Well it seems that ftwflh has both and probably is the best at giving an objective opinion.

 

Hey ftwflh do u have yahoo messanger or aol because i have a few questions for you. I like your headlight for the 400 i think the normal headlights are soo ugly. I think i am gonna go buy a scrambler 500 4x4. I will have to sell my 2004 firecat 600 snowmobile but i think the fourwheeler will be more in use but i love snowmobileing

 

The biggest reason manufactures are going to 4-strokes is because of the Meanie Greenies. The new 4 strokes have good power compared to 5-10 years ago when the 4-strokes were complete dogs. If your going to buy something and keep it stock go with a new 500. I don't think there is much difference in power stock for stock. If you want to mod it up as much as you can then there isn't a choice go with the 2-stroke. If you do go with the 400 then make sure you get a 2000 or newer stay away from the 99's and earlier.

 

Does the new 4 stroke have much power at all i seen one at the dealer which idk it had some new graphics of the black and the yellow and it seemed it idles hard or something which i dont know maybe that was why it was at the dealer but do u trust the ones on ebay or any other cites. I just am kind of afraid of the 4 stroke because i never had one before will they last a long time because they are like $6000 brand new which the sportmans are cheaper but is it worth it

 

The 500 motor is really reliable. I like the 500 scrambler. It's super fun to ride. A friend of mine used to have one. I wish I could have afforded to buy it at the time but couldn't. I really like the 400 2 stroke the best. Just my opinion.

 

Stock vs stock they are about the same in a drag.
Unless your planning on modding you may just want to go with the 500, less maintainence especailly with rejetting in the winter for plowing unless you just jet rich for all around use.

check this out...
scrambler write-up

Jim

 

Jim. You have some of the best links for info I swear.

 

I didnt copy the links but here is some more good scrammy articles....

