I am looking at either 2005 Polaris Sportsman 400 or Suzuki Eiger 400. I never owned an atv and will be using it to plow driveway and ride trails. Any suggestions would be greatly appriciated...thx

 

sportsman

 

I just picked up my 2005 Sportsman 400 a few weeks ago and love it. Below is a review of my machine that I posted last week. Also, my neighbor has an Arctic Cat 400 and the engine in that machine is the same 376cc used in the Eiger. My 2 cents is I like the Polaris 425cc engine in the 400 Sportsman because it's liquid cooled, and I can notice a performance difference between my neighbor's '05 AC400 & my '05 SP400. I'd recommend the Sportsman 400. Hope this helps. (If you want the EBS on the Sportsman 400 most dealers will throw that in or install it for around $100 or less. They just swap out the parts with the factory & you may have to pay for the labor to install.)


************ My review of the 400 Sportsman***********
Hi folks, Just wanted to pass along my review of my new ’05 400 Sportsman. I was able to get about 3.5 hrs on the machine on Sunday riding through some timber trails about 1.5 hrs northeast of Kansas City. I was riding with my neighbor who has a ’05 AC 400. Here are a few areas I’ll address:

* AWD - GREAT!! Ran most of the day in AWD and the machine kicked in the front wheels when the rear lost traction. My buddy on the 400 AC got stuck because he forgot to put in 4WD on his machine once. Simple mistake but didn’t have to worry about that on my Polaris. (I wanted to see how much slippage the back wheels needed before the front wheels kicked in by spinning on a sheet of ice. So, I put the machine in 2WD &, of course, spun, then stopped & switched to AWD leaned over and watched the front and rear wheels while hitting the accelerator, and the amount of slippage before the front wheels kick in can’t even be seen. The Polaris AWD is GREAT!) Pushing the reverse override when backing up to get AWD isn’t a big deal.
* EBS - The 400 doesn’t come standard with EBS, but I was able to have it added as part of the deal when I purchased the bike. I really like it when going down slopes, adds a lot of control. The EBS doesn’t engage on the front wheels, but it wasn’t a big deal because I was able to feather the brakes slightly if I felt the rear wheels were slipping. The only time it felt uneasy was when I let up on a large sheet of ice at about 20 MPH and the back end started to get a little squirrelly and come around a bit.
* Power - When I was looking at the Sportsman I did ask myself if I should get the 500 HO, but didn’t because I had a budget to stay within and the 400 had all the power I needed when I test drove one at the Dealer. Now that I have put on 3.5 hrs on the machine, the 400 has PLENTY of power, even as I drove it conservatively babying the machine because of the break in period. Didn’t have any problem climbing up hills, over logs, through wash-outs, etc. I’m extremely happy with the performance of the 400 and would recommend it to anyone. The 500 HO will beat the 400 off the line, but if you want to save $700 by buying the 400, you will NOT be disappointed! Especially for the tail riding I do and some work I’ll be using it for.
* Looks - Great looking machine! Really like the front storage compartment for carrying a bow saw for the trail, water, extra gloves, etc. Great addition! (My AC 400 friend really liked the storage compartment also and kept talking how he is going to try and make one for his bike.)
* Lights - It was dark when we returned home and the rear work lights are great for backing off the trailer in the dark.
* Plastic parts - The bumpers & racks are a hard composite plastic. I was wondering how much abuse they would take. Throughout the trail ride I looked at the front bumper and any marks from small brush, etc. was easily rubbed out and didn’t leave any deep scuffs. Many fender areas are “pre-dulled” at the factory in the areas that tend to hit tree branches, brush, etc. This is great because it hides a lot of the scuffs.
* Servicing - When I picked up the machine I was fortunate to have the Polaris mechanic do the orientation. This helped because he showed me all the service areas and answered all my 2 pages of questions I had written down. Plus he did a nice job of explaining the break-in period and the importance of it.
* Overall review - With everything being said, I don’t think there is a better machine for me. I am satisfied with every aspect of this bike. Any concerns I had by not having the 500 HO are no longer concerns, I don't think the extra $700 for the 500 HO would make me $700 happier. For me I am glad I negotiated the EBS. I have plenty of power in high and can cruse at a good speed, put this bike in low and you have a tank! It is also great to have “Park” on the transmission, especially when transporting. The only question I have is the foot brake seems a bit weak. I’ll have to check with the dealership and also see if I can find a post on it in this forum. I give this bike 5 out of 5 stars & two thumbs up!

