I am a new owner of this used 2012 Polaris Sportsman EPS. It is in metallic red color with factory front brush guard. Everything is stock.
Miles = 2,300 miles.
Tires looks like maybe 50% of life left.
No oil leaks anywhere. I couldnt find any wet seals or gaskets. No fault codes on screen. All lights works. 4×4 works. No drama. Engine oil color looked honey color and is at full mark. Previous owner said it has been serviced about 50 hours ago but he couldn’t produce documentation. No matter.
The machine looks like it has been taken care of pretty well – not abused or cracked body shells, etc… Previous Owner had to sell it to reduce the fleet of ATV they had down to two ATV. That is why he had to sell it. Very nice guy – looks like in 40’s or 50’s.
Paid $5300 for it for my wife to use. I hope the cost is not too out of line.
One thing… it is quite different than Kawasaki Priaire 650 (2003) that we still have.
So, I have questions to ask you guys.
1) Very touchy or very sensitive throttle. A barely moving the lever will cause the front end to come up pretty quick and it feels like I’ll be going 0 to 60 in 3 seconds.:shocked: My wife does not like that sudden power even in low range or high range – it does not matter. Our older ATV is much more gradual application of power. Is there ANY way we can adjust or look for some ways to make the belt come on more gradually? Our concern is that if we started out already on incline trail, the ATV could pop a wheelie more easily and flip her over. We simply cannot have that scenario. I want to address that first.
2) Since we bought it used, I think its a good idea to change all the fluids except brake and coolant right now. Should I use Mobil1 oil on engine, Valvoline 80-90 oil in rear and some special super duper Polaris oil in the front axle? Or any other recommendations you might want to suggest?
3) Is there any known problems with this specific year and model that I should pay closer attention? I know about EPS problem which was attributed to electrical wiring issues. I will take a closer look at the wiring issues and bring spare fuses. But I don’t know other potential short comings.
4) Since we will be primarily running on ATV trails in Colorado (this is where we live in), the trails are often rocky and steep. Not much creek crossing or mud. Colorado is mostly semi arid state. We would like to crawl our way through while enjoying the scenery. Any recommendations on the tires? We may not be buying new sets of tires yet but it helps to know which tires works best on these type of trails.
5) Should I go ahead and do maintenance adjustments i.e. valve clearances, spark plugs, cleaning out muffler, etc…? Anything I should do to this machine first before taking out on a trail for the first time?
6) The brakes (there are three??) pads looked little thin, is there a reasonable source for brake pads? Brakes works and stops the machine good. I read in owner’s manual and it said something about auxiliary brake (on the right foot rest) and we should not use it on regular basis. Where is this aux brake itself?
7) is there any other specific warnings that we should know about during machine operation besides what it says in the owner’s manual?
8) Is there a source where I could have a service manual at reasonable cost or even free?
I am sure I will be asking more questions since this machine is new to us and we just want it to be reliable and dependable and we have no desires to beat them up.
Thank you for your time,
Chuck