FTR POLARIS SPORT 400

There was a time when it was hard to find companies making aftermarket products for Polaris ATVs. How hard was it? Well, let’s say that it would be harder than being the bonehead who misses the first question on "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire."
IS THAT YOUR FINAL ANSWER?
Today there are lots of companies that offer high performance modifications for almost every manner of Polaris quad. One of the newest ones is a small company located near Salt Lake, Utah, called FTR Performance.
They have focussed their attention on the Sport 400, Scrambler 400, & TrailBlazer 250 we arranged to check out one of their highly modified machines on the Sand Dunes in the Little Sahara Off-Road Recreation area in Utah. Located approximately a two hours’ drive north of Salt Lake, the Little Sahara dunes have some of the biggest and steepest dunes in the country and at an elevation of 4500-4800 feet provide a high altitude playground for off-roaders looking for cooler climes and sand-shredding action.
CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE
We met up with the owners of Scott Sports Polaris (Kelly and Chris Scott) who provided the stock 400 Sport and FTR owners Bart and Jennifer Papworth. Bart is the ace mechanic and technician behind FTR, and his many years of off-road tuning experience have helped him perfect their extensive line of performance products.
"Besides building our products for increased power, we wanted to make them stand apart, "says Papworth. "A lot of the pipes that are being built for Polaris ATVs have a problem sticking out too far and burning the riders legs. We solved that by making our exhaust route closer in to the chassis. A small thing, yes, but who wants to ruin a set of $200 riding pants or $200 boots on their first ride?"
When switching to an aftermarket pipe for the Polaris quads, Bart also recommends one of their clutch modification kits ($149.95) to go with their pipe and silencer ($249.95). There is also a chrome version of the exhaust ($100 extra) and a pipe with a high performance ceramic coating that is said to increase power by 1-2 h.p. for an additional $100. The clutch kit uses a new custom-machined helix, a new secondary spring, primary spring, weights, and engagement washer. "We will work with any of our customers to get the clutch tailored to their riding application," says FTR’s Papsworth.
"We measured a 10 h.p. gain with one of our pipe and clutch kits on the Sport 400 or Scrambler 400. We do both race ($249) and trail ($179) porting mods as well and will build a engine to suit any type of riding style," says Bart.
CYLINDER SANDWICH
One other item a lot of Polaris owners overlook when it comes to modifying their machines is the cylinder mounting. "While stock-engined Polarises don’t have a problem, once you modify the engine or raise the compression they start to have cylinder twisting problems," says Papworth.
"We have come up with a Cylinder Sandwich kit ($69.95) that helps compensate for engine overrev which is more common with a modified engine. This simple mod helps keep the cylinder head bolted down to the cylinder from the top."
"Once you do this mod you can get more engine compression using one of our billet heads with an interchangeable dome ($199). It comes with its own custom dome that is determined by what type of riding, fuel and conditions you ride your quad in. The stock Sport 400 compression is right around 130 psi, so we up it to between 160-165 psi. The higher engine compression ratio allows us to run race type fuel which burns better under the increased pressure," says the Bartman.
SEAT PACK
Another novel product from the FTR stable is the innovative Seat Pack ($139), which is a combination seat cover and fanny pack all in one. This sharp looking unit combines a replacement seat cover with gripper sides and a built-in fanny pack sewn onto the rear of the seat. A simple idea that really works. The fanny pack is large enough to pack away a rider’s ID, tools, maps, and even a small camera, and comes with its own zippered chamber. It is available in black/red, black/yellow, or black/ purple color combinations.
BIGGER BRAKES
Another tip that Bart recommends for most high-performance Polaris buffs is to increase the size of their rear brake rotor with one of FTR’s larger diameter rotors ($119) for more braking power and better cooling. They install sintered EBC pads as well.
ARMS & BUMPERS
FTR also offers a custom made 4130 chromoly swingarm ($379.95). They run anywhere from 0 to +6 inches in length and can be custom tailored to suit your type of riding. The swingarm uses a dual-position shock mount to allow the rider to fit it to the 2000 model Sports and Scramblers with the longer rear shocks as well to change the spring rate.
A trick laser-cut radiator protector with the FTR logo sells for $79.95 while a large front bumper is available in either chrome chromoly ($249.95) or aluminum ($139.95).
ODDS & ENDS
Some of the other items that FTR sells are Dura-Blue wheel spacers, Douglas rims, Skat-Trak paddles, and they offer a flywheel and counter-balancer lightening service. For $79.95 they will lighten the flywheel on your Sport or Scrambler 400 for quicker revs and faster acceleration. For an additional $29.95 (exchange) they will also lighten the Polaris stock counter-balancer for added revability. If you opt for the lightened flywheel you will also need to remove the stock pre-mix system and install one of their oil block-off plates ($19.95). This has the added benefit of shaving over 11 pounds of weight off your quad.
In another weight saving move, FTR took off the stock 400’s starter, battery and wiring to remove 20 more pounds. You will need to install one of the White Brothers battery eliminator kits ($14.95) for this mod. More weight can be shed by taking the stock skid plate (5-6 pounds) off. Besides, in the sand, it can act like a giant shovel and scoop up and trap vast amounts of sand inside it.
For even more weight savings, the FTR boys removed the stock Polaris floor boards (saving 10 pounds) and are experimenting with various nerf bars, although they have not finalized what they intend to market.
To upgrade suspension components, a set of Fox replacement struts were installed on the modified Sport 400 that we rode on Utah’s Sand mountain. The newer Fox struts have 1-1/2 inch more travel than the stockers and offer a much plusher ride.
RIDE REVIEW
Taking the fully modified FTR Sport 400 out for spin in the Utah dunes was a real treat. It has plenty of hill climbing power which came in real handy for the seemingly endless climbs up Sand Mountain. Several highly modified Yamaha Banshees (a 440cc and 510cc kitted machine) were on hand at the base of Sand Mountain. We challenged them to a drag and while they were able to beat us up to the top of the hill, the FTR 400 Sport gave them a run for the money. It was clearly superior to any stock Polaris we ran into.
The longer swingarm (+4 inches) allowed it to hook up and pull harder up the hill. With a set of paddles it would be a formidable competitor in the dunes and a good set of knobbies would make it a race horse on the trails.
FTR has come up with a unique set of products for Polaris owners. The engine mods are on a par performance-wise with other top names such as Hpd, Aaen, and Ritter. The Cylinder Sandwich idea is a good one and it could save you the cost of a major rebuild in the long run. Even the Seat-Pack is a great idea that would seem to be adaptable to other brands. We’d say that FTR has Fullfilled Their Reality with their Polaris product line.
ADDRESS: FTR, 716 South 500 East
American Fork, UT 84003; (800) 429-9991.

 

unless you are racing it

get the 500

 

Scrambler 400 vs 300 EX


If you thought the sport machines we compared in last month’s issue offered a nice variety of styles, get ready now for something completely different! Sure, those four machines had widely ranging price tags, motor configurations and chassis dimensions, but they all had one very important similarity—manual-clutch, manual-shift transmissions.
Before we talk about why the two quads in this shootout are so different, first let’s look back at the results of last month’s shootout comparing the Honda TRX300EX, Kawasaki Mojave 250, Yamaha Blaster 200 and Yamaha Warrior 350.

