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2008 Polaris Outlaw 450MXR & 525S ATV Press Intro

2008 Polaris Outlaw 450MXR & 525S ATV Press Intro - Test Ride

All-New 2008 Polaris Outlaw 450MXR & Outlaw 525S
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.
2003 Polaris Predator 500
2006 Polaris Outlaw 500
2007 Polaris Outlaw 525
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.

Polaris Outlaw 525S ATV
Polaris Outlaw 450MXR ATV
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

Polaris Outlaw 450MXR ATVstraigtht axel rear
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

Polaris Outlaw 450MXR ATV reverse lever
Polaris Outlaw 450MXR ATV seat attachment
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
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