I went to the Goodyear Ride Now dealer today to check out the Polaris Sportsman.
That is my #1 choice for the utility class right now. I hadn’t seen one in person yet but I have watched all the YouTube videos. I was somewhat disappointed in the suspension. While the arms looked fine for trail riding and the mounting tabs were gusseted, it all seemed a but weak for a bike that’s going to be tipping 1000+lbs with a rider. I wonder if it would stand up to the Baja even at the slowest pace.
The suspension may be stronger than it looks but the radiator hose is definitely in a bad position. It hangs down a little bit below the bumper and is right there in front of the wheel, just begging to be torn open by brush, rocks, cactus, or whatever else you might run in to when you’re least expecting it. A front skid plate or bumper guard would definitely be needed there.
The seat was pretty comfortable and the width was great. All in all, I still think this is the best utility quad in stock form for a long race.
I did play around with the Can Am 1000 (I forgot the model name and the Can Am website is down right now… psst If you guys need a reliable web host, try me out! I do trades!)
The seat was too wide and the track felt narrow. It had the look of a hybrid Sport/Utility but based on my first impression, I think it might lack any “Sport” performance.
Those were the only two quads I looked at. The salesman was cool and I will go back to Ride Now once it gets closer to buy time. I’ll also try hitting them up for a sponsorship.