IN OUR LAST EPISODE
Honda’s TRX300EX wasn’t the fastest of the four in a straight line, but its superior handling, suspension and excellent ergos put it on top as the sport quad that would suit the most riders in most situations. This month, the EX gets the honor of going up against its primary sport competitor with a fully automatic tranny, the new-for-2000 Polaris Scrambler 400 2WD.
The Scrambler 2WD replaces the Polaris Sport 400, ATV Action’s 1994 ATV of the Year (the 300EX won the award the year before). Suspension travel has been increased, but the rest of the chassis and the motor are basically identical to the Sport.
Of course, the fully automatic tranny is the most obvious feature that sets the Scrambler apart from the EX, and it also means the Scrambler is targeted at a different riding style—one that requires less rider input and involvement. On the Polaris, you hit the thumb throttle and the machine goes.
The CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) consists of a belt and two pulleys, each of which change width to change gearing. Engine rpm, wheelspin and load determine the gearing. For lower gearing, the front (drive) pulley widens and the belt rides low, while the rear (driven) pulley narrows and the belt rides high.
The Honda uses a more conventional manual-shift, manual-clutch five-speed tranny. Both quads offer reverse and send the power to the rear wheels via a 520 O-ring chain.

POWER SOURCES
The power for these single-cylinder machines is produced by two dramatically different motors. The Honda has a 282cc, four-valve, air-cooled four-stroke engine, while the Scrambler has a 378cc, liquid-cooled two-stroke powerplant. The Scrambler’s two-stroke oil is injected automatically, so it’s not necessary to mix oil and gas on either quad. Both machines have convenient electric starters, but only the Polaris has a recoil backup. If the battery dies on the Honda, it can be pushed or towed to start.
Polaris outfitted the Scrambler with a larger and more efficient two-stroke, but the 400 has 111 more pounds to haul around. Where does the weight come from? Well, the Polaris is a big machine. Compared to the Honda, the Scrambler has a four-inch longer wheelbase, four-inch taller seat height, and a three-inch wider stance. The Scrambler also has heavy steel rims compared to the 300EX’s lightweight aluminum goodies. Now you’re starting to get a better idea of how different these machines are.
The Polaris has one- and two-inch taller tires front and rear, respectively, and one inch more suspension travel up front. In back, the Scrambler tops the Honda by a whopping 2.5 inches. Both machines use a conventional single rear shock, but the Scrambler uses MacPherson struts up front instead of the sportier dual A-arm setup found on the EX.
Hydraulic disc brakes provide the stopping for both machines, but the method of actuating them is different. As on a motorcycle, the Honda rider operates the front brakes with his right hand and the rear brake with his right foot. The Polaris rider operates all three brakes with a single left-hand lever. The right foot pedal operates the rear disc, but it’s intended only as a backup.

MAKING TRACKS
Is there any way an air-cooled four-stroke 300 is going to wax a liquid-cooled two-stroke 400 in a drag race? Sure, anything’s possible, but it didn’t happen in this shootout. Running the drag races on pavement to even out traction considerations, the Polaris easily beats the Honda going away. While three-quarters of a second might not sound like much, it’s a huge difference in a drag race that runs in the eight-second range.
Next, we set up a short, turn-infested gravel track and slipped a new battery in our stopwatch. The course wasn’t particularly rough, but it did have a couple of small jumps, a few off-cambers and a short straight. Though many of the turns were tight, they were wide, so pinpoint turning accuracy wasn’t a necessity. It looked like the speedy Polaris might have an advantage here, and we lined up our pro, intermediate and novice testers to find out.
Although they didn’t feel especially comfortable while doing it, the pro and intermediate riders were able to crank out faster times on the Scrambler. The Scrambler’s decided acceleration advantage made the difference, even though they said they liked racing the 300EX more. Interestingly, the novice rider was faster on the 300EX. He said he could push himself more on the Honda, while the Polaris seemed like a handful.
On this specific track, the Polaris was the winner. Because these two machines are so different, the winner is going to be determined by the style of the track and which machine is better suited to it. Let’s take a look at what sort of conditions benefit each machine.

BUMPS & JUMPS
Despite its impressive suspension numbers, the Polaris does not have superior suspenders. The Scrambler’s rear Fox shock is quite nice, but the Sachs struts are barely passable. They bottom without warning, are unduly harsh on square holes, they dive in turns and deflect easily. For casual cruising on fireroads, the Scrambler’s unbalanced suspension works. When things get rough, whoops come your way, or you start to want bigger air, the less you’re going to like it. By comparison, the 300EX’s boingers are plush and responsive. They give you a good feel for the terrain without spiking the rider on hard hits, and there’s plenty of warning before things get ugly. Simply put, the Honda’s suspension is excellent and easily a class leader....To find out the rest of the story pick up the April issue of 4-Wheel ATV Action!