Engine
Power & Performance
|
| ATVriders.com
Test Rider, Jeff Stoess roosting a turn
on the Outlaw 525 IRS |
The engine has plenty of power and is a quick
accelerator. I had no problem pulling the Holeshot
with the live engine grandpix style on pavement
start. The engine also has plenty of power everywhere,
and it pulls hard through every gear. It is a
high rev engine that loves to be ridden in the
upper RPMs, so if you are not use to high horse
power fast revving engines, you will be in for
a big surprise if you're not paying attention.
The FCR carb had no flat or dead spots; even
off the bottom, chopping the throttle didn’t
reveal any ugly hiccups. However, it was running
a bit on the lean side and would "pop"
on deceleration, so I would suggest doing to
re-jetting from the factory because it is Polaris
has leaned it out to meet EPA regulations, and
there is plenty of addition power available
with the Outlaw properly jetted.
Suspension &
Handling
|
| Polaris
Outlaw Pro Racer, Bryan Baker, pounding
through the rocks at the Snowshoe GNCC |
This is the part that really gets me fired
up!!! All I can say is
"This is what
I have been waiting for for 17 years!"
I couldn’t believe that I was getting
through the rocks and mud without getting hung
up on something. If I had been on a conventional
sport ATV with a solid rear axle, I would have
been stuck many more times, for sure!
This is all due to the fantastic IRS suspension.
It flat soaks up everything a GNCC track can
dish out. I could hit rocks, roots, ditches,
logs, jumps and any other nasty trail objects
without feeling that harshness that a straight
axle quad tends to send up my spine. Body roll
is not an issue at all, even in the blacktop
section around the pro pits, I was hanging it
out and sliding like an Outlaw car. I rode into
and out of corners just as hard as I would on
a solid axle quad. Off camber terrain was also
not a problem, as it stayed level and tracked
straight. The one main problem I had was with
the rear shocks kicking on the downhill water
breaks. I believe this is due to the shocks
not having enough compression and rebound dampening.
Also, the shocks were overheating due to a lack
of rezzy's. I would love to see Polaris go back
to the Fox shocks in the future or atleast add
rear reservoirs.
Another great benefit of the IRS is it gets
great traction because the tires follow the
uneven ground. On the big hill, there were people
sliding back to the bottom because it was so
slick. I would put the Outlaw in 2nd gear and
it would shoot right to the top every time.
The stock Maxxis Razor 2 tires with Tire Balls
worked very well, as always, and knowing that
I wasn't going to get a flat is priceless.
|
| Despite
some impressive ground clearance up front
on the Outlaw, the A-arms still received
a few dents from impacts with some boulders,
and around 25% of the racers didn't finish
more than half the laps due to the rough
race conditions |
The front suspension worked amazingly well,
considering they are basic shocks with no rezzy's,
compression or rebound adjusters. They worked
much better than a couple of other stock quads
I've ridden in the woods because they did not
have the harsh MX feel found with other OEM
stock shocks.
On a recommendation from multi-time GNCC Super
Senior Champion, John Gallagher, I decided to
run his custom front hubs. These hubs are made
of billet aluminum and actually narrow up the
front of the Outlaw by 1". They also use
3 bearings, which lessen the chance of bent
spindles, or blown bearings during the race.
These are very high quality hubs, and I highly
recommend them for any serious Outlaw racer.
Ergonomics
The seat is nice and soft, but not so soft that
your bottom hits the seat pan. It has a nice grip
to it, even after getting wet from the numerous
mud and water holes. The knee area is narrow and
smooth unlike the Predator; my boots did not catch
on the body work like some other quads I've ridden.
The stock bars felt pretty good--just wide enough
with a bend that doesn't have that swept back
feel to it. The controls were in perfect reach
of my fingers. I only had to rotate them down
a tad for my taste. The clutch pull was super
smooth due to the Magura hydraulic clutch. Foot
pegs were just right for my 6'1" frame. Going
from sitting to standing was a breeze. The stock
heel guards held up great and did not break or
bend even after many encounters with rocks. I
did switch to a twist throttle, so I'm not sure
how the stock thumb throttle feels.
The Verdict
|
|
The
Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS after two hours
of GNCC Racing |
The Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS is a super fast and
great handling quad that excels in rough, nasty
terrain. You can ride or race this quad all day
long through the woods without paying for it the
next day with a sore body. I would recommend this
quad to riders of any skill level looking to go
blasting around on trails or tear up a GNCC or
desert track. With a little weight loss and better
shocks, I believe that this can be a pro class
GNCC champion.
www.polarisindustries.com
2100 Highway 55
Medina, MN 55340
(763) 417-8650
