polaris 400 two stroke or 500 four stroke?

[TM426]

Im looking for a quad for my wife. Ive narrowed it down to a Polaris scrambler 2000-2005 4x4. Whats the opinions on the 2 stroke 400cc or the 500 4 stroke? Whats the power difference? Dependability?

[rundrave]

the 400 is an animal, its doesnt have a lot of low end torque being a 2-stroke but it can really get up and go, and there are lots and lots of go fast parts for them.

the 500 is bulletproof and great trail quad.

we have a website called www.gen3usa.com that is all about scramblers and other gen3 machines come check it out

[TM426]

Thanks Rundrave! Ill check it out...

[chase davis 81]

my dad used to have a 400 it ran like a bat outa hell but we allways had problems out of it

[ben300]

ya, agreed with all above....i used to poker run a 400 and a 500 a decent amount, and the 400 is a whole different animal from the 500.....

id say, for just ripping around, poker runs, and leisure riding for your wife, the 500 is the way to go...

...if your gonna do dunes, or if she's a maniac.....400?

[jesshamner]

I haven't ridden a 500 4x4 but I have ridden a 400 sport. It was pretty fast and good for trails but for something so heavy, I would want a 4x4. The noise was the worst thing about the 400. Of course it had a pipe on it that needed to be repacked probably 2 years before I rode it. :huh

[TheLane]

if you want your wife to have something that scares the SH** out of her, get her the 400.

[finsteratv]

one of my old lady friends her mom rids a 400 scrambler. they do sand and trails and it seems like its okay for her. Seem to see quite a few out in the dunes as wife bikes because they have good power and auto.

[jesshamner]

I would agree that on sand, the 2 stroke would be a better fit.

[SRH]

i had both....the 500 is a blast...i would love to get another one...the 400..was fun in a straight line...otherwise it was a real handful...granted mine was ported, clutched and stuff...but it was no fun in the woods i was constantly dragging the brake burning the belt to stay in the power

[TM426]

Thanks for all the input. I was checking out a 08 500 at the dealer the other day. Im going to go with the 500. Thanks for the link to gen3usa rundrave. Im still waiting for an administrator to approve use since the 16th. lol

[buck440]

neither

[madsmokey12]

Honestly not to be a D*ck or any thing but i would never buy a polaris unless it was a (RZR) but they are the biggest POS.. your gonna have more problems.. if you want a solid quad i would go with a honda.. i love riding yamaha's but honda makes a solid quad!

[jesshamner]

How does Polaris keep getting a bad reputation? Every Polaris I have been around has had a great track record. I abused a 325 magnum for years and it still runs strong without a rebuild.

[beastlywarrior]

Every polaris ive seen has been great

[CJM]

The problem is polaris cant make up their minds when it comes to design. They basically have a crossover thing that really only does trails decently and thats it. I rode a scrambler, predator and a trailboss a few times. Out of them all the predator was the only one built like a sport quad and even then it has a ktm motor. They do not handle well, are HEAVY as hell and the suspension sucks.

The cvt imho is horrible, then of course you have the rear brake issues, the floorboards while a good idea vibrate like hell, etc.

Im not a fan, and not to many other people are it seems. Go out and see who rides what, majority ride red or blue and a smaller extent ride yellow, the rest are just random. But most ride red or blue for a reason-they work and dont have issues.

One thing polaris does do alot of the time is they use very advanced and cutting edge parts-thats a good thing imho, shame they cant really build anything but a crossover hunk of junk and they stopped making anything sporty.

Couldnt give me a polaris. But there are many who apparently love them?

[jesshamner]

Well see, that's just it. Besides the predator and outlaw, they never really got into the sport/racing market. It seems like they aren't really interested in it either.

Go to a trail event or a big trail system on a holiday and tell me that there aren't many polaris utility atvs.

But even then, I still don't see why they are labeled as junk. If we're specifically talking about the scrambler, I have never heard of any major issues from it. And one thing you're right about, its make for trail riding only. But for trail riders that want a sporty feel, its perfect! I doubt it was ever intended to appeal to the masses, but to really fill a niche.

So again, if you want a sporty looking trail quad, its perfect. How is that junk?

