Coming from VW with a 4 speed....i say no. I enjoy not having to shift constantly. I like shutting my brain off and just RIDING.

It's safer keeping both hands on the steering wheel, especially at the speeds these machines are capable of. I don't think Polaris would win enough converts. I looked at YXZ's, not impressive enough of a machine for me to be "happy" with a manual transmission.

Belt driven, now that's a different story. I would go for a Poo with a drive shaft. Rubber belts may gave been the way to go when these machines were simply steroided up golf carts with the same tranny as a sled. But now, yeah I'd check out a Driveline without a belt, as long as i could stay around 200hp which is just enough to put my Rzr where I want it to be in the sand....

Alltogether, who knows. Different Strokes for Different Folks. But I'm glad to have moved away from one hand being on the wheel and one on a shifter at my age...

 

My YXZ has paddle shifters on it, so my hands never leave the wheel either.

And if you put long travel and a turbo on a YXZ it will run with anything out there, and be more fun doing it. I absolutely love my ProXP, but I like my YXZ just a little bit more.

 

Polaris does a have patented automated sequential transmission for a couple years now that I'm sure they've been testing ...heaps of detail in it , huge write up .

 

I wouldnt be opposed if it was reliable. I had two Honda 420 Ranchers with electronic shift. I liked the gear selection for rock crawling and engine braking. But, they weren't very reliable. They were at the dealership several times for shifting issues.

 

I wouldnt be opposed if it was reliable. I had two Honda 420 Ranchers with electronic shift. I liked the gear selection for rock crawling and engine braking. But, they weren't very reliable. They were at the dealership several times for shifting issues.

I have had these on Honda ATV's before and they were rock solid for me. The big difference is the fuel savings when you're just cruising down the road but still had the choice of gears for your driving needs. I wish Polaris would at least give us an option, belt or no belt!

 

Yeh that would be the biggest pro for no belt, being able to cruise down roads and keep rpm and fuel use down .....polaris Definitely needs to give us that choice.

 

I like the thought of an actual transmission and not a rubber band. For me where I am using my Pro XP for hunting as well as leisure trail riding with the family, I would like the ability of shifting like my buddies who have Hondas.
I could see the benefit of the transmission at the dunes as well. Not smoking a belt or blowing one apart due to heating it up.
With all that said, a belt is cheaper to replace than a set of gears in a transmission when it lets go.

 

Let's work on baby steps.

1) Ability shift between H & L on the fly

 

I don't think polaris is going to have the luxury baby steps. The Maverick R is out and jamming around the dunes and deserts right now. I suspect a lot of folks will want the ability to shift or run in automatic. It also has different kinds of mapping with lower rpm shift points.. That's the kind of stuff I want.

With that being said the DCT has to be reliable and tough.

 

Yeah that's a big one.

 

Dual-clutch multi speed transmissions have been around in cars for a while , they do break , and when they do , it’s expensive to fix . And guess who’s working on your machine ? The only guy that could identify which end of a screwdriver to use on the job app . Right now the belt seems to work fairly well . I just purchased a Pro R and I thought about the transmission in the Can Am , but decided against it .

 

I don't care. I simply don't understand buying a desert/dune machine to ride east coast trails.

 

I'm not sure you need that kind of horsepower on tight East Coast trails either. My main desire is to be able to cruise running at a lower RPM, and to be able to select gears.
The Pro R is like all screaming flame breathing snarling beast, or 15 MPH. Almost like an on off switch LOL.

 

Comfort is why.

Once you ride in a machine like that and experience how smooth it is, an XP1000 feels like a hay wagon.

 

So, this is where we are: I think most people prefer to use the CVT in some way. I'm going to say that I love the Yamaha version, with a 10 year warranty. It is smooth and perfect in my opinion. But I'd prefer a bulletproof DCT.

There are folks who agree with me and would like to have a DCT, but half are cost sensitive, which makes sense to me.

I'm going to go out on a thin limb here and say that people who want a DCT want to run at higher speeds. And/or perhaps want a simple driving experience that does not require attention paid to switchgear. But I could be dead wrong about that (comment below). I think switching gears can be done with an auto mode. But used frequently, can become natural without much diversion from driving.

Thanks to everyone that participates.

 

Polaris does a have patented automated sequential transmission for a couple years now that I'm sure they've been testing .