Hello there folks....a friend of mine may buy a 2000 Polaris Sportsman 335....we know the seller and know that the bike was well taken care of....low hours, easy riding...Can you tell me the good and the bad about this bike?...Thanks...

 

I never rode a SP 335, but I own a SP 400 and it is underpowered, so I would imagine the SP 335 would be also. If it was my decision, I wait to find a deal on a SP 500. Just my opinion though…

 

Hey I don't want to call anyone a liar or start anything but I too have a SP400 and to me its anything but under powered. We have a pull sled and when I hook to it I have never ran out of power only ran out of traction. You can take this for what its worth again its only my opinion. Just so you know the machine and my total combined weight is 1000lbs. Thats weighed on a grain scale so its not exact but within about 50lbs. If its a good deal then I would say go for it!! Just as long as its a Polaris.

 

He won't win any races with it, it has a mid 40 mph range, and it won't wheelie, but our 335 has been super reliable and has NEVER failed to go where my SP500 goes. For a good price it's a good machine.

 

How would the Sportsman 335 compare to the Rancher 350? Speed, ride, mud, steering, etc?

 

GreatCanadian,

Forget speed and steering. The machine is WAY too heavy to move out quickly or steer easily. Basically what they did was to put a smaller motor in an already over weight quad. I'm sure that the previous owner only rode it easy, because of the lack of power that's the only way you can ride it. My cousin owned both an old 250 Xplorer and the 335 Sportsman. The Xplorer would stomp the Sportsman badly. He eventually got rid of the 335 and got the 500.

MUDFUN is right, I would wait for a good deal on a 500. With the 700 just coming out, you might be able to pick one up for a song.

 

I think we all tend to forget that we should buy a quad based on the kind of riding that we do. I read on these forums all the time how everyone hates certain quads because they wont go 100mph or jump the grand canyon. My 335 wasn't made for supercross or drag racing, it was made for utility work. Different quads are made for different things. I'm sure youe explorer 2 stroke is faster than the 335, but a raptor is faster than the explorer. I would take the Sportsman 335 over the explorer for hauling and in heavy mud. I would take the explorer for speed and winding trails. My 500 is faster than the 335, but the 335 is more managable for my wife. The sportsman line has a more comfortable ride than anything else in the polaris line. (the sole reason for our choice) My point being, buy based on what the quad will be used for.

 

I know what you mean.....a machine that will go 70 mph i'm sure would be thrilling...but where i go, i would never get to reach that speed...i rarely get to open up my 350...is it true that the polaris 335 is the same bike as the 2000 polaris 500 except for the smaller engine...

 

Pretty much the same....smaller motor, no liquid cooling, smaller tires, no engine braking system and I think smaller shocks.

 

GreatCanadian, I bought a Sportsman 335. For the kind of riding I do and the work I do around my home, it is the perfect fit. The wide wheel base is also something that I really like. I have found that buying a machine for your own personal reasons is the only way to go. If you got a good deal on it and you aren't trying to go 100 mph then I think that you can't go wrong. I think it is very reliable and I enjoy using it very much.