New project - rebuild 97 Sportsman 500 engine, what parts to use? I just pulled and tore down my 500 for a rebuild and thinking of going with a Wiseco .5mm over piston, a scrambler or HO camshaft ( I believe this is the same cam but not sure yet) new rocker and the normal stuff(oil pump gaskets, head rebulid etc.). I'm looking for sugggestions for parts, I'm not going to build it stock but hope someone has some experience with the aftermarket parts and what performance gains can be expected. The cylinder and head was just dropped off at the machine shop and I will need to order parts as soon as they get the taper measurements to see about the oversizing. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Somebody????????

 

Check out Bikebandit.com if they can beat the price any OEM parts you may need. The Scrambler cam is a H.O cam it has a higher duration than a non H.O cam but a 97sp will have a smaller 34mm carb than the 500 H.O's 40mm. I do not think the price of the carb would be worth it to you though.I ride my dads 97 sp500 (stock) and I find the power difference from my H.O only has slightly better power from the upper mid range and up. I think clutch work is a better bang for you buck, I'm thinking of a simple white spring change on my primary ,from searches I did here its a cheap simple performance enhancer on a 500.

BTW my dad had his 97 from new with 6000 miles on it now and it runs like it always has. Did your 97 need a rebuild or are you doing it for peace of mind?

Good luck with your project.

 

Thanks for the reply, I need to do the rebuild, an oil line broke and it was ran out of oil took out the cam and rocker and scored the piston. I figured it was a good time to get a little more power since the parts would need to be replaced anyhow. The bike has about 5500 miles on it and ran good until this happened so project time. I have already replaced the clutch helix with an aftermarket and this helped acceleration, now the clutch work will start over to take advantage of any increase in HP.