2 stroke 3000-5000 miles is it????

[UP Michigan rider]

I was looking at a 2017 Polaris switchback 800 to replace my Apex. However I keep reading story after story of Polaris switchback owners talking about how their 800 engines blew up after 3000 - 5000 miles This would not do at all in the U.P. of Michigan with miles and miles of trail. I'm sticking with my Apex for now

 

[SumpBuster]

My son was telling me he was reading the 850''s on both Poo and Doo are not long for life as they are already riding mountains....2000 mtn miles, super hard by any stretch, is about it. 4 strokes seem to be doing well. I remember holding my 03 rx1 wide open for 7 miles on a reservoir, speedo being optimistic but sitting around 128 to 130, and left the Machz triple's ( one was my previous ride), as they were all afraid to hold them open for that long. Rx1 was like driving down the interstate...no fuss no muss...zero engine worries since switching to yammy 4 strokes.
(not counting the one I seized busting the 'sump' after hitting a buried log...kinda my fault...)

 

[Rich Kay]

Not sticking up for any two stroke ( I like them) but be carful what ya hear..... I have heard from a guy that the apex he bought sucked! because he hated changing oil once a year too!

 

[CCCT]

My son was telling me he was reading the 850''s on both Poo and Doo are not long for life as they are already riding mountains....2000 mtn miles, super hard by any stretch, is about it. 4 strokes seem to be doing well. I remember holding my 03 rx1 wide open for 7 miles on a reservoir, speedo being optimistic but sitting around 128 to 130, and left the Machz triple's ( one was my previous ride), as they were all afraid to hold them open for that long. Rx1 was like driving down the interstate...no fuss no muss...zero engine worries since switching to yammy 4 strokes.
(not counting the one I seized busting the 'sump' after hitting a buried log...kinda my fault...)

Definitely something to be said being able to hold the 4 strokes it wide open for....forever . The only 2 stroke I would feel comfortable doing that with was my old '78 250 ET....from when I was 11 yrs - 16 yrs old, it was only ever WIDE open except for the first start up of the day HA. Too bad there was no ODO on those, i'd be willing to bet I had about 25,000 kms on that thing. Nothing done except add oil, sliders and runners.

 

[whitedust1]

Not sticking up for any two stroke ( I like them) but be carful what ya hear..... I have heard from a guy that the apex he bought sucked! because he hated changing oil once a year too!

So trade oil change and weight for a burn downed 2s. No thanks Yamaha 4s rules!

 

[Macheater]

16 yrs after 4-strokes became main stream and we're still revisiting the pro's n cons of 2 vs 4 stroke.
WOW!

 

[Deeppow16]

Polaris has never had a good 800 2 stroke. If you want a 2 stroke 800 I would go with Arctic Cats older 800 Zuk engine(17' an older sleds). Those motors are very reliable and tough.

 

[snowfever27]

My brother bought a 09 Polaris 800. Burnt down twice before the 2,000 mile mark. I’d steer clear of the Poo 800’s. 2008-2009 were the worst years. But I don’t have much confidence in the Polaris 800. But... My father in law has an 09 Polaris dragon 600 and it has 7,000 hard miles on it. He beats the hell out of it and it just keeps on going. I’d wait a year and see how the 850 patriot does, but I agree with deeppow16, if you have to get an 800 2 smoke, the 800 Suzuki may not be the lightest or fastest, but it is very reliable.

 

[UP Michigan rider]

 

[biffdotorg]

To be fair, let's be realistic about what happens to these 2-stroke engines.

There are rare cases where the engine blows up. When a two stroke guys says he blew his engine, it may be nothing more needed than a top end and pistons. To those that wrench on these on a regular basis, that's a 3 beer afternoon.

So to be clear, we are not talking about the crank going, and all pistons flying through the hood and leaving the chaincase on the trail. Hell, my buddies took delivery of new AC SnoPro's and got spare sets of pistons and rings when NEW!!

That being said, I don't want to deal with it. There are too few weekends to ride let alone wrench. But let's not blow this out of proportion. If you want to talk about expensive crap, ask the doo guys how much it costs on a top end rebuild if it takes out a $500 stator!!

 

[Rich Kay]

So trade oil change and weight for a burn downed 2s. No thanks Yamaha 4s rules!

for sure...

 

[Smokum]

Polaris has never had a good 800 2 stroke. If you want a 2 stroke 800 I would go with Arctic Cats older 800 Zuk engine(17' an older sleds). Those motors are very reliable and tough.

Not 100% accurate. The 2016MY is when they brought out their new 800, which is like the 600 now and is actually a pretty good engine. Plenty of trail guys with 10k+ on them without failure. Now, any 800 they made prior to 2016 was a ticking time bomb.

The older 800 zuke was pretty solid as well.....for a 2 stroke.

 

[72Gran]

To be fair, let's be realistic about what happens to these 2-stroke engines.

There are rare cases where the engine blows up. When a two stroke guys says he blew his engine, it may be nothing more needed than a top and and pistons. To those that wrench on these on a regular basis, that's a 3 beer afternoon.

So to be clear, we are not talking about the crank going, and all pistons flying through the hood and leaving the chaincase on the trail. Hell, my buddies took delivery of new AC SnoPro's and got spare sets of pistons and rings when NEW!!

That being said, I don't want to deal with it. There are too few weekends to ride let alone wrench. But let's not blow this out of proportion. If you want to talk about expensive crap, ask the doo guys how much it costs on a top end rebuild if it takes out a $500 stator!!

 

[72Gran]

And when you blow a piston where do you think all that melted aluminum goes? Typically some finds its way into the crank bearings, then the next time she blows the crank is in two pieces. A complete engine tear down is the only way to ensure reliability.

 

[Deeppow16]

And when you blow a piston where do you think all that melted aluminum goes? Typically some finds its way into the crank bearings, then the next time she blows the crank is in two pieces. A complete engine tear down is the only way to ensure reliability.

Yup, the only way your doing just the pistons is if your catch the problem before it goes BOOM! If a pin falls out and the ring spins and catches a port and snaps the ring off you can bet the metal is down in the crank.