I'm trying to decide between the 400 and the 500 H.O. One of the selling points of the 500 is the EBS, which seems like a nice feature. My question though is when does the EBS actually kick in? If I'm cruising along and let off the throttle to just coast, would EBS try to slow me down?

 

The EBS incorporated a one way bearing into the Drive clutch, operating similar to the AWD system. Any time the Driven clutch rotation is faster than that of the Drive Clutch, the one way bearing "grabs" and starts to slow the bike - such as "coasting" or riding down hills. Depending on the severity difference between the speeds of the Driven and Drive clutches, determines the actual amount of EBS applied. Most of the time you won't notice the EBS "kick in" until slower speeds. Even though they claim to have come out with EBS for the '99 models, some of the late '98's have EBS (my wife's SP500 is one of the '98's w/EBS).

I think the EBS is great, and it really saves on the brake pad replacement.

My 2 cents.

 

My choice would be the 500 for the EBS and for the little extra power. My wife's Scrammbler is a 500 but it doesn't have the EBS so I have more brake Maintenance than on my RSE. I've road the 400 and noticed a big difference on the trails in throttle response and handling in the rough areas due to forgetting to use the brake more often. I hope this helps .

 

I have an 03 HO 500 and I love the EBS. Mine works great and saves a lot on the brakes whether at top speed or going down steep hills

 

Polaris has a buy back program on the 400. If new they will buy back your non-ebs clutches and give you ebs for a low price.