So what’s changed since we last visited the Polaris 525 S? A lot! First of all, the look is completely different. For ’09, Polaris did away with the Battlestar Galactica theme for a more streamlined appearance. It looks sportier and uses far less plastic and fasteners.
The seat is also flatter, and mounts flush with the fuel tank, making it much easier to transition between the handlebars and seatback. The seat also received a new and highly improved seat latch design that keeps it securely fastened to the chassis. No more disappearing seats!
The other new changes included revised foot peg placement, new aluminum heel guards, some tweaks to the suspension settings and a reduction in raw materials that brought the overall weight down by six pounds.
It’s an impressive list of changes, but I still had to wonder if it would be enough to improve the problems we’ve encountered from this big-bore sport model.
Race Day Rather than spending another day out on the trails, I made the decision to race the 525 S in a local Arizona grand prix. The race course consisted of about four miles of high-speed straights on pavement and dirt, various turns, a few fly-away jumps and a deep whoop-de-doo section. It’s an ideal track for this sport quad that was designed for speed in the desert and dunes.
The idea was to race the Outlaw completely stock, with only a few modifications for safety. A tethered kill switch was installed using the Outlaw’s pre-wired kill switch connection, and the headlight was removed to protect it from the roost of competing machines. The new single headlight is easily removed with just one bolt.
ATV Sport
Let ’er Rip! I lined up with seven other competitors in my gate, all mounted on highly modified 450s and larger displacement sport quads. When the green flag flew, I dropped the Magura hydraulic clutch lever as the Outlaw matched or bested most every other machine to the first turn. Not bad for a stocker.
The 510cc, four-valve KTM engine flat-out hauls at every level of power. It accelerates quickly, and gets up to top speed in a hurry. I was able to blip the throttle to power through corners, or I could just be lazy and lug my way around. Acceleration just doesn’t get much better from a stock machine.
Faster Lap Times The revised suspension settings improve handling noticeably over rough terrain and while cornering. The front shocks have been softened, and aren’t nearly as harsh as I remember on the 2008 model, and they are now a much better match to the rear shock.
Together, front and rear suspensions aggressively attack rough terrain with a solid feel. And the terrain feedback to my arms is noticeably less.
With less bounce, the front end allowed the Maxxis tires to stay in contact with the ground longer for improved tracking. Handling and cornering is just better all around. It slides through the wide corners more predictably, and negotiates hairpin turns with near perfect precision.
Can the suspension be improved? Definitely. We still want to see more spring preload adjustment and separate compression and rebound adjustments for the front shocks. Remote reservoirs and high- and low-speed settings would also keep this Polaris in line with its competition.
The new plastic and fenders aren’t just for looks. The fender placement allows for freer movement and increased balance while riding. The new plastic is also much more durable. On the previous model Outlaws, the rear fenders would crack around the fender support bars.
The new design does not require any support, and has easily survived the abuse we’ve put this machine through so far. We even managed to roll it in a high-speed tumble during the race, and the fenders came out unscathed.
Still To Come? We still have a few gripes that certainly need to be addressed. The airbox and air filter design on the 525 S is lousy at best. The two-stage filter’s elements are super thin and allow too much dirt to penetrate in dusty conditions. Mounting the elements to the plastic cage is also complicated, and very prone to incorrect installation. Plus, keeping the air filter secured in the airbox with a pair of wing nuts is not the most effective design.
Then there’s the airbox. It’s so tight inside that even the big aftermarket air filter makers don’t want to tackle it with a filter of their own. Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to this since airbox space is limited due to the placement of the rear shock.
The thumb throttle is big, but not very comfortable. The thumb throttle housing cover also wore a gash into my index finger knuckle with its sharp edge.
ATV Sport
Much Improved! Sure we’d like to see a few additional changes, but the revised Polaris Outlaw 525 S is a vast improvement over the old unit. We still prefer the Outlaw 525 IRS over this straight-axle version. Regardless, the 525 S still retains the explosive power we’ve come to expect from the KTM powerplant, and its handling has improved. We love the bold new functional look too!
Polaris has come a long way with the 525 S. With a few more tweaks and modifications, it could eventually become a top contender.
