I was reading an ATV magazine recently that featured new quads from various Mfg.and was wondering why Polaris ATV's are so much heavier than other brands.It said that a Sportsman 500 weighs over 700 lbs. WOW !!!I also noticed that their two wheel drive models weigh more than some competitors four wheel drive quads do.If polaris ever plans to bring out a sport quad,their designs will have to go on a serious diet.

 

Buy a smaller machine if you have trouble with the weight. Bayou 220 or maybe Trail Blazer 250

 

My 2000 Xplorer 250 4x4 weighs within 7 lbs of a Honda 300 4x4 and weighs 35 lbs less than my friends new Kawasaki 300 2 wheel drive Prairie. Some models might be heavy but not all Polaris models are.

 

Actually it is no mystery. My friend has a Honda 400ex and he is always boasting about how the 400ex is the best quad ever made and it is perfect and it is so light and bla bla bla. Having my scrambler 500 parked next to his Honda 400ex I saw all the corners that Honda takes to save weight and reduce reliability.

1) The most noticeable is the overall size. A smaller bike means less overall metal resulting in less weight.

2) Fewer features.
a - Most Polari are liquid cooled. Just add up the components. Radiator, hoses, clamps, coolant, sensors, wiring and a cooling fan. ( 400ex is air cooled )
b - Most Polari are 4 x 4's. Just add transfer cases, hubs, wiring and shafts. ( 400ex is 2wd )
c - All Polari have electric start as well as a recoil backup. ( 400ex has electric start only with a small battery )
d - All Polari have reverse. ( 400ex does not )

3) Overall there are fewer parts on the 400ex than there are on the Polaris quads. This reduction in frills equals less total bike weight. A lighter bike means the components can be of less strength. Honda implemented a aluminum swing arm on the 400ex as well as light duty spindles and a frame for that matter.

It is possible to even the score a little

Jim Maloney has a 98 scrambler 400 that weighs in at roughly 465 lbs due to some modifications and removals. He still has 4wd, liquid cooling and reverse. Despite the 465 pounds still being high it still is 4wd, liquid cooled and has reverse.

as far as 2wd Polari Jack Shultz has a Sport 400 which has been reduced to perhaps 410 or 420 lbs. He still has reverse and is liquid cooled.

8 or 9 months ago my bike landed upside down after doing nascar style end over end flips going almost full speed down hill and the only thing that broke was the master cylinder. The steering post and headlight bracket were tweaked but I did not need to fix it right away. The bike started right back up and i rode it back to the campsite ( 5 miles or so )

4 months ago my friend wiped out on his Honda 300ex going 40 or so. The bike only rolled a few times but the damage was extensive. His bike would not start and could not be towed because the front wheels were not facing the same direction. It cost him over $1000 to fix it and it has never been the same since.

I put my money on Polaris

Chris Picciotto
99 Scrambler 500

 

And they ride lighter than they are, at least the ones I have driven did not feel like they weighed that much.

 

Chris,what EXCELLANT ANSWERS,good job-----BILL

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Chris, you're comparing a 2wd to a 4wd in weight. Don't you think it would be a more equal comparison if you compared the 400EX to the Scrambler 2x4? Scrambler's got a 2 stroke engine, it should weigh less than Honda's four stroke. Only advantage the Scrambler has is liquid cooling, which adds to the weight a little, but not enough to make it close in weight to the Honda. I can tell you why it's so heavy, steel floorboards, steel wheels, and steel front bumper. This is just stupid. I know the Scrambler 400 4x4 has aluminum wheels, aluminum bumper, and aluminum floorboards. So why not have this on the 2x4? That is the difference right there. And you say Honda's lighter therefore the reliability is cut down on it, well they did plenty of testing on those aluminum parts to find out that they're tough enough, if they weren't, you wouldn't see them on it. And as for as the 300EX crashing, what gets broke all depends on how the machine flipped and on what terrain it flipped on. 300EX's are known to survive crashes without harm, so where was the one you were riding with flipped? Down a cliff? And if it was the 300EX that came out running and your Scrambler that didn't, I would still have the same opinion: it depends on the flip.

 

I would have to say that aluminum frames are in most cases stronger than steel frames for one simple reason. They flex where as the steel does not. During excessive stress testing it is a known fact that aluminum is not only lighter, but will not rust, and take one hell of a beating.
However, aluminum frames and swingarms have to be designed perfectly to operate correctly. If a piece of aluminum is to thin, or too long or has a design flaw. You can bet that it will not hold up long.

That's why you don't see aluminum parts on Polaris atv's. Because Polaris does not take the extra steps during the engineering of thier products. Cheapest why possible = Polaris.

I agree with Rooster. You have to compare like models. The Scrambler 4x2 and 4x4 weight almost the same. Why?

Chris 00' 300EX

 

Interesting, cstark; however, your comments regarding "Strength of Materials" seems somewhat over-generalized to me. Many variables, like alloy composition, not to mention cross-section yield strength and vulnerability to metal fatigue, enter into structure design.

I always thought Polarises were particularly heavy because of the no-cost options furnished with every quad: chips for the riders' shoulders. (I'm kidding, Polaris fans! It's a joke! You CAN take a joke, can't you? Why, some of my best friends ride Polarises. I took a Polaris rider to lunch just last week. Or was it the week before?)

Tree Farmer

 

I agree it makes more sense to compare like models but thinking about what Honda models are similar to Polaris models is like comparing apples to oranges. The closest match to me would be the trail blazer to the 400ex. That kind of sounds totally off but both are 2wd and both are air cooled to start. The lack of parts that make up the 2 stroke should make up for the no reverse and no back up start. Still it is kind of uneven.

I also agree that Honda has the resourses to develop aluminum components for there quads that hold up. Polaris cuts costs by using steel i guess. Perhaps in the future Polaris will use some aluminum components but the race for sales numbers dictates the speed of research and development.

As far as crashing i can also agree that it depends on the type of crash and the terrain. My only beef is that most of the guys i ride with have 300ex's or 250x's and every time they roll their quads all kinds of things break and their bike's don't start right away. I have crashed two times badly and rolled my quad over a dozen different times as well as flipping it into a lake twice and i have never spent more than $300 total for all repairs. Even worse my buddies banshee fliped over backwards going up a steep hill and bent the frame.

Maybe i'm just lucky with my crashes and they are not.

Honda is still a monster company that does not like to take second.

Chris Picciotto
99 Scrambler 500