Hello all! I'm new to the forum and just bought a couple of '08 Sportsmen 500's for the wifey and me. I know they are fuel injected but they also are marked "H.O" I thought the carbed versions where the "H.O" bikes. Could someone please clarify this for me?

 

They put H.O (High Output) on everything now. Does your ATV have the 26" wheels ? Thats another noticeable difference between a H.O and EFI. The efi has 26" and the H.o has 25" tires.

Motor wise they are the same except the H.O has a 40mm carb while the EFI has a 39mm throttle body. The EFI is rated at 36hp while the H.O is 34.5hp.

 

Good to C u here. Lots of 500 riders and likely one will be at u shortly.

 

Thanks for the quick replies! I know they're both efi but was wondering why they are also marked ho. Now I know, Thanks guys! Just to let ya'll know what we're riding, Mine is Mossy Oak with the brush gaurd and Polaris winch. Hers is red with aluminum wheels. These things are sweet! We got them two weeks ago but have only been able to ride in the back yard because we've been on our honeymoon. I'm gonna go ride this coming weekend no matter what!

 

Hope you have the trouble free rides that most of us here experience.

 

I can tell you from experince to date that the 500 EFI HO is the most balanced machine ive ridden in along time, I chose it over a 660 Grizzly
there are 2 different HO,s
500 HO carbed and 25 inch tires-has slower response but better on fuel 34 hp
500 EFI HO with 26 inch PXT tires quicker response and more Power 36 hp
My family and freinds that we ride with all love this Polaris 500 EFI as it is smoother than the other Atvs.
I had a little run in with a new O8 honda 500 Foreman electric shift, I Embarrased Him badly and really think he wanted my Polaris afterward.

 

The 500 Foreman is rated at 26 hp thats really low for a 500 class machine. I think its the other way around,the EFI has better gas milage than the carb models.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: TLC

The 500 Foreman is rated at 26 hp thats really low for a 500 class machine. I think its the other way around,the EFI has better gas milage than the carb models.</end quote></div>

I get the same miles from 4.1 gallons on my EFI as I did with 5.25 gallons on my non-EFI. EFI is better in every way possible including mileage. But, like they used to say in commercials... Your mileage may vary.

 

I beat a 500 efi x2 rather badly with my H.O but the x2 weighed 120lbs more and had to turn 26" wheels vs my 25". I don't think the 1.5hp horse power differance is noticable.

 

There's only a 4-5% difference in horsepower. Not much but still noticable sometimes. Without knowing the exact weight of the machines, I can't come up with a figure, but I'm guessing there was a difference of 15% or maybe even more. The X2 would need a 600 engine to compete fairly with your 500.