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sled vs sled


pretty much. 550 polaris is utter garbage...about the only polaris worth looking at this year is the shift. that 550 should hold its own on the lake but anywhere else you're going to be doing alot of waiting...besides that polaris is rudely unpredicable, you could get a rock solid machine and never have any problems with it or it could be like 7/10 polaris' out there and you could be cooking pistons every season.
 
the iq is a good deal and about 2500 less than a phazer . She has never ridden before and will likely only go occasionally. I wanted something easy to learn on and not spend a ton of money for something that will be for the most part , a spare machine. I love my phazer but it can be a little tricky to handle . The polaris ,being a fan cooled with reverse should be relatively light and easy to handle I'm thinking
 
The Polaris 550 engine has never been to good in my family. In January when we were snowmobiling back from a trip to Ely our 2005 RMK Trail blew a piston when we were going 35mph down the trail. That was the second one that it had blown. Also that sleds pull cord snapped the day we got it. We traded that in and now have a 600 IQ Shift 136, so far it hasn't had any problems and it's pretty fun to ride. We also had a 2002 Polaris RMK Trail that had major issues with it, it had been to the dealer many times but it never got fixed properly so we traded it in when we got our 2 Phazers. Next season we found out that the dealer had to replace the whole engine. Lucky for us, bad for them.
 
The 04/05/ 550's trail touring (I think)) had a lot of problems here. Had an 03 for a bit with no issues but it couldn't touch the 04 AC 570 panther for power / speed / comfort. Why not a Venture?
 
Wide range of opinions and experience with the sled in the above posts, so I'll chime in too. We have an 07' 550 fan Polaris Supersport that my wife rides and loves. Bought new in 08' (great deal). Not one problem with it. I even like throwin it around every once in awhile. Few things that I wish it had for her are an adjustable skid or shock and electric start. But this is an entry level sled. Every time we are out at dealers I get her to ride other sleds but she always says she would rather ride the polaris, she just feels more in control with it. It does not compare to any of our other sleds but performance wise for what it is, not bad. With me riding it (230lbs with gear) it gets to 50-60 fairly quickly but tops out about 80mph on speedo. Which is just fine for her. It's light, nimble, and handles pretty well IMO. Pretty good seating position and transition to standing. Biggest downfall for this particular sled IMO is the resale value. My 2 cents.

Scott
 
well in my opinion the 550 is crap....the power is not there if you need it....as far as polaris is concerened the shift has been their most rock solid machine for ages. it's proven to be reliable, it's proven to be comfortable and yes it is extremely easy to ride. it even has that extra punch just in case you get yourself into a situation where you need to bottom the throttle out (in the deeps or climbing or whatever). as compared to the phazer the 550 is a stupid comparison, the shift as an entry level machine is very comparable to the phazer, power where it needs to be, suspention when you need it and a really good sled for beginers to bomb around with. the 550 is none of that, you'd be better of with a steel box and a track and engine bolted to it...
 
compared to the phazer the 550 is a stupid comparison, the shift as an entry level machine is very comparable to the phazer, power where it needs to be, suspention when you need it and a really good sled for beginers to bomb around with. the 550 is none of that, you'd be better of with a steel box and a track and engine bolted to it..

Not really sure if you are slagging the 550 shift here or not .. oh well I bought the 550 shift and wife thinks it's great . Time will tell I suppose.
When I bought my phazer the same conflicts seemed to arise ,I bought it after reading page after page of people haveing very little good to say about it. Although I am far from what most would consider to be an aggressive rider ,I have had really no issues with the Phazer and enjoy riding it very much . I expect the wife will enjoy the 550 shift as well since she is an absolute beginner rider who will most likely not stray off the trail and be content to cruise along and enjoy the scenery.
Thanks all for your input and I guess if it turns out to be a dud ,then shame on me , if not ,then it will be lots of fun for her and thats all that really matter s in the end I suppose ;)!
 
there is nothing wrong with the 550, infact your wife may like it as it is a low powered fun runner, some how 58hp just doesn't cut it for me. no the 600 pushing almost 120hp. now that is a contender on the sled market. and i'm sorry so say but as far as bang for buck is concerend the 600 IQ shift is a freeking dream.
 


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