[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] My faith has been restored. Yesterday while I was out and at the local Polaris dealer, I was walking out back and looking at the machine mileages like I frequently do. The sun was shining on the odometer so I thought that it was a mistake but I checked it again and was surprised to see 11,500 miles on a '99 400 Xplorer odometer, with 1,100 hours on it. It had new 25" inch original replacement tires and a winch.

The mechanic at the store told me that it was used by a local sheriff's department and was run daily throughout the park system. I was impressed by the amount of mileage that had been racked up. I guess they live a little longer when they don't spend the majority of their time underwater in the local mud bog dragging around a set of Super Swampers. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Are there any other high mileage two strokes out there?

 

my friend has a 96 xplorer with 6000 miles and it still has the orignal chain and sprockets.

 

Hey guys~

The first machine my dad bought was a 1989 250 Trailboss 4X4. That was truthfully the most reliable machine I have ever ridden with. It had ALL ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT until 1998 when he decided to sell it. The chain and sprockets got changed( not because they were worn out, but for reliability issues), and the 9 year old machine went for $2800!! There was a speedometer put on it in maybe 1991 or 92 and the machine was sold with roughly 5,500 miles on the speedo. I would guess there was close to 6,800 miles on that machine(all original engine parts) in 1998 and I know that it is still running strong for the guy that bought it! This machine is a reason I get a little P/O'ed when people talk down Polaris reliability and that they'll need a top end rebuild every couple years. That old piston port 2 stroke, 3 chain design, belt smoking machine never failed us. Oh yeah, we got 9 years out of the original belt...how's that for reliability!?? Sorry I got off the subject, but I am actually proud of what that machine has accomplished without any breakdowns!

 

WIscrambler,
Glad to hear you guys had good luck with your Polaris.However,its just a fact that Polaris does indeed manufacture some really bad parts.Im going on my 4th set of outter tie rod ends on my 00 Xplorer,and these are the new style tie rod ends.Steering stems are garbage to.The rear brakes on BOTH my 99 Sportsman and my 00 Xplorer will hardly stop the quad.There just is no excuse for this and Polaris will probably lose me as a future customer if they dont address these issues in the very near future.

Bill

 

<< WIscrambler,....The rear brakes on BOTH my 99 Sportsman and my 00 Xplorer will hardly stop the quad....Bill >>



Weren't or aren't you using the all brass aftermarket BOX brakes on your machine? I thought I remember you ordering those?

Improvements have been made for 2001 I have a couple of friends with 2100 miles who just changed out their pads. Nothing wrong with that.

BTW your atv will stop slower with heavy duty/severe service pads
The OEM pads will wear faster but also stop the ATV faster. Having lived through 2 non EBS 400s in the Everglades I know what brake pad wear really is. My 2 cents worth. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Thor,
that is correct about the brass pads.I am only running the rears in brass at this time.Except for the very first set of brass pads that I ran in the winter months,the brass pads have wore out quicker than any other pads I've installed.I worn out a set of rear brass pads in 35 miles of NON mud riding.Mr Box sent me a brand new set of rear pads for free.My mechanic Steve seemed to think that the rotors were wore,so I installed brand new ones front and rear and a set of new rear brass pads at the same time.They still wore out in 35 miles.I dont know what is going on.Nothing is sticking either.

Now,on my 99 Sportsman,I ran only severe duty pads,and the damn thing would not stop well in the rear either,so we cant blame the poor rear braking on the brass pads.Polaris rear brake is of very poor quality and design,im glad to hear they re-done them for the new model Polaris ATVs.

Bill

 

There is a 1996 Xpress 300 with 15000 miles on it as of last year anyways, he has had to replace the tires and that is it, he must have 17 grand or more on it by now. I plan on seeing 15000 on my Sportsman.

 

<< Thor,...My mechanic Steve seemed to think that the rotors were wore,so I installed brand new ones front and rear and a set of new rear brass pads at the same time.They still wore out in 35 miles.I dont know what is going on. Nothing is sticking either.

Now,on my 99 Sportsman,I ran only severe duty pads,and the damn thing would not stop well in the rear either,so we cant blame the poor rear braking on the brass pads.Polaris rear brake is of very poor quality and design,im glad to hear they re-done them for the new model Polaris ATVs.

Bill >>



You are right Bill, the diameter of the disk on the Sportsman 500 is just too small to gain effective leverage over those tires and rotating mass of the rear drive train.

I was surprised to hear that your last set of brass pads were galling the disks. Do you think there is some sintered iron in the last batch of pads or is there some ground in dirt acting like an abrasive?

I had a set of pads wear prematurely one time. It turned out to be a combination of two things. Baked on dirt around the caliper pistons and some air in the brake lines. The air in the lines was just enough that when the brake lever was released, the normal vacuum in the system that draws back brake piston was not suffiecent to overcome the dirt accumulation on the brake piston. After a thorough, gentle cleaning of the pistons and a brake bleeding the system returned to normal and pad life was greatly increased. Hopefully your current dilema is as simple as that and not a faulty master cylinder. Good luck. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Bill~
I definitely agree with you that Polaris does manufacture some real junk! The rear brake has always been a joke, and the hydraulic rear brake on the newer models isn't a whole lot better! The steering stem only took Polaris 10+ years to fix, but that was too long for me. I was tired of fixing my Scrambler every weekend, so I bailed ship and got the DS 650. After riding that machine, I have absolutely no desire to ride a Polaris again! The suspension, power, steering, and even the seat are all 10 times better! I was amazed at what that 1989 Polaris could do, but it seems to me that Polaris is stuck in that technology of 13 years ago. That's why they lost me as a customer. I would not be the least bit surprised to see Yamaha take back that #2 position in ATV sales!

 

Hey I have a 95' 400 2x4 2 stroke with over 10000 miles on it still the same piston and everything in the engine and still runs strong and fast when it is asked too whick is quite often we didnt even replace the tires till it had about 9000 miles on it and that was about 2 months ago but they were slicks by the time we got new ones we still have the original front tires on it and it seems to t5urn quite well still but my quad does not go mudding very much it is usually found going 50 + mph down a back road around our farm somewhere and fishtailing around every corner and cutting nuts at most intersections it needs the clutch rebuilt so it gets up to speed faster and the power band is a bit more predictable but it will still spin tires on the highway like it is brand new i am in the market for a new Xplorer maybe next year though they were selling them here for 6100$ plus taxes canadian for a brand new one on sale about 2 weeks ago but i am still riding old faithfull for a little while yet anyways just had to say that i was in the High Miler Club
Sproat