@cosmosdan Yea I passed on going riding yesterday because I just didn't feel comfortable with it, I haven't had a chance to check it out but you're right I am going to investigate this further and not ride it until I'm satisfied.
@mayor hal I know a few guys that ride Mavericks and man those things are some seriously overpriced junk. Things are constantly going wrong with them, almost every time we ride it's one of them who's breaking down.
As far as the Rzr's the earlier models were also a nightmare. The few people that I know that still have them are trying to sell them. I will say the latest models seem to be much more reliable. But man that price is what scares me. I'm hoping to chalk these issues up to how young the Z8 is. And that CFMoto is going to iron out the issues in future years like Polaris has. I'm willing to pay a little more and stay loyal if the machines improve in quality.
Most likely the mud got jammed into the throttle cable or foot pedal assembly. Thats the gamble you take when running in mud. It can happen to anything, regardless of brand or model. Hell i've gone tearing ass through a mud hole in my 1990 Jeep YJ with the carbureted 4.2L and the spring snapped on the throttle linkage. Stuff happens. Mud also destroys wheels bearings as does sand. I've had the same Polaris RZR come in for service for wheel bearings within a 7 day period because they went mudding and destroyed the new Polaris brand bearings (which they insisted we install vs the better quality and cheaper All-Balls bearings). The 2nd time around they agreed to try the All Balls. They've been good ever since.
As a dealer, and a service center for all brands, I can tell you, no brand is safe. No brand is 100% reliable. They ALL BREAK. They ALL have issues. I can tell you i service a LOT of Polaris ATVs and SXS. A LOT. Some simple, some that make you want to scratch your own eyes out. Polaris has a HORRIBLE history with their electronics. The early 600 & 700 sportsman twins had a terrible ignition system that ended up being replaced mid production. Any 1st run models that had any one piece of that ignition system go had to spend $800 for the updated ignition system which includes a CDI, voltage regulator/rectifier, coils, stator, and flywheel. Polaris had some major electrical issues with the 2009 Switchback 900. A Majority of the parts for that machine are specific to that year only because it was a pile of turds attached to skis and a track. They continue to have issues with their gauge clusters/dashes going out. For some reason, that dash controls everything, which means when the dash goes, its not going to start. One of my employees is dealing with a defective dash on his sled, and its almost $500 to replace it plus labor. Arctic Cat has a similar ignition issues with their 400 & 500s. They used a multi-magnet design flywheel that has a 100% failure rate which almost always destroyed the stator when the magnets let go. They eventually switched to a solid single magnet design.
My point being, they are all "junk" if you want to go by issues they have. But what most people fail to realize, we are pushing the units to their mechanical limits. Off roading is hard on everything. Its hard on engines, and parts. Bearings and bushings. Small engines rev much higher and run much longer in higher RPM ranges than cars do.
CFMoto has told us they purposely underpower the engine to extend the life of the engine. These engines are capable of producing much more power, so keep that in mind.
One last thing...
That $23,000 Polaris 1000 is a mean machine, dont get me wrong. It will destroy anything in the hole shot. But that's where its performance falls off. Polaris has them governed at 72mph... They also come with a 6 month warranty. A 5 year plan costs $1800 and also comes with a deductible.
My ZForce 800 retails for $9,999, is NOT governed, and goes 72mph, and has a 1yr warranty. I sell extended warranty plans, additional 2yrs for $599 and 3 years for $699. So in all honesty I dont understand where the benefit of buying a Polaris is. Their warranty sucks. Their units are overpriced. The quality is no better than anyone else, Chinese brands included. The cost to maintain is far greater (their parts are outrageous and overpriced).