and throw them away and buy new. the 600 it had 3 separate charging problems this spring, now the cv boots have all cracked and 1 cv joint is out guess who gets to pay to fix them. my bombardier has run flawlessly with no problems since I changed the starter sprag on it and also uses less gas.


----------



## Bamby

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've read where Polaris utilizes a AWD system instead of a true 4WD. I know with several manufactures a person can select true 4WD and then have the confidence that engine breaking and the front axle or wheels will provide a breaking effect when descending steep grades. I've read somewhere whereas with the Polaris AWD system the front axle may fail to engage in such a situation leaving the back axle sliding for lack of traction and a person forced to utilize their brakes to slow their downhill decent. This isn't a situation I'd like to find myself in personally I'd rather rely on a true 4WD system to do the work and leave the the hastle of utilizing breaks out of the picture.


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

the Polaris AWD system is an electronicly controlled sprag in each wheel which locks and unlocks as required. by doing this Polaris can get away with a cheep solid spool in the front end instead of an expensive differential or a more expensive locking differential. A sprag is a one way clutch of sorts and needs to be manipulated differently to work in reverse the reason for the override switch on the handlebars. as for the need for braking down hill it's not too necessary as there isn't much engine braking available with the Polaris belt drive system, once the throttle is closed it just freewheels. if all the tiny brakes are working the Polaris will stop well on any hill but, their brakes are so small they don't last long. the other thing is that the special hub oil in the hubs will break down and needs to be changed on a regular basis or the sprag wont work smootly and stick in and out.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Still lovin my 700.  Been getting a lot of use out of it out at camp.  We can go right from the camper through the campground to get to the trails.  I hauled out 2 of the three atv's last weekend to camp for the summer.  Went for my first ride of the season last weekend.  When I got back to camp, I noticed a torn cv boot on the rear axle.  So, back on the trailer it went and back to town.  I replaced the boot this week and have it almost all back together.  What a greasy mess that is to change a cv boot.  First time doing it.  Went alright except that I managed to mangle and bend the snap ring on the axle shaft that holds the bearing in place.  Try finding a new snap ring.  Sheesh.  A city with 110,000 people and only one freakin snap ring to be found.  I spent the last two days searching every parts place in the city looking for one.  Finally located the right size one and came home tonight to throw it all back together.  

Heading out with a group of guys on saturday to do some atv'ing.  Was beginning to think I'd have to take the missus' old 250.


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

the boot angles are extreme on Polaris products and that will be a regular occurrence, along with accelerated wear in the cv joint. I'm glad you like the machine but as said before Polaris isn't my first choice, unless ride quality is the number one priority.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Went out playing in the mud today.  It was pouring rain this morning but that didn't stop us.  I went out with a couple other guys exploring a trail system and playing in the gravel pits.  We had a great time.


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

those old Honda 300's made a good name for them selves here in bush Alaska. those Polaris machines will never live as long as that old Honda unless you just don't use them. the Honda has such a legacy that folks in the villages call all machines a Honda instead of quads, kind of like you all cannucks calling a sled a skidoo.


----------



## JimVT

drove one on tracks I think it was a 8 or  900 Polaris. it seemed to do ok.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

That old 300 did alright today. Kept stalling for the first bit till we figured it was starving for gas. Turns out the guy forgot to open the vent on the cap. Today was the most fun I've had in a long time other than in bed. 

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk


----------



## NorthernRedneck

We did a good mixture of riding today. Some gravel pits. Some tight trails with rolling bumps. Some rocky hills. Some mud. A few small creek crossings. And one flooded area. 

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk


----------



## Rotteuxx

Hey !

I've been browsing this thread looking into reviews for a 2003 Sportsman 700 Twin. I saw this add on Kijiji, comes with F/B wenches, backseat, front cargo, mag and ITP tires, supposedly well maintained,  for 3500$ CAD.

