Polaris
Outlaw 525 ATV Links
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Polaris
Outlaw 525 IRS & 525 S |
Baltimore, MD - Polaris has made
it obvious that they are serious about making
the best sport quads, starting with the release
of the Predator 500 in 2003 (which was in production
a year before any of the Big Four released their
sport 450’s), continuing with the first
sport quad to use independent rear suspension
in 2006, and now sharing technology with KTM to
utilize their proven 525cc powerplants in IRS
and straight axle versions of the 2008 Outlaws.
The development of these machines has been the
result of Polaris’ unfaltering method of
hiring experienced riders to put the machines
through the paces and find ways of making them
better. With a list of riders including Matt Smiley,
Bryan Baker, Daryl Rath, and Doug Eichner, it
is no surprise the Polaris Outlaws have developed
into a force to be reckoned with in the ultra-competitive
sport ATV market. Not only has Polaris enlisted
Pro level talent to pick apart their creations,
but also a slew of amateur XC and MX riders to
offer input on their machines from the perspective
of riders closer to the average enthusiast.
Having seen the progress of the Polaris race
machines from the very beginning, when the first
Predator 500 was on display at the High Point
GNCC back in 2002, my take on the rise to power
of the Outlaws was a view from the racing pits.
When Matt Smiley was doing his first Polaris
photo shoot in Texas in 2005, or when the first
IRS machine rolled out of the trailer at the
Florida GNCC in 2006, I saw the progression
taking place.
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In
2005, Polaris signed Matt Smiley to race
the Predator 500 in the GNCC Series (above
left), and by the start of the 2006 season
Matt Smiley came out on the all new Outlaw
500 with its IRS, which was an industry
first for sport ATVs (above right) . For
2007, the evolution continued with Outlaw
525 with the KTM powerplant. Now, Polaris
has three versions of the Outlaw with
a 450MXR, 525 IRS, and a 525S
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2007
OMA Pro ATV Champion, Andy Lagzdins, tearing
up some leaves on the Polaris Outlaw |
Now it’s my turn to throw a leg over
the latest and greatest models in the Polaris
lineup: the 2008 Outlaw 525 IRS and 525 S. The
idea was to ride the machines in stock form
during the off season, comparing the two models
against each other and against whatever other
quads might be on hand for comparison. I tried
to ride them in every type of terrain, and also
put other riders of varying skill levels on
them to get additional input. Here is what it
was like Living with the Outlaws.
Day one with the Outlaws was information overload.
Checking them out before the ride, a few things
stood out: odd handlebar positioning, high ride
height, great looking motor. I hopped on the
525S (straight axle) and started tearing it
up. I knew the engine would be strong, as I
had been racing the KTM525XC for a few months,
and this was basically the same powerplant.
The ergonomics were good for a showroom stock
machine, and surely would be better once dialed
in. I learned that you just can’t look
at the bars, and everything will be ok.
Right away we did a photo shoot to get pics of
the quads before the abuse began, and during a
jumping session I was trying to style and landed
on the right front wheel. It let out an audible
“klunk”, loud enough that people watching
could hear it. I got off and started looking the
front end over, but nothing seemed out of the
ordinary, so I kept riding it.