Yesterday I said good-bye to a dear old friend. A friend who I had been with for the last 5 years. A friend who took me through the swamps of the Florida Everglades, the Cedars of the U.P. and the Highlands of Wisconsin, exceeding maximum gross vehicle weight, by at least a couple hundred pounds on a continual basis. A friend who helped tow pickup trucks out of sugar sand. A friend who was not afraid of muck, mire, marle, sand or muskeg. A friend who was always with me during the best of times.

Yes, I took my Sportsman 400 for it's last ride yesterday. A ride to the big dealership in the sky where all quads go at trade in time. When appraisal time came the old Sportsman seemed to know that this was the time for its best performance. As the Service Manager turned the ignition key a the ol' two stroke fired up immediately and seemed to purrr, like a 400 with a lot less miles. In fact it didn't even clear its crankcase like two strokes often do when first started, the counter balancer was silent and the piston slap was non existent. I smiled, a sad smile as the Service Manager roosted away and parked my friend in the service department.

It was time to move on. The ravages of time, mud, dust, submarine duty and rocks had left their mark. It was time to pick up the new Magnum 500, my new buddy.

But, I still love the smell of 2 stroke in the morning.

Happy trails 400! Perhaps our paths will cross again.

 

Is this a y2k model magnum with improved features on it? Did you get a decent price on it. What dealer did you go to?

I hope you like your new friend as much as your old friend! rangerchet

 

Yes it is the Y2K and 1/2 model. The new features that it has are the:

New and improved radiator(with wider spaces between the fins)

New automotive type fan and shroud

Improved ignition switch (which prevents operating the quad with the key turned to the left which allows the quad to run but with no fwd, lights, or cooling fan.)

In addition it has the new side cover with larger intake and outlet vents for improved cooling of the clutch and belt,

Different clutch spring and a different helix on the driven clutch.

The brake discs are also thicker and have a different drilled pattern.

It also came with a 14 amp hour battery.

Nice improvements overall. I think that I am going to like it.

I bought it from Heinen & Mason in Osseo, MN. They had run an ad in the Star Tribune on 6/4/00
The deal I got was just too good to pass up. You can see it at WWW.startribune.com. Go to the
classifieds section and click on the Snowmobile icon in the sports recreation section.

 

Damnit Thor!!
I have tears in my eyes now!
I just went out and gave my Scrambler an extra big hug...

 

That might be the saddest thing I've ever heard
sorry you had to leave your old friend like but congrats on your new friend.

 

Wow Thor, Fantastic, Maybe in the future when I have some money again, I will ask them If I can buy that better rad and fan for my xpedition.

I bought my xpedition at H.& M. as well. Its their
right now getting a leaky rad. fixed. I will pick it up on friday, as i am renting a cabin way up north of finland, mn, for a week. Im bring my atv and canoe and a canoe trailer to pull that behind my atv. the cabin came with a boat on the main lake and my dad/mom are comming up for about 3 days to and bringing a boat along.

All I can say to you- is, WHAT A DEAL on the MAGNUM!!! rangerchet

 

thor, nice post.. it just makes me think.. makes me think about the when my Trail Boss's time comes, when either i sell it, or it goes to that little mudhole up in the sky.. well, i guess we'll find out

 

Congrats Thor! It’s tough to say goodbye to an old trail partner, but that’s one fine machine you have there, as you already know. You’re gonna love the shaft drive over the chains. I’ll bet if Odin hadn’t shot his wad on that 2 wheeler your dealer would have had a double sale. Now it’s your turn to make him a little jealous!

 

Floodrunner,

You have no idea how close I came to purchasing one also. Then I thought to my self I'll just wait for the 700 twin. It's true... It's true the new Sportsman H.O. will have a 700 cc twin engine.

 

I'm glad i'm not the only one that gets like this when they sell a quad.

But then, some you are glad to get rid of!

When i sold my Trailblazer, i started thinking about all the hard work i had in getting it how i wanted, and all the hours i spent riding.