Polaris Scrambler 400 vs 500

Hello everyone, please enjoy my review of my 2002 Polaris scrambler 400 and my 2008 Polaris Scrambler 500. I have had both bikes for a few years now and was always curious on what one was faster! This video pretty much sums that up! I got a top speed run and a few drag races. If you are looking to buy one or the other, give this a watch first.

[@0001Noah]

The real difference is when you mod them. The 500 has little room for power gains but the 400 can get a 10hp gain with a pipe, and the sky's the limit depending on how crazy you want to go.

[@grandcrappy]

Two stroks less parts, big performance potential but they gulp fuel much faster.

[@keeganmyers7627]

Yeah you can make like 75hp from a scrambler 400

[@alaskatactical4457]

Where did u get your pipe from?

[@0001Noah]

@@alaskatactical4457 I have a trailblazer 250 and I ordered a pipe for it from Rick Ritter. There's also AAEN but idk about them. I've been waiting over a year now.

[@brentjorgensen5632]

after repairing my 400 and 500 polaris scramblers for 20 plus years now, I considered myself a polaris mechanic, they take a lot of maintence , much more than my Honda Recon.

[@jamieandkids7948]

oh for sure, but did the fun outweigh the work? I have driven many hands, but the fun factor was never the same.

[@joshalger6059]

Shew after buying my first 400x a few years back you aren’t kidding. I rode it for a week before it destroyed a shift fork due to a slightly high idle from a crank seal leaking and having to jam it into gear a little(previous owner did most of the damage already) the maintenance on them is a little outrageous compared to my old Honda lol

[@MrZrazies]

I have same exact 400cc scrambler. AWD. Same colors. Sweet! Although mine is stage 1 upgrade with Rick Ritter. Carb and oil delete. Wiseco piston. And high performance pipe Hitting 70 mph. Also it’s in good mint condition so trying to take care of it.

[@jamieandkids7948]

sounds like a fun machine! you can build power with them 400's

[@seantell-iv5mq]

This was a great comparison that applies to other models too. I happen to be looking at a 2000 scrambler 500 that’s how I found the video. Hoping to pay $1000 or so for it.

[@jamieandkids7948]

@@seantell-iv5mq buy it! They are great

[@timothyfields2179]

I had a 2002 500 hour scrambler, loved it!

[@nickcarten365]

That "water bottle holder" is actually made to hold the OEM tool kit that comes with the bike from the factory. Not a water bottle lol

[@jamieandkids7948]

you are very correct, but it works way better as a water bottle holder or a small amount of storage.

[@frankiemedina4258]

@@nickcarten365 mine is filled with plug wrench , bailing wire , crescent , cheap leatherman and multi screwdriver

[@tylerreed4311]

That tube you put your water bottle in is for a tool kit I'd say.

[@MrZrazies]

Yea. Sort of storage for tools.

[@jamieandkids7948]

very well could be, but holds a water bottle well :)

[@larryb982]

It is factory toolbox but looks like a great water bottle storage as well. Lol

[@upnorthvlogs]

I bought a 99 scrambler 400 yesterday awesome machine nothing compared to my 570 though😂

[@jamieandkids7948]

Those 570's definitely do rip! They are just heavy and bulky compared to the Scramblers.

[@upnorthvlogs]

@@jamieandkids7948 yea they do mine does 70 my uncle sportsman 1000 over 80 I believe just a think players start out with a little 250 they have come a long ways

[@joeyholthusen6495]

Just put a Polaris 850 snowmobile engine in that old scrambler 400 2-stroke. Why not? It's already set up for it pretty much...should be fairly easy...or any other snowmobile engine to be honest with ya...

[@jamieandkids7948]

that would be a ton of fun!

[@Street-Shred82]

How did the swap go? There's a video of another guy doing that here on KZbin. Looked like a pretty easy swap, kinda makes me wanna do that to mine.

[@Naltddesha]

Please upload a video

[@joeyholthusen6495]

Power to weight ratio with a 2-stroke motor is what makes riding fun! Imagine 160hp with a weight under 600 pounds.

