thinking about buying the sportsman 500 h.o 4x4. has anyone had any major problems with theres and if so what are they. also if you had the chance to do it over agian would u buy the sportsman agian? if not what quad would you buy and why.
thanks for your input. cause right now im so[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img] (confused)

 

we've got a 98 500 and friends of ours have an 04 HO, both are awesome machines. I would highly recommend one. They're a great all around machine, great ride, IRS, great power, and reliable.

 

Boy am I bummed I just spent about 40 minutes typing on this reply and lost the whole thing,whaaaaaaaaaaa! Anyways back to the thread I think It depends on what features you like in a quad and what types of riding you do. I think 98% of the people on this forum will give you there opinon based on there own brand loyalty and not what might be the best all around quad for you and what you need. I personally don't care for the Arctic Cats, Bombardier, Polaris and Hondas. I have either owend all of these or my dad has so I have had a chance to critique them fairly. I perfer Suzuki then kawi and Yamaha. I really don't like the polaris, arctic cat and Bombardier for there weights are way up there at least 100lbs plus over the foriegn makes from across the big pond,they all have a single lever for the front and rear brakes(accept honda) not good on steep hills. Polaris has there 4x4 system only kick in when the rear wheels spin at least 20% faster than the fronts-translation no 4 wheel engine braking when going down a hill. Honda has wierd trannys for all ther quads, they just can't join the cvt world . Some people perfer the electric controlled trans or hydro but I don't and I am also not a big fan of drum brakes on the front of a quad nowadays, even alot the quads from the 90's had disc brakes,but not honda. As for the A/C's THey just need some refinment and to go on a diet,plus there suspension has alot of body roll. Bombardier is more for pure utility use and thats not my scene, But it does seem to suit some people.I think suzuki makes the best all around sport ute, not the most power by all means but a very good all around package, Kawi is in my book and alot of others the best lockable front diferental power and speed but like the polaris it uses front struts on the prarie which is not the best for steering. Yamaha has great power and a good front diff that is lockable but can get a little tippy. In retrospect my neighbor has a sportsman 500 ho and I have a eiger, I can' t recall either of us truly out doing the other with either machine, whether it be hill climbs, mud running,or trails at a fast pace we both have bikes that perform at pretty close to the same. So try to test ride as many differnent bikes if you can and try to make that a true offroad test and not the normal parking lot ride that tells you nothing, of course that is easier said than done.

 

I have only had Polaris ATV's and at this point have no reason to switch. I have over 5500 miles on the 500HO and over 2600 on the 500. Keep an eye on the boots they split after a lot of miles, had to replace the primary clutch at about 4000miles but I owe this to pulling to much (a pipe trailer to put out irrigation pipe). Check your local dealers and see who you like better. My Polaris dealer is tops, My Yamaha kinda sucks. Service is important, most ATV's are reliable now but there is always a time when you might need something. I can get my ATV's in and out of the shop the same day, the owner understands I use them every day and is willing to take care of me. This goes a long ways when I decide to buy a replacement.

 

Several friends have then and would have noting else (surprise). No real problems with the newer ones. They seem to be as dependable as any of the others.

Make sure you look hard at all of them, the features are what make them all so different. I believe they are all quite dependable these days.

 

I've had Polaris Sportsman's over the past 7 years or so. Nothing major to complain about. They've been very reliable. Personally, I think they weigh more because they are more stout and can take more punishment. One issue I have with the Sportsman is the belt. If they get wet, you don't go. They are easy to dry but still a pain. I've had a couple come apart on the trails but very easy to replace. Make sure you carry a spare..