After being stored at a friend's cabin for many years and being the spare ATV for anyone who wanted one, my 1999 Polaris Scrambler 400 was looking a little worse for wear. Its an old 2-stroke, but it has never let me down or left me stranded and man it goes anywhere. So I decided it was time for a refresh so I could enjoy some fall riding. I didn't think to take a before photo of the mold-covered seat, but it cleaned up nicely.
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod.mm.com/uploads/2019/09/20/1568983849_581cf4c1-10a8-4d3d-8857-6b719564ae5a_mmthumb.jpeg)
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod.mm.com/uploads/2019/09/20/1568983882_9ae617c2-2cc5-453d-9fe8-71b369a4e61d_mmthumb.jpeg)
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod.mm.com/uploads/2019/09/20/1568983914_3f17f3b4-3ebb-4477-b1f0-5cd3d4f6ad7f_mmthumb.jpeg)
Next on the docket is a tear-down, cleaning, clutch work, and general tuneup. And some new plastics because I found a good deal on a set, because this build has a low budget.
I approve of this project. We had a '94 Polaris Sportsman on our farm growing up, but I lusted after a Scrambler. Off to CL!
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod.mm.com/uploads/2019/09/20/1569005204_7b6aa5f2-5a68-4658-bf59-efac20ba88a3_mmthumb.jpeg)
The tear down went well, but I got stuck on a split ring clip. I tried the harbor freight pliers, but there's so much slack they're essentially useless. They are going back. I picked up a Channel Lock set and am hoping for better results tonight.
The Scrambler is a great all-around quad because you can have tail out 2WD fun, or rock crawling 4WD drive fun. They are on CL for about $1k all the time, and rougher ones go for half that. The 500cc version is also out there for roughly the same $. I like that they are Uber reliable and easy to work on. I am hoping to take a Hatfield McCoy trail trip this fall.
Nice. Didn’t they make those forever?