i currently own a lt250r. i like the speed and snap it has, its a good running machine for what i paid for it. the thing is i am just not into mixing gas, kick starting,fowling plugs when i ride my girlfriend on the back, anymore. so, i am looking for something with all the utility goodies...electric start, rev., 4x4, auto for the girlfriend. but i still want the snap and speed of the racer. i would like something comparable to my 250r, if not faster. i always wanted to buy a banshee, but now speed isn't my only concern. i hear you can jump the scramblers up to 60hp. thats pretty nasty, the stock banshee comes about 48hp i think. i was just wondring if anyone can tell me a bit about the scrambler. i have read alot on here and found all helpfull. i see alot of people going with the 500, and not as much said about the 400's. i was always a 2 stroke lover, so... hows the scrambler on hills? how does it act when you burm it on a hill in 4 wheel? never hear anything about them in the snow either. hows the suspension with two people, approx. 290lbs combined. i have to get out and test ride one, but i think my mind is made up, i just want a little reinforcement. hoping to have a nice christmas present for myself this year.

 

I own an Xplorer and it works awesome. especially when it comes to my girlfriend, full foot boards, fully auto, only have to fill oil tank and gas tank and push the button to start it. She loves it, and so do i. I looked at a Scrambler 400 and it was out of my price range at the moment. but we both fit on it just as well as the Xplorer. I doubt you or your girlfriend would be unhappy with a Scrambler.

 

all this reading about scramblers and other atv's has got me all exceited. i can hardly wait to get a scrambler. i have to be patient while i sell my lt250r and scrape a bit more money together for a good down payment. but the suspense is killing me. hopefully i won't have to wait much more then a month or two.

 

Devil,
You won't be disappointed with the Scrambler 400. I like mine. The 400 is pretty quick out of the factory but with the right mods it's a real powerhouse. The Scrambler is an awesome hill climber. Even better than a Banshee/400EX in my opinion. The power, auto & 4WD make the hills really easy to deal with. So far the only time I've had to work on mine is when it's something I've done...pipe, clutch etc. Plus like you said it has all the "goodies". If coming from a LT250R you just can't get used to the one brake and can always buy a kit to split them. And for you & your girlfriend Polaris' are known for their big cushy snowmobile like seats.
c-ya,

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Andrew Thomas

'99 Scrambler 400 & '99 Trailblazer, both with RCR mods.

 

Devil,

I have an LT250R, Scrambler, and 400EX. And a girlfriend who likes to ride. She learned to ride and read terrain on the Scrambler, but now she wants a 400EX.

I have just started to teach her about the clutch, as she has never driven a manual clutch vehicle.

It will take a while, but she has ridden for a year on the Scrambler (and my old Xplorer) and can keep up pretty well. She just gets frustrated when we can 'pound' through the rough stuff and she has to go slower.

The Scrambler out weighs the 400EX by 150lbs, and the suspension can't be compared.

I wouldn't want you to sell the LT for the Scrambler, because the suspension is very different.

As for hill climbing, the Scrambler is heavier and a little taller. So speed is a factor, as is the shape of the hill. I have seen a Scrambler do just about everything I can on a smoother hill, but the rutted or bumpy kind of hills provides more of a challenge.

It is a different ride.

I agree that on smoother trails, it is a comfortable machine, it is just when it gets nasty that it causes you to go slower.

It sure is nice to have one of us with 4x4. I don't have to worry about her going through a mud hole, just need to worry about how I am going to make it....