[@adammcclung1743]

"Water bottle holder" 😆 🤣

[@BenDover-fc9df]

Add some performance parts to the 500. Should get to 70 with rite upgrades.

[@Gamebit450]

LMFAO A WATER BOTTLE HOLDER!!!!! About fell over!

[@noduh736]

Holy geez they have 1000 cc sit up atvs i have rode a raptor 700 and a ds 650 and i thought they were almost too much power a liter motor has gotta be overkill

[@jean-francoisbeauchemin1627]

Le 500 62 mph et le 400 66mph,le 500 lui aurait planter un 2 temps peut vous dire que ça l'aurait améliorer grandement au niveau performance et il aurait été plus léger..

[@kirbyvanduzer6565]

The ruts won’t matter if you have the right tires then you won’t burn any belts

[@HighSpeedTV]

my guy, cool video but riding one-handed with a phone in your hand instead of your brake lever seems like a good way to end up visiting the ER. I assume that footage was done with a Go Pro? Just as an fyi the newer Go Pro's have an overlay for speed when you enable gps. They are called stickers.. might be worth looking into for future videos. Thanks for the content, stay safe :)

[@jamieandkids7948]

my go pro likely has it, just unsure how to work it lol

[@tapout1859]

Put vforce carbon fiber, Reeds and pipe the 400 and it would smoke that 500.

[@StelioKontos42069]

smokes 500's stock lmao

[@thatmodshop7160]

@Jamie and Kids 8.25 in your video did you intentionally put a moaning sound in there?? 😂😅🤣

[@andrewgarcia907]

I know a guy that wants to sell me one for 2500 it’s pretty mint I’m doing research on it now what’s your opinion… it’s the 400

[@jamieandkids7948]

as long as it runs well, buy it! I sold mine for $3200 overnight and it wasn't the cleanest. if he has two, buy both lol. they are a ton of fun.

[@andrewgarcia907]

@@jamieandkids7948 thank you, I’ll be jumping on it then 🤗🤣

[@jamieandkids7948]

@@andrewgarcia907 keep me posted on how much you love it! And send some pics!!

[@jasonhuber3718]

What year 500 is that

[@jamieandkids7948]

It’s a 2008

[@frankiemedina4258]

What do you put your plug gap at , I’m seeing different numbers online

[@frankiemedina4258]

On the 400

[@jamieandkids7948]

@@frankiemedina4258 never had to worry about spark plugs thankfully

[@user-km6pk7oi5t]

I am 14 wanting a budget quad that can go through creeks and decently deep water. Don’t really know how to mechanic don’t have a dad does it take a lot of maintenance?

[@jamieandkids7948]

They are fairly maintenance free, the 500’s anyways. Just make sure you get a clean well maintained one!

[@user-km6pk7oi5t]

@@jamieandkids7948 thank you so much I’ll make sure to do 500!!! Will it do good in water no bad belt??

[@jamieandkids7948]

They will do ok, a lot of the time you have to silicone the belt over. Keep em dry.

[@connerb1954]

I have one of each and my 500 won’t even whellie. The 400 beats it off the line and will stand straight up in the air with the tap of the throttle

[@jessek6070]

I wonder why my 400 2 stroke won't punch it off the line it takes a second

[@Dave-pu9wl]

@@jessek6070does it have a different clutch spring?

[@jessek6070]

@Dave 5610 Not sure, clutch could be wearing down, its never been done while ive owned it. I'm the 3rd owner

[@StelioKontos42069]

@@jessek6070 check your belt

[@scramblerx835]

What are the tires on the 500? they look like bighorn 2.0??

[@jamieandkids7948]

Not sure, got them off kijiji. Great tires.

[@RyGuy42089]

I feel like the speeds are way off... Especially on the 500. 54mph. My 325 Trail Boss would run 52mph. I've seen 400 Scramblers run over 65 in stock form. The 500 should run faster than 54mph.

