Staff Report

While it’s no surprise the extremely popular Sportsman was due for an overhaul, there was a lot of speculation about when it would happen and if it was possible for the engineers at Polaris to make a Sportsman ride any better than it already does.

Polaris fans have been waiting with drooling enthusiasm for a new Sportsman, hoping for a hearty new American made powerplant able to give the Outlander 800 and T-Cat a run for the money. As soon as the sheets were pulled off the entirely new 850 and 550 EFI Sportsman models we knew the game had changed.

Refusing to pull any punches, the Polaris alumni told us this was a new rig from the dirt up. The only part making the transition was the good old black plastic shift knob.

The new 850 and 550 mills are not overbored versions of the old OHC single and OHV twin but entirely new overhead cam engines. The 550 is a single cylinder EFI unit cranking out 40hp while the 850 parallel twin thumps a whopping 70 hp, bringing it in line with the competition.

Similar to Honda, the new Sportsman turns the mill sideways but the CVT now rotates vertically. This new design puts your butt on top of the secondary clutch with the primary below that.

Although the CVT may be harder to access for a belt change, the drain plug is still simple to find in case you get wet. Reasoning for the radical repositioning of the mill is to narrow the Sportsman’s decade old wide foot stance on the running boards. The old Sportsman was wide in the center and difficult for smaller riders to straddle.

In 2009 models, the seat is five inches narrower. The same amount is added to the running boards making big, wide floorboards easy to get onto and a seat that’s svelte to straddle. Up front the radiator positioning gets a total overhaul, moved up higher to a less restricted area and easier to keep clean and gain access to.

A completely new dual A-arm front end delivering nine inches of travel exceeds the former McPherson strut design. The rear end uses the rolled IRS set-up similar to the current X2 and Touring models and it moves an amazing 10.25 inches.

As if that wasn’t enough, Polaris went for the competition’s throat offering available power steering, using a brushless, progressive motor. After testing it, we feel it works better than current offerings and Polaris claims the system will run longer than the competition’s.

On top of all this you now get 14-inch aluminum rims from the factory making room for four hydraulic disc brakes on the 850 and three on the 550. There’s all-new digital gauges, completely redesigned bodywork and myriad other cool features.

Suffice it to say, the ’09 Sportsman is a completely clean CAD screen.

Staff Report

So far, Suzuki has kept things fairly simple and, with last season’s bump up for its biggest KingQuad, the 700 became the 750. The jump was actually only 27ccs, gained with a crankshaft stroke increase, bringing total displacement to 722ccs.

Even with this upgrade, the KQ needed more neon to get consumers’ attention. We’d be dead wrong to imply the addition of power steering was just lo-cal dressing and not Grade A beef. It has made a significant and noticeable change to the KingQuad.

But first, the engine: Whenever there’s a stroke increase, even a small one like this, it changes the engine’s power curve so that torque numbers are enhanced.

The original 695cc single had a reputation as a low-end tugboat. By adding to the torque sum, the KingQuad’s personality changed from exceptional to incredible, especially on the trails.

Now, when the throttle is tipped-in off idle, the KingQuad feels more willing and delivers more immediate power to lift the front wheels over obstacles. Although top speed is pretty much the same, this EFI engine likes its clutches more and shifts up through the tranny harder – a really nice benefit, especially in the mid-range.

With its new power steering system, Suzuki has been able to soften the reaction to off-camber hits from rocks and deep potholes. The nice thing is there’s still ample steering feel and the often-numb handling of ATVs with power steering has been cancelled out.

Its electric motor driven steering ram and gear set is connected to an electronic control unit. This ECU receives signals from. It means, if the tire contacts an obstruction, one of the sensors, the Vehicle Speed Sensor, detects the change in wheel speed and sends the info back to the ECU. The ECU makes adjustments to the steering ram and the feedback is compensated for.

Same thing happens at the handlebars. If an impact is about to tear the bars out of your hands, the ECU picks up data from a sensor on a torsion rod inside the steering mechanism and makes adjustments.

Unlike some of its competitors’ EPS, this one is truly calibrated for the nuances of off-road riding and offers, not only the comfort of steering ease but, also, active protection from big hits.

The KingQuad AXi is one tight package and deserves serious ogling before you make a choice in this class.

By: AJ Lester

If UTV enthusiasts had any doubt about the prowess of the base RZR, the RZR ‘S’ will absolutely open their eyes.

We’re sure Polaris engineers have had the RZR S figured out and ready for production for quite a while. No doubt they moved its intro ahead after reviewing more than a few bogus warranty claims stinking of over the top Sport bomb testing by pilots trying to squeeze too much out of their base model RZRs.

While the big fender flares look great, they’re just as important functionally. They keep the huge Maxxis Bighorns (rotating a full 5-inches further outside the chassis than a stock RZR) from turning you into a mud magnet.

The rear roll bar bracing looks off-road truckish and begs for a spare tire and xenon lights. Truth is, they add critical protection if things go bad sideways at 60.

The best thing about the upgraded “S” is how much happier and more confident the chassis is over a stock RZR when it’s pitched sideways with the throttle on.

Stock RZR owners know it takes finesse to keep the RZR from going over in certain hard pack, grippy conditions, specifically, dropping the throttle when you’re pitched full-lock sideways.

Its 10-inch wider stance and substantially beefed up suspension parts take advantage of the extra width and premium Fox Podium shocks to keep the “S” from nosing over.

When things get seriously puckered you can stomp on the easy button and rely on 30 percent more 800cc High Output juice to break the rear meats loose and get you back on track.

We’re serious here: at almost any speed short of WOT, the H.O. mill will break the Bighorns loose and lay the “S” into a beautiful, controlled powerslide.

A few cool pictures and a gold plated review may not convince you the RZR ‘S’ is the next great thing. Okay with us, but you better deal with this reality: We guarantee if you’re a real sport UTV rider it’ll only take one ride to sell you on just how potent this monster buggy truly is. Honest