Why Does My Polaris Sportsman Rev But Not Move?

If you have a Polaris ATV that revs up but doesn’t move, you might need to pop the cover off and inspect the belt, and be ready to change it out.

Partzilla’s Polaris ATV expert John Talley livestreams Q&A sessions on our YouTube channel every Friday at 3pm Eastern. In this session, John was asked what could be causing the RPMs on a 2014 Polaris Sportsman 850 WV to go up without the machine moving.   

Polaris Sportsman ATV Revs But Won’t Move Q&A

I’m having a challenge with my 2014 Polaris Sportsman WV 850. At times when I try to accelerate, the RPM goes up but the unit doesn’t move. It makes a sound like a worn bearing or a messed up belt. Any idea what it could be or troubleshooting tips?

John Talley: Well, it sounds like this is going to be a problem with the drive system. You’re saying it doesn’t move at all? I would say that’s probably going to be the belt. So pull that cover off and take a peek at it to see what’s going on in there. Pull that cover, and I think you’re going to find what’s left of a drive belt in there. It’s easy to do, so don’t be afraid. We’ve got a couple of different videos that show how to pull those covers off and get them back on. Polaris has a basic design that they spread around to a bunch of different machines. I’m trying to remember that 850, the camo one we did. I can’t remember the year on it, but go look at the playlist for that unit and that should get you close enough as far as being able to follow along on how to do it.   

Watch the video below to see how to change a Polaris Sportsman 850 ATV drive belt.

Watch the video below to see how to remove and replace a Polaris Sportsman 850 ATV clutch.

Watch the video below to see how to change the drive system fluids on a Polaris Sportsman 850 ATV.

Want to see more live repair questions answered? See more motorcycle and ATV repair questions answered here.