ATV/UTV Action Magazine

The front suspension has 9 inches of travel, and the spring and damping rates are great for sport riding.

A roomy seating area with a slim midsection gives the rider freedom and comfort.

The rear suspension is well balanced with the front. It can handle fast trail riding, and it’s also comfortable at a casual pace.

the 850 is very cooperative, but it is cool how easy 78 horsepower makes steering with the throttle and wheelieing over obstacles. Less powerful machines can go most of the places the Scrambler can, but the 850’s huge amount of surplus power definitely makes the trip more entertaining.

WHAT KIND OF SUSPENSION DOES IT
HAVE?

Double-A-arm front suspension with 9 inches of travel. In the rear, double A-arms offer 10. 25 inches of travel and a sway bar helps control body roll. Fairly basic spring preload-adjustable shocks are used front and rear, but the spring and damping rates are tuned for sport riding.

HOW DOES THE SUSPENSION WORK?

It’s very good. Powerful sport-utility 4x4s can reach their suspensions’

limits pretty easily in aggressive riding, because they’re tuned for comfort at a more relaxed pace. Being a sport machine, the Scrambler’s suspension is set up for fast trail riding, so you can hit big bumps at speed without going through the travel. It also offers good control in whoops and on jumps as long as you respect the machine’s weight. At more than 750 pounds with fuel, you can’t muscle it around like a 450 sport quad. Even though the suspension handles hard riding well, ride comfort is very good. It won’t beat you up when you aren’t charging down the trail.

HOW DOES IT HANDLE?

It’s stable, predictable and surprisingly agile for such a big, fast machine. The Scrambler 850 is only

18 pounds lighter than the Sportsman

850, and it doesn’t have power
steering, so its handling is willing but
not effortless. Fortunately, its power
makes the machine feel lighter than it
is. You can steer with the throttle or
skim the front tires over obstacles in the
trail, which helps it negotiate tight trails
and challenging terrain in ways smaller,
lighter machines can’t. With firmer
suspension than sport-utility 4x4s, the
Scrambler slides with better control.

HOW IS IT ON HILLS?

If tough hills are keeping you from trails you’d like to try, the Scrambler can enlarge your riding area. Tons of power that’s easy to apply and the Scrambler’s surefooted 4WD system will make you feel like a hill-climbing expert, even if you’re not. If you apply throttle on a downhill the transmission will provide engine braking, but it only acts on the rear wheels, so you do need some skill when descending really steep, slippery climbs. The Scrambler’s brakes are strong, but the linked front and rear brakes don’t give highly skilled riders as much freedom as separate front and rear brake controls.