Ok guys, here's my latest conclusion. There has been alot of controversy on this topic, and maybe we have all learned from it. I think what I'm going to do is leave the bike just the way it is until warranty runs out. I talked with Rick Ritter again, and he seems to think that the cylinder won't wear enough to matter during the warranty period(this was my main reason behind getting the new piston in there as soon as possible). I'll also leave the oil injection alone until the warranty expires. Soon afterwards, unless convinced otherwise by then, I'll remove the cylinder, have it and the new piston measured to ensure proper clearances(not too much clearance), have the cylinder ball honed, and put all back together.
I do have one last request, and that would be that Mike Chero and Jack Schultz throw in their comments on this topic. Thanks everyone!!!

Waylan

 

Rancheres,

Do everybody a favor and stay out of the Polaris forums. In fact while your at it sell your Sportsman too. I myself am getting tired of you laying in the weeds like a Sniper waiting to take pot shots at Polaris owners.

So do everybody a favor and sell your Sportsman buy another Honda and ride off into the sun set with your underpowered 3 wheel drive quad that rides like a logging truck.

 

I had my Sport approx. nine months before I put the Wiseco in. I took the head to a local Polaris dealer that I have been frequenting. They honed the cylinder wall for $10. I also installed the aluminum clutch buttons. It has ran strong ever since.

 

Easy buddy, just call um like I see um. You seem a bit confused, It's not Polaris that I have issue with. I actually just thought that my friends quads (the 400's) were a good example to site given the subject matter. In fact I forgot to mention that one of my buds did end up going the Wiseco route and it worked wonderfully for him.

I'm not going to pull an "Odin" and fly off the handle at a stranger. Appreciate all your comments on the Honda just shows your ignorance!

p.s. Did Polaris ever sell a Victory to anyone but yourself . . . should call it the Defeat!

 

OK Guys, this is the voice of experience, not what "I read", "I heard" or "I knew a guy", I bought my Scrambler in April of 2000, in June the engine started making a rattling noise. I pulled the reed cage and the exhuast pipe only to find that the piston was badly scored. I had run TWO tanks of pre-mixed fuel through the engine after I got it, and still had a problem with the piston. I took the quad to the dealer and discussed the situation. I payed for a Wiseco piston out of my pocket for the dealer to install (also had the cylinder ported and the head modded while it was apart), with the understanding that the piston was not going to be under warranty.
The oil injector was working, and still is, however I pre-mix all of the fuel to be sure that there's going to be lubricant in the engine.
There was no way that I was going to put a stock piston back in this engine. I already had problems with one, why would I want to put the same thing back in.
Rick Ritter has never "Told me what I wanted to hear", or sold me something that wasn't one of the best products available. I had Rick do the porting and head work because I trusted his ability. I looked everything over when it got back and was very pleased with the work that was done.

 

The following are quotes taken from Rancheres posts in the the Polaris forum

...You seem a bit confused, It's not Polaris that I have issue with.

Really? You have 100 posts in this forum. All negative toward Polaris.

I'm not going to pull an "Odin" and fly off the handle at a stranger.

(what would make this time any different?)

Appreciate all your comments on the Honda just shows your ignorance!

Read the following Rancheres quotations, all self explanatory and indicative of what Odin was referring to.
__________________________________________________

p.s. Did Polaris ever sell a Victory to anyone but yourself . . . should call it the Defeat!

He doesn’t even like The Victory motorcycle by Polaris!!
__________________________________________________

Odin, you have joined some distinguished company! It appears that Mr. Rancheres has had issues with Greg Sims, Lurch, ATVing, Xploer, Tim1, Swac1 etc, etc. (or anybody else who stands up for Polaris.)

Interestingly: all of these attacks have taken place in the Polaris Forum.

So for the benefit of those who think Odin was out of line, please read the following quotes by Rancheres (these are just a few)


Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more, I hate following those 2-strokes they do stink. The worst part about them is that your wife won't even let you bring your riding clothes in the house.

stay away from the stinky two-stroke, the yam will hold up much better and is an overall better quad.

Atving, your just too ignorant to see how big of an idiot you've been in this forum. Just running around stiring things up, now your playing it up like you've been innocent all along. I do have to say your attitude has changed recently (for the better), but perhaps this is just because the Ebay incident has you feeling a little sheepish!


ATVING, you have very selective hearing or should I say reading. I admit I get a little bent out of shape when I read your mindless input, but if you can't get along with Rooster either . . . then I guess you've got problems. How many people in this forum have asked you to leave or just shut up? Hundreds would be my guess!
It's not worth my time to argue with you on your ill advised facts because you are clearly confused so I just leave this thing alone. Your still a jacka_s, and will always be one.

Maxtrax, here is the perfect example (gregsim) of one of those that just doesn't get it! He is however on the otherside of the fence, Polaris - so don't just think that the other brands are immune to idiots like this. Overall Max, you will find this forum very enjoyable and educational.

I couldn't agree with you more. The funny thing about the article is that the sp500 broke during the test, faulty 4wd. If that isn't the ultimate reflection of the company we all love so dearly I don't know what is. Take my Honda or my Polaris any day of the week!

