Last week I bought an '01 Trail Boss. After one week and about 8 or so hours riding I already know I will never go back to Honda. I always thought that the automatic tranny was good for beginners but an experienced rider would be so much faster on a machine with gears...WRONG! In a very short time I found myself loving the fact that all I had to do was push the gas and go. I also found myself riding much faster than I had ever ridden while being much more comfortable. Yesterday I rode 3 hours on hard tight trails covered with rocks and I was seated comfortably without always having to stand up on the pegs to go over the rough stuff. I love the suspension and the stable wide track. It was great on hills to just think about the hill and not the atv (am I in the right gear? do I have enough speed? etc). At one point I shut the throttle off a little too quick to get ready for a sharp turn at the top. Any thing else I have owned would have either died or bogged down, or flipped. My T-Boss just motored on up without any hesitation. I love this atv!

 

You have seen the light, Grasshopper. Welcome to the family

 

It was the same for me. Unsure about how I would like it. It was easy to convert over and will be very hard to go back.

98 Scrambler 500
00 Trailblazer 250

 

I almost didn't buy my Scrambler because I had some ill conceived notion that automatics were for wussies. Yeah, I wanted no part of an automatic ATV...that is til I tried it out. Now I can't imagine having anything but an automatic.

 

BK, add a good clutch kit or a roller clutch and you will be even more impressed.

 

I agree sometimes i see good deals on other machines and then I think do i really want to shift? NOPE! it is so much more enjoyable to ride a full auto. No way I could go back.

 

Me, too! I was almost embarrased that I was buying an automatic. Yeah, I won't go back to Hon- hey, what am I saying, I ride an automatic Honda! Maybe I have the best of both worlds!
Tee-hee! Okay, I'm just joshin you Poaris guys. I look over here, because of my wife's Trail Boss. And as long as you don't mention this to my Honda bretheren, I am acquiring an affinity for Polaris's. They are exceptional machines, and far better than I had imagined. I wonder how many sales Honda is missing out on (other than the Rubicon) because they don't offer full auto's for all of their bikes. I love my Ruby, but I must admit, if I were to purchase another ATV (like for my daughter), it would probably be another Polaris. Unless, Honda has the Rancher with teh Hondamatic, or the.....
Yes, I know I'm a freak! I must be Bi. Bi-manufactural (new word, Mr. Webster!)- that is, I like both Polaris's and Honda's. Okay, maybe Yamaha's too. And that new Kawasaki 650... and....

 

i was riding a warrior when my buddy bought a new scrambler500 about two weeks later i got one too. i was tired of working my but off trying to keep up between shifting and the suspension

 

I had the opportunity to testride a friend's 400 scram (prepared quite a bit). I was impressed by the comfort and grip, but I wasn't fine when standing up, I had to seat down to feel in control (the whole contrary with my shee). The only thing I didn't like about the automatic is how wide it is at the footpegs.
Keep in mind that every comparison is with a banshee (can you do smaller??). But I enjoyed riding his machine...I want a reverse!!

 

What really amazes me is my brother. He was the most vocal Polaris basher I have ever seen. After just a few days of seeing me cruise effortlessly around trails that he was getting beat up on, he went to the Polaris dealer and checked out a few machines. He bought a Trail Blazer Thursday!!! We went out riding for 3 hours and you should have heard him. He couldn't believe how much he liked it. I, of course, had to say a few,"I told you so's", but at that point he didn't mind. Now to be fair, we both have had a lot of utility machines lately. So of course they don't ride as nice. But we have also owned sport machines that didn't ride this good. In the price range of the Boss and Blazer most everything but the Blaster is supposedly sport utility. After this machine I will just call them utilities. The trail Boss is the only one in this class that deserves the sport-utility name.