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By Mike Batchelor
Polaris Hawkeye
 The
Polaris Hawkeye isn’t the biggest ATV in the mid-sized class and
it certainly isn’t the fastest, but it offers a lot of bang for
the buck.
The OD Green (Olive Drab for you civilians) Polaris Hawkeye arrived
on our doorstep in early June. When we pulled it off the truck, our
first thought was that it was smaller than we expected, but we quickly
found out that it had a full-size personality. From the front it is
one of the coolest-looking ATV’s we’ve seen yet. The two
front frame down-tubes are covered by silver accent panels that look
like giant fangs. From behind, the look is all business. The only stylistic
license that Polaris designers took in the back was to paint the independent
suspension arms red to let the world know that this is no mere solid
axle machine.
It’s this feature that sets the Hawkeye apart in its class. You
simply won’t find another 4X4 ATV with an independent rear suspension
for $4700. While not all ATV manufacturers have mastered the dark art
of independent suspension geometry and tuning we think Polaris delivered
not only the least expensive independent rear suspension on the market
but one that works exceptionally well. We will confirm this with high
speed runs through some of our favorite trails in the coming weeks.
The Hawkeye is also loaded with other standard features you wouldn’t
expect to find on an ATV in this class, such as digital instrumentation,
water resistant storage, a receiver hitch, shift-on-the-fly four wheel
drive, and a set of the best foot wells in the business. Polaris took
a swing at bringing full sized ATV features to the mid-sized market,
and they succeeded in knocking the cover off the ball.
Sadly, they struck out in the power department. Acceleration on the
Hawkeye is leisurely at best. At 550 lbs., the Hawkeye is no featherweight,
and the 297cc engine just doesn’t have the cajones to move it
around with authority. Once it works up a head of steam, it seems to
do ok, but off the line the Hawkeye is pretty pokey.
Ergonomics are fairly typical for a Polaris, which is to say that everything
is very easy to use, but it takes a little getting used to. There is
no starter button—instead you turn the key like a car to start
the engine, which makes sense—it just takes a little getting used
to. There is also only one button on the handlebars—a multi-function
button that controls the odometer/engine hours/trip odometer function
of the digital display and the reverse RPM limiter override. It is pretty
amazing that they squeezed all of those functions into one button. Again,
it makes sense; it just takes some getting used to.
 We really liked the transmission shifter, which is one of the best
we have used to date. To put it in gear, just push it forward, and for
reverse just pull it back. There are no buttons to push or shift gates
to navigate. This should prove handy when we inevitably bury the Hawkeye
in 36 inches of mud and muck and have to rock ourselves out.
Our first impression of the Polaris Hawkeye is that it is a heck of
a lot of ATV for the money. There simply isn’t another ATV in
its class that offers as many features as the Hawkeye for $4700. Give
it a little more oompf, and we’d already be in love. We will,
of course, give it a thorough workout over the next several weeks so
stay tuned.
If you are considering purchasing a Hawkeye, drop me a line and let
me know if you have any questions. We will answer those questions for
you and post the answers in our follow-up article.
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| The Hawkeye looks
good at any angle but we particlularly like the front end. |
The back is all
business. Notice the red control arms for the independent
rear suspension |
The Hawkeye is not
a very long ATV but there is plenty of room for riders over
6 feet tall.
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The seat is roomy
and wide but the material is a little soft for our taste.
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| Linked disc brakes provide stopping
on the front and rear. |
The storage box under the front
cargo rack was a very nice touch. |
Digital instrumentation is simple
and easy to read as is the giantic fuel gauge. |
The controls and switches were
well laid out and easy to reach. |
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In addition to the front storage
box Polaris also provides some storage under the seat. |
The wide and grippy foot wells
are some of the best in the industry. |
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