Hey megacash, drive a 400ex! You just may jump onto that band wagon! I was sold on a Scrambler 400 untill I took a friends 400ex for a spin. I havent looked back sence! The honda is in a whole nuther leage!

 

Honda does make a nice sport quad with that 400ex, but it costs way too much to get any power out of its motor.
I have to have a dirt throwing super fast quad in the dunes and on fire roads. I ride mostly in fast smooth areas.
For less than the cost of a new 400ex I was able to buy a new Scrambler and had enough money left over for 50 HP worth of upgrades.
Now I love my Scrambler, but will some day probably end up on a DS650 or Raptor.
Just not ready to do it yet.
Want to see how they hold up down the road a little.
(And save a little more money)

 

Did I understand it right that you said that the Xplorer was the slowest of the three machines. If it was there is something wrong with that machine.

 

All the quads were new and in a race on level grass field the Sportsman HO is the fastest with the Mag and Xplorer almost dead even. All were 2001s.

 

i could blow a 500 magnum away with my 400 explorer and i outrun 2 hos on it when it was stock.i have a pipe and scrambler muffler on it now and it is no comparison on power.

 

OH YEAH? WELL MY DADDY WILL BEAT UP YOUR DADDY!

I haven't had the opportunity to race anyone, except my brother on his 1998 SP500.

 

Come on folks....I am not saying that one is better than the other. THe HO just was a LITTLE bit faster. I know the Xplorer will blow doors on both with a pipe because I used to race motocross bikes with Pro Circuit pipes. The two stroke machines are inexpensive to modify but they are a little bit higher on maintenance.

 

I'm not trying to say that the Xplorer is any better than the other two, thats all in personal preferance. My machine is stock except for a K&N filter and green primary spring and I have out run Magnums and HO's (no pipe needed).

 

Weedy, my Xplorer will EASILY outrun a Magnum 500. Top speed isn't a whole lot faster, but it gets there quicker, noticeably so since I put in a white primary clutch spring.
I realize there are variations from machine to machine. Maybe I have a 'fast' Xplorer, and you drove a 'slow' one, or I raced a 'slow' Magnum, and you a 'fast' one or some combination of the above.

Anyway, the price quoted sounds GREAT for the HO, and I think that might be the way I would go, myself.

I wonder, I am seeing the HO prices going down all over the place lately. Maybe, just MAYBE, they are trying to thin them down before they introduce a new machine (hopefully??).
Makes on wonder.

The last farm show I was at, I commented to the Polaris factory rep that they made the fastest 4x4 out there (at that time). He said that he expects they always will, but no details other than that.

 

Yeah Weedy, they are right the Explorer might not be the fastest on top end, and if its not it is only loosing by maybe 3 or 4 mph, but the Explorer does excelerate faster, but since you can get that HO for $200 more, then I also say go with the HO dude!!!! Plus the Ho has a much smoother ride, and is well worth the money!!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]