Polaris Outlaw 525

More Mongrel!

The Polaris Outlaw 525 is the first fruit from the tree of corporate collaboration planted by Polaris and the Austrian motorcycle maker KTM. Obviously it makes sense for these two to get together; KTM has better high performance sports engines than Polaris, but Polaris knows how to make and market quads. Combine these attributes and you have a collaboration with the potential to shake up the sports ATV status quo, dominated for decades by the four Japanese giants.

Whatever you thought the Outlaw 525 was going to be, you'd be wrong if you thought it would be merely an Outlaw 500 with a bigger engine. The old 500 and the new 525 differ in several ways important to sports riders. (It's only fair to tell you though that this is not a 525cc engine it's a 510.4cc engine. European engine makers have always been prone to exaggeration and this is another example).

But first on the list of important differences is weight. The 525 is an impressive 20kg lighter than the Outlaw 500. KTM has a reputation for building lightweight four-stroke engines (much of which it learned after buying Husaberg), so most of the weight sliced from the new Outlaw was a gift from KTM. The 500 and the 525 are both dry-sump designs but the 500 uses an external oil tank whereas the 525 does not. That also saves weight. The KTM engine carries around 1.8 litres of oil but the Polaris engine takes 2.1 litres so right there another 300 grams of pork bit the dust.

The engine in the 525EXC dirt bike is a six-speed; the ATV gets a five-speed gearbox with reverse. Both engines are in a similar ‘state of tune' so no, the ATV version hasn't been tweaked. The primary-drive ratios are slightly different though - 2.30 for the dirt bike and 2.51 for the Outlaw, so the quad has marginally lower gearing. Compression ratio is the same (11:1) and valves in both engines are stainless steel.

There are differences in fuel delivery too. The 500 Outlaw is fuelled by a constant-velocity pumper carburetor but the KTM engine uses the same Keihin 39mm MX FCR race carb employed on the dirt bike. At times these carbs can have a stiff action but we thought the throttle setup on this FCR was smooth and friction free. Along with the Keihin carb the 525 also gets a fuel tank with an additional two litres capacity.

What's the horsepower rating? That's a good question. These days few dirt bike and quad manufacturers publish these figures but it isn't difficult to come up with an educated guess. The modern 450cc four-stroke motocross engine develops about 50hp so we reckon it's a safe bet that the 525 puts out a healthy 45 to 50hp.

MORE GOOD STUFF
Take a squiz at the chassis and controls and you'll see more changes. The front calipers are now twin-pot units, while the clutch is now a hydraulic Magura. The benefit of a hydraulic clutch is that it's less likely to slip out of adjustment, and you get a much lighter and therefore less tiring lever action. The lever is equipped with an on-the-fly adjuster too. We also noticed that Polaris has retained its ETC switch, a safety device that cuts the engine if the throttle cable fails to function properly. That's a good thing; the last thing you want is a fugitive Outlaw 525 jammed on peak revs.

There's eccentricity too. It's a quirk of American and Canadian-made ATVs that they're held together with SAE rather than metric fittings. On an Outlaw you need imperial tools for the chassis and metric tools for the engine. Some owners think this is a pain in the arse, and it is, though it is offset by familiarity; after a while you know which tool to reach for and when.

Down at ground level the suspension hasn't changed; it's still Arvin Meritor shocks front and rear, with adjustment for spring pre-load and compression damping. To be honest, given the performance of the 525 we think it should have been equipped with fully-adjustable shocks. It's true that many riders never adjust their suspension, but given the race-ready nature of the 525 - it's a hot prospect for enduros and the legendary Finke Desert Race - anyone serious about this sort of racing would probably want more suspension adjustment that the stock Outlaw delivers.

There was a change in rubber though. The 500 Outlaw came with Dunlop hoops but the new Outlaw has Maxxis RAZR radials on alloy rims that are deeply dished inward to protect vunerable components. During our test session on full-throttle MX-style tracks and rocky, steep, log infested trails, these tyres performed well. We thought they were good all-rounders that felt predictable and dug plenty of traction from the hard-pack on which most of us have to ride. And they seemed fairly durable - we sure gave 'em hell.

