My wife and I just made a deal on a 2002 Rancher ES with 590 hours and 3817 miles as well as a 2001 Polaris Sportsman 500 with 344 hours and 2,375 miles for a total purchase price of $6,000. Both quads are in pretty good shape with the Honda needing the rear brakes replaced (pads) and the float valve adjusted and the Sportsman needing to have the starter motor adjusted/rebuilt as it hangs up a bit (3-5 seconds after starting). The plastic on the honda is great and the appearence of the bike is really nice. The polaris is really nice underneath needing only some polishing compound and a high speed wheel to bring the plastics color back.

We figure we payed 3k a piece...do you think that was a fair deal? A little late I know but I just thought why not ask to see what you guys thought.

Thanks!

 

You didnt say if the rancher was 2wd or 4wd. But if both are nice, 3k isnt bad for 4wd utes. Theres lots of life left in both of them

 

Whoops yeah I kind of left that out, lol. Both quads are 4x4.

 

I had a 03 ES as my personal machine and back then, they were 6k new. 1/2 price is a good deal as long as it's under 2k miles or 1k hours. Watch that starter issue with the Polaris-a customer brought one in two weeks ago and we've traced it back to the compression realease, not the starter. Could be an expensive repair(5-6 hundred w/ parts if you can't do it yourself).

 

How were you able to trace the problem back to the compression release if you dont mind me asking?

 

The flow chart in the Polaris shop manual for starting problems directs you to the compression release if all the electrical componants test out. It sounds like yours has a similar problem to the one that was in my shop. The starter will turn over until TDC, and then dramatically slows down or stops depending on battery condition. I then during the valve lash adjustment checked the compression release, and found it wasn't operating. I currently have a posting on the forum looking for others who have had this problem. Apparently, some of the early cams had some oil port issues which caused premature wear of the ball in the exhaust lobe which cracks open the valves, or wore a groove in the rocker arm rendering the compression release inoperative. Unfortunately, if the ball is worn, you must purchase a complete camshaft. If the rocker arm is grooved, you need to buy both to fix the inadequate oiling issue which wrecked the rocker. Check it out and good luck!