Greg, can I ask you - Why does this post belong in the Honda forum? Cob did the right thing, he posted it where it belongs. You should take notes!

rancheres,
Lighten up man. You whine more than a woman. It was meant to be humor in reference to defensive Honda owners like yourself. I ride for fun and I read these post for fun. I ride with anybody and everybody that wants to ride regardless of their choice of machine. Just poking fun man!
Greg

Tim1, glad to see you still haven't grasped the wolverine vs rancher article. Could it be possible that the rancher gained a little ground in the middle of the powerband and then lost it on the top end? Give it a rest!

atving, before you start ripping on guys for their spelling you should seek out a Webster yourself ..." kknew whet I mene".

do you think anyone is going to spend all their time in mud??? This person already says that he likes the rancher, just because it's a limited slip doesn't mean it can't go through the mud. Why does my rancher go through 15 inches of snow better than the myy sp500 ...

Swac, aren't you getting to the point where you might consider another brand?? I recently bought a Honda, and time will tell how it holds up. I gladly would give up the premium ride for something that won't break down every 100 miles, wouldn't you??

Polaris does have real 4wd, but in my estimation this shouldn't be the main reason for not considering others. I own both a rancher and a sp500, the polaris has had tie rod problems, 4wd problems and numerous other incidents. Reliability is a major issue with Polaris, just look at the messages under Polaris compared to Honda.

you've got too much time on your hands! I don't know why your so intimidated by the 450 and so bothered by his comments. Who gives a sh_t? Not I. Give it a rest, your just giving this forum a bad name.

One of the posters here said the sp500 was built like a tank, guess that's true if your talking about weight, but certainly not durability!

Having a bad day Atving? Not sure throwing words around like ****** & p*ssy are such a good idea for a so called family forum. Sorry I'm tarnishing Polaris's stellar reputation by continuing to slam them every once and awhile.

Just wait, you will in good time. This guys experience looks a lot like my sp500's history, one break down after another. Thanks for the quality Polaris!

Hey SD335, why you got your undee's in such a bunch? Another baby crying about a write-up, you make me laugh. I can't think of a more overpriced, overweight and underpowered bike on the market ..

sounds like a waste of 6200 bucks.

I don't have a problem with anyone in this forum execept yourself, in fact I find the majority of the people here very friendly. Yeah Atving your right, I guess I don't even own a quad, don't know what I was thinking. Have a good day rent-a-cop!


First, if I want to bit_h about the Polaris I can

I hope you don't take me for some ignorant a$$, but I've driven Polaris, in fact I've owned them. I owned sp500's, sure they ride nice and they perform well, look good, etc. Are they reliable, no way!!! Polaris does an admirable job marking their products, new innovations but the bottom line is their product isn't up to par with some of it's competitors.

And my reply would be, why would you want a scrambler 400 2wd? It's not especially fast, can't hang with the real sport bikes. Raptor or 400ex all the way - not even in the same class!

 

I guess I am not questionsing the fact that some people have had problems with this. I just can not see this beign as big and issue as some are making it. Some of us have had good luck and some of us have not. What I wonder about is how the high prefprmance twins in the polarise snowmobiles dont seem to have this problem and I would think that they are run harder that an atv engine??? Anyway I guess it all boils down to what your preferance is just like what you ride Polaris, Honda, Yamy if you want to change out the piston then it is your choice.

 

Boy.... this thread sure has not helped me make my decision!

I trust Rick and his experiences way beyond my own self.
I'm just an indecisive person is all.

My 400 may be a '99 but it is still really new. I'm belly-aching about having to crack open a new engine for this swap.... especially knowing that in a way I am trading one type of worry for another (piston slap/cold siezure).


In the end I do trust Rick and his recommendations. But in the end I have also done a lot of reading on this subject, and to an extent I really believe that the stock piston issue is a TWO PART condition that results in piston failure.... The piston material and something such as internal wear reaching a certain max tolerance which creates a condition leading to breaking the piston skirt.

Not saying I doubt anyone (other than myself) though.

I had almost decided I would do the Wiseco and maybe the Swaintech coating. But the more I think about it, the more I think that might not be the greatest idea. The coating might cause it to take longer for the piston to warm and expand?

I'm not sure what I'll do.
Are there any additional benefits to the Wiseco?
Any other piston sources for these engines worth considering?

 

Other than this whiney b*tch-fest of a thread, most of the 400 piston skirt breakage that I've read about is in modified ATVs, and not stock. I read that the stock piston is fine if everything else is stock. If you port it, re-jet it, add a pipe, clutch kit, and so on, you end up boosting the horsepower well beyond what the piston was designed for. I don't know how many thousands of miles my friend has on his 400 Xplorer, but if he broke a piston I think I would have heard about it by now.

Frank.

 

I have owned 2 completely stock 400 Scramblers and the piston skirts broke on both. On one, I put in a cheap aftermarket piston off of ebay and sold it shortly after. But I have not heard of any problems from the new owner. The other, I put in a Wiseco, did some porting work, and some performance reed valve. It really flies now, and have had no more piston problems since.