If cost were not an issue, can anyone offer any insight as to why an individual would buy a Rubicon over a Sportsman 500 HO.

I have a 2000 SP500 and a friend of mine is facing this decision... Please let me know...

I already know the SP500 HO has a better ride. Anything else?

DISCLAIMER: Being a Polaris owner, and friend of several Polaris owner, I can state from our experiences that the Polaris reliability and not water-tight/belt slipping issues are greatly exaggerated. I would appreciate some mature responses that do not include the above issues as my friend needs some good advice...

Thanks in advance!

 

Since they are both autos and both really good rides this is a hard one to answer. I like both and I have seen many of the older ones on the trail so here is my input but keep in mind this is only my opinion.
I like the ground clearance of the 500HO but I don't care for the IFS rear it does ride nice but looks like it may be a pain to maintain. I have to question how it acts with a full load on the rear.
Now for the honda will the auto shift well when its zero??? I don't think a onboard computer is a good idea on an ATV. Is the new front diff reliable? OK now that I didn't answer anything and I brought up more questions lets hear what others have to say. It is like the ford chevy dodge thing
I say ride them both and and pick the that best fits you.
Good luck I wish it was me having to make that decision.
Glen
96 Honda TRX400FW (Foreman)

 

It sounds as though it a pretty easy choice in you mind. What makes your friend think he needs to decide? Talk him into the 500 H.O.

As for me, I can honestly state from my experience that the Polaris reliability and belt slipping issues are not greatly exaggerated. This may have changed since I owned a Polaris nonetheless, I have had it happen to me personally and I have seen it many, many times to others. This was the single biggest factor that swayed my decision to spend the extra monies on the Rubicon. I just was not willing to give Polaris another chance.

I can honestly state:

The Polaris rides better.
The Polaris is more powerful. Thus faster.
The Disc brake VS. Drum debate is a non issue for me, as I have never had a problem. Although, I have seen the drums fill with water with other owners Hondas
The Polaris rack capacities are labeled for heavier loads.
True 4X4 and it's switchable.
Etc, Etc, Etc and Etc.

My views of the Rubicon and Honda in general:

The reliability, Honda has never let me down yet…
The lower maintenance costs. Two Hondas and less than $100.00 spent on maintenance in 6 years.
The Hondamatic transmission is awesome. Very smooth and quite.
The great display. I love it and cant live without it.

Granted, I can see the list for Honda does not seem to appealing when stacked against the Polaris. The only thing I can really come up with is the reliability issue. Which you said you don't believe. But, many people do. And I truly believe that's why Honda are still holding the #1 position in all ATV sales.

 

Only reason I can see is the IRS on the sp500. Other than that the Rubicon and the non-HO SP500 are very comparable. I have yet to see a HO version though, so I dont have any idea of what the power is like. Both are great machines. Ride them both and get which ever one fits you.

 

Your friend needs to ride them both. They are two different rides.

The Rubicon has the sur trac differential 4wd, this is great. Honda is fulltime 4wd. Polaris 4wd is good when its engaged. You just never know when its engaged or not. It engages when there is 20% rear wheel spin.

The Honda tranny is narrower than the Polaris. The tranny on the Polaris is wide, thus you ride bow legged. Polaris seat is more comfortable. Honda has the best & smoothest auto tranny in the business. No belts to worry about slipping or breaking. Polaris has improved its tranny protection by making them more water tight.

Honda has seperate brake controls for front & rear, this is needed on steep hills whether climbing or going down. Polaris has only 1 hand braking. This can cause for some tricky situations when on hills.

Drum brakes if maintained are no problem. My Rancher has never filled with water in the drum brakes & the Rubicons are just as good. Polaris fixed their brake pad issue on the HO by putting in better pad that doesn't were out premature.

HO has more power than the Rubicon. The Rubicon has the same power as a regular SP.

IRS is nice but you pay the price for it in maintenance & weight. The SP500Ho weighs 100 pounds more than the Rubicon.

Polaris is more maitenance with all the grease fittings, Honda has none.

The Rubicon has the better dash. The digital dash is easy to read. The Polaris unit gets the job done just nothing fancy.

Polaris has plastic racks, Honda has metal racks. The metal ones are more durable & have more tie down places than does the plastic. I have heard of plastic racks breaking after an impact (wreck).

Hondas have better reliability & quality, Polaris has been improving its quality.

Honda has a higher resale value than Polaris.
As you can see each machine has its positive & negative aspects. Only your friend can the decision which is best for him. The Rubicon & SP500 are the two top selling big bore 4x4 right now.

Kawasaki is on the horizon with a new 650 twin cylinder. Now thats a different story.

 

snowshark, according to both manufatcurers web sites, the Rubicon is .6 inches wider and .6 inches longer. I didnt think the SP was wider than mine. And I always forget about that darn tranny piece at your left foot on the sp500. It takes up half the space of that floorboard. Good point.

 

You had better check on the dealer's repuatation, also. A bad dealer, for any brand, can make it impossible to do busisness with them.
I bought my Rubicon, partly because of the dealer and partly because it could handle the stress of the 28-inch Outlaw tires.

 

Texmud,

Honda, Yamaha, & Kawasaki make auto tranny's that are narrow compared to Polaris. I don't know why Polaris can't make a narrower unit?

 

rubicon any day of the week and twice on sunday
way more reliable far more supieror machine
see who is in the shop more
just my opinion
ps and the honda is cheaper even though it is not an issue.

 

Every rider has differant features that he/she likes,even when it comes to ATVs.

MYSELF?I would not even concider a Ruby over a HO Sportsman.I dont like full time 4x4,the Ruby does'nt have IRS,the Ruby has drum style brakes,and im not yet convinced of the torque sensing front end.

Any of my 4x4 quads MUST have disk brakes and switchable 2wd-4wd at least,the Ruby has neither.I love my Honda Recon,but it is not a 4x4.

Does my above post mean the Sportsman is superiour to the Ruby?Nope,it just has more features that I like,
Bill