Good Luck,

RM

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99 400EX 95 Scrambler 400 85 LT250R

 

rennym,
i know what you are saying about the suspension being alot different, and the weight definitely different. i have ridden my friends tb, and that thing rides like a cadillac compared to my lt. if the scrambler rides anything like that, i will be happy. my lt is an 85' and i don't know if the shocks have ever been replaced. so, i rides kind of rough, not bad until you get on a rocky path. i would think that is just the stiff suspension of a racer. i seriuosly get bad headaches and a sore *** from a good day of riding. (love the sushy seats on the polaris') i think its the combination of the noise and the boucing. it amazes me that it is in the condition it is, and runs as good as it does being 14, almost 15 years old. that is one of the reasons i am getting rid of it. i just have this fear that one day it is not going to want to be so nice to me in its old age but anyhow, from what i hear, i think i will be happy with the scrambler, but i think the weight factor will take a bit of getting used to. i just haven't found another quad out there that has everything i want. i seriously think that if the 400ex had reverse, i would teach my girlfriend to deal with the clutch. she does ok with it now, but we don't really go out together enough for her to get alot of practice with it. oh, by the way, how much does that setup for splitting the brake cost? that would definitely be something i would want to do. what is the actually purpose of having to grab the hand lever to be able to use the foot? i mean if you are grabbing the hand, what is the use of using the foot if it is already being activated by the hand? i did find that out the one day when my buddy wanted to check his brakes on the tb. i was like "you need to bleed these back brakes" yeah, bleed them til you are blue in the face, but without grabbing the hand lever you will never get any compression. i understand having the feature of grabbing all three with the hand, but why not the back separate? well, i guess i should go before i go on and on and on.

bigdevil LT250r

 

sushy? what the heck is a sushy seat?? i can understand if it was japanese made maybe!! thats a funny typo. i have this habit of reading what i wrote to make sure it makes sense, but i read that alittle too late, after i posted it.

 

I have an Explorer 400. The Scrambler 400 is lighter and I think it has a few more horses under the tank (2 or 3). It is extremely fast for a utility quad. I can ride my girlfriend in complete comfort (just don't tell my wife!) There are always trade offs since there is no perfect machine. I sometimes wish I bought the Scrambler instead of the Explorer, but then when I have 200lbs of food, fuel, and camping gear strapped to the front and back moving through the mountains I remember why I bought it. You'll be completely happy with the Scrambler, good luck!

Chris

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I have the split brake kit from HPD on my Scrambler. It was one of the first things I did to mine. It allows you to ride a lot faster on trails with lots of turns, and also make it a lot better of a hill climber when you are going down, whether it's forward or backwards.

The company that sells it is HPD http://www.hpd-inc.com/

If you get one, get the left side master cylinder too, not just right.

 

I drag race my 3 friends piped, slightly over bored & reed caged 87-89 LT 250 quad racers as a bench mark as a comparison to mine since I knew I was going to be modifing it & wanted to see the improvements: When mine was stock they absolutly blew me away thru every gear very badly even in 4wd which is faster than 2wd. $300 later w/ a pipe & clutch kit I was a little faster thru 3rd until 4th gear then they would run away. After the modified air box & 39mm carb & Aaen muffer & dropping 50lbs off the quad it is quite a bit faster thru 3rd gear 4th is the same but by 6th his top speed is much faster than mine. In about a 2 mile run they were about 1/3 mile ahead of me. I've went to 2.5" smaller tires which lowered the gearing allot & made it noticeably quicker but we have not raced again to try it out. Keep in mind the front end of the Scrambler is very heavy, so going 45mph over 10" ruts is deadly but on the quadracers, my friends skip right over them by keep the nose light & up. I actually ride w/ 3 different quad racers mostly. They will kill a Scrambler on an mx track & thru tight woods since they are low & light so less mass to try & change direction quickly. But all of them were stuck on hills that I stopped beside them on just to talk about there predicament & then took off again like I was on level ground to the top w/o a worry in the world. The Scramblers will climb almost anything. Another time I had to take a 10mile illegal detour w/ these guys because the could not make it up a hill which I could go up & down on, no problem. There is a hill w/ a vertial berm that must be taken at very high speed so you stick to it & not roll down the hill sidways that most of them can do but forget it on the Scrambler because of the weight & the height. Mud comparisions are obvious so I wont go there. Its all in what you want but wanted you to know what your getting comparied to what you have now. Hope this helps.
Jim Maloney 98 400 Scrambler