In a nutshell, this magazine was right on with their conclusions for dune riding. All of the junk I have been hearing about Polaris this and 400EX that, not to mention all the DS smack on this BBS, just goes to show how much BS floats around here.

Just look at the finishing order of the shootout -

Scrambler 500 - LAST
400EX - 3rd
DS650 - 2nd
BANSHEE - 1st place

All along, I have been saying that there is no equal to the Banshee in the sand. But NOOOOOO, I always hear somebody reply with - yeah but my Brand XXX kills every Banshee I race.

Blah, Blah, Blah...

Read the magazine article and weep...

Oh, and go ahead. To those who will conterpoint the magazine and this post, I need a good laugh.

 

Weren't you supposed to post that in the HONDA forum...?

 

You are right about the Banshee & sand riding.
However if you were riding trails, I am sure the outcome would have been different!

It will be interesting to see if Yamaha discontinues the Banshee after the new
"mystery" sport quad comes out.

 

I have said that all along. The Banshee has no equal in the sand. (With the exception of maybe a 250RATC or Tecate-3or4). Their powerband is perfect for the sand. But I have to travel to ride in sand. And not that it isn't fun but I like trails, creeks & hills better. Also a lot of the reason I ride what I ride is where I live. It just "works" better. My friends Banshee is fun, but on the other hand no match for a Scrambler for what I do. I wasn't surprised to see the Scrambler 500 last. The soft sand makes a Polaris seem even heavier than it is. Riding fast across sand is fun, but riding fast between trees that are just inches from your handlebars is a real rush. Too me anyway.... Throw in some hills & creeks & some beautiful "greenery" & I'm happy
c-ya,

 

I have the article and for sand, I agree with their results. But I've ridden a 400EX at Glamis and it is NOT as wousy as the crack it up to be. I think it is a blast to ride. It carves up bowls great and can climb most hills. Too predictable? What is wrong with that?

I think the 400EX is a great machine, anywhere. For sand-only, however, the DS and Banshee are probably better.

 

Mike,
I agree with you. My brothers 400EX was big fun in the sand. They did make it sound kinda boring didn't they. Oh well I guess it's GREAT on trails

 

is anyone missing the fact that Polaris got ripped off in this article???

WHY did they put a four-stroke four-wheel drive in there? Why didn't they put in the two-wheel drive two-stroke SPORT 400 ????????????????????

I think the results would've been too threatening to the 400EX.

that's what I think. any takers?

 

Maybe this should have been posted in the Polaris forum, after all they ARE the fastest. LOL

 

I rode with a Scrambler 2x4 this weekend and it was fast. Much faster than I anticipated. A lot of it was rider, this guy was fast, but he was really pushing it. We were flying. Those tires, and engine, can throw some pretty good roost. I got hit hard by some rocks a couple times. My 400EX still whooped him in a flat, straight-line drag but once he gets moving on the trails, that Polaris can be pretty fast.

I'm not sure why they had a Scrambler 500. The 2x4 would have been the obvious choice. The 4x4 was odd-man-out with the 2WD machines. ATV Sport probably didn't have their '00 Scrambler 2x4 yet.

 

I think it's because they took the "big dog" from each manufacture. That's Polaris's biggest sport machine.

Mike, I understand what you are saying, and I agree both are fun. But put it into their perspective... When I ride my Scrambler in the sand, it's a lot of fun. When I ride a Banshee in the sand, it's a thrill and I would rate it much higher and it would make my excitement about my Scrambler a lot lower for the time being.

Magainzes do this too much. If they have four machines that are all great, they usually make 1 sound like the god of quads and the rest stink. ATV Sport is good about "equal-oppertunity" in atving though.