I am looking to buy my first ATV within the next couple of months and have narrowed my choices down to the Polaris Scrambler 500 4x4 or the Yamaha Raptor 660. I realize these are two diffrent machines but I'm hoping someone can help me choose. Most, if not all of the riding I'll be doing will be in Northern Michigan, mostly sand hills and trails but being Michigan, will have the occasional muddy, flooded trails. I've spent some time on an Artic Cat DVX 400 and liked the get up and go but wasn't convinced it would be comfortable for an all day excursion. I've also spent time on an Artic Cat 500 Automatic in which I liked the automatic but have not once used the 4x4. I know the Raptor will have the speed I'm looking for but am not sure if it'll be worth a darn getting through mud or even some packed snow (I'd like to be able to use it occasionally in the winter) or how it will handle on an all day trip of trail riding. The Scrambler on the other hand has the automatic and the 4x4 which I like but am not sure if it'll have the get up and go and the speed I want. A friend swears a 2x4 is all I need but I think it's because that's what he has. I'm looking for a machine that has some get up and go and can move up those hills and jump a bit but can also plow through some mud if it gets in the way and is a comfortable ride for those long treks. Can somebody please help me decide. Thanks.

 

why not try the prairie 700 or brute force??

 

Well, I am not saying this just because I have a 4x4, but if you plan on hitting the mud or pretty muddy trails with hillclimbs, with not enough experience you might as well take your Schwinn out to the trails. If you don't know how to ride a 2wd right or good enough, and you don't have really good, aggressive tires on the back, you won't make it far. Especially after a hard rain, if the trails are hard-packed dirt, they will be just like ice. And like I stated before, if you don't know how to balance your weight properly over the rear seat and have everything setup right, you will be lucky to make it out of your driveway. Not saying that 2wd's won't go, because I have rode with some pretty capable 2wd rides. But if you're just getting into it, I would recommend one with selectable 2-4wd. Then practice with it in 2wd. Now as for mud, 2wd sucks. They make nice pictures doing mud roosts though[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]!

 

If ya know how to ride a 2wd like a raptor 660 with a good set of meats on it you can go anywhere a 4wd can go as long as you dont have to stop.

 

I would say that the Scrambler 500 or the Wolverine would be the fastest 4X4 quads out there. I dont think the Wolverine has a 2-4wd choice, i think it is in 4wd all the time. Scramblers will top out around 65-70. And have a 2-4wd swithch so you can have more fun in the spots you dont need 4X4![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img].

 

Hey OneFly, nice dozer, but you should have got a high-track with swamp pads[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]! Do you operate equipment for a living? I do, check out my photos. We just called a guy out of the hall for one day and check out what he did to that 8! It took almost 45 minutes to dig out behind it and a little on the sides,with a 345 BL! That ground was really soft! After we dug it out a little, we hooked a cable to one tooth on the bucket, and to the ripper on the dozer and gave her one hell-of-a yank!

 

Thanks for your helpful response. After thinking it over (and talking with the wife) I've decided to go with the Scrambler. That way I'll have a good, quick machine that'll be easy for her to use as well. I also think the 4x4 will come in handy in the winter time to pull the kids around on sleds. One more thing I'd like to ask is about improving performance by putting in a clutch kit and a diffrent pipe. Do you know anything about this? If so, how would it improve performance? Again, thanks a ton for your advice. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]