Hey all I havent really read much about the sportsman 500ho's top speed so I
took the gps and tried her out on a stretch of high way next to the cabin. The
atv is an 02 sportsman 500HO and has a windshield, passenger seat, brushgard
bumper(from polaris), winch, and new belt broken in, I weigh 220lbs and the
machine pulled 59.7 mph on the gps(note the needle on the speedo was past
60mph to the point of about 70 if it was marked).

Im sure if it had no accessories and a lighter rider it could do maybe 65 or so but im
thinking the windshield and heaver rider made it harder for the quad to move
through the air, the atv never hit any rev limiter(that I could tell but I was going
fast and there was alot of wind noise) and I held the throttle wide open around
.25 of a mile after the needle stoped moving on the speedo. Can someone fill me
in on weather or not the 500ho HAS a rev limiter that kicks in on the very top end
like other atvs, I think I herd of this but I have never hit it while rideing.

Mike M

 

That is a very realistic number you got for the top speed. Everyone I've talked to has gotten their sp500 to top out at right aroung 60mph. With you having a windshield that would definitely have an impact as that adds a lot of wind resistance. Utility four- wheelers have poor aerodynamics with their full size fenders and high front ends. It has a rev limiter but I would say it would be hard to hit the rev limiter with the 500 being stock. I would say if you hopped it up you would probably be bouncing off the rev limiter. Your weight also comes into play as more weight reduces the performance of a vehicle. I haven't topped out mine because where I ride there is not enough space to top out an atv.

 

Thanks for the reply Elbongo I wasent sure weather the sportsman had a
limiter or not, I have had the machine topped out on a few occasions but
manily because 80% of the rideing I do is on logging roads. The main
reason I took the GPS was to see how far the speedo was off because
u can very easily get it to read 55mph+, After verifying the true gps speed
against the speedo I can confidently say it was off 5mph AT LEAST on the
top end. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

Mike M

 

I have an 02 SP 400 and it does not have rev limiter. I don't think that the 500 SP has one either, except in reverse.

 

The air pressure in your tires, and tire wear is critical for speedometer calibration. If they are too short the speedo will indicate faster and if they are too tall it will read slower than GPS.

 

spook-> Im not sure weather or not the atv has a limiter or not but I would like to know.

PolarisHO-> I do realize tire wear will have an effect on the speedo's ability to give a correct reading. The tires on the sportsman are worn a bit and most of the wear is on the front(maybe an eigth of a inch if that) where there is very little wear on the rear, the speedo sensor is on the front but I dont really think it will cause such a diference in readings between gps and speedo I could be wrong. BTW the tire pressure is spot on. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Thanks for the replys much appreciated. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Mike M

 

I also run my SP500 (non-HO) with a GPS and 60 mph is about right. I can get to 60 pretty quick and it will gain alittle after that slowly. I pulled my speedo out and replaced it with a Garmin 72 and it is alot more useful than a speedo. I download all my rides afterwards and keep the map file on the puter. As far as speed goes, who needs to go over 35 on a wheeler in the woods anyway?

 

NascarFan-> I would have to agree with u on the gps being more usefull than the stock speedo, The old man owns the gps but we have never used it(for maybe a year or so) and after using it driving in a logging road to go fishing I was really surprised about the accuracy it had and just how many features that it hast. I can easily say that when I buy a quad the first thing I having for it is going to be a gps and mount kit.

BTW the one my dad has is a garmin gps 12(i think), the hand held models have come a long way since he bought his, they are simpler to use and alot better(waterproof models). Personally I think anybody that does any amount of traveling in the woods should have one and know how to use it, it can be a very very useful tool.


Mike M