I have checked out the prarie and if I wanted a good utility quad it would be near the top of my list. But I really am looking for a better handling lighter quad that leans towards the sports end.

 

I dont have one in mind at all thats why I posted what I did. People start saying the prarie so I went and checked it out. Obviously it has the power and Im sure its great in mud and hill climbs but I don't see it as sporty. I am looking for something smaller. I went today and checked out the scrambler. Seems sporty enough, a little heavy but lighter than the prarie. I dont like the automatic tranny though but would like an automatic clutch. I still want to shift gears.

If I could just have the perfect quad it would be a shift on the fly 4x4 raptor with an automatic clutch and removable racks. Here lies the dilema. No such thing.

Im not wasting your guys time. When you make a suggestion I go down and check out that quad.

 

The selction is getting limited when it comes to auto clutch style tranny. About all you have is the Big Bear, Rancher, and I think Suzuki has an auto clutch Eiger. What about the new Bomb outlander is it auto clutch?

 

Thats an option. I will go check out the wolverine tomorrow

 

or wait on the new 700 v-twin from kawy although its a auto beat it will still rip [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I would surley say the Wolverine 350 4x4. In my opinon all of these bigger 4x4s just aren't light and agile enough. With my wolverine I can get down and dirty with the big 4x4s no problem and still spank my friends with warriors if I am a superior rider. They also come with racks and becaue they were made from a warrior engine all the engine mods are the same witch gives you a wide selection of accessories to get in the future. It is 4x4 but is geared for sporttier riding. If you are looking for a sporty ATV that has 4x4 and can do some work when you need it I would say the Wolverine. If you are looking for a work quad that you can still play with sometimes I would say go with somthing else. It really isn't a machine you would buy for majorly work. I love mine to death it's as solid as a rock. I run it in the mud, deep river water, deep snow in the winter, all day summer rides, and I never have a problem. I have run it in snow up to the lights in the winter and Water over the front fenders. If you have any questions let me know.

 

If you are intereseted in a manual transmission, the new Suzuki Vinson now can be had with a 5 speed manual. They are considered to be a nice sporty 4wd (no front locker though). You might want to check one out. I agree with you about wanting a sporty 4wd. I've had a 400 Scrambler, and ridden a 500 Scrambler, and I feel that they give up way too much in the handling department compared to a 400ex or a Raptor. I have ended up jujst riding my 2 wheel drive sport atv's in the snow all winter while I wait for a better choice. A 4wd version of the new Kawasaki 700 might be it, if it happens.

P.S.- I have thought about finding a nice Wolverine to hop up like was suggested earlier in this thread. The other problem with the Wolverine besides the lack of power is the low top end speed. We ride a lot of fire roads (forest roads) in between trail systems, and the Wolverine in our group is always way behind. I guess if it had a 500cc kit, and larger tires, the gearing and top speed would be higher. When riding a stock Wolverine, I feel like I have to shift thousands of times a day because of the lack of power.

Good luck,
Lorrin

 

Ok I got a chance to ride both the scrambler 500 and the wolverine. I could tell the wolverine was lighter but it lacked in power. It took some getting used to because the plastic makes it seem bigger than it actually is. I liked the scramblers power and it handled real good even though it had the extra weight. The extra power really more than compinsated for the 80ib difference. The only thing I am not quite sure on is the auto tranny. It may just be a mental thing with me. I tried to see if I could pay attention to whether I felt like I needed to switch gears while riding to regulate the power but it really just seemed to have the correct power disbursement regardless of the speed I was traveling.

I have seen a lot of complaints about polaris mechanical problems and this is definatly a concern. It has a nice bolt on rack system for the couple of months I need it and is definatly more on the sports end.

I am going to wait a week and try to ride it again to see what my second impresion is about the auto.

 

I got to really like the auto when I had my 400 Scrambler. The auto in all Polaris ATV's doesn't really have any set gears, the pulley diameter just changes to give you different ratios depending on the load. There are several companies that sell clutch kits for the Polaris, they can make a big difference in how it feels. I changed the primary clutch spring on my 400 Scrambler, and it felt completely different. The 400 Scrambler can be made to be WAY faster than the 500 Scrambler for not too much money. I put the RCR stage one hop up kit on my 400 Scrambler and it made a big difference in the power (for about $320). I sold it to my brother-in-law and still ride with him a lot. When I'm on my Raptor or 400ex, he can make it through technical stuff much easier than me (even when he is in two wheel drive), because of the auto trans. He can inch over things because of the automatic. One reason I sold the 400 Scrambler was because I was worried about the reliability, (along with the fact that I wanted something with sportier handling) but he has had it for several years now with no problems. I had the water pump go out on it just before I sold it to him, with only about 15 hours on the quad, but nothing else has happened since then. On the other hand, it's hard for me to ride a Scrambler or any utility now, because the handling is so much worse than a sporty ATV. I think that if I didn't swap back and forth between my quad and my friend's, and stayed on a utility quad, I might just get used to it. I do know that I like the smooth ride of a utility quad when you are not riding at high speeds on trails. The Scrambler does not have the ground clearance of a "real" utility, which can hold you back in deep snow (>8 inches), but that may not matter to you.

Good luck,
Lorrin

 

My personal opinion, riders being equal, the P650 will spank any 4x4 made on the trail or track.