Polaris Sportsman

In many ways Polaris reminds us of an elite level, professional sports team. Every year they field a championship caliber lineup, and every off-season they continually evolve, sometimes with minor changes, and sometimes by bringing in new players altogether. Our first look at the 2014 Polaris lineup previewed a couple new prospects, but also showed their commitment to the basics that has made them a fan favorite and a perennial contender.

The Polaris Sportsman is quite possibly the most popular ATV line ever built.  Since its inception in 1993, Polaris has manufactured well over one MILLION units, making it the best-selling utility ATV platform in the industry.  But as with anything mechanical, there have been some issues that have come to the surface, and there was a run of Sportsman 600’s and 700’s from 2002 to mid-2004 that were plagued with electrical problems and failure of the ignition system was a matter of when, not if.

It’s hard to find anything about the Polaris Sportsman 550 we didn’t like.  From our first ride, we knew this model was really something special.  The engine is powerful, the ride is satin smooth, and the ergonomics are excellent.  We’ve used the Polaris Sportsman 550’s for every task from casual trail rides, to plowing snow, to pulling logs and they’ve always gotten the job done.  They’re also extremely reliable.

It takes more than a few laps around the track or a quick ride through the dunes to truly get the feel for a machine.  We like to ride it, use it for work, maintain it, and live with it on our turf before we write any review.  It also helps to let many different riders try it as well, and although most machines hit the mark for some riders, there is one machine that is almost universally loved.  Welcome to the Polaris Sportsman 550.