Polaris 550 IQ Shift

[rvrbum4]

I would like to hear the good, bad, and ugly from those of you who have owned/ridden a 550 shift. I like the idea of cheap, easy to work on and gets the job done but am weighing it against power and speed of a 600. I ride in Northern Illinois and Northern Wisconsin where there's not a lot of opportunity to open it up and I always ride with my wife and kids. Hopefully that gives a good perspective on how fast I usually ride.
Thanks for your input!

 

[snow_monkey]

All the complaints on the 550 shift that I have read were directly related to it's lack of power. Value wise, great sled!! I see a few for sale after a year of ownership. Perfect sled for the entry level rider.

 

[elf]

Didn't have the shift but my wife had a 550 classic. Other than power, very reliable sled. We had no issues with it in about 4000 miles. Sold it to my niece and she has had no issues either. Great low power sled. One thing I did notice on it was that it was noisy from the drivers position.

 

[indy_500]

i had a 550 fan, blew up twice within 4000 miles. it was really slow. i had the older model (01) and they did some changes since then so the newer ones are a little more reliable but they aren't any faster. 70 mph is about all you will see.

 

[xcsp]

Had a '01 & '05 550 EDGE for a second sled and outside of the top speed of around 70 or so, they were good trail sleds. Never had any engine problems. Good low-maintenance sleds.

Look around, probably can find a good buy on a SHIFT 600 for not much more than the 550 fan.

Get a chance, try to take one for a ride to see if YOU like it.

 

[mustsled2]

well, if you are talking about the iq 550 shift, I just bought one for my wife. She loves it ,speed is not a big deal to her. Through the trails i can keep up with my buddy's but once you get in the open not fast enough for me.She loves it as it was an updrade from a 1997 indy 500.Hope this helps.

 

[toolmaker]

How many out there remember when 60 h.p. was a hot sled? I remember when, if you had 40 H.P. you were king. When you're trail riding through the woods, you seldom go over 50 mph. You will feel under powered compared to liquid cooled sleds. It all depends on what your needs are. Problem will be if you try to sell or trade. Most people turn up there noses at lower horse sleds.
Personally I have 2 500 Polaris' and they are plenty for me.

 

[indy_500]

How many out there remember when 60 h.p. was a hot sled? I remember when, if you had 40 H.P. you were king. When you're trail riding through the woods, you seldom go over 50 mph. You will feel under powered compared to liquid cooled sleds. It all depends on what your needs are. Problem will be if you try to sell or trade. Most people turn up there noses at lower horse sleds.
Personally I have 2 500 Polaris' and they are plenty for me.

500 liquid polaris' are enough, that's why i don't understand why they stopped building a basic liquid motor instead of these fans

 

[hobiecat]

I bought one for my son last year. It has impressed me from day one. I have rode for 30 yrs and can afford any sled I want and I am thinking of finding another one. Reading some of these posts, I think I must have picked up a "hot one" as it does 75-80 with me on it across Gogebic and I weigh 250 with snow gear on. I frequently take it on the "twisties" in Wisc trails as it is light and nimble. If you keep the rpms up out of corners, no one is going to pull away too fast from you. For the price, it is by far the best value out there.

 

[77kedge]

i had a 550 fan, blew up twice within 4000 miles. it was really slow. i had the older model (01) and they did some changes since then so the newer ones are a little more reliable but they aren't any faster. 70 mph is about all you will see.

(93) indy 440 fan do 70 mph with 9654miles no enging work.

 

[xcsp]

500 liquid polaris' are enough, that's why i don't understand why they stopped building a basic liquid motor instead of these fans

I had a '01 500 XCSP and it was one of the best sleds I have owned!

A SHIFT 500 l/c would be a great sled, but I'm sure Polaris figures it isn't cost-effective to have a 500 and a 600 l/c sled.

 

[coldsmokejr]

I've got an 09 550 shift, Of course the IQ chassis is awesome! With me on it I cant get about 81 MPH on GPS, however, the new clutch setup makes it a riot through the woods. My only other complaint is the track, its a .91 "shockwave" and NOT very aggressive, its pretty washy on loose snow. (no studs) Its not great on gas and oil.

 

[xcsp]

Coldsmokejr, may be surprised if you added studs. I have no complaints with the .91 and 96 studs in a 600 Shift.

 

[snobuilder]

I think the rev chassis fanner is superior in many ways for the same $$$$

 

[polaris128]

GF loves hers, she was riding a 1998 MXZ 440. I installed sticker kit and 144 picks.

 

[Hoosier]

When we used to rent sleds a lot, we often ended up with the fan cooled. They're fast enough anywhere in Wisconsin, except for the lakes. If you end up in the UP though and the snow is loose on all the railroad grades, they can get a little slow.

 

[G]

Top speed depends on conditions. Duh. According to stock speedos an '09 Shift 550 will do 70 mph in heavy pulling conditions. A stock 800 Dragon will do about 85 in heavy conditions. On an ice road a Shift 550 will go 82. An 800 Switchback or an 800 Dragon will go 104. Just witnessed this firsthand last week. For the money the 550 is a value. The guy with the 800 Dragon was unhappy that the little 550 was as close as it was. Just for the record an Apex is 15-20 mph faster than an 800 Pol in all conditions. Been there, done that.

 

[duluthrider]

shift

I saw non current 600 shifts for $5700, a bit more than the 550's but 120 hp liquid cooled for a reasonable cost IQ chassis sled.

I bought a 09 shift 136 (cheap switchback) for $6700 and am very satisfied with it.