well which should i get? this will be a pure mudder for the most part money is not hte issue cause its only 100$ how does the es hold up in mud and what not.

 

Everyone seems to like something different. I like the simplicity of the S. Others like to shift with their fingers while going through the mud. This is so they don't get their dainty feet wet. It really just depends on what you need or want.

 

ES alll the way. never once a problem with it. only down sides that i can think of is not being able to coast, and not being able to hold a beverage in the left hand. its great to be able to shift in tough situations, best example, being able to rock it foward and back after breaking through some ice without getting frozen feet.

 

Here is the problems I have found with the ES's since they came out in '98 -
1) mud, dirt, and water get into the shift buttons and make them lose contact
2) the "little shifting brain box" (under the front fenders) eventually goes bad and won't let it shift once it heats up ($$$)
3) the grease in the electric shift motor gets stiff and won't let it shift
4) if the battery is low, the electric shift may not work good (sometimes it will, sometimes it won't)

Like Coyote was saying - if you're going to play in the mud - simplicity of the machine is the key.

 

Hmm, my 1998 ES doesn't have any problems, but for one thing, that's true, the grease becomes stiff in the Shifter mechanism,
and I've found sand in my shifter mechanism and I had to clean the ES Fuse contacts, except of that, I've did not run into trouble
with the ES .. And I don't have a problem with the buttons, and like I said, it's a 98, and I find it normal to wash the bike after
every ride, so you should not have problem with your buttons if you wash them . . .

.. My point of View ! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]