Chinese Imitation of Polaris Clutch

Don’t be fooled by Chinese Polaris Primary Clutch!

By Gary Madsen | May 15, 2020

Back in about December of 2019, before the Chinese sent over the terrible coronavirus, I was searching on EBAY for some UTV parts when I came across this new primary clutch that would fit the Polaris XP1000.

The deal made it look irresistible – they looked great and it was made out of metal. It touted ride ready… just buy it, and bolt it on, and go have fun!

The best deal of all was the price tag! $269.00 I can fix my Polaris clutch problem for $269.00! I knew Polaris was ripping us off for $750.00 those $#@@%&.

When I first saw the primary clutch for sale, my thought was how many people were going to purchase these clutches and then find out the expensive, hard way, how is a Chinese made clutch going to hold up under the demands of what an XP 1000 puts on them.

I had in my mind they would never work correctly and would probably have problems within 6-months.

Boy was I so wrong!!

A recommended customer, let’s call him Ted, brought his XP 1000 into the shop. He had been one of the victims of this Chinese look alike Polaris clutch.

Ted’s UTV was a 2014 Polaris XP 1000 4-seat – a real nice side x side with all the add-ons.  His original primary clutch had gotten to the point where it needed replacing. Don’t worry – if you own a side x side long enough, you will eventually need clutch work or replacement also.

Ted saw the aftermarket clutch on the internet and purchased it along with a new belt, then installed it and he was ready to go ride and break the belt in.

Ted headed to the west desert to ride and planned on taking it fairly easy on his new belt, running at different speeds and not taking it much above 30 mph on easy dirt roads.

Ted’s new clutch did not last 20 miles before all the weights and cover jumped out of position and ruined the clutch itself. After removing the clutch cover on the trail and seeing there were major problems with the brand- new Chinese Polaris clutch, it was time to figure out how to get it towed back to the trailer.

Polaris CVT Belt

CVT Drive Belt system on a Polaris

Polaris XP 1000 Clutch

Polaris XP 1000 Primary and Secondary Clutch

Now it was time to get the RZR clutches fixed properly, with a brand- new Polaris primary clutch along with an SLP high load 4500 + altitude kit. When you add up all these parts it does get expensive, but if properly serviced and maintained, with a belt that is broken in, it should last a good number of miles.

Here is the problem – if Ted cannot get his money back for the Chinese paperweight, he could have had $267.00 going toward the proper fix, instead of flushing it back to China along with the virus.

Chinese parts have come a long way in the past. But I have found that the most expensive parts and tools that you need to work properly can and will cost you lots of money, just to find out the Chinese parts don’t work at all.

There are no savings if you have to throw the first part in the garbage can, and it stopped your outdoor riding trip immediately along with the problem of getting it back to the trailer and loading it up.

The reason behind this story is… don’t be fooled by fool’s gold!  We are all looking to save money, but again, this type of problem costs you a lot more money and aggravations than you expected.

If you would like or need some clutch service or repair, please give us a call or email. I will get you in to give you a complete estimate of what it will take to get your clutching needs, so you will have lots more uninterrupted rides.

Until we ride again… be safe and don’t be fooled by the Chinese parts or virus.

 

 

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