I had a 300ex, then I upgraded to a 400ex. I rode the 300 for about 1/2 year, then I wanted more power and speed. I did some hop-ups (pipe, filter), and got a little more out of it. You would be surprised at how soon and how much you want the extra power and speed.

Anyways, I don't even come close to missing reverse. You just park your machine so you can keep going straight - don't park with something in front of you. And the machine pushes real easy out of the garage. Hell, the front and it relatively light if you really need to pick it up. Even if you do dead end on a trail and need to get off and wrestle it around, you'll be so far ahead of anything that has reverse, they won't see you get off your machine.

 

I would stick with Japanes machines. Polarises do look bad after just a year or two. I have a 400ex and really like it. They are easy to ride and dont cost near as much as a DS650, whitch I consider way to expensive and not very good for the woods. Reverse is nice but I have never had it so I really wouldn't know. I started on a badger, then Blaster now a 4000ex. If you wanted a sport 4x4 you might want to look at the 350 Wolverin. Banshees aren't to bad for the woods but there are better things out there. I was riding with some of the cross country guys ,William Yokley, Greg Goad... and there was this guy on a pretty well modified Banshee and he couldn't make it up one of the hills his whells would just spin. Most of the rest of us made it, mostly 400ees and 250Rs. But this is all just my opinon

 

Brad...
Well you asked the question, now you got the answers. Honda is your best bet, and like they say," real riders don't need reverse ", just let the bike roost baby!!!! Let us know what you buy so we can help you with the tinkering.
Good Luck......Dave

 

Notice joemag500 hasn't came up with an reply, you can't measure an atv's performance with sales, only their appeal to the general market. Polaris do put alot of gadgets on their atv's, but come on, we are living in the real world. perfomance is where it counts.

 

So, I guess reverse isn't really that important. I don't think I am going to be mud bogging at all with this quad. I am only a beginning rider and I just want to start off on the right foot. Anyways out of these four quads what would be the fastest and the slowest? Can anyone give me prices that a dealer would tell me when I walk into their store? Does the 400EX have too much power when it comes to a beginning rider? Thanks in advance guys! I really appreciate all the help from you! This is really helping me come up with the best quad that I think that I would need!

 

Get a 400EX. You will not be dissapointed. After riding a '94 Polaris 400 4x4 for 5 years, I bought a 400EX. Just like that, I went from a utility machine to a high-performance ATV. I had no problems adapting, none. The 400EX is very easy to ride. That doesn't mean that it is slow or boring. I'd say it is the most versitile high-performance ATV made today. It can be putted or pounded. It is fast and has great suspension and handling matters. It is a good MXer, even in stock form. My friend, who races MX on a CR125, rode my 400EX at a track and loved it. He said that with more practice, he could post lap times just as fast as his 125. Get a 400EX and I guarantee that you'll be happy.

 

Moses,
Nice name...
Anyway ever heard of the Paris to Dakkar rally? The toughest off road race in the world. Well Guess what won. A Polaris, not just any Polaris one of their 6X6's. But you guys are right, snowmobile trannys are for wimps. Real mean shift! Yeah right!
Just like real men dry shave. Too each his own I believe. Auto, manual whatever but this "shifting is for real men" is crazy.
The comment about "leave ATV's to the pros" is also a bonehead comment. Polaris has made great strides since getting into the ATV biz.
What if I said Honda should leave snowmobiles to the Pros??? Kinda like the joke... Why doesn't Honda make snowmobiles? Because no one wants a 4 stroke snowmobile that won't start when it's under 50 degrees.
But I believe if Honda can make a sled they should. Not leave it to the pros!!! Competition makes everyone better. Otherwise we'd all be driving Model T's.
c-ya,

------------------
Andrew Thomas

'99 Scrambler 400 & '99 Trailblazer, both with RCR mods.

 

This is a very important question! I really need to know if this is correct or not. When I start up my quad which ever one it is that I buy, most likely a 400EX, I start it up and I shift into first and hit the throttle. After that I let off the throttle and just let it coast with the clutch off. Will the quad just sit there and idle in first gear with no gas just like an automatic car would? Another thing is how reliable is the electronic ignition? If it isn't reliable can I back it up installing a pull starter? Thanks for you time guys!

 

Dan, any manual clutch machine will not be able to stop in any gear without the clutch lever pulled in. An automatic clutch, like what a Kawasaki Lakota uses for example, can stop in any gear, and not stall, cause it does the clutching automatically, hence the name. The clutch lever either has to be pulled, or it has to be in neutral. Also, don't worry about electronic ignitions, they are reliable.

 

Thanks for the info rooster. I really needed to know that answer. Anyways what would a person need the 4wd for? Would it just be for riding in the mud? How good is the 400EX compared to 4wd areas?