Polaris ATV's

[PHuckleberry]

A friend offered us a '99 scrambler 500HO 4x4 for 3,500. She owned it since new and had only ridden (rode?) it twice and was moving out of state, I thought it was an offer I couldn't refuse! Nice ride, very quick what did I get myself into? Anything I should know? Do you have one? Likes/dislikes? Maintence concerns? thank you for everything!

 

[TORQUE THIS]

ATV

I had a Honda years ago, pounded the snot out of it, couldn't kill it. My cousin has had a Yamaha and now a Honda, same thing, beat the hell out of them and they just keep runnin.



I have been looking at a new quad, haven't made up my mind on which one yet.



Just change the oil and keep the air filter clean, that is all I ever did to mine.

 

[Diesel Freak]

I have a 2000 scrambler 500 and I have used and abused it.

it is no longer stock. I have installed a Hot Seat Performance clutch kit. 39mm Kehin FCR carb, White Brothers e-Series exhaust, and a K&N. the only problems I have had are my own doing... . I am in my third belt (next one is going to be Kevlar), there are a few holes in the plastic (first day out misshap), had to relocate the lights due to a rollover.



One thing to keep in mind... the E brake is hydraulic and will slowly bleed off... . I had a slight problem on sunday when this exact thing happened. We had to use my buddies winch to pull it out of the hole it landed in.



I change the oil every month... . I use Castrol synthetic 10W30, and a Napa Gold filter # 1358... . I will check to make sure that is the right #.



Keep the RPM up, or the belt will smoke, or put a groove in the drive pulley. The only thing I wish the Scrambler had was a low range for those really tight spots.



While I admit that there are many quads out there that are faster... when the going gets really sloppy and nasty, I leave my 400ex and Raptor buddies behind..... (they get me back on the easy stuff)



bottom line



the Scrambler is a great machine, do not neglect it.



-Cliff

 

[Okie-Go]

I can't talk bad about them but I heard for a while there was trouble with the automatic transmission in them. I have a Honda 300 2wd and have had no trouble since new in 96.

 

[Diesel Freak]

The weak link in the transmission is the belt. On a stock machine this should not be a problem (36HP), but if you are like me and are power hungry ( I am up to about 45HP) the belts go quickly... . especially in the sand.



If you are worried about the belt..... get one made of Kevlar. They cost about $75, but last about four times longer than the OEM replacement belt.



one more thing... keep an eye on the front "A" arm bushings. The brass rings tend to crack after a BIG hit to the front suspension. They are cheap to replace... . about $5. When you do replace them, be careful not to pull the front driveshaft out of the CV joint... . learned that lesson the hard way



If you intend to modify the engine be careful in four wheel drive... . it is possible to break off ring and pinion teeth, and snap Universal Joint Yokes if you get wild



Keep in mind that I am very hard on my machine (cheaper to fix than the Dodge)



if you leave her stock she will give you years of enjoyment