[@jamieandkids7948]

GPS checked on the 335? Cuz I have had a few of them? They are super slow.

[@brandonadams120]

Always wanted a scrambler 400 Polaris made good 2 stroke ATV s their 4 stroke stuff just don't hold up

[@jamieandkids7948]

that was my worry with the 400. I had a explorer 300 back in the day, blew it up semi annually

[@kylecook5785]

Something wrong with 500, mine hits 66 on gps.

[@dakodasmith5201]

On gps lol

[@AMan29892]

Yours is probably an H.O. like mine I was doing 64 in a field

[@TheGlock34man]

Nice video. If u every want to sell the 500 let me know i been looking for one. Thank you

[@chivomariscal9126]

What year is the red

[@jamieandkids7948]

2008

[@jlucier59]

My xplorer 400 pulls bus lengths on my 500

[@thatmodshop7160]

Slightly different setup then the scramblers the xplorer are their own animal I have 2 and am never selling them

[@VicenteCuello-t1f]

En k.etado.usa polari ma

[@alaskatactical4457]

How well does the 400 wheelie?

[@jamieandkids7948]

Not as good as the 500 does. I figured it would be the other way around

[@alaskatactical4457]

@@jamieandkids7948 but it can wheelie? Or not at all

[@jamieandkids7948]

@@alaskatactical4457 it does, but after it gets rolling. the 500 does way better from a standstill.

[@alaskatactical4457]

@@jamieandkids7948 sweet thanks

[@GreaseMonkey-zm2ex]

How do you like the tires on the 500? I was looking at those style

[@jamieandkids7948]

Love them so far! Good traction, but not to much that you can’t get it sideways.

[@thethiefonthecross9092]

The trails ain't the same no more they are different now? LOL that's funny interesting Theory

[@jamieandkids7948]

Same trails, different ruts. When these quads were the trail kings, most machines had no more than 50hp. Now people are running over 100hp. Ruts are twice as deep. Unfortunately with the solid axel, it makes many trails in my area not doable.

[@larryb982]

@@jamieandkids7948 Yes and it's sad that alot folks tear up the trails and then everyone is banned from riding on these properties. Cheers mate

[@CaptnNate]

You want to sell the 400?

[@jamieandkids7948]

She’s already sold, sorry

[@calepower8110]

If someone can reply I’d like to know why most of these 400 owners talk mad shit. Just started hearing about this bike and how they are 65+mph bikes stock blah blah. Then I go to a forum almost as old as me and all these dudes saying it does like high 50s. Not to mention the comparison is normally 570s. My 250x was a good race with Polaris 570 but these old heads on their stock sport 400 would wax my 450 and im just a dumb 20 yo kid to them 😂

[@jamieandkids7948]

Most people talk about a stock 400 as if it’s got $10 000 worth of upgrades. Stock to stock they are just as slow as the 500’s. The newer bikes smoke them, but are not near as nimble.

[@TraveladvRajanSRai]

500 is a 4 st nothin special. 400 2 st is top. I'm getin

[@jamieandkids7948]

If your going 2wd, get a Honda 400ex. Would be more fun

[@shanegrigg1984]

I don't like the new Polaris scramblers they ugly looking they look like utility four wheelers I love the old school sports one's Polaris should have kept that look now they trying to look like can am ATVs I love my 500 scrambler and got a trailblazer 250 with a cyclone engine with a ricks hot shot cdi and a ricks voltage regulator with a rcr pipe with clutch upgrade

[@jamieandkids7948]

I bet that 250 flys!

[@shanegrigg1984]

@@jamieandkids7948 it definitely does it outruns my 500 but wish it was 4x4 like the 500 and eats up some gas lol damn 2 stoke for you and why I like the old school because you can change the plastic out on another Polaris the plastic on a 500 400 and 250 was all the same I crack the rear plastic on my 250 so had extra rear plastic from my 500 fit right on the 250 but yeah the cyclone was the best 2 stoke Polaris ever made top speed of 78-80 mph stock with the pipe and upgrade electric and clutch got it up to about 89mph