for some, the more power you have the more you always want. i had the 800 power and now i went back to the 500 power sometimes i wonder what i am thinking.

 

I hear ya! In my youth I went from a 1970 Plymouth GTX 440 down to a 71 VW Super Beetle because gas and insurance was eating me up! Talk about a power drop Wish I had em BOTH back right now though! OPT

 

Scrambler is a great quad. I wish it had a low gear but as it is I plow, ride the dunes, climb rocks, play in little mud and have a ball riding trails with it. It is a wonderful all around quad, and for the price you can pick one of these older bikes up for nothing else comes close. I got my '99 in great shape with some very nice paddles for $1750.

Here's a vid of some fun I recently had on my Scrambler at Moab.

Brian's Trail Obstacles - YouTube

 

Funny thing is, I've already watched your videos on Youtube. looks like an amazing place to ride. small world.

 

a guy i use to ride with had a 4x4 scrambler 500. i dont know if it was just a shoddy machine or happen to be a lemon (it sounded like it was having issues) or if was due to the riders lack of skill but he couldnt keep up with me on a recon 250 2wd and my friend on his rancher 350 2wd on our trails and in the mud. it seemed like every other hole we went through he'd get stuck. he was having problems maneuvering up, down, and around obstacles.

i have a sportsman 500 now (influenced by a friends sportsman 400 power and ride) and i absolutely love it. i'm twenty so i'm young and always said ride quality doesnt matter. well i've learned it only doesnt matter when you don't have it. the sportsmans with their IRS ride like a lincoln town car when compared to anything with the straight axle. there is no way i'd give up my sportsman for a scrambler, any sport quad, or anything with a straight rear axle.

 

Hey Bartman, enough on hammering the Polaris sport quads. I just read your thoughts on another tread trashing Predators.
On the Scrambler v Sportsman debate.
I have owned an 03 Scrambler and two Predators. Presently on an 07. When I had my Scrambler, I rode with guys with Sportmans, and easily went where ever they did. Lack of low range was never an issue for my style of ridding. The other writer hit the nail on the head. It depends on the intended use. I don't plow, tow or haul with any of my quads and I like to shift, so, I ride Predators. I like the quality build of the Polaris. I could not keep axle bearings in a Honda 400 EX, I had for one season. I have never had to change the axle bearings in a Predator. Just keep them serviced and they are good. But, they are bigger bearings than found in alternative brands.

 

I agree, it definitely depends on the intended use.

If you want to do deep mud bogging or mainly use it for a working machine, the Sportsman is the way to go.

After test riding both Sportsman and Scrambler, I went with the Scrambler because I mainly ride trails and it's just more fun to ride than a big utility quad, and it was cheaper too. I couldn't be happier with it, it goes anywhere and everywhere I want it to and I rarely ever even need to use 4WD. I even use mine to plow the driveway and it works great for that too. I bought it new in 08 and it has yet to need any repairs at all, only normal maintenance.