Killemall,I live 7 miles from the Mounds and frequently ride it alot,especially in the summer and fall months.Im there allmost every Sunday summer month.I can tell you every creek,cranny,crevice,or mud hole allmost blind folded.In fact,im not bragging,but I know it better than anyone out there,including the guys at the booth who think they are DNR and take your money.I allways buy a yearly tag for 30 dollars so I dont have to pay 4 dollars everytime im out there.We'll have to get together and ride it sometimes,===BILL

 

Well guys, what can I say... I need more help!!! Decisions, decisons... TOO many decisions.

I visited a couple local Polaris dealers this past weekend, hopeing to find a Xplorer and an Xpedition on the display floor at the same store... to simply 'kick the tires' and hopefully make up my mind.

The first place I stopped, they had a '99 Xpedition (VIN build date on the hood) with a plow installed. The one thing I noticed (please confirm Pfelect or RangerChet) is that it seemed to sit lower and felt a little smaller than an Xplorer/SP500. I realize the extra weight of the plow might make the quad squat a little lower... but it 'felt' smaller. Then I get home, look in the Polaris brochure, and it's LxWxH is identical to the SP500. Optical illusion?

So I left and went to another dealship... and ran into the BIG problem. A yellow 2000 SP500 which had me mezmorized, dazed and confused. The new yellow SP is sharp looking quad!!! I think I was drooling.

So, now, I've kicked the Kodiac out of contention... and it's down(?) to the Xpedition, Xplorer, or yellow SP500 (all Polaris as it should be! Just kiddin). Since I've only ridden the Xplorer before, I'm kind of using it as the 'benchmark'. My concerns on the Xpedition are acceleration (keeping up w/ my two buddies on Xplorers) and if I'm going to like the manual trans. My concerns on the SP500 is weight and acceleration. (Bill or Andy: Have you ever ridden with a SP500 <or Xpedition>. How do they compare acceleration wise?)

The other variable in this is that one dealer gave me out-the-door (no-haggling, inc taxes @ 6%, reg, setup, etc.) prices for:

X425 $6300
SP500 $6574
X400 $5700 (which I know this price is high from my buddies)

Only $200 diff between X425 and a SP500?

The other dealer (negotiable):
X425 $6200
SP500 $6900
X400 $5900

Bigger diff, but higher prices.?.?

Pfelect: I took a look at your your pics (nice pics BTW). Which Polaris does your friend have in those 2 pics? SP? How do you feel they compare?

Thanks again for all the help. Sorry for any ramblin.. (think'n as I write). Unfortunately, I live in suburbia & most of the dealers don't allow/provide test drives... and most of the dealers show rooms are small, with only 3-6 quads on display anyways. I'm depending a lot on your input...

 

The SP500 does not accelerate as fast as the Xplorer400. I have heard with a clutch kit it is comparable. It's a totally different feeling though. The Xplorer being a two-stroke and all makes it "peppier" in all cases. SP500 feels/is a bit heavier and plusher than the Xplorer. As for the Xpedition I am not sure. Try and test ride all 3. Either one you choose, you will not be sorry! If I had too choose my next utility quad it would probably be a "suped-up" SP500.(yellow!)

 

hhmmmm...where to start?..
Size as youve already figured out is the same. The SP500 is 50 lbs(dry) heavier than the Xpedition 425. In riding both quads youll see that the weight difference is in the rear, auto tranny, IRS. Possibly the Xped you saw with plow attached was sagging a bit from the weight.

I ride with 2 SP500 and they will usually pull ahead of me(2or3 quad lenghts) but in a long run the Xped will start gaining ground. I dont know how long a run it would take for my Xped to "outrun" a SP500 but I think its possible. Ive heard that the EBS limits the top speed of the SP500.

Explorer 400
Man those things are fast. I dont think any utility machine could outrun it. But just for reference, wheelspeed isnt always a plus. There is a rock river bank that we always climb up and the one time Ive ridden with a Explorer 400, he got out of shape going up that bank. Maybe it was rider error but it seems to me that the 4stroke machines always walk up like its nothing although Ive seen other 2 strokes go up with no problem.

Price
I paid $5654 out the door(farm exempt) for my Xped. Someone on this forum has mentioned being able to "buy" the dealers price sheet info, that way you know exactly how much he gave for the machine. Maybe that person will let you know where to get that info.

Whatever you buy, have fun and ride safe!

