A quick piece of advice, let the engine warm up to operating temp before hammering on it. It appears that the problem with piston damage that I had may have been low temp operation related.

LET US NOW ON WHAT YOU THINK ON THE BRAKES.

Walexa,
I have probably adjusted the chain 5 times in 500 miles.I went on a poker run that was 235 miles [2 1/2 days] and never adjusted it until I got the quad back home,it just was'nt that bad.I oiled it about 3 times though.

I usually leave no more than 1/4 inch of slack in the chain.I measure the chain slack after moving the quad forward a few feet and I check the slack at the top of the chain.Good luck,==== Bill

The 400 will wheelie in high range too, it will stand striaght up without even putting a leg over the back!

You can do it on the non-ho Sportsman too, but you have to hold the brake and that's hard on the belt.

Adam,
my 00 Xplorer will wheelie in low range but not high.Could it be because of my 26 inch Muddrunners?Im wondering because you say they wheelie in high range to.===Bill

Bill,

You should be able to wheelie in high, with ease. They aren't that much heavier than a Scrambler and I could stand it straight up. Another thing, why do you have to tighten your chain so much? Do you use wax or oil? Try Polaris gold wax. I had my Sport for a year, before I sold it, and never once adjusted the chain. I know it was odd, but that concientric drive system seems to work. I never got a chance to ride an Xplorer yet, but have seen them on the trail. I'll have to say, they are quick and mud very well.

Monk01,

My brand new 2001 Xplorer will not wheelie in high range either. It will wheelie if I'm on the gas hard going up a hill, but not from a dead stop on level ground. In low, if I give it just enough gas to begin clutch engagement, and then punch it, it will pull a wheelie. May have something to do with carb adjustments. Wheelies aren't that important to me, so I'll leave everything alone. I'm really pleased with my bike so far, except for initial chain stretch and it rides rougher than my previous SP500. Maybe it will perform better once broke in and the premix in the gas tank is used up. It is pretty snappy as it is right now. The throttle response is almost instant compared to the sp. In 80 degree weather, the cooling fan hardly ever comes on, which is much different than the sp. It came on about every 10-15 minutes, even in cooler weather. I can't wait to take this one out on a long ride.

Monk,
I tried the wax,I dont care for it.I switched over to the Polaris chain lube.I was not aware that 5 adjustments was alot in 500 miles.===Bill

Monk,
Something else I just thought about: the scrambler has a different pipe, and produces a couple more horsepower from the factory. That is probably what enables it to pull a wheelie in high range. The Xplorer I have will almost wheelie in high(the front end gets light), but just doesn't seem to have that little extra power to go ahead and pull them up.

The brakes seem to stop harder with less brake lever pull, but the bike is also about 100 lbs lighter, so I don't know if it is the new braking system, lighter bike, or both. The brakes do make more noise, but not while riding--just when at the end of a stop. It soulds like when you're at a red light stopped, and you let off the brakes just enough to where the vehicle starts to move. It's that "crunchy" sound, if that describes it. It's not a high-pitch squeal or a grind. I really don't know how to describe it. If I get 5 times the life, I can definitely live with it.