BuggyMasters Review: Polaris 2 Stroke 400cc Four Wheelers

[BuggyMaster]

This will be an unusual review because I am going to knock off three in one shot. The reason i am doing this is because these machines all have the same engine (basically) on them and perform very similarly overall.

The first one is our beloved 1999 Polaris Sport 400. The second is our 1997 Polaris XPress 400 and lastly our 1996 Polaris Scrambler 400.

A lot of people flat out don't like a Polaris four wheeler. In my opinion, they just haven't ridden one of these 400cc 2-stroke powered beauties. Engine reliability varies VERY widely. For example. our XPress had a whopping 4500 miles on it and had never been rebuilt! However, it fired up instantly at the touch of the starter button and ran flawlessly. With the awesome power that these produce, that utility style four wheeler hauled ass!! What a great machine!

Our Polaris Sport 400 ran equally as well and was a tad bit faster since it weight a little less. You can see this machine in action in our videos on You Tube. Very, very cool machine. With the yellow and red colors, I am sure it was a favorite of Ronald McDonald but before you make fun of it, race one.

Last of the three is our fabulous Scrambler 400 4x4. It is essentially the same as the Sport 400 but with four wheel drive. This is a four wheeler we bought on a Thursday and it blew up on Friday. Total loss!!! Piston exploded, went into the case, and the engine was toast. All of this thanks to a craigslist seller who lied. Happens all the time.

Lock that Scrambler in four wheel drive, and you better hang on. No slinging around the corners with it, it will flat out pull you around them and if you are not hanging on, you are coming off.

All of that said, we have learned a few things about these engines. It is said that the pistons in these are (or can be) weak. If you are considering one of these, beware of excessive piston slap noise. It is a sign that it is ready to go. I'd say it may be a trend however with out XPress going 4500 miles and running strong, as well as the Sport 400, we can't say if the Scrambler was a fluke or not.

We also learned that these engines use a counter weight who's housing is very near the water pump. The seal between them can go out and if it does, it will take out the countershaft with it and it is very expensive and a major job to replace. Fortunately, there is a dip stick. The countershaft housing is filled with oil. Find and pull that dipstick and observe the level and more importantly the color to make sure there is not a mixture of oil and antifreeze indicating that the seal is no good.

I would have liked to have rated these one bump higher but with these common issues, all of which are expensive to replace, I just couldn't do it. I will say though that if you find a good one, these are super fun machines in any of the forms pictured above. Note that they make a Trailblazer 400 that has this powertrain as well. Basically the same thing as the Sport 400.

Polaris tie rod ends can be expensive to replace so be sure to note their condition as well. Also, another common problem on these machines is the left side handlebar control (the one with the starter button). Beware of the ones that have the starter button that you have to push straight up in order to activate the starter. They wear out easily and cost $100 to replace. You can usually get them to start but the problem is that the connector in there wears out. The fan runs through this switch and if the contacts are worn out, your fan may never come on despite it needing too. If you suspect the fan should be on, wiggle that switch lightly and see if it comes on. If it does, that switch is bad. Find the ones where you push the starter button inward.

Pros: Super fun and strong running machines

Cons: Some common heavy duty problems. Would have rated higher if it weren't for these heavy common issues.

BuggyMasters Overall Rating: 6 out of 10

[chuckorlando]

I'm hoping to pick one of these up to put the mototr in my Joyner. They seem to stomp the comp in HP rating

[chuckorlando]

Well I got an polaris xplorer yesterday. Scary quik. Very big. Runs pretty good and for 900 I could'nt complain. I may get a wisco piston in there. I'll return to this post as I check all the issues you posted.

Thanks

[BuggyMaster]

That's great! I should have also noted that these machines are right side chain driven and make excellent candidates to use their engine for a buggy transplant! Can't wait to see if you do it and how it runs in the buggy.

[chuckorlando]

Oh it's getting done. I already put the cfmoto in my crossfire. So it's either do the swap or let the joyner rot.

[Jenny]

Thanks for the sharing... These are the good models of the atvs.. which is also having 2 stroke.