You Polaris guys ain't happy that the Magnum won the big auto 4 by shoot out, in the SAME issue? The 300EX is a better quad than all the sport polarises, because it's built tough enough to take a pounding with out spending a week at the dealer. The plastic on all the polarises rattle and are bolted on like ****, where they don't use the stupid tabs that wear out and break off. The Polarises also use cheap crap like plastic bushings on the frame that wear out a lot faster than the actual bearings on the 300EX. The suspension geometry on the EX is far superior, as well as the handling. Any time you turn a polaris at speed the out side tire tries to go under the quad thanks to the struts. And they were not testing modified quads. All the racing polarises I seen always use an aftermarket frame, and there is nothing that's stock.

I had a polaris and so did some of my friends, the only thing you do with them is bring them in for work. With a Honda all you have to do is change tho oil and clean the air filter, and the oil filter don't cost $10 like some quads.

 

The automatic clutch system on stock polaris atv's can't even come close to reacting fast enough to keep the front end of those heavy machines off the ground, especially in tight jumps. The pvt is high maintence, slow shifting, and leaks water. True, if you are into tuning clutches almost daily, you can get one to perform very well like was mentioned earlier in thread is done in snowmobile drag races etc., but on a sled the clutch is in a much easier to work on location and in most cases is away from contaminates (dirt,water etc.)
The suspension on a stock polaris is decent, but is far inferior to a 300ex.
To get a polaris sport's suspension to perform as well as a 300ex would take some serious money and a lot of time.
To get a 300ex motor to outperform a polaris sport would take a couple hundred bucks and a couple of hours tops and since a person wouldn't have to spend even close to the amount of time doing maintence on his/her atv with the 300ex compared to the polaris sports atv I am sure that individual would have plenty of free time to make the 300ex smoke the polaris atvs.

 

A couple of well thought out and written post there! Good jobs guys, heheh!

Glenn.

 

Any fool that thinks he could outrun a Sport with a 300ex and a couple hundred dollars knows nothing about quads. It would take a small fortune to make a 300 faster than a sport with a pipe and clutch kit. I ride with 3 300's every weekend and they go around hills that a Scrambler can easily power up. I get a real laugh out of watching one of those guys getting 3/4 of the way up a steep hill and then having to jump off, turn it around and ride back down.

 

Tune clutches everyday???? Fix plastic that rattles??? outside tires go under the quad???
High maint. tranny???
I guess I should thank my lucky stars I haven't had to deal with all these Polaris problems. I'm glad I've got people to tell me what my quad SHOULD be doing, according to them at least...
As far as the comment about a couple hundred dollars of work on a 300EX to beat a Scrambler. I ride with 2 300EX's & have rode them, nice quads. But no way, no how! My brothers friend had a 300EX with lots of money poured into the suspension & motor. My brother brought his '98 Sport home the 1st day & not only did he ride has that 300's *** all the way along the curvy creek bank. (small I jumps I concede) He blew him away in a race. Before I get e-mails on how cruelly I break in a quad, it was my brothers Sport & yes he treats everything like that. And NO it didn't have any of the precieved Polaris problems.
The 300EX is a really fun & easy quad to ride, don't get me wrong. But I agree with Mikes original post. Those editors are on drugs! And not the herb my friends, they gotta be jacked up on crack to be writing stuff like that!
c-ya,

 

TRX400EXitement,

If you had read any of my previous posts on Honda's sport machines, you'll find that I agree completely with your notion that they are reliable machines. The 250X that I rode had been beaten to heck and back. I was amazed that it was still running as the guy who owned it never changed the oil. Even after it had turned white from water. I feel Honda machines are pretty much idiot proof ( you can take that for what it is worth). I've even seen Hondas jumped into a lake.

What a coincedence, every Honda TRX 250R that I've seen win a race has had a new frame, motor, shocks, gearbox, pipe, plastic, handle bars, ect. Are you begining to get the picture?

However, the test was not about which idiot can beat his quad into the ground like a monkey. The test was about speed. As in, speed in drag races and speed around the track. The Scrambler excelled in this. This is what sport quads do. This is their forte. If you want to talk relability and worksmanship, let's talk about my dads' farm tractor. It was made in the 1950s and is still running as strong as ever. Of course it's boring as hell to ride, and is real slow with no suspension, but by golly it's well made! Let's see if your Honda will last fifty years.

