Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

NOTE 1. Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial statements and, therefore, do not include all information and disclosures of results of operations, financial position and changes in cash flow in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements. Accordingly, such statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the opinion of management, such statements reflect all adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented. Due to the seasonality of the Snowmobiles; Off-Road Vehicles (“ORV”), which includes all-terrain vehicles (“ATV”) and side-by-side vehicles; On-Road Vehicles, which is comprised of motorcycles and electric vehicles; and Parts, Garments and Accessories (“PG&A”) businesses, and to certain changes in production and shipping cycles, results of such periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the complete year.

During the third quarter, the Board of Directors declared a two-for-one split of the Company’s outstanding shares of Common Stock. On September 12, 2011, Polaris shareholders received one additional share of Common Stock for each share they held of record at the close of business on September 2, 2011.

Product Warranties

Polaris provides a limited warranty for ORVs for a period of six months and for a period of one year for its snowmobiles and motorcycles. Polaris may provide longer warranties related to certain promotional programs, as well as longer warranties in certain geographical markets as determined by local regulations and market conditions. Polaris’ standard warranties require the Company or its dealers to repair or replace defective product during such warranty period at no cost to the consumer. The warranty reserve is established at the time of sale to the dealer or distributor based on management’s best estimate using historical rates and trends. Adjustments to the warranty reserve are made from time to time as actual claims become known in order to properly estimate the amounts necessary to settle future and existing claims on products sold as of the balance sheet date. Factors that could have an impact on the warranty accrual in any given period include the following: improved manufacturing quality, shifts in product mix, changes in warranty coverage periods, snowfall and its impact on snowmobile usage, product recalls and any significant changes in sales volume. The activity in Polaris’ accrued warranty reserve for the periods presented is as follows (in thousands):


	For the Three Months Ended September 30,						For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2011			2010			2011			2010
Accrued warranty reserve, beginning	$	31,862		$	24,661		$	32,651		$	25,520
Additions to warranty reserve through acquisitions		—			—			2,018			—
Additions charged to expense		13,155			11,689			29,672			32,567
Warranty claims paid		(8,293	)		(6,748	)		(27,617	)		(28,485	)

Accrued warranty reserve, ending	$	36,724		$	29,602		$	36,724		$	29,602