My dad is looking at one to go riding up in the mountains with our group, and does not want to spend a lot of money on a new machine.

Can anyone tell me the good and/or bad about this machine? What are some of the problems areas to look at, if any.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

I bought a 97 xplorer 500 4x4 about 9 months ago. I had owned a 1996 two stroke 400 and when I test drove the 500 I thought the lack of pep and a little miss was bad gas and the 4 stroke. Although I had talked to the local Polaris dealer about any weakness and he had warned me about the exhaust lobe on the cam being a weakness on the 500s. I bought it and it steady got worse... the end of the story cost me a new cam shaft. The power and speed is unbelievable now. It was pretty pricey!!to get fixed, but the good news is I did not pay that much for it. They have put additional holes to provide oil to the cam on the new shafts. This is definitely a weakness to watch out for. I am very pleased since I had it fixed. Good luck on your decision.

 

My dad bought a 97 Sporsman 500 (identical to 96) brand new. It is now nine years later and it runs like the day he bought it. He has over 8000 miles on it and you can't beat the power or the ride. Watch out for the u-joints. If you ride hard they will need to be replaced, because of normal wear, but other than routine maintenance this is a great bike.
I want him to upgrade to a new one, but he won't. Good Luck with your decision.