 

88blaster,

While it is true that the stock clutch on Polaris machines leave something to be desired, the clutch cover on my machine has been off twice in three years. Once to add an HPD clutch kit and top cog belt and once to put the Aaen roller clutch in. So much for high maintainance, huh?

The clutches on sleds (at least the ones I've seen are a lot more exposed to the elements than their quad counterparts.

You claim, as do the magazines, that it would take serious money and time to make the Scrambler handle as well as the 300EX. You can change the struts for around $260, the tires for $280 and the bars for less than $20. The new Scrambler will then handle as well or better than the 300EX.

You also claim, again as the do the magazines, that it would take a couple of hundred bucks to make the 300EX as fast as the Scrambler. Maybe it would for the magazine people, but people in real life have to pay money for things. Us real life people don't have aftermarket companies to hand us parts like they do to the magazines. By my figures it would take at least $1000 to make the 300EX motor competitive with the Scrambler. That doesn't include the pipe. You see, when you let a professional crack the cases on a four stroke (or even lift the head) it runs into some serious $$$$$. That is what you'd need to do, just adding a pipe wouldn't come close to doing it.

In short, as my original post was about, don't believe everything you read in 4WHLA. I could tell from your post that you put a lot of stock in what they and their magazine have to say. Do your self a favor, put the magazine down and form your own opinions.

 

Wow..IF it smells like hondas burning it must be Polaris dudes wantin to drag race utility Hondas!
Maybe you sssssssstill dont get it ..Want a
little competition with equal type machines just hollar Yamaha ...
Who wins a drag race, has more susp., Disc brakes,and liquid cooling means squat in the real world.
Most riders dont purchase 4 wheelers to drag race
Polaris weighs 200 lbs more than any Honda,more susp. makes sense.
Your trick disc brakes when any where near DIRT make more noise than a tank.
with little engine braking you will wear more brakes ,spend more money
Take a look at your 20+ exposed grease fittings and wonder if dirt and water can ever seep in
Not to mention your exposed lines ,U joints and axles
Liquid cooling a plus?...good luck in 5 years or so when water pumps,lines and radiators need repair.
Hats off to your 4 wheel system. Better than Hondas..until you meet a Locker with equal tire set up.Your belt ,drive system when wet sucks.
Take your Polaris up hills...how do you get down? maybe now you"ll like low gearing and real low rpm torgue..
When Hondas let of the gas it sounds better!
Compare cost after 10 years, looks and resale value,Hondas win.
when Hondas win a review its because they do the little things better,and more completly. You dont have to agree!But a lot of consumers do.
Flame away but Beware.
..Always Looking For Bigger Mountains!

 

EVERYONE!

I own both a 98' sport and a 95' 300ex. I agree that the sport is faster and may have had a few better lap times IN THE MAGAZINE, HENCE: IN THE MAGAZINE. That does not necisaraly mean that the sport will always win, what if the writers likes 2 stoker better? or what if they like auto better than manual?? WHAT THAN?!!!! And i ride them both about the same amount of time, and when i took them up to a local race track...i was amazed at how horrable the mcpherson struts did, and how well the suspension the the ex did. Yeah, the sport could hang w/ the ex for a few laps, but as the race wears on, the 300ex moves w/ it while the sport waddles behind. And i bet there is not many people that only consider that the sport is a faster drag racer, and who cares if it could hang w/ the ex' for a few laps. A FEW DONT AMOUNT TO SHIZ! MIKE, you shouldnt talk unless you put equal amount of hours into each quad, than you could find out what makes each machine tick, and until you do ride a 300ex as much as a sport/scramber, than i wont consider anything you say.

I ADMIT THE SPORT/SCRAMBLER is a great machine, in CERTIN CATAGORIES! but in certin catagories it is terrable to.....same goes w/ the ex'

Pretty much all the sport has over the ex is POWER AND SPEED, but what would you expect from a 400 TWO STOKE???!!!!!! the ex is only a 282 4 stoke!

 

Your opinion is respected

Although,

I do not believe that you should imply that Mike not speak. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I beleive Mike was blowing steam at the fact that Honda Lovers Action are overly biased and he loves to wrap catfish w/ the 400ex ads. j/k

I agree w/ you that each machine will excell in different catagories, BUT -->overall<-- The STOCK scrambler will outperform the 300ex. Should someone dare go into aftermarket building capabilites?

EC