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why Wolverine over Polaris (Duh!)

2945 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Kirk57


I sold my 2014 Polaris XP1000 and bought the Wolverine. The attached picture does not do justice to the size of the rocks to be crossed. When using the Polaris (last month) the clutch squalled over & over again when trying to go slow through it. The Wolverine just chugged along (with the rocks hitting bottom about same amount) The Polaris is great if you live someplace with desert or dunes, but is like pulling a wagon with a race horse, it will do it but not well. The Fit & Finish along with the clutching is miles ahead on the Yamaha. We did a 200 mile shakedown trip in the Snowy range last weekend. Used 8.5 gallons total (probably 100 miles low range 5 to 20 miles/hour & 100 in high running 25 to 35 with a little on road. At 8400 feet it would still hit limiter at 54 MPH but at 11,000 feet would only pull 50 mph (both on flat ground ) I will probably do clutch kit and go to 6-ply tires by spring. Very happy with the handling. I could run down pot hole filled road as fast a wanted and it just went straight and no big jolt. Very happy with that.

One of best thing I like is that you get maybe 20% of the mud inside that the RZR got (I have the fender extensions). On the RZR if in water or mud and turned the wheel, it filled the cabin even with full windshield. The Wolverine got a lot on the sides (& the Door Latches ) but did very good job of keeping the mess out of the cab (have folding windshield & rear rollup).

As others have said, it goes places in 2-wheel drive that the RZR needed 4-wheel. Obviously it has less power, but where I ride (Mountains or by Drumming Wisconsin Trails) 30 MPH is all you normally use. I do not regret my choice.

Another GREAT Polaris warranty issue. I had the RZR in Moab and it was 100 degrees outside. Even with full tank of fuel, the fuel pump would scream (would drown out motor noise at 30 mph) but still ran fine. Had never been below 1/2 tank since bought new. Took to dealer and they told me Polaris won't replace pump until it fails no matter how load it gets. You could just turn on the key & it would scream till pressure got high enough to shut off pump (did not even have to start motor). So you have to get stranded before they will talk about it. Sure glad I bought their high dollar extended warranty.
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Nice review and comparison there, I really like the white...didn't think I would at first but it has grown on me. Looks kind of classy lol. Nice bike and I am glad you are happy with it. They really hit a home run overall with this machine IMO. If you end up adding 6ply tires, just keep in mind that going wider will negate those overfenders, you will get muddy lol.
Before buying my Wolverine I looked hard at the RZR high lifter and the Wildcat X Limited. Joined the forums for both. Two months of reading reviews. Between the two the Wildcat was more reliable, but the down side was hard resale and most dealers weren't interested in trades. Even my local Yamaha said they would prob never take another RZR in on trade because the last one they sold the trany went out within a few days after they sold it. I also looked at the Teryx and Pioneer.

As a longtime Yamaha rider since 1970, I knew that Yamaha was dependable. I waited until Sept 1st to see the new Yamaha sport model before buying the Wolverine. Very happy with my choice.
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Part of why I wanted the White one was the wheels even though I wish they were polished. I plan to stay with only slightly wider 26x9x12 & 26x12x12 Bighorns on the original wheels so I should not be much wider at all (maybe 1/2" to 1" each side) so hopefully won't screw up splash too much. Probably gain 1/2" of ground clearance too.
The only reason I looked at Polaris and can am before the wolverine was the after market is vast with them. Then I shook my head and bought a machine that just runs ... And will bring me home
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Had mine out this morning and made a fairly steep 100 foot climb. Low and 4 wheel lock. Power to spare. My old Polaris Sportsman 400 HO would struggle some towards the top. Love the engine braking coming back down.
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