Im looking to purchase a pair of Sportsman 500s, however Im not sure if the EFI is worth the extra money. Living in Las Vegas, Im going to be riding trails a lot and also going up to Utah and Tahoe. The EFI would be much better for this, as I assume so would the Active Descent Control.

Is it really worth the extra money? Also, living in a place where it does get so hot, how are the 500s with over heating?

 

As long as you keep the radiator clean you should have no overheating probs. The EFI is definitely worth the extra $.

 

my 2 cents, mini vans and carburators should be against the law.. 800 polaris and 700 raptor both efi and awsome.

 

If you ride different altitudes, EFI beats rejetting.

 

i like my carb. my last wheeler was a carb. never had an issue with my last 00 polaris carb 7000 miles on it when it was sold. i took my 08 sportsman carb 2days ago on a 230mile ride non stop on a 90deg day. didnt miss a beat. i like carb. but either or would do. if you want to spend the money on a efi. have at it. thats my 1/2cent

 

I would go carb also just to many issues with EFI for me to trust them plain & simple for me .

 

I have the carb model and it runs great. Even in the winter I have zero problems with it starting when it's COLD. My friend has the EFI 500 with active decent control and I have to say due to the ADC it has smoother clutching on the low end. much smother when you slowly apply gas to start rolling. Also the ADC is nice. He lives at the bottom of a small mountain so it comes in handy. JMO

 

For a few dollars more......I myself would take advantage of the EFI and the ADC. The ADC is well worth it. I don't have ADC on my X2 but I have ridden Sportsmans with ADC....a much safer machine. I emphasize safer. ADC is one of the early reasons that I'm looking toward a new ATV.....my 07 X2 is EBS only.....don't care for the tire "chatter" on steep declines. I ride the Tahoe area a lot and that is where I rode an 07 Sportsman 500 with ADC and I preferred it over my X2's EBS......there's a lot of rough country in Tahoe. Annnd I'm happy with EFI......I don't think the whole industry would have followed EFI if it were so "iffy". That's my dos pesos.

 

Go with the EFI. I live in Reno and ride around Tahoe and out east of Reno in the desert. Rides more consistently than any of the carb quads my buddies ride.

One thing to note is make sure they set the clutch weights for the altitude. I bought mine in California and they had it set for sea level. It was a bit sluggish up in the mountains. I had them changed at the local dealer and it made a big difference (despite the dealer saying it shouldn't be a big deal).

 

a few dollars! its more like a few hundred. and when i got mine last yr its was $1000 more.