Well i paid 1,200 for my polaris and its in nice shape body wise but while driving it i notice the handle bars jerk wobble bad and i thought id look into it so i put it up on jacks and looked around. i started it up put it in dirve and at 25 mph the hole atv will shake badly in 2wd but in 4wd she dont shake at all so i looked at joints and the right 2 have some play so i took the tire off the right side and tride it again in 2wd but this time there was no shake but the front right tire like kicked in at 25mph for no reason so now i have a bad hub in the front an i dont know what the hell is wrong with the back end area so someone who is like a polaris god pls help me??!!

 

Handle bar jerk could be from a lot of tire sealant or just check the play in the bars back and forth(could be tie rod end wear,plus check the front cv joints,boots for tears,leaking,etc) Awd kicking in even with the switch off is usually caused by sticking armature plate in the hub or loss of fluid or both. You can check while the rear end is off the ground for excess play in the rear drive shaft u-joints (may need to be replaced). I've had rear drive shafts worn to where it will jerk and pull and drive sideways like you've mentioned. Plus different tire pressure in the rear tires can exaggerate the problem. As far as getting robbed,did you ride the atv before you bought it? If you're going to keep it,a manual will help you do any repairs. You have to expect a 15 year old machine will have problems. Just depends on how it'd been maintained. OPT

 

Are you sure it's a '97? I thought they didn't make the H.O. until the 2000 or 2001 model year. I wouldn't have paid that much for one that old anyway.