who ever has a Sp500 out there i was just wondering how many miles you have on yours and how yours is holding up. thanks

 

My 98 SP500 just turned over 1000 miles and other than a clutch explosion, no problems. I sold my 95 SP400 on eBay to buy the 500 and never had any major problems with it either. The 400 had just over 1000 miles on it when I sold it. I sure miss that 2 stroke power band when I round a corner on a trail.

 

My wife's '98 SP500 has 4800 miles (we've had it for 2 years and put 3100 of the miles on it) and is currently torn down replacing the camshaft and rebuilding the top end - (the camshaft failed). Other than that, all I know that has been done to it, other than routine maintenance, is replaced 1 CV boot, and replaced the radiator fan motor.

My Dad has a '96 SP500 that I got for him a little over a year ago. It now shows 2400 miles on it, but the speedo cable was broken when I got it, so there is no way of telling how many miles it actually has. As far as the engine goes, the only thing I know that has been done to it was the water pump seal. When I got it, I had to rebuild the front gearbox, replace u joints in the front axles, replace the rear axle bearings on both sides, and rebuild the driven clutch.

 

I saw one at the dealer with over 5000 miles on it, they said it wasnt at all uncommon and with regular maintenance they'd last a lot longer. With the proliferation of ATVs now I think we'll start seeing real high numbers. Some of the guys out in the midwest that use them for work on big farms and run them every day get some real high numbers. I saw an article about some surveying comany one time that had some old Hondas with like 30000 miles on them! When they go out and work all day the miles rack up quick, compared to us weekend recreational types. Town I used to live in had a Grizzly for police patrols, and it had 2500 on it in about 6 months. must be way over 5000 now. thats going out on at least three 8 hour patrols every week. My 700 racked up the first 800 miles real fast because I rode every weekend, but I've only ridden it once this past year, other than plowing the yard. I really hope to get some use out of it next year.

 

I’ve got about 1800 miles total on my 2001 Sportsman 500 H.O. I bought this bike used about a year ago and I don’t really know what the previous owner had to do to it. I have not had any major problems myself. Here is what I have had to do in no particular order. The prices are from memory and approximate at best.

1. Speed Sensor - $50
2. One clutch belt and clutch cover seal - $45 + $10
3. Grips - $15
4. Left outer tie-rod end - $30
5. Brass A-arm bushings (one left front and one right front) - $15
6. Front end springs (replaced with Progressive) - $130
7. McPherson strut canisters - $80

There are several other items that I have replaced, adjusted or added but none lend to the reliability (or non-reliability) issue you are asking about. This is about all the relevant items that I can think of right now. It’s been a good bike for me so far. Items 5-7 are all things that I had to replace once I initially purchased the bike. I got a really good deal and didn’t balk at the up front repairs.

 

We have three 02 500's. We took them to Windrock in Tennessee for the first time in April of last year. As of now, my son's has 4000 miles and my dad's has 4200. If you maintain them properly, they hold up real well. Windrock is a rough place to ride, with plenty of rocks. So we're pretty happy with them. We have had a couple of problems with them. All three have had cv boots torn, which is not out of the ordinary. We've replaced the tie rod ends as well, make sure to check them regularly. One other very important thing to check is the ball joints. Raise the machine up til the front wheels are off the ground. Grab the wheel and move it around, you will be able to tell if they are worn if you see movement where the joint bolts to the a-arm. If there is movement, do NOT wait to have them fixed. We had one break. There is NO backup when that happens. You will not be able to drive the machine at all. We learned the hard way, having had to lift the machine up and put the front wheels on the rack of another. No small feat, when you are 20 miles out in the woods. If there is a flaw in the design of the 500, that would be it in my book. Keep on eye on the brakes too. We bought the sintered, heavy duty brakes, which help.

These really are great machines in my book. The ride is great, plenty of power. I recommend them highly, even though I ride the Predator.

Scott

 

thanks for all your replys

 

I have got a 1999 with 2200 miles. No problems yet. (Knock on wood)