Well, putting my positive hat on, I do think that the Polaris products are probably the best finished machines available today. Everything from welds to paint look spot on, their attention to detail is second to none, and reports of reliability and customer service are very good. Have I ridden one ? No. Do I have any interest in riding one ? Well, maybe an FTR, but none of the scout or chief series. If I was looking for a modern all round sports tourer that would fit into the category that 101s successfully created, combining comfort and character with an ability to multi task, I think I would be looking at a Moto Guzzi Mandello.
Polaris 101 ? Not anything I would look at twice, altho one local guy does have a modern scout that he fitted a mid control kit to, that, along with different seat and handlebars did make it look a little more like a normal motorcycle than some weird custom bar hopper, and he says it transformed it, riding in an upright fashion was far more comfortable than the stock set up. I would think that they have their marketing slightly off, and if they knew their history, would have tried a little harder to come up with a completely different line to hang the 101 hat one, not just another version of the same old model, with different fenders, paint job and computer.