If there's one thing we thought Polaris might have done a better job with it was the air filter. What they've gone with are two conical foam elements, one inside the other and held in place on the intake cage by an elastic metal band. In our opinion this is definitely a lightweight design. The metal band could move, exposing the intake tract, and in sand that would be diabolical for the engine. Polaris has a K&N option on the Predator and Outlaw 500. If they're offering the same deal on the Outlaw 525 we suggest you take it.

On the maintenance side of things, the 525 engine is somewhat unusual in having two oil pumps, two oil filters and two strainers. This unquestionably prolongs the time needed to change the oil since you have to dump it, clean the strainers and replace two filters. The cost of changing the oil on this engine was once an issue for KTM owners but the factory helped things along by reducing the cost of filters so they could compete with cheaper aftermarket products. Polaris wants you to buy your oil filters from them, not from KTM. It'll be interesting to see what they charge for the oil filters.

WILL IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
If you don't get a serious jolt from the new Outlaw there's something seriously wrong with you. In the dirt bike world this engine is considered the king of big bore powerplants and there's no reason to suspect it won't win the same admiration among quad riders. It's amazingly free-revving with terrific throttle response and works best when short-shifted. The bottom-end won't scare you - the Outlaw 500 has a stronger bottom-end - but the midrange and top-end are enough to make you think twice about just how far you want to hoik that throttle, in fact midrange punch is phenomenal.

This engine will lift the front wheels in any gear, if you hoik the throttle far enough. With all that ballsy grunt it's more than a match for any 450 sports quads. The power reminded us a lot of the sort of mumbo we got from Honda's 2006 TRX450ER - plenty of midrange and top-end but plenty of hard working torque to go with it.

In most cases the 525 is one gear better than the Outlaw 500, although it's not as tractable at low rpm in snotty country and has little engine braking. The two models share the same 14-38 gearing but it takes more clutch dancing in first gear to charge a log on the 525 than on the tractor-like 500. You could go to a 40T sprocket on the rear if you like, that would zap the bottom-end a tad, and we talked about that during the test, but the ATV crew came to the conclusion that that might emasculate the blistering midrange and they certainly didn't want that.

Our Outlaw's jetting felt lean off the bottom and a bit fat up top, and the engine still wore the fairly restrictive stock exhaust system, but with a bit of jetting work and a freer-breathing exhaust the performance would improve heaps. The sheer speed of this quad will take serious mumbo to beat on the dunes. It also makes the Outlaw more attractive to riders who thought only a YFZ or TRX could deliver the kind of power they crave.

DOES IT HANDLE?
The 525 changes direction easier and turns better because removing 20kg from its central mass made a world of difference. It feels more responsive, more agile. And, mind you, we're not comparing it to a Massey Ferguson but to the very competent Outlaw 500.

The suspension is compliant, as usual, and on really rough trails the shocks and the independent rear suspension seem to absorb everything while conveying little of the high-speed mayhem to the rider. When it comes to covering rough terrain fast, no ATV on the planet comes close to the 525 Outlaw. It also has a tight turning lock, and steering that feels remarkably light and accurate. Still, as we said earlier, we would like more suspension adjustment.

But even with this impressive CV, is a 525 your mug of mocha?

Another good question. If you're a first time quadster with little experience we'd have to say NO! This is not an experts-only quad but it sure as hell ain't an entry-level sled either. It has way too much power for beginners and is far too responsive for someone who rides around with his brain in neutral.

Riders who get the most from the 525 will be experienced, capable, and comfortable with speed. For them the Outlaw will make a fantastic all-rounder that's just as happy bush-bashing or carving up the dunes. And it's good value for money. To lift the performance of the stock 500 Outlaw to the level of the 525 would probably cost about $1500, but even then you wouldn't get the twin-pot front calipers, the hydraulic clutch and the light, snappy feel to the handling.

More important than all that though, the 525 cures a problem that riders were quick to point out in the 500; it just didn't have enough mongrel in it to be a real fighter. Well problem solved. Hang on to your helmets boys, this thing's a mongrel on a mission.