It would be my first ATV, just moved to the country with my brother here in Bryson, Qc. 42 acres of hills (old 1900's granite mine that got renaturalized  ) and kilometers of Federated trails all around. So main use would be as a workhorse (small to med logging, small trailer pulling, etc)  and 2nd would be riding of course.

So in your experience since you've had a 700 for over 2 years now, would this be the right ATV for this kind of use ?


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Not sure how it will perform as a workhorse.  Should do OK since it was the biggest atv offered that year after all.  I haven't had any major problems with mine so far though I've heard poor reviews about the polaris atv's.  I paid $3200 for mine two years ago.  Compared to anything else out there in that price range that was similar in size, I think I did alright.


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

Rotteuxx said:


> Hey !
> 
> I've been browsing this thread looking into reviews for a 2003 Sportsman 700 Twin. I saw this add on Kijiji, comes with F/B wenches, backseat, front cargo, mag and ITP tires, supposedly well maintained, for 3500$ CAD.
> 
> It would be my first ATV, just moved to the country with my brother here in Bryson, Qc. 42 acres of hills (old 1900's granite mine that got renaturalized  ) and kilometers of Federated trails all around. So main use would be as a workhorse (small to med logging, small trailer pulling, etc) and 2nd would be riding of course.
> 
> So in your experience since you've had a 700 for over 2 years now, would this be the right ATV for this kind of use ?


for work and towing get a bombardier traxter


----------



## Rotteuxx

Well, I decided to go with a BRP...

I tried my brother's '14 Outlander 800R and was sold on the Outlander line-up. I found a nice 2010 650 XT with only 3300km on it, driven by a retired wife who followed her husband around on it... can't say it got beat up at all, couldn't find any decent scratches anywhere.

Payed twice what the Polaris was going for but i got a real sweet ride with 60HP on it, gotta love Brp engineers.

Thanks for your insight !


----------



## Snowtrac Nome

I run a traxter 500 the thing pulls like a diesel pretty good on gas and about impossible to roll. if there is a down side it is that it rides like a gen 1 dodge truck.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Snowtrac Nome said:


> I run a traxter 500 the thing pulls like a diesel pretty good on gas and about impossible to roll. if there is a down side it is that it *rides like a gen 1 dodge truck*.



I had one of those.  Basically weld the axle right to the frame and call it a suspension.  Tough truck though.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Went out again yesterday for a few hours riding. Brought the oldest boy and his little 125 Yamaha. The thing still looks and runs like new for an '89. It was my grandfather's. I remember him taking me out riding it when it was new. I was the same age as my son.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Still have the old polaris 700. Still runs great and rides like I'm sitting in my recliner at home. About the only thing I have had to do was replace a couple split axle boots. I'm shopping for a replacement though. With my back issues now I don't get out riding the way I'd like. So now I have an itch for a side by side. Needs to be less than 60" wide to fit on my trailer. I was looking at a cf moto 500 today. Nice machine and well built but not much for leg room. Only a couple inches wider than the polaris. I'm in no rush. I'll find something.


----------



## Duder

NorthernRedneck said:


> Just got back from looking at a used one with fairly low miles for the year and all around in good shape for a good price.  Are these good atv's?
> 
> My other option in my price range is a Yamaha 400 4x4.  It's 2 years older with more miles for the same price roughly.
> 
> I'm leaning towards the 700 simple because it's closer.  The 400 is 7 hrs away.  I also looked at an older 400 sportsman but one walk around it and that was enough for me.


I'm new to this,I have a question about my polaris sportsman can you help me out


----------



## Melensdad

Duder said:


> I'm new to this,I have a question about my polaris sportsman can you help me out


what is your question?


----------



## Duder

I have 2006 700 sportsman it dies when I give it throttle I was told it was the cdi box it is no longer available is there something else I can do to replace it with another year model or an upgrade


----------



## NorthernRedneck

I just checked my go to parts source for obsolete parts and saw a few cdi boxes listed for your bike. Check ebay.


----------

