For all you guy's that are familiar with the Scrambler, which would be the better machine the 500 4x4, or the 400 two-stroke 4X4? In all the articles that I have read they say that the 400 2 stroke 4X4 will top out at 67 mph, and the 500 4 stroke will top out at 65 mph. It didn't really compare them other than that. I would assume that the 400 4X4 2 stroke would accelerate much faster that the 500, but the review didn't really compare the differences. How does the 400 4X4 compare in a drag race with the Honda Sport Trax 400EX?

Also, how does the 400 4X4 2 stroke handle the rough rocky stuff? I mean, is it able to crawl over the rocks if needed at a slow speed? The slower more technical stuff? And, how does the PVT auto trans handle the 2 stroke? It seam’s like a perfect set up for a 2 stroke in the fact that you never have to worry about what gear you are in for the power band. Does the auto trans keep the 2 stroke in the power band, is it a good combo?

The 400 4X4 2 stroke seams like it would be a great do it all sport and four by machine, please let me know your experiences with this quad.

Thanks.
Brian

 

I have never rode a scrambler 400 4x4 but i do have a xplorer 400 4x4 and a srcambler 400 2x4. yes it climbs over rocky stuff very good. The pvt handles the power great and is a perfect combo. A 400ex will beat it in a drag race but it will put up a fight for the first 150 feet.

 

I have a 99 Scrambler 400 and it handles rock great I took it to Moab, Utah this last spring which if you have ever been there you would know it is all rock climbing. The only thing that was a problem with my 400 was the powerband if you hit the throttle just right you would get a surge of power all at once but if you know two strokes engines good enough you can learn to control the powerband. Speed wise the 400 and 500 are really close I have a GPS and a friend who has a 2000 500 Scrambler top speed we are 1 MPH difference on the same straight road.Here are some pictures of Moab

 

i cant say for the 500,
but my 400 is a really great machine,
its a beast, went over every thing my freinds sp500 did,
and can kill it in a race,
the only problem with powerband, since it doesnt have a low gear,
is it you try to climb over somthing from a dead stop,
like a stump,
but even if you had to stop then climb a stump or anything like that, you have the awd.
hit the gas and that sucker rips,
i pulled my freinds bayou that was stuck in nasty mud, a rock behind one of the rear wheels, and a stump under the fronts, up a hill that was the bank of that mud pit like i was pulling air, so it does pull easy,
the stump problem might just be my lousy front tires

 

I have a 400 and my best friend has a 500. They are very close in a drag. Performance in all aspects are relatively close. In my opinion, it all boils down to whether you prefer the longer term reliability of a 4 stroke, or the easily modifiable 2-stroke.

 

Thanks for the info guy's. I'm not for sure witch one I would rather have; it sounds like they are basically the same, performance wise. It would be nice to get more power out of the 400 by just simply adding a pipe. Will a 400 4X4 with an after market pipe take a 400EX in a drag race? What kind of mod's would it take to get it to run as fast as a 400EX or other hi performance quads? I want a quad that can go where the 4X4's go, but I also want a quad that has performance on par with at least a 400EX, I know it will never handle as well, but I would like the speed. I guess I just want it all :-) Anybody ever put a GPS on these two machines for top speed of each? Which one would be easier to make perform on par with a 400EX the 400, or the 500? How about the new 660 Grizly, will it out run and accelerate the Scrambler 400 and 500?

Thanks again for all the info.
Brian

 

It all depends on what kind of riding you do. I have a 2000 400 4x4 and built it for lowend power. It crawls up anything. For tight trails and rock crawling the 500 is better. It has the torque and tractibility the 400 can't match. If you ride fire roads and generaly flat areas the 400 is much better. You can easily and cheaply make it very fast. I was able to beat a 400ex with a pipe and paddles in a drag race up a sand hill. The only mods I have are a milled head K&N and vforce reeds. If you want speed go 400 if you want great torque from idle on up go 500.

 

Area 51,

Nice handle by the way. Forget the Scrambler 500 4x4. It's a P.O.S. If you want real power, I would say to get the Scrambler 400 4x4, but they don't make them anymore. You might be able to find one used though. Drop a big bore kit in it and you'll have all the low end you'll ever want. The problem with the 500 is that no matter what you do to it, shy of dropping $2000+ in the motor, you won't get any more power out of it. If stock is okay for you, go for it. Frankly if you want to go "rock hounding" you'd be better off with a Sportsman. If you want to run with the "big dogs", get another brand (especially if you have a limited budget). The perfect ATV for everyone and every situation has still yet to be invented. The Scramblers come close, but they are a "jack of all trades, master of none".

Here's a thought, you might try the new 650 Kawasaki Prairie, the mags said it was pretty sporty.

 

Thanks again for the input guy's, As for the Scrambler, it does sound like the 400 is the way to go. Money isn't really an issue, I have been waiting to buy a 4 wheeler for so long now, that I don't really care what it cost, I just want to get the one that I will get the most use out of and have the most fun with. I hear what you are saying about no one type of 4 wheeler that will do it all, and that is what is making my decision so hard. The Scrambler 400 4X4 does sound about like the closet I'm going to get to one that can do a little of everything. I don't really want to go rock hounding, I would rather go ***** out on some desert trails and dry river beds, but I don't want to come across a steep rough trail that looks cool and not be able to check it out as well. I guess I want to be able to do a little of everything, but do it with more speed and performance than a utility type 4X4. I would like to be able to hang with or out run the 400Ex's and still be able to go up the same steep rough trails that Sportsman can tackle. As far as the Kawasaki, I know that it is supposed to be an awesome machine, but I just don't like the way it looks. Maybe the Grizzly 660, do you guy's think that the Scrambler 400 can out accelerate and out run the Grizzly 660? What kind of performance mods do you have on your machines? What is a good pipe to boost the low and mid power and will this hurt top end performance? I would like to know as much about the Scrambler 400 as possible. I'm still hoping that the 400 4X4 will be out for 2002, I have e-mailed Polaris and I'm waiting for them to respond.

Thanks again,
Brian

 

So far having no complaints about my 500.....My friend used to have a 400 and he said the 400's are supposed to take to mods better.