2012 Polaris Sportsman Forest 850: First Ride

When we first got the invite to ride the Polaris ATV range, we assumed it was just one of those typical media rides where we will get a few laps under ‘controlled’ environment to experience the product. But when we landed at the AutoMission Motorsport Advance Driving School dirt track situated at Khopoli on the Mumbai-Pune highway, it turned out quite differently than what we had envisioned.

After all what would you expect when you let loose a wannabe-Patronelli auto-journo on the handsome and incredibly quick Polaris Sportsman Forest 850 ATV? Certainly the result was plenty of goof-ups and utter tom-foolery that probably left the guys at Polaris in fits. But then that is what ATVs are meant for. To let loose and have fun.

Atleast the mightily potent Polaris Sportsman powered by a liquid-cooled 4-Stroke SOHC twin cylinder 850cc engine sure is built to have fun than anything else. And it does more than a fine job at it, as I found out. The go-anywhere versatility of the quad bikes endows them with an appeal that few other vehicles can match up to – just hop on and head onto the unknown without having to worry too much about getting caught into tight spots.

Built to conquer anything and everything in its path, the Polaris Sportsman is adept at crawling over rocks, boulders or then just gliding over the dirt trails. Whatever the Auto Mission dirt track threw at it varying from hard to loose soil, rocks as well as steep inclines and even some decent jumps, the rather bulky Sportsman weighing about 351kg took everything in its stride with absolute ease.

Mated to an automatic transmission, the powerful twin-cylinder motor is fed by an advanced electronic fuel injection system that provides precise throttle response and is eager to deliver crisp power delivery, which is extremely crucial to really exploit all that is possible with the Polaris Sportsman 850. Factor in the Active Descent Control and Engine Braking System and it truly endows the Sportsman 850 with take-it-anywhere capability. However, it truly comes into its own once you flick the switch to shift into the AWD mode from 2Wd mode, on the fly.

The transition is silken smooth without letting the rider know about the change in the drive wheels but just a subtle hint at increase in the thrust and better traction on the wheels. The neatly drawn ergonomics aided by the brilliantly configured electronic power steering further augment the ride experience handing the rider with a convincing poise and allowing him to feel confident and in control even when gunning through rough patches at speeds upwards of 70km/h.

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Priced at Rs. 12.5 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi), the Polaris Sportsman Forest 850 certainly isn’t a casual fun-riding ATV but an all out sport machine that can tackle severe abuse with a pinch of salt and provide the rider with an extremely rewarding experience. The very fact that we spent over half a day wringing the throttle of the Sportsman 850 against our stipulated time slot of two hours is telling about how much fun we had and how we wished the day didn’t end as soon as it did.

But then, it is of utmost importance to understand that to really enjoy these machines, it is critical for one to either own a large enough area or then have a trailer to tow it to a certain piece of land like a dedicated dirt track we were on. But then a true enthusiast as we know will go to any lengths to fulfill his desires for thrill and adrenaline. And going by the way the premium sports cars and motorcycles are exiting their respective showrooms by a dozen, there is certainly no dearth of such enthusiasts.