(If I added my pics correctly to my profile there should be a camera on the left which should take you to a few pics I took on Sunday.)

 

great review... thanks...

Around here the price is only $600 difference between the 400 and 500.
also, the dealers around here want an extra $200 to put in ebs bringing
the price difference to only $400.

I'd have to buy the sp 500 over the 400 for only $400 more.. I guess
it really depends on where u live as to the deal u can receive...
Great review, and u can't go wrong with either machine..
I'm hearing serious rumors of a 500 efi for next year.. that's what
I'm really waiting for.......happy trails......

 

You Polaris guys won't like this but I would get the Eiger. The Sportsman would be better for plowing, but wouldn't ride the trails like the Eiger. The Sportsman 400 is also the only ATV in the class that is slower the the Arctic Cat 400[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] But hey, I guess if you are buying a 400 class machine you don't care a whole lot about speed!

 

I've never ridden an Eiger, but I have absolutely no complaints about my 04.5 400, and I've heard the 05's are only better. With the Sportsman you can get the glacier plow system, which i think anyone would admit is one of the simplest and best-designed systems. And with the locked AWD, the 400 can push more snow than you get. The ride on the Sportsman's is said to be the best of any quad, but they are not as sporty as others.

 

The glacier plow will actually fit on other's as well. Pretty much any plow system now can be taken on/off in 25 seconds.

 

In regards to the trail riding.......I'll have to disagree. The Sportsman 400 has IRS, better ground clearance and more suspension travel all around. I ride trails with a bunch of guys with Grizzly's. Occasionally we have a guy who joins us with a Kodiak 450 with the solid rear axle. We ride forest type trails with tree roots, ruts and protruding boulders. The IRS, ground clearance and suspension travel are a huge advantage over the solid rear axle of the Kodiak (I guess that's why the new Kodiak 450 now has IRS). As far as power.......never driven a Eiger.......but the 425cc liquid cooled plant in the Sportsman is essentially the very same motor as the Sportsman 500 but 75cc smaller. It's a very well proven 4 valve OHC power plant and outclasses the smaller air cooled unit in the Eiger. The Sportsman weighs more so this is somewhat of an acceleration equalizer. Also, the Sportsman has TRUE all-wheel-drive. The Eiger has a limited slip front differential which will only give you 3-1/2 wheel drive. It won't give you full power to all 4 wheels. I can't remember if the Eiger gives you a duel range tranny or not. When I looked and compared I decided on the Sportsman over the Eiger 400 4x4, Prairy 360, Kodiak 450 and Rancher 400 AT. Part of my decision, I will readily admit, is because I had previously owned a 1988 Polaris Trailboss and it was great. But I did have an open mind and looked very, very closely at the Honda because Honda's rep for reliabilty is so great. But in the end the Sportsman 400 simply had the best value and features in my opinion. I've had it for close to a year now and I'm very happy with my decision. I ride with Grizzly's and go everywhere they go......they can't leave me behind on the trails including mud and hill climbs.

Good Luck, Bob

 

I was a doubter too - my son even reminded me that I used to say I'd never own a Polaris. But I was wrong. The Sp was the most comfortable quad I test drove - very nice suspension. I think you'll love the seat too. Power-wise, it is strong throughout. The on-demand AWD is impressive. The fit of this bike just seemed right for me too, but everyone's different. I have a friend that owns an Eiger among a stable of racing quads. He loves it. But his style is not suited for the type of riding I do. For me, the IRS is the only way to go.

I maintain my quads reasonably well - I'm not a mechanic by any means, but I know enough to take care of it. So far this quad has not given me one problem. I've had enough success with the Sp 400 to give me the confidence to return to the Polaris dealer and since then, I've bought two more quads from him.

If the IRS is something that appeals to you but the size of the Sp does not, you might want to take a look at the Outlander. My neighbor has two of them and they are very impressive machines with good power and a great ride.

I look at it this way... choosing the right quad is a GREAT problem to have. Have fun.

 

05 owners

Did Polaris put a vent tube on the coolant overflow bottle to keep dirty water from entering the system?