Having ridden all four of those choices, I would have to say that the Rubicon would come the closest to meeting your high expectations.

 

I would like to offer my opinion on this. I own a 99 450es, my brother in law has the Rubi. It goes something like this. I use the 450 on a regular basis, pulling a 200 gal. weed sprayer, it pulls over 2,000 lbs with no problem, and I do mean no problem. We use our quads for trail riding, hunting, and rock crawling. As far as a comparison, on paper, there is no comparison, the Rubi is superior. However, in real life there is not much difference. The Rubi definately has more power, however, unless you are flat out, it is a largley unuseable advantage. We don't jump our quads, at least not on purpose, so I cannot comment there. I find that the es shifting is excellent, you don't even think about it. When rock crawling, the power of the es is plenty for any need. There has never been a time when I needed more power or gearing. Suspension wise the Rubi has more groung clearance, and I do bang my skidplate more than my brother, still not a problem. Seatwise, both seats are comfortable, the Rubi has a wider one, neither one will be comfortable after six hours of riding, period. I have ridden the Rubi extensively, I don't care for the shifter situation. When I need to get into low gear, after being in 4th or 5th, I simply slow down and go into first, on the Rubi, you have to stop. Also, I don't like having to take my hands off the bars to go into reverse, especially if you are on three wheels and need to get backwards quick! The engine braking on the Rubi is excellent, however, it is only about 90% of that on the es. My brother has had a problem with the shift linkage on the Rubi, unable to get into low, however I was able to "field fix" the problem so he could continue. All in all, I would say that the Rubi is definately superior, however I don't think it is superior enough to warrant the additional money. The es is absolutely stone reliable, and a proven workhorse. Neither one will keep up with a sport quad. Oh, by the way I ride with a good friend who has a Polaris Sportsman 500. A good, well suspended quad... buy the Honda. I have had to pull his "true 4x4" out of two different jams that I simply rode out of.
Best regards,

Kevin Nichols
knichols@lightspeed.net

 

Scrammdaddy: LOL.....IS this the only reply you have...I saw this in another post here to!!!!! I guess I have a question for you. What is the best toilet paper out there? I would like the ten best reason please[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] PS: Don't forget to mention where it is made for me to.....LOL

 

Campy you right polaris ATV's are made in the good ole' US of A, KKKILLER250X is one of those none polaris owners who thinks they know everything about polaris.

And also some of polaris' engines are made in the US, they are manufactured by ROBIN, MFG.

2000 SCRAMBLER 400 2X4

SCRAMDADDY400