HOLY COW THIS THING IS AWESOME.

I bought a used 99 400ex last Friday. I wasn't even looking for a 400ex. I went to check out a 250r hoping to pick up my 2nd one. It was a junker for way to much money. The guy tells me a neighbor needs some fast cash and is selling a 400ex. It is in great mechanical shape, but cosmetically is a little rough. Not bad though.

Anyway I get it home Friday night and check it over for loose nuts, bolts, etc and adjust and modify a few things. Saturday morning I change the oil, tighten the chain, slap in the now clean airfilter and put clean race gas into the drained tank.

These things handle great!! I am able to go over, thru and up things so much faster than on my Scrambler 400 4x4 it is not funny. I can do a few things better on the Polaris, the things that the 400ex does better it does them so much better I am embarresed to admit. I found myself not even thinking about riding the Polaris that day. I also didn't ride my buddies modded out Banshee either.

I have a good $1500 into the suspension on the Polaris and it sucks compared to the worn out stock components of the Honda.

I love the experience of being able to ride and not worrying about breaking something in the front end.

I have COMPLETELY rethought my plans about quad ownership. I am selling the Polaris. Going to continue the complete rebuild of my 86 250r and am going to be first in line with a fistful of 100 dollar bills when Honda introduces the water cooled 400ex! (hope hope pray pray)

Just got off the phone with the local Cannondale dealer. He has one and wants me to come over and ride it. COOL This is getting good.


Paul

 

Paul has seen the light...

ride RED !!!

 

You'll have a lot of fun on the ex over the polaris. My dad had a polaris sport 400 and it had good power, but the suspension sucked for jumps and wheelies. way too heavy to play around on compared to the ex. The polaris is a good trail machine in my opinion. Just not up to the avid rider who likes to wheelie, jump and play around on.

 

You may miss that magic 4wd button on the old Scambler when your up to you knees in mud pushing the new ride out.You may also have to find a new way up some of those steep hills on the trail.

 

Ahh, it's so nice to see a fellow step out of the Darkness into the Honda house of warmth and light. Almost walked into the abyss myself last year til I read an evaluation of the Recon in ATV Connection. Still have an occasional bad dream about what might have been.

 

The only time I have seen a 4x4 do better in the mud than a 2 wheel drive is if the 2 wheel drive can not keep up the momentum to make it thru. Same thing goes for hills. If the hill is very bumpy the poorly performing front suspension of the Polaris will cause you to lose momentum. 4x4 will not help you then, at least it never helped me.

Of all the muddy hare scrambles I have been to I have yet to see a 4x4 have a faster lap time or win the overall. I did do pretty well a couple years ago in a Mid South race in southern IL when it was just so soupy it was incredible. You rode along in a valley then made a sharp left then had about 20 feet before a steep, slippery, root infested uphill. There were quads everywhere trying to get up the hill. I put it in 4x4 and went right up it without difficulties. I was also able to accelerate faster out of slippery corners but had to slow down much more due to the bumps.

The Polaris is not necessarily a bad quad it just seems that for me and the riding/racing I do the 400ex or the 250r I am rebuilding are much better choices.

Paul

 

Paul,

Now that your riding a Honda, you don't have to carry as many tools with you as you did with your previous brand.

 

oooooopppppssssss

double post

 

Don't you mean the house of cracked swingarms and recalls?

 

Paulrn,

The last paragraph of your last post summed things up accurately and fairly. They are different machines intended for different styles of riding. As you stated, for your style, the 250R and EX are better choices. For me my 350 FourTrax "lumberwagon" and SP 500 are better choices - FOR WHAT I USE THEM FOR!

There are many excellent machines out there. None do all jobs perfectly. No two riders have the same preferences. If all machines were the same, what a boring world it would be. Very few of us would be satisfied. Thankfully we have lots of choice (but maybe not as much as we would like!!).

DJ