I know people probably dont like these questions about which one to get, but for the money these things cost i am looking into this a little bit, i have money down on the raptor, i sounds like a lot of fun, but the more i think about it i might go back to my original choices, the scrambler or sportsman, with a scrambler are they any good for jumping and powerslides and stuff, if i get a sport type machine it would be just for fun, i know the raptor would be good for that but i would like to get a polaris, but i dont know how the scrambler handles, if i get a bigger machine it would have to be the sportsman, but is that good for trails and can it still be fun? Does it have a lot of power? i can get a polaris for a little cheaper than the yamaha so i could maybe get one of the little ones for my kids or a trailblazer for fun if i get the sportsman,

 

I have a sportsman 500 and it have more than enough power. I never really have had it bog done on the hill. I would have to go with the Sportsman over all but thats just what I like. the only thing that the scrambler can do that the sportsman cant is accerate alot faster, and jump a hell of a lot better, and there top speed is really close. the sportsman can pull more (low gear), go through mud better (gound clerance)carrie more ect. It accelerates faster than most people think. I rode my buddies scrambler 500 4x4 and it beat everything of the line in a drag, and I mean everything (banchee, bikes, everything). but it just doesnt have the top end that the Raptor will have. now the scrambler will probably have a smother ride than the Raptor because the Raptor will be set up for mx. but the scramble might go a few more places if you get the 4x4.

not very organized, but I hope it helps. and remember, some are my own personal observations and some are my opinions. and if it was up to me get the Sportsman, More versital I think.

My 2 Cents
Muddog
97 Sportsman 500

 

I just bought a 00 Scrambler 400 4x4 and let me tell ya this thing flies! I didn't realize a stock automatic could lift the front wheels off the ground. You really have to watch it or you wind up on your back. I also thought about a pure sport, like the 400EX, but then I started thinking about reverse and optional 4x4 and you just can't beat it with the Scrambler (if you want some sport). Now I have heard nothing but good things about the Sportsman and I've ridin' with a few of them and they are the "Cadillacs" of the ATV world. However, if you are looking for somehing sporty with 4x4 capabilities, I would have to go with the Scrambler. Just my opinion!

 

I honestly don't understand why your choices would be between these three? You've go to make up your mind - what you want to use the quad for? An sp500 versus a raptor. . . I mean, do you want to haul stuff or race mx, come on man make up your mind!

 

it isnt raptor vs sportsman, i just want a machine to have fun with, i didnt know if the sportsman is fast enough to keep up with people on a trail ride,

 

Get the Raptor, if you don't like it, I'll buy it off ya.

 

I know nothing of the raptor, haven't even heard of it till today, so I don't know about that one.

I too debated the Scrambler500/sportsman 500 question, and ended up deciding on the Sportsman. (Actually, the Magnum 500, which was promptly stolen, and replaced by a sportsman.......)
I have a buddy with a scrambler 500, 1999, and he and I spent a day in the snow riding together a few months ago. We were both riding all out all day long, and neither one of us had trouble keeping up with the other. The two seemed to me to be surprisingly comparable. When we traded bikes for an hour or so, I knew right away that I had made the right decision by going with the sportsman. Here's why:

I was very surprised that the Scrambler wasn't noticeably faster that my sportsman. The snow was slowing us both down, but the top speed on the two really is about the same. (I've had mine to 60 on hardpacked dirt)

The scrambler did accelerate a little bit faster, but I couldn't notice a HUGE difference. The snow may have been a factor in that though, the Sp500 has a lot more rubber touching the ground to pull through that snow and accelerate, as well as much more weight to gain traction from.
But by far the biggest reason was COMFORT. The seat on the scrambler is much more narrow and hard, and the suspension is obviously geared towards more aggresive handling. It really beat the crap out of me, and after 10 minutes of riding top speed through frozen fields, I was ready to get back on the sportsman. My buddy mentioned that mine was like riding a big cadillac, which is very true. I'm only 27, and in excellent shape, but I don't think I could handle a full day of riding the scrambler on bumpy, technical terrain. I spent 10 days straight on my sportsman in Moab, Utah last month, on very rocky and very technical terrain, and I was just fine at the end of 8-10 hours riding.

For me, the bonuses of the scrambler being more sporty, lighter,more jump-worthy, and cheaper couldn't compete with the overall comfort of the sportsman, coupled with the fact that the low range on the sportsman allows me to do some very serious hauling, pushing, and pulling with it. It literally helped pull my F250 crew cab out of a muddy ravine over memorial day, that is a 8000lb truck!
BUT.....
If jumping your machine is something you plan to do often, the sportsman is not the machine for you. I've done it, 3, maybe 4 feet in the air, but it isn't something that a heavy machine like that can handle too much of. It is so heavy, you are stuck with the trajectory of the machine once it launches, you can't correct it in the air. And if you are small and don't have too much arm strength, you will have a tough time on tight trails.

It all comes down to what type of person you are, how you will use it, and how much your willing to spend. If cash flow is a consideration, the Magnum and Sportsman are nearly the same thing. If you want my opinion on those two as well, just ask.....

Hope it helped.

Scott

 

Now that is really the kind of help i wanted, something from someone who has ridden both, right now i am leaning towords the sportsman, i like the yellow one, you can get all kinds of extras on it and instead of racing my buddies i can pull them out of the mud, hopefully there is something new for the 2001 models, maybe a high output sportsman or something, then i can just keep this and ride it until polaris someday makes a full sport model, if ever

 

That is one problem, you will be officially designated as the "get my butt out of this mudhole" guy on the trail. If you go with the sportsman, and ride alone often, I would highly recommend a winch. I'm pretty strong, but the winch has saved me from more than one hike to a buddies house before. It is so darn tall, and with so much suspension, unless you are 7'tall, it is really tough to be able to lift it high enough to max out the suspension and lift up the tires. I don't even attempt it anymore.
Except for the times when I'd like to hit a jump really good, I've never wished that I had bought the Scrambler instead. I guess before I upset any Scrambler owners I must say that both the Scrambler and my Sportsman are stock machines, I bet with modifications you could really make the Scrambler one heck of alot faster.
I guess if you sunk the extra money that you will spend for a stock sportsman, and spent that cash on Scrambler mods, there probably wouldn't be a contest.
Sorry, I don't mean to confuse you again. Either way, your going to have a good time riding. I just think that you will be able to ride longer and much more comfortably on the sportsman, without giving up a huge chunk of sportiness. There are clutch mods that you can do to the sportsman to increase the accleration, one of the atv mags did a article on it about 5 months ago. I personally am leary about engine mods, and I was afraid I'd be sacrificing the low range power as well.
Gotta get to work.....

Scott

 

Well, i had money down on the raptor, from my trade in, now the dealer doesnt feel like giving it back, i wont know until tommorrow morning, i wouldnt mind the raptor, but i would kind of like the sportsman too, less money also, so i guess i really dont have to decide it is up to the dealer on if i can get my deposit back, either one would be great for totally different things so i guess it doesnt matter, except on the price