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Pondering a New 4x4 ATV.

5K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  charles p 
#1 ·
Right now I have a 1994 Polaris 400L, 2 stroke 400cc Liquid cooled chain drive 4x4 ATV. Whew It has a lot of miles on it for a 2 stroke I say a bunch, at 134,000 plus. It has did a lot of stuff for me, Hauled flat shale stone for a walk way, also hauled deer and fire wood in a cart. Have worked out ruts in the drive way Rolled the driveway and the lawn with it. Pulled a big deer blind with it too. Have also used it to skid cedar logs out of the cedar swamp.

Have never felt I needed more power so a 400CC machine is fine with me. I do like the PTV transmission too. I like the Polaris but the near by (6 miles) dealer is a Joke to say the least. When I bought (May 1994)this machine He said there was none in the state of Michigan. I had seen and test rode one in Houghton just 3 days before while waiting to bring my daughter home for summer break from college.

I called back up there and bought it over the phone sending a check and picking it up the next week end but 10 hours isn't a drive I really want to make NOW.

So if you own a 400to 500cc ATV let me know how you like it and what you don't like.




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http://s280.photobucket.com/user/ol...front view of deer blind_zpsypeh6ggt.jpg.htmlhttp://s280.photobucket.com/user/ol...front view of deer blind_zpsypeh6ggt.jpg.html




http://s280.photobucket.com/user/ol...ATV/Hooked to deer blind_zpsobnvxlvo.jpg.htmlhttp://s280.photobucket.com/user/ol...ATV/Hooked to deer blind_zpsobnvxlvo.jpg.html






:D Al
 
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#6 ·
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^


when a bunch of us rode regularly, the folks that had a polaris
always had trouble with them. all had head problems, one blew
a radiator, one burned a fan up, one seized a piston. i am told
( i don't know ) that's all because of how hot it gets here, and
that may not be an issue in northern climes. i can say for sure
that all of us that had a honda did more trouble free riding than
the others. the one exception was one of the young guys that bought
a hot rodded one with a bunch of aftermarket hot rod parts and mods.
 
#9 ·
more then a 100k on a 2 stroke!!!! that's amazing!! Polaris out to put it in a museum. Has to be the highest mileage atv of any kind ive ever seen let alone a 2 stroke! Sure that's not 13000 not a 130000?? Keep in mind if you replace it to get the power level of your 400 2 stroke your going to have to step up to at least a 500cc 4 stroke. even then down the fireroad id bet your 400 would leave a 500 four stroke. But the 4 stroke will haul more and have more torque. Opinions aren't worth much but ive done the Polaris's Ive done the Hondas and ive done the yamahas. If I were you id look real hard at a 500 Yamaha grizzly. Bullet proof machine. My 700 hasn't cost me one penny other then gas, oil change and one plug at 4500 miles. Forgot at 2k I put some better tires on it. I have NEVER once heard of even ONE grizzly owner that had a problem machine. there may be faster 500s and 700s and maybe Polaris rides a bit better. But NOTHING is more reliable.
 
#12 · (Edited)
brother in law owned two foremans. they were good reliable machines but one ride on my 700 grizzly and he took them both to the Yamaha dealer and traded for a new 500 grizzly. Now if you want to replace that Polaris with another Polaris. the xp Polaris's are hands down the best riding atv on the market. there like riding on a pillow. Id pass on one though because of reliability problems ive had with Polaris's in the past. I know a couple guys that have them and love them though and they ran just fine for them. to me its Yamaha that's the winner though. Best fit and finish hands down and just as reliable as anything on the market. Ive owned 3 of them now and haven't put a thing but oil and a plug or two in any of them and my stuff isn't babied. Never had one with 22k on it but had a used 450 that by the time I sold it it had 16k on it and it ran like new. the guy who bought it couldn't believe the odometer. He said it looked and ran more like 1600 miles and it did.


tell you a little story about another 450 grizz (well actually a big bear as that's what they called them then) I worked my life as an electrical lineman. We allways had atvs around to patrol lines and get into the bad places to work. they built a new prison here in our town and we had to put in all the power lines. We had probably 2 miles of trench. Back then we had a trencher and not a plow to burry cable. We only had the one trencher and it had a blade on it for back blading the trench but it was busy trenching. So I got the idea of using our big bear. It had one of those little snow plows on it. We started beating the crap out of it back filling the trenches. It got so hot it seized up tight. We thought we ruined it. Let it cool for 10 minutes and it started up. Boss said to go ahead and use it because we had a dedline to get out of there. We seized it up 4 times that day. the next day I called the Yamaha shop for suggestions and they said they had a little fan setup that would blow air across the cylinder (this was back before they were all water cooled) We ran it over there and they installed it. took it a back and went to work. in that week we beat the snot out of it it seized up two more times (it was hot out) That machine is still in our garage when I retired and still ran like a top and didn't burn oil. How many motors do you know that would still even run after seizing up 6 times let alone not use oil????It was shortly after that I bought my first grizz (big bear) that used 450. Since then ive owned two 660s and a 700. Only thing I wish Yamaha would do would be to make a twin cylinder 7 or 800 to compete in power with the other big boys but really the 700 makes enough and if I was really honest my brother in laws 500 is all the 4 wheeler id ever need anymore.
 
#13 ·
I have a 2016 Honda Rancher manual transmission with power steering and I had been an awesome machine. I have a 1991 fourtrax 300 that stills runs like new after many hard years! Wanted power steering because of a bad shoulder and couldn't be happier. They both just run and I am very hard on them between work and play.

Having owned a bunch of different ones I will say Honda is all I'll ever buy. Although I have a Suzuki king quad 300 that has been bullet proof as well but is showing its age even being 10 years newer than the Fourtrax


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#14 · (Edited)
we have one of those old 300 foretrax at camp. Its kind of the camp beater. Every son, daughter, niece nephew, grandson, granddaughter has beat on that old thing. Looks pretty raggy but it still runs. I don't think the oils been changed in it in the last 10 years or for that matter even looked at. Its one of those things that we though would have gave up the ghost long ago and I think everyone is just waiting for it to happen. Use to be dads, used to be mine, used to be one of my nephews. Now nobody claims it. Even sits out all winter covered in snow. We have to of them like that out to camp the others a 83 Yamaha 200 3 wheeler. I bought it new in 83 don't know how many miles are on that one but if it could tell storys. Things sits all winter in the snow and hit the choke and first flip it fires off. Seat is a cushion someone bungeed to the frame!! Young ones at camp still have a ball with those two old machines. .
 
#15 ·
I would make an effort to try a Yamaha. They have been durable in my experience.

Do give power steering a try. Nobody is getting younger and the machines aren't getting lighter. Allows way more power yet easier handling.


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#16 ·
After this last 700 griz with power stearing I wouldn't have another atv without it. Its amazing how much fatigue is eliminated by power stearing!!
I would make an effort to try a Yamaha. They have been durable in my experience.

Do give power steering a try. Nobody is getting younger and the machines aren't getting lighter. Allows way more power yet easier handling.


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#20 ·
I have a Polaris ranger side by side and love it. It is the smaller one 570 engine, it will go almost 50 and can haul things. 2nd ranger and love them. I have a windshield, top and back on it for a little weather protection. I bought it at Leaders Marine in Kalamazoo, no problems with them but I haven't needed anything. I had the full size one before, no problems at all. Actually I can't tell what is different about mine because it is midsize it seems the same as my first one. Here in Mich a full cab is nice, I want to put doors on mine.

mike
 
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