I am buying my first atv and I have my sights set on the Sportsman 500 H.O. (Can't decide between Carb, or EFI) and I was wanting advice. I am going to be riding with a couple of '06 Artic Cat 500 LE's and a Honda Rincon 400.
1) How is the acceleration and top speed?
2) How will I fair in handling and manuverability?
3) Any performance advice is welcome.

 

IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WILL BE USING IT FOR. IF IT IS JUST FOR RIDING AND NOT MUCH UTILITY, I WOULD DEFINITETLY GO WITH A SCRAMBLER 4X4 OVER A SPORTSMAN. My scrammy will run in the 60's mph range. YOU ARE GOING TO BE SAVING ALMOST 200 LBS OF WEIGHT AND IT WILL BE CHEAPER TOO. AS FAR AS EFI GOES, I JUST GOT A SPORTSMAN 800 EFI AND THE THROTTLE RESONSE IS INSTANT AS TO WHERE IT TAKES A SEC. OR SO FOR a CARB TO REALLY KICK IN. Oops, sorry about the caps. The only other advice I could give is to try them out and buy the one you like best...

 

If its just for play. I would go with the scrammy. That machine rocks or you can wait around and get the Can Am 800 4x4. That thing is going to blow everything away.

 

Can Am's Renegade is a kick butt machine. But at 9300 dollars, not something a first time buyer is going to invest in.

You've got a few more options with a carb, you can always get a bigger one. But jetting can be a real pain. If you add a pipe and clutch kit, you will need to rejet. EFI, just add it and go, so that's a big advantage.

Of course, it's easier to rebuild a carb than an EFI system. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Either one should work fine for what you're looking to do. Wouldn't worry too much about top speed. Not really designed as a racer anyway.

 

I've got a 700 with efi and a 400 without. I really like the efi and highly recommend it. The throttle response is almost instant. There is no choking required and it will run fine in any temperature or altitude. I've had mornings going duck hunting where the 400 didn't want to stay running right off of the bat. It was just real cold and it was hard to get warmed up. You eliminate that with the efi. Though I haven't had the problem yet, I'm assuming if something goes wrong with the efi you just need to bite the bullet and take it to the shop. I'm sold on the efi and will probably trade the 400 in for an 500 efi.

 

Hey, I bought a new 04 SP700 EFI and it rocks. If you are going to ride it in colder weather and want something to start and run smootly, go with the EFI. The instant throttle response mentioned in some other posts is right on and it is smooth all the way through. I was originally looking at a 500 but found this brandnew 700 for only $500 more. If you do some research, the deals are out there. I am most happy with my rocking 700 and with the suspension you can just about take it anywhere and have the ride of your life. It is also a head turner. Good luck and ride safe.

 

for youre first atv i would recommend the 500 efi sportsman. cant get a bettter ride and in low range you can pull about anything. you really dont anything bigger in the cc range if your riding trails. a 500 will do 60 mph so that is pretty fast for a first timer. my 2 cents

 

$9,300 ouch. I hope you get a hat with it.