Polaris Quads

[ATC777]

I was wondering if Polaris 350 4X4 Quads are good bikes? Are there any known problems with them etc? The reason is that I have a chance to pick one up to do the work on the farm. I just don't want to pour a bunch of money into it. All the plastics are good, no cracks, and just a little faded. It has front, rear racks, and a trailer hitch. The engine turns over and seems to be tight. The key may be lost, and the hole it goes in is messed up. The rest of it is complete. It does need a new battery. I'm not yet sure of the exact year, but I believe mid-late 90's. Thanks for all your help.

John

[Dan Tenn]

If its mid-90's, check to see if the front is chain or shaft drive. The chain drive fronts tended to eat sprockets. I would also stay away from the later 4-strokes too. Ive heard bad things about them. Their two-strokes are good. Ive got a 2001 400 Xplorer. It was the last two stroke 4X4 made I think (scramblers too I guess, but mine is a utility quad).

[wheelie king]

I personally do not like polaris at all. I have also spent much time on my employer's Polaris Expedition 325 and it, well.........it is a crappy bike. There is just no other way to say it. The only polaris that I ride with is a guy that has a 2002 2wd sportsman 500. It is quick, but sometimes unreliable. i towed him home twice because of some phantom electrical problem that the dealer supposedly "fixed" times now.

However, it depends on how cheap you can get it. If you can get it running and pick it up for a couple hundred bucks, it can say polaris on that sucker in neon lights-- I'd buy it if the price was right.

[ATC777]

The guy says he wants 400 dollars. Is that too much for it? What do you guys think? Thanks again,

John

[Kook]

I have had exactly the opposite experience with Polaris as Wheelie King. I have never had trouble with my Scrambler and my friend who has three (two utility and a scrambler) has also never had an issue. Just like any make, you can have trouble or not. $400.00 seems quite reasonable if the quad is all that you say it is.

[Wickedfinger]

.... sounds a bit too low to me - make sure you go over that thing with a fine tooth comb. If hes asking that little, that key issue isn't its only one. I'd look for a bent or cracked and repaired frame (not that Polarises are known for them) or something else major.

[GrizzTorque]

How long's it been sitting?

[Blown 331]

My dad has had a couple Trail Boss 250's. Biggest pieces of junk ever. He still has one and I won't even ride it because I know it will break.

[Pistonhead]

Heres the polaris rule of thumb:
Newer Polaris: (like 95 and up)= pretty good
Older Polaris: Its an acronym for pull off lake and repair in spring.

[ATC777]

I spoke to the guy who is selling it. He said it had carburator issues, when he parked it two years ago. I know the original owners, he bought it from, and will talk to them also, before I decide to buy it. I would be the 3rd owner. Thanks for all your imput and help.

[Wickedfinger]

... if you decide to get it .... look on eBay for a good 34mm carb. There are always a few on there for pretty cheap from Scrambler 400 owners (like myself) who have upgraded to 38mmTMX flatsliders. The motors are basically the same except for the bore so it should bolt right on.

[wanta86r]

i have had very good experience with the polaris 4X4- i had a 1994 400L that i abused harshly on a daily basis year round and it never gave me any troubles. i sold mine 4 years ago for 1000 bucks, and it was in very poor looking cond but still operated fine. Im a honda guy but i think polaris makes a great 4X4- id buy it

[PowerTrike]

My dad has had a couple Trail Boss 250's. Biggest pieces of junk ever. He still has one and I won't even ride it because I know it will break.

How so? I was suspicious of the older 250s at first before but I'm kinda liking mine so far after fixing a PITA electrical problem and going through the carb. Usually starts first pull at 0*... I've browsed a few other forums and found that some people actually prefer the older 2 stroke 250s than the newer ones because they make more power and are pretty reliable. However, I hear they wear slightly faster because they can rev higher.

[Wickedfinger]

The older 250's actually were rocketships - they had 30hp from the factory. Polaris upped the performance on the motor by bolting on a 38mm carb, by putting some pretty radical porting on the jug and by giving them a higher performance pipe. They did this as a stop gap until the bigger 350L motor was ready in 1990. The newer 250 is anemic compared to it. From AAENS web page:

This engine has great potential and a long history. The 250 engine was the first Polaris product and it's mainstay in the early years. As the demand for more power became more pressing, Polaris came out with hotter versions of this engine. This effort peaked in the late 80's when the Cyclone model arrived with a 38mm carb, a much modified cylinder porting and a higher revving pipe. This model pumped out over 30 HP but was only around for a few years as a stop gap until Polaris introduced the larger liquid cooled 350 two stroke motor, which then evolved into the 400 engine. With the larger liquid cooled engines now taking care of the top of the line, Polaris has detuned the 250 down to it's present stage. Today the 250 cylinders have much smaller ports and a 30mm carburator combined with a low revving pipe. The output of todays 250 Trailblazer is 22 HP at 5250 RPM, a very conservative figure compared to the earlier Cyclone models which pulled over 30 HP.

[ATC777]

Are the 350's good motors? This is a 350 4x4, just not sure of the year yet.