Have we reached the pinnacle of our sport?

I was thinking the other day driving back from KY (when Brooks was asleep) about my RZR and all the new stuff that is out. I was remembering the first time I swung my leg over a new Sportsman 500 and thinking to myself then that it was probably as good as it got. There was ample power, a smooth suspension, ease of use, etc. and I didn't think anyone could improve on that design. Several years have passed since then and aside from an increase in displacement, those machines are essentially unchanged.
Has Polaris again raised the bar to the point where there's no more room for improvement? Is there a manufacturer that is willing to go over the 1000cc barrier? Is there a need for more than 16"-18" of wheel travel? Is there a market that exists that can support a manufacturer building $20K+ machines?
I am thinking that Can-Am, AC, Polaris, and maybe Yamaha have the machines they have, and aside from making minor yearly improvements we aren't going to see the massive changes in these machines that we have become accustomed to seeing. So, have we reached the pinnacle of design in the SxS segment?

Within the constraints of the manufacturing company's bean counters and the mean income of the limited section of society that participates, I would venture that it's a credible assumption.

DirtDawber wrote:

Within the constraints of the manufacturing company's bean counters and the mean income of the limited section of society that participates, I would venture that it's a credible assumption.

Dammit Dawber. Milkshake just came out of my nose I laughed so hard.    

A simple maybe would suffice....

DirtDawber wrote:

Within the constraints of the manufacturing company's bean counters and the mean income of the limited section of society that participates, I would venture that it's a credible assumption.

Dammit-Boy!!!!

DirtDawber wrote:

Within the constraints of the manufacturing company's bean counters and the mean income of the limited section of society that participates, I would venture that it's a credible assumption.

Howcum I feel Odumber now?

I am guessing the only thing to improve is displacement. That is one of the only things to change in four wheelers over the years. Price too!

Side note........ Can Am has some work to do in the four wheel drive area.......  

Naw, not till they tap out those deep pockets out west....LOL

thats what I thought years ago about jeeps, rock buggys, and rock crawling.......I was wrong!!!!!!!!!!

They will keep getting better. My guess is though the top polaris SxS is done for a couple years atleast. I'd be surprised if they didn't come out with a 60" 900 and maybe a H.O. 570. But other then that and of course a 4 seat 1k. I don't think we will see anything new for a while. I also don't think we will see the 1k barrier broken anytime soon.. Polaris along with other companies helped push the helmet law out west. So I'm thinking they plan on staying at that CC rating for a while. I'm sure they can make improvements to up the HP.. They probably already have a H.O. 1000 sitting in a building some where with 116hp or so that we will see in a couple years..

I think the machines will get better in the suspension dept., or should... The trailing-arm set-up is pathetic for our use. Examples are seen in the Evarts vids....most high-centers/struggles were because of those low-hanging arms. A well-equipped A-Arm machine can walk the dog in the rocks. Power does not matter if you are high-centered on a trailing-arm.....A well-prepped Rhino 450 would have made that one crawl look like cake..... maybe crawler-editions are next now that the dune-coons are happy??. A RZR-S with 5 more inches WB and the 900.....That would be the sheiot....IMO

Big-R wrote:

I am guessing the only thing to improve is displacement.  That is one of the only things to change in four wheelers over the years.  Price too!  

Side note........  Can Am has some work to do in the four wheel drive area.......   

The QE isn't that bad. I only had one issue this weekend with the 4wd system and it was mainly driver error. I got a little skeered in a spot. A better driver could have easily made it:hide: 

Lots of improvements could be made on suspension, bushings, ball joints, steering. I think they have got plenty of power at 100+ already.

I agree with everything that's been said. But all of those improvements I see as minor changes to existing platforms. There is certainly room for improvement in quality of components and the aftermarket has addressed other shortfalls. What I don't see happening is a revolutionary change in design that is a complete game changer, like the Rhino was when it first came out, or the RZR when introduced.

I still think they need some more work on fit / finish and tweaks to correct the shortcomings. I believe there will be HP wars for awhile but the CC is stay at 1000. However, look how far they have come in such a short period of time.

Whats funny is I remember the first ride where I met the SSXSR's. One of my good friends had a RZR and I told him it was the biggest POS!!!! Times sure have changed!



It was a great time though. First pic of the "Outcast".

DoddS wrote:

Whats funny is I remember the first ride where I met the SSXSR's. One of my good friends had a RZR and I told him it was the biggest POS!!!! Times sure have changed!



It was a great time though. First pic of the "Outcast".

Yep, and I was right there with you. We were wrong about so many things.

I and my riding buddies thought that about dirt bikes when the first Yamaha mono-shock was introduced back in 1970 I believe. Man, were we wrong. If history serves as long as sxs's are being sold the mfr's will keep upping the ante.

They could make improvements on either current price for what you get or improve the fit or finish for the current pricing structure.

That is really the only thing that I don't like about this hobby is the price for what you get. I have no problems throwing down cash for hobbies, but at least want to feel I am getting my money's worth.