 

Decisions, Decisions ??, All 3 machines have there
good and weak points. You better figure out what Kind of atv you want. Then you can choose one of the 3. Like ronnie, I am partial to the xpedition.
With my 26 inch mud bug tires and itp magnum billet alluminum rims, even more. To be honest, I would have to guess, that If I owned the explorer or the sp500, I would be partial to them. In my mind right now though. I think the 2 stroke stinks and you come home with gasoline smell all over you. Some guys just love that. I like the shaft drive system. Its smooth, powerfull, and cant slip. Its good on gas, I like the 4-stroke. Its easy for me to go down steep hills in a low gear and with the breaks. Its a very tough atv. Maybe wait or look for sale prices as I paid less too for my xpedition. I actually paid more because I bought several extra options. But the base price was 5200. He meant it to be 5300 but he made me a deal and later checked his math and had a 100 dollar error that he absorbed. They got it all back any way from me due to all the nice things I bought and put on my atv. Front/rear bumper, 2000lb. warn. winch. front/back extender bars on the storage racks. 2-gun, gun rack mounted on the front extender bar. Tamarrack utility box that fits nicely between the extender bar in the back. Most recently from polaris, I bought the extended mud skirts to handle the extra wide tires I bought. Thus lastly, and not from polaris, I bought 26 inch mud bugs by maxxis and itp magnum billet aluminum rims. and just received, a progressive lift heavy duty springs to raise up and stiffen up the front end so my large front tires dont rub on the plastics when I am bouncing up and down at higher speeds. A k & n air filter may end it. My atv should not need anything else.
I spent allot of money on all the extra's though.
I am sure, that my atv goes faster then 60 mph. but I cannot find out because with the agressive mud tire 1.3 inch lugs, i am afraid to go wide open. It is now, my MUD BUGGY! So I am happy..

rangerchet..... pick one !?!

 

rangerchet, good post - I totally agree with what you have to say. I personally think 2-stroke utility quads make no sense - and are a dying breed. We had one when we were younger and used it to plow our drive. Your clothes always stink when your done with it, plus the things don't idle nice like a 4-stroker.

As for the other two quads, if you like a little lighter bike and don't want the maintenance go for the expedition. Otherwise if you need a plusher ride and don't mind doing more upkeep you can get the sp500 - I do think these are more prone to problems however - I'm speaking from personal experience.

I drove a expedition425 last weekend an thought it was a nice quad, I think it would be my choice between the 3.

 

Im not sure why you think 2-strokes wont idle, be it a bad experience or what, but any 2-stroke with a properly adjusted carb, etc.. will Idle just fine. I Do agree, that the xplorer line is not the best choice for pure utility work, but I have also seen the High horsepower pull some Loads that other machines couldnt. I own an xplorer, and as General purpose bike, I think its a good one, capable of speed and power, and utility type chores, it wouldnt be my first choice for pulling a mower for 4 hours though, etc....

 

I see your from Detroit. You should try K & W in Utica 810-731-0216. They had almost every Polaris 4 X 4 except the yellow SPortsman. Ask for Marty. (At least at the end of April they did)

 

I just traded my Xplorer 250 4x4 in on a Sportsman 500. but it went fine, it idled fine as should the xplorer 400. as for belt slippage had none, the 400 is allot more powerful so i don't know if that has anything to do with the belt slippage your friends have. I think that shaft drive is the way to go. My chain had to be replaced, but it only had to be tightened a couple of times in 800 miles.

 

KILLEMALL,You guys,your way off track.Im betting anyone in these forums will not be able to smell anything differant on my clothes from my 00 Xplorer 2 stroke than they will on any four stroke.The times have changed,so have the 2 strokers.I have no smell what so ever coming from my two stroker.It does'nt even smoke that much.Todays oil injection systems are much better than the old style of mixing fuel/oil.Todays injection oils are much better than the older stuff to.Go ride a new Xplorer first before taking anyones advice on this stinking clothes stuff,it's all hog wash on the 00 Model 2 strokes.You'll smell nothing differant.I owned a 99 500cc Sportsman.I got rid of it because of it's weight [110 lbs heavier than the Xplorer]and it was'nt as snappy as I wanted it to be.

The Xplorer is much quicker in all phases over the Sportsman.In a drag race with my brother [who weighs the same as me]I beat the Sportsman by at least 4 quad lenghts up to 45mph.And that was before the Xplorer was broken in.We quit racing after 45mph.

The Xplorer is also a superior hill climber.It's acceleration and throttle response is alot more noticable than the Sportsman.You will find that it is not neccessary to shift to low gear as often when hill climbing with the Xplorer,it makes it RPMs much quicker than the Sportsman,enabling for a tighter belt grip,thus reducing belt drag/slip.

You buy what makes you feel right.I owned both model quads.Except for the ride that the Sportsman has,it offers nothing to me that would make me go back and wish I still owned it over the Xplorer.The Xplorer is also a pretty plush ride.I got rid of that ugly stock brown seat,added one inch of extra padding to the seat,and covered it in black.Aint I one bad *** lookin dude now?===BILL