
<PAGE>

                                   EXHIBIT 24


                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC. a
Minnesota corporation (the "Company"), and each of the undersigned directors of
the Company, hereby constitutes and appoints W. Hall Wendel, Jr. and Michael W.
Malone and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone)
its/his/her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for it/him/her and on
it/his/her behalf and in its/his/her name, place and stead, in any and all
capacities to sign, execute, affix its/his/her seal thereto and file a
Registration Statement on Form S-8 or any other applicable form under the
Securities Act of 1933 and amendments thereto, including pre-effective and post-
effective amendments, with all exhibits and any and all documents required to be
filed with respect thereto with any regulatory authority, relating to the
proposed registration of up to 750,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock, par
value $.01, issuable under the Company's Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

     There is hereby granted to said attorneys, and each of them, full power and
authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary
to be done in respect of the foregoing as fully as it/he/she or
itself/himself/herself might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying
and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     This Power of Attorney may be executed in any number of counterparts, each
of which shall be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute
one and the same instrument and any of the undersigned directors may execute
this Power of Attorney by signing any such counterpart.

     POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC. has caused this Power of Attorney to be executed in
its name by its Chief Executive Officer on the 23rd day of January 1997.

                              POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC.



                              By  /s/ W. Hall Wendel, Jr.
                                -------------------------
                                W. Hall Wendel, Jr.
                                Chief Executive Officer<PAGE>

<PAGE>

     The undersigned, directors of POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC., have hereunto set
their hands as of the 23rd day of January 1997. 



  /s/ W. Hall Wendel, Jr.                 /s/ Stephen G. Shank
---------------------------              -----------------------
W. Hall Wendel, Jr.                      Stephen G. Shank



  /s/ Beverly F. Dolan                    /s/ Gregory R. Palen
---------------------------              -----------------------
Beverly F. Dolan                         Gregory R. Palen



  /s/ Robert S. Moe                       /s/ Andris A. Baltins
--------------------------               -----------------------
Robert S. Moe                            Andris A. Baltins



  /s/ Kenneth D. Larson                   /s/ Raymond F. Biggs
--------------------------               -----------------------
Kenneth D. Larson                        Raymond F. Biggs






                              D I R E C T O R S

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