Hey guys, I've been seriously buying a new Hawkeye. I haven't purchased a atv in a very long time. My needs for one are not too great, mainly hunting, little work around the house, and some riding. I've ridin a buddy's sportman numerous times and really like the comfortable ride. This is why I am looking at Polaris. I dont need a big atv, but would like sufficient power. Is there any modifications or adjustments that can be made on the Hawkeye to give some more Zip?

Thanks for reading, any suggestions and comments are appreceiated.

Kenny

 

If you don't think it has enough power, buy a different quad with a bigger engine. It is a new quad so there is little or no aftermarket hop ups available. What do you expect out of a small engine?

 

well it is an entry level 4x4 w/ alot of good sportsman like fetures like irs but smaller so to keep price down as well. im still debating on one for the wife in spring. all you guys/girls that have bought one how does the ride compare to the sportsman as far as the irs in back? it looks like its a little stiff.

 

I love mine with the Dial-A-Jet installed and can climb what ever I want, and sometimes what I realized I did not want. Also, the K&N filter helps, as well as the TPI valve that I put on. It seems to have the power of a larger machine, but I have not dyno tested it.

 

Stendori,

The Hawkeye's ride is significantly stiffer than the Sportsman, especially in the rear. It is very stiff even with the sway bar disconnected, but is more comfortable than the Honda Recon it replaced.

As far as more power, not much you can do about that until an aftermarket muffler is available. The K&N air filter helps it breathe better but without a less restrictive exhaust, the full advantage of the K&N can't be realized.

I do like the Hawkeye a lot though, I took it for a ride today instead of the Sportsman just because it seems to be more fun.

 

How does the ATV silencer work? I've heard about them, but do not know which would be best. Any word on aftermarket exhaust for the Hawkeye? Could it be that much better than stock? Why would Polaris not use the best exhaust systems in the first place? I am new at ATVs. It would be nice to have the extra power, but still be quiet enough to run at night in blackout drive with night vision.

 

If you want power, DON'T BUY A HAWKEYE! The problem is even getting them to run, let alone run good and improving their power output.

If you want a good ride, DON'T BUY A HAWKEYE! They are terribly stiff on the rear suspension.

If however, you want to throw a moose on the back, go for it. It would be good for that. The rear springs would take it. Just pray that it is all down hill from there. Not that the Hawkeye would not have enough power, you will have problems getting it to run. And it better be a glass smooth trail with the moose on it because the rear sub-frame was way under engineered and will break easily. Do a little checking. These issues have been well documented here and on other boards. And Polaris is not stepping up and taking care of the issues.

And I am not just bashing. I have two of them, one 2X4 and one 4X4. They run great when you can get them to run, which is never if you are above 5,000 feet elevation. I have made all the jetting changes recommended by Polaris, but still will not run above 8,500 feet even though I am now running leaner than Polaris recommends. And my wife will no longer ride her's because it is too rough. Thanks Polaris! I spent $10,000 on two machines and deeply regret it!

I bought a Yamaha Kodiak 450 after buying the two Hawkeyes. The thing runs great from 4,000 feet to over 10,000 with out ever touching it. It is great!

After having a 15 year history of owning Polaris products, I am seriously considering moving completely away from Polaris. Any company that will release a product without ever testing it above 5,000 feet and then not correcting their mistakes has some serious problems. I will no longer "test" their products for them. Instead, I will enjoy products from other manufactures. Polaris has really gone downhill the last couple of years. No wonder they are no longer the market share leader in snowmobiles!

 

Well said, i wish i hadn't bought one either and spent my money elsewhere.

 

Kenny -

I can not speak authoritatively
on the Hawkeye model. My cousin
however, bought two (2) '06 AWD
this year and his sons love them,
no issues to report yet. But to be
fair to some others, we are not running
them at the altitudes they are either.

Sorry to hear that they haven't been
reliable to some people. All of that aside,
I like to promote a Sportsman 450 for your
needs. While this will be my first year to use
mine for the hunting, I have use it to haul
my treestand (2 man, ladder type) and
gear. It has the power and handling that
you will need, plus IRS and AWD. Its wider
and more rugged. I have taken it thru
streams, mud, very steep hills, rocks
steep slopes etc. I am 350 lbs, its a
great Quad for the money. I have ran this
close to 50 mph speed, ran out of land
to really see it top out, keep in mind too
my weight. I pulled a big huge (800 +
weight pounds I'm sure) tractor
tiller no problem at my friends house to
clear spot behind his barn. Just with a
tow strap, no winch needed.

And almost forgot, at the present time
I am running complete stock, no mods
yet! My wife liked riding mine so much
(recreation at her moms house 11 acres)
that I bought her one this year for her
birthday..8).

** The last I priced a few weeks ago
the '06's left, they were at $5300 USD
out the door price, came down $300,
mine was $5600 same dealer (WV, Rydersville Cycle).
No state taxes there.

Hope this helps!

R'

 

My Hawkeye has plenty of power. We live at 5,00 feet and I've ridden up steep loose, and rocky terrain up to 7,600 ft and smoked my friends high performance sport quad with many aftermarket parts. My basic mods must have helped a lot and I've never had a problem with it running except when my jet setting was off. You can set it with a screwdriver. This machine will crawl up anything I want. OK it will not keep up with my friend's 700 on open stretches, but I can still ride the rougher spots at a good speed. Larger tires would help, and yes, the sub-frame is weak. Polaris has a replacement part for '06 models and has re-designed the '07 models much stronger. I do not know about suspension, but I would only buy American anyway. We should work with American businesses to help them succeed.
Almost forgot. Read your manual. The Hawkeye is set from 0-3,000 feet. My dealer did not even point this out, nor did I even know what jetting was. The person at Thunder Products helped explain things and get my Dial-A-Jet installed. It also states that a high altitude clutch set is available for quicker downshifting. Mine seems to work well in that area though. Something to pay attention to next ride.