I rode both yesterday and really had a hard time finding the faster quad. I only had room to get up to @45mph but they really seemed equally fast. Anyone race a couple of stock machines? The Xplorer seemed to accelerate a tad faster. Both are very fast!

 

i have outrun 2 different hos on my stock 400 explorer.i can pull on them pretty easy from a 50 on kick.i cant wait to see what happens when i get my pipe installed!

 

A pipe will really wake up the Xplorer and than the race will be in complete favor of the Xplorer.Dont forget to re-jet with the pipe.Did you get the airbox mod too?
Bill

 

Getting a pipe? Hell, just taking out the clean-out plug will give you a noticeable power boost!

Aren't two-strokes fun?
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

no i never got the airbox mod/what exactly is the difference?i hope i can get it jetted right!

 

Real4x4,
an air box mod and re-jetting is essential with a pipe mod,they go hand in hand.It allows for more airflow to the airbox and in doing so,will increase performance.Its an easy thing to do as well.You take the stock rubber boot that Polaris installs on the top of the air box,cut it,and run a larger diameter pipe up to the rear of your fuel tank/plastic.Once you have the rubber boot removed,you will see 2 holes on each side of the air box,get a hole saw and make another hole between these two holes.Take and cut you water deflector plate out that is located inside the airbox to.With the RcR airbox mod [35 dollars]you also get a Uni Filter.

With the added airflow,comes more dirt more often.Keep a clean airfilter handy at ALL times.Re-jetting?Read your spark plug as I easlier suggested and go from there.Good Luck,
Bill

 

On Memorial Day we had a drag with a
2000 Kodiak 400
2001 500 HO Sportsman
1999 Explorer
my 2000 sportsman 500 (step son driving)
and my 2000 400 2X4 scrambler

The road was a slightly damp hard pack with fast corners and was fairly smooth.

They only let the Scrambler do it once because after about 40 feet I would be 3 quad lenghts ahead and throwing big roost in there faces. (Fun Fun Fun)

After that though it was a dead heat with the Explorer and HO from stop all the way up to about 55 MPH

It was also very close between the Kodiak and Sportsman 500 non HO, with the Kodiak just a hint quicker (not much) and both topped out at 52 MPH (Sportsman speedo)

If I was buying the 4X4 again I would take a good look at that Kodiak. It had a silky smooth motor and drive train. That extra Centrifugal clutch on the crank realy smooths out the power delivery on take offs. The belt is always tight and ready to go. Very nice CVT set up on those Yamahas. The 3 weel drive part is crap, but my Sportsman is mostly driven by my wife. The light weight and easy steering would realy nice for her.

I got a chance to crawl the Kodiak through a huge clear cut area that was cut down the middle by a large revine and it performed realy well. You could feel the light weight of the Kodiak compared to the Sportsman 500 in the realy steep nasty parts. It did nothing better than my Sportsman, but it was realy SMOOTH.

 

should i do the airbox mods to my explorer?do you think it will give me any jetting troubles?i need to take out the rubber grommets and saw another hole in between the 2.and then cut back on the breather neck and install a 2 inch piece of pipe and run it up as far as i can.any one have any idea of what jets im going to have to have?my pipe and stuff should come in today.also what if i use a plain primary spring instead of my blue green?

 

real4x4, installing a plain (or white) primary spring will raise the clutch engagement, and will also increase your 5-30mph time. Throttle response will be improved quite a bit in this area, too. Contrary to what some will say, I have not noticed a decrease in top speed with the white spring. I can still hit 62mph on the same stretch of road like I always could, but I seem to hit that speed a little bit quicker, now.

Also, if you're not quite ready to go ripping into things and cutting stuff up just for a few extra horsepower, you can always just take out the clean-out plug in the muffler, like I suggested earlier. This will give you an extra hp or two, and seemed to boost top end, and midrange throttle response a bit. But be warned... it is louder, and has a more obnoxious sound to it.

 

I looked at the Yamaha but the jerks will not let you test ride like the good folks at my Polaris dealer. Do you like the 400 Yamaha better than the Xplorer?