This is my first post here. I am hoping to get some opinions. I recently acquired a 94 Polaris sportsman 400 4x4 2 stroke. It was owned by a good friend. He bought it new off the lot and has been the only owner till now. I have tinkered around on this machine off and on for the last few years. Here is what I know about it. It has a little over 5700 miles. I know the top end has been rebuilt once about 9 years ago. In the time I have been around it the charging system has not worked. I know shortly before it quit running it was overheating. Compression test consistently says 55 psi. I know nothing about the transmission or hubs. I got this machine for free. Finally here is the question- in your opinion is it worth keeping and fixing or should I be thinking more about the scrap yard? I know it has spark. I am not positive that it is getting fuel. Honestly when I saw the low compression, I quit investigating. I have another quad so I am not really in a hurry to fix this one. Are these machines problematic or unreliable? My friend that used to own it will run something till it breaks and then fix it. I'm sure most of the issues are due to little maintenance. Anyone have suggestions or input?

 

Welcome to the forums.

Doesn't look to be in rough shape at all, appearance wise. Finding out what it needs first could tell you what should do. If it were a few hundred dollars to get it running right, would it be worth keeping it? My brother in law had one and his boys absolutely abused it, and it still ran. They're not bad machines, but compared to what's new today, it's going to lack some things.

Set a budget, determine what it needs and see how much the parts are. If it falls under the budget, then go for it.

Good luck.

 

It would be worth it to myself, really just depends what you're capable of doing on your own, if you can buy what it needs and do it yourself it's worth it, if you need to pay a shop It's meh, might be expensive.

The bike looks immaculate externally

 

The picture is doing it a favor. it's far from showroom nice. I was mostly concerned that I would get it running and would be disappointed with performance and capability. I have an 01 arctic cat 400 4x4 now. I would think they would be close in capability. I am not looking to run any races. These will solely be used to maintain deer feeders, pull out harvested deer, and possibly to get around when its time to look for sheds. I appreciate the input so far. The only thing I think I would have to get a shop do is hone the cylinder. Local shop estimated 600 to rebuild the top end. I don't think that would touch the water pump or fan or the charging system. I am having a heck of a time deciding what to do. I have had a couple of offers from people in the 500 area as it is.

 

I decided to get started on it. I got a top end kit from Rick Ritter. .080 over, machined head, wiseco piston, etc. Got it running after a long weekend of working on it. Holy crap. This thing is like a small 4 wheeled rocket. Fixed a few other minor issues; charges battery now, lights work, kill switch works, etc. My artic cat is a much more comfortable ride, more stable, and quieter. Having said that, I will get on the sportsman pretty much every time. I hope it lasts. These old 2 strokes are fun!

 

Appreciate the follow up and glad to hear it is running great. I continue working on my 95 Xplorer after rebuilding the motor. It was not in as good of shape as yours but when I'm done I think it will be worth the expense and effort. Was riding it around the house in the snow last week and the engine and 4 wheel drive worked great. Working on installing a winch and some silly cosmetic stuff like super rusty handle bar. It is just a beater so I don't know why I am worried about the handle bar. haha! Which leads me to this question, why do people leave any equipment out in the weather and sun for years with no tarp? I get not everyone has indoor storage for all their stuff but a tarp is cheap.

Keep us posted on any new updates.