hey guys, right now I have a sp700 and it just sucks down too much gas for me. I am thinking about keeping it alittle longer but I am wanting to see which is better for me, a scrambler 500 or a sp500. I have a few questions about scramblers for the owners of them.

how good are they in mud

can they stay up with sportsmans faily well (expecially in ruts)

do they sill have a good bit of power if i decided to put bigger tires on it.

how easy is it to wheelie on one.

what the average top speed

 

Scramblers are great in the mud, at least the 4x4s are. They can easily keep up with sportsmans even in ruts. They have plenty of power for bigger tires. You have to keep the same ratio in size if you have a 4x4. They can wheelie very easy, just try it. Top speed for mine in hard wet sand is 62 mph. It is dead even with a prairie 650 with a speedo. It is so much more fun than a total ute. Plus you can get just about every thing for it that the utes can maybe even more in the performance area. I love mine and would not trade it for any of them.(unless they come out with a 600,700, or 800 version).lol

 

The Sportsman 500 is equal to the 700 in ERERYTHING except top end speed. I have mudded with 600s and 700s and There is no advantage to the bigger machines in the mud beside more torque for pulling folks out. The Scrambler has a solid axle and smaller tires which means LESS GROUND CLEARANCE which is a huge disadvantage off road. The Scrambler also is chain drive in the rear which can be more maintenance headaches.

The scambler is quicker, much lighter and a better jumper.

I have had two SP500s and both have averaged @ 20mpg (@100 miles per tank of fuel)..

 

[quote]
Originally posted by: fishslab
Scramblers are great in the mud, at least the 4x4s are. They can easily keep up with sportsmans even in ruts.

No no no no no no
Sorry, but No. that is just wrong
I loved my Scram 500 4x4, but it wasn't as well suited to my kind of riding like the 700 is. And the chain was a constant hassle. My Scram used more gas than my 500HO Sportsman. It was a great little machine, but its limitations were deep mud, any kind of ruts, and water. The tires are not made for mud, and I think if you were to put big mud tires on you would break something, plus you will take too much power away from it, and you will go thru belts real fast. Remember, the tires are two different sizes, so to go larger you would need to keep the aspect ratio identical, or you will bind up the driveline and break the propshaft or something equally important. And I bet if you figured a way to get it just right, your ground clearance under the rear axle will still not be anywhere near what a sportsman has before modifications. And you already know how good stock Sportsman tires are. By the way, the reason I mentioned the belt is because Scramblers have no low range. So the belt is going to slip more easily, and when you bury those big mudders in thick goo, the belt will slip and the tires wont spin. A Scrambler will not keep up with a Sportsman in mud or ruts. Period.
Heck, lifted Grizzlies and Prairies can't even keep up with a Sportsman, so naturally a Scrambler couldnt.

 

Yup, the swingarm onn a Scrammy is it's downfall in mud....I've high-centered mine a few times because of it.

That point aside they are great in mud....you just have to let someone go first to get a feel for how deep the ruts are. They aren't as good as a full-ute in the mud but they'll hold their own with some good leg work (rocking it side to side)

I'd say bigger tires would be OK since it's basically the same engine as the SP500 but it will take some of the sportiness out of it.

Wheelies can be done fairly easy with some practice but it's no wheelie king like a sport quad.

I've always seen people saying somewhere around 60-65 for top speed.

 

I think if I would do it again, I would get the sportsman instead on the scrambler. Here are my reasons

1. The seat is horrible. My A$$ gets pretty sore after awhile. I think I am going to buy the new one on 04 model. Polaris says it is improved.
2. I am sure the independent rear suspension is much more comfortable also.
3. I did not think I was going to use the quad around the house, but I have and I think low range would be helpful. For example I pulled a grass sweeper behind the scrammy this spring. It was interesting trying to go slow enough to prevent the grass from shooting completly over the back of the sweeper.

Otherwise the scrambler is good, I have been able to go thru mud and whatnot, but I think the sportman is probably better all around.

The scrammy is pretty darn fast though.

I think I am going to trade it for a sportsman 600. I have to use the jedi mind trick on the wife though ;-)

 

You will like the 600. I forgot to mention the 600 and 700 steer easier than the 500.

 

hey Shots, do you use the same Jedi mind trick that I use? The one that involves buying her something expensive first? Or the one where you buy her something real expensive after to make up?
Another version that I used once is to buy an atv and tell her its for her. A lot of guys use the more common Jedi mind trick, where you let her believe it was her idea in the first place...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

lol. I try to make her think it is a good idea.

 

I am not saying the Scrambler is better in the mud than a 700. It is great in the mud though. The stock Titan tires suck. Get some MudLites, go an inch wider in the front and it is a great mud machine. If your gettin stuck it is because your riddin it like a ute and not a sport quad.

ps. the jedi mind trick I am using is to get the old lady to believe she likes riding these machines too.