Polaris Atv, Are Polaris Atv bad for ice fishing?

I have the same 2011 500HO. Works great even in the crap conditions we had the last 2 winters.

I also had a 2012 Polaris 500 HO. After reading the reports of them not starting in cold weather, I sold it with only 418 km on it. I have yet to replace it. When I do, it will probably be Yammy 700 grizz.

Kawasaki 650 straight axle always started I also live in sudbury area.I own 2 now have a 2006 and a 2014.The 2006 has 11000 kms and was used for fishing only never let me down.The 2014 now has 1300kms and is used as a fishing machine also.We get cold temps up here and have not had any worries about taking them into the backlakes all year round.

No problem with my kawi in the cold

I have a 2006 SM H.O. Only starting problem I have ever had was when the OEM battery finally died after 8 years and one cold morning this year. The bike was outside in the open all night and the temp went down to -45. Started after being in the sun for a bit. I tell ya though they love to eat belts. I never travel without a spare and the tools to fix on the fly.

I've got a 2008 500Ho sportsman EFI that I absolutely knock the snot out of every winter in the worst conditions, never had a problem yet.

Reading all these posts has me a little curious. Not one actual account of the sky falling or any brand related problems worth slagging. My bike has never let down. I kick the s--t out of regularly.
I would never sell it based on unsubstantiated rumors.
Enjoy your Polaris, Kawi, Honda, Cat or what ever you ride.

Al

Well how about 5 substantiated "rumours" where we had 7 ATV's , 5 Polaris', 1 Yamaha and 1 Suzuki. At 26 below this winter in Haliburton, only one of the Polaris ATV's started, (it should, it was virtually brand new), the other 4 were dead, so dead they barely started with a boost off the truck. The Yama and Suzuki started both mornings no problem. This past weekend, what fails but a Polaris 500, overheating, not that the rad was overly dirty, all the others went through the same mudholes. There's some substantiation.

Friends yem wound not fire up last winter on the ice..

He said the worst thing about it is the guy who owned the polaris who towed him in took a picture ..

Ice will be around the corner hopefully this year I can get out a little more.

More substantiation. The only bikes we've ever had fail in our hunt camp have been Polaris and arctic cat. Both brands being troublesome, hard to start in the cold and having broke down on the trail more than once. There is one honda that is nearly 30 years old and barely had any maintenance and it starts all the time and runs well. I haven't started my yamaha since march, and I pushed the button yesterday and it fired up instantly. My experience with Polaris has been poor, thankfully I never owned one. My experience owning an arctic cat was TERRIBLE, they build tremendously crappy ATV's. However owning a yamaha has been fantastic! Your mileage may vary, and everyone has the right to spend their money on whatever brand they like.

I know a bunch of people have Polaris and they have no issues... I am happy for them. But this question about recommending a purchase for a new ATV... I strongly stand behind ... AVOIDING Polaris ATV. DO NOT BUY THE NEW POLARIS ATV. Yes all makes can have lemons. But Polaris is vice versa... They get lucky once in a while and make a good one and the rest are lemons. I hate them so much I wish they never existed. One of the worst purchased made in my life was the Sportsman 850. I did pay over $10k for it brand new in 2013. Looks great but looks means nothing when it does not work when you need it to on the ice. Our toys and equipment is very important to us and we all work hard to earn our money. Do not waste it on a company that poorly makes equipment and knowingly do not care to fix the issue. Polaris head office told me not to use the ATV in extreme conditions and my problem would be solved. <-- That is their fix. So if you are okay with that... go ahead and gamble.

Sorry that I multiple posted on this topic and rant the same crap... But I cannot express how I truly feel about this crap they make and put it into people's hands. I am not upset I spent $... $ is meant to be spent and wasted on things we love. I am most upset on how they deal with it and how unsettling it is to be stranded in the middle of the Lake. A few times it almost made me give up on ice fishing completely.

1996 Big Bear - 0 problems

I bought a Honda 450 Forman 4x4 back in 2001. Couldn't be happier with it. Mileage is 8265 km"s.

After nearly 15 years of abuse; it is still going strong. In that time I have had to replace the starter and 2 batteries.

Mine has a pull cord. Nothing worse than being back in the bush or out on the ice and hearing that "click' click" dead battery sound. Gives a person a sense of security having a pull cord back-up.

Highly recommend Honda.

It seems the older Atv makes/models built before 2004 are more reliable than the newer Atv built after 2004, anyone using a newer Atv make/model built after 2007 for ice fishing purpose that has had no issue starting after sitting on the lake for a few hours that is strong reliable for the cold weather temperature?

My 2007 sportsman 450 was a champ last year (first year for me). No starting problems whatsoever.... doesnt like to idle though