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All-New
2008 Polaris
Outlaw 450MXR & Outlaw 525S |
Reno, NV (7/27/2007) - Polaris aggressively
entered the high performance sport ATV Market in 2003
with the release of the Predator 500, which was followed
up by Outlaw 500 IRS in 2006. The Outlaw 500 was the
first ever independent rear suspension sport ATV, and
it set Polaris apart from the rest of the Sport ATV
Market. In 2007, Polaris took the Outlaw to the next
level with the addition of the 510cc KTM power-plant,
which slashed some weight off the Outlaw and gave it
a substantial boost in power. For 2008, Polaris set
out to expand its sport market share by expanding on
its Outlaw product line to compete in the highly competitive
sport ATV market. Polaris knew they needed to have the
lightest, best handling, and fastest accelerating sport
models in the industry to capture the attention of its
potential customers, so Polaris spent countless hours
developing two new straight axle sport ATV models to
compliment their current 525 Outlaw IRS model, which
are the all new Outlaw 525S and Outlaw 450MXR.
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2003
Polaris Predator 500 |
2006
Polaris Outlaw 500 |
2007
Polaris Outlaw 525 |
For the 2008 press launch, Polaris invited the media
out to the high desert terrain of Reno, Nevada. Shortly
after arriving at the hotel, everyone assembled for
unveiling of the 2008 models. As I sat and listened
to the head of marketing from Polaris tell us about
business goals, market share, and other important
things to large companies. I couldn’t help but
stare at the two ATVs sitting to my right covered
in a large cloth just waiting to be unveiled. I started
thinking back to all the things I have said to myself
in the past that I thought Polaris should do to improve
their sport quads. Some items on the list were standardizing
the fasteners, reduce weight, simplify the chassis,
increase overall power, and improve comfort. Minutes
seemed like hours as I waited for the veil to be lifted,
so I could go study these ATVs. When the time finally
arrived, I was not disappointed as Polaris really
listened to the feed back of its customers and racers
and made all the changes I was thinking of and much
more to build two of the most competitive sport quads
on the market.
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Outlaw
525S features a straight axle rear suspension
system along with FOX Podium non reservoir front
shocks and is powered by KTM 510cc 4-valve engine |
Outlaw
450MXR features a KTM 449cc engine along with
premium Fox Podium X piggy back compression
adjustable front shocks along with smaller motocross
wheels and tires
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Outlaw straight
axle rear end |
The new Polaris 450MXR is built and intended for
a motocross application while the Outlaw 525S is intended
for a sand application with their light weight and
race ready suspension they should be real contenders
right off the show room floor. The 450MXR and 525S
are an extension of the race proven Outlaw 525 IRS
platform with some significant changes. They both
utilize the same front frame geometry as last years
popular outlaw 525 IRS with Polaris’s patented
Pro steering system. Polaris redesigned the rear half
of the frames to utilize a swing arm, single shock
solid rear axle design, by doing so they reduce the
weight by 20lbs giving it the lightest wet weight
in its class of 365 lbs for the 450MXR and 375 for
the 525S ( wet weight included oil, coolant, brake
fluid).
The next morning, it was time for us to throw a leg
over each of these machines and see what these two
new sport quads were capable of. The first thing I
like to do is just sit on an ATV and see if the ergonomics
are comfortable. Both the models have a good relationship
between seat, handle bars, and foot pegs. The shifter
and brake lever are large and easy to find. The hand
controls are easy to reach and are well placed. One
of the first things I felt was how much better the
seat was than some of the other sport quads on the
market. The instrumentation and key are easy to find,
they are located in front of the handle bars and are
integrated into the top of the hood
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Polaris
Outlaw reverse lever location is one of most
accessible and easy to use among the sport ATV
models |
Polaris
has updated the Outlaw seat attachment to a
post design from the previous hook design, which
had a tendency to come lose while riding |