Does the 500 AC auto have 2 or 4 wheel EBS who knows on this one the reason I am asking is I also have a sportsman which does have the 2 wheel ebs but can be tricked into 4 wheel EBS My AC seems it is geared higher going down steep stuff but doesn't experience the wheel slide like the Sportsman does in 2 wheel EBS. It doesn't hold back as good as the Sportsman does, but doesn't experience the wheel skip that you have to give the Sportsman some gas to keep from happening...

 

I'm almost certin the 500 Manual has EBS, mine will crawl down hills if I let it

 

The manual doesn't have ebs, it has a geared transmission that limits the freewheeling effect. The EBS is the system that takes the freewheeling effect away from the belt driven transmissions of the automatics. They don't have any gears.

 

Atving:
I'm saying this from what I have noticed, and that is both 2 and 4 wheel ebs. The high and low range is what makes the big difference in going down steep hills. Naturally, in high range, it will begin to pick up speed, but when dropped into low range, it just crawls. Now, when in 4 wheel drive, it acts like the low range, is even low range with the ebs is even slower, if this makes any sense. I tested it on several different hills, going up and down a couple different times, both in 2 and 4 wd, and found that the 2 wheel is slow, but it is even slower in 4 wd. Actually, I was quite thankful for it today, with some of the really steep, really muddy trails we were riding today. Lots of fun, and saw deer, elk and even some goats! Pretty cool.

Not sure if this makes sense, but hope it helps.

Mike

 

Thats because all 4 wheels are locked together (not to be confused with a locked front differential), thus giving it a four wheel ebs effect. In other words, all four are turning in sync with each other rather than the fronts freewheeling while the rears are effected by the transmission. The reason you don't get 4wheel ebs on a polaris is because its 4wd is engage when the rears slip rather than full time. Going downhill, they aren't going to slip so you wont get the front to engage. Some polaris owners have figured out ways to sneak it into engaging the fronts in some situations, but I won't get into this.

The same 4wheel ebs thing works that way for the grizzly, kodiak, or quadmaster when they are in 4wd. Kawasaki still is too ignorant to make an ebs system so they don't apply.

 

thaks Andy once again I had know Idea

 

Thats the answer I was looking for Andy I kinda thought the AC 500 had 4 wheel ebs mine really goe down stuff good...I have found the way to trick the polaris into 4 wheel ebs it is a lot better this way when coming down steep stuff...so whats the deal Andy you made up your mind on that Polaris yet...

 

Andy:
Thanks for the clarification. It's nice to see people with real world knowledge, and experience helping out others who are "less informed".

Mike

 

I won't get the Polaris. I won't get anything. I just get an itch for something new about once a year, but then after I go riding, I remember why I got what I did, and the urge to trade quickly goes away. I'll probably just get tires. I saw a 450ES with 27" Vampires go through some nasty crap today with its limited slip differential, and I decided that I would never try anything worse than that, so I'll stick with mine. I didn't try it, because I didn't want to get muddy as hell and ruin the interior of my truck, but if I had the tires he had on, I have no doubt that I could make it through. I still see no advantage of a 450 honda over a 500 AC. Disadvantage if any, basically a lesser suspension, less power, no disc brakes. This bike did fine. I expect I would do the same, so seeing that took the Sportsman fever away. Also there was a 97 Explorer 500 (same as sportsman basically) that got stuck momentarily. Granted, he had crap tires, and probably could have done better than anyone if it had some decent tires. The problem here was, he was chicken because he had been having major belt slippage problems in water. There was also a stock Autocat 500 that did make it through that same hole, but he got stuck for a while and eventually wallered it on out. The 450 with the vamps just plowed through. Tires were obviously the difference.

 

The EBS is a engine brake , so if you have the bike in 4x4 than 4 wheels should brake if it is in 2wd than 2 will brake . I am not sure but I bet it works like a jake brake on a big truck .