[Sjorge450R]

the 400's are a handful to ride. The power bands kicks in pretty hard if the bike is setup ride. Definetly not a weekend warrior type of machine. The 500 on the other hand. You really cant go wrong with it. They are a bit hard to ride because they sit so high, but if your just out cruising, its nice to have a strut suspension on the front than a typical shock setup. Much smoother, even from the factory.

[SRH]

ive owned yamahas, hondas and polaris...the polaris requires more maintenence , they wont take the same pounding but there good quads

[madsmokey12]

Originally posted by CJM

Im not a fan, and not to many other people are it seems. Go out and see who rides what, majority ride red or blue and a smaller extent ride yellow, the rest are just random. But most ride red or blue for a reason-they work and dont have issues.
O

Your forgetting about green.. i have to say kawasaki's kfx450 is a pretty nice bike.. i never rode one but i hear they are a soild quad.. i was thinking about getting one before i bought the YFZ..But idk i never liked Polaris i always thought of it as an off brand POS.. LMAO they don't even have a color.. idk maybe white? Every one i know that ever owned any of their products had problems.. And they have a really bad resell market (i wonder why?):rolleyes:

[rundrave]

Originally posted by CJM
They basically have a crossover thing that really only does trails decently and thats it. I rode a scrambler, predator and a trailboss a few times. Out of them all the predator was the only one built like a sport quad and even then it has a ktm motor. They do not handle well, are HEAVY as hell and the suspension sucks. Ok I will bite. I dont normally respond to posts like this on here because I know most of them are from kiddie riders, but did you even read what you typed? The predator is the only one built like a sport quad, because of the 3 you mentioned it is the ONLY sport quad. And the pred has a fuji motor not KTM.

He is looking for a quad for his wife, you said it yourself it does trails decently. I bet his wife isnt looking for a sport quad to do a GNCC with?


Originally posted by CJM
The cvt imho is horrible what is so bad about the CVT? virtually all the other manufacterers use a CVT, let me guess its bad to because its polaris? You people and your polaris bias drive me nuts.

[jesshamner]

Originally posted by rundrave
Ok I will bite. I dont normally respond to posts like this on here because I know most of them are from kiddie riders, but did you even read what you typed? The predator is the only one built like a sport quad, because of the 3 you mentioned it is the ONLY sport quad. And the pred has a fuji motor not KTM.

He is looking for a quad for his wife, you said it yourself it does trails decently. I bet his wife isnt looking for a sport quad to do a GNCC with?

what is so bad about the CVT? virtually all the other manufacterers use a CVT, let me guess its bad to because its polaris? You people and your polaris bias drive me nuts.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that disagreed.

[Sick0]

There was a guy up in berkshires that had a 400 set up for ice race that would make any sport quad look stupid. I was impressed when he beat a bigbore raptor and banshee.

[TM426]

Thanks for all the input. I just bought a 08 outlaw 450. It handles awesome and has great power. You get a lot for the money in stock form. The only downside was the aftermarket support. Im going to be looking into nerfs, skid plates, rims and tires. The aftermarket parts are there but they seem to be pricier then the other popular brands. I like the factory KTM motor, hydrolic clutch, braided brake lines, and good suspension out of the box.

Ive owned a 450r and still have my 426ex (FOR SALE). The quality is just as good as the hondas.

Im looking now for a 500 scrambler now.. I did consider the suzuki and honda 250 sport quads. We like the 4x4 and full auto that the polaris offers without being physically as large as a utility. My wife isnt going to be racing. Its just for mild trail riding.

[buck440]

Originally posted by TM426
...The quality is just as good as the hondas.


them fighting words right there:scary:

[madsmokey12]

I wish you the best of luck with it.. atleast u got an outlaw.. lol i remembered when my friend had a polaris.. he hated that thing! one day he tried to throw it in his dumpster.. So i just posted it up on craigslist and he sold it.. lol the next day the guy called him and said it broke down in the middle of the woods..:chinese:

[jesshamner]

I feel like there is a lot left out of that story. Like what kind of maintenance was done and how often. And then of course, what kind of break down happened in the woods.

[madsmokey12]

Originally posted by jesshamner
I feel like there is a lot left out of that story. Like what kind of maintenance was done and how often. And then of course, what kind of break down happened in the woods.


oil and plug were always changed every 20 hours.. he took it in to the shop every few months or more to get fixed or tune up.. Never Sat outside was always garage kept.. i couldn't tell you i wasn't there.. guy just told my buddy it wouldn't start