Hi All,New here to this fourm and i have found out alot about the sportsman 04 500 I bought 2 mo ago>i wish that the dealer that I bought this atv from would have let me know about the 04.5 modle.The biggest thing that sucks about this one is the shifter sometime jambs up.I am kinda concerned about polaris warrenty,from what I have read here it seams like they tend to jerk you around.I hope that it isnt the cases with this one if anything under warrrenty need to be done. Anyways who else has Goodyear raw hides on the machine? What do you think of them?I like them on level ground and that is about it.Is it just something about these tires or is there possibly something wrong with it?When riding on any off flat surface,going horizontal across a hill, the 500 likes to slice sideways down the hill,and the rear like to come around when going down a hill. Sliding down a hill sideways is just way to much fun for me.
I am thinking about putting the 589m/t on what do you all think?
Rich

 

i, like you, bought an '04 model then learned about the '04.5 . i wanted the electronic fuel gauge! i live on a busy street.......put it in the front yard, sold it for top $$........then learned about the EFI!!!!......HOT DAMN!!!....i'll get that one!!!.....love it so far........gas gauge, EFI, Badlands, smaller gas tank..OPPS!...life isn't perfect!!!......oh well!!!...... but life is good!!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

-MT[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]


P.S. when you are side-hilling and the quad goes sideways(rear tends to swing downhill), are you traveling through snow?

 

mtpockets,Yes in the snow and also when the groung is wet and slippery, but its not just the rear sometimes the whole thing will slide down.Kinda woundering if different tires would help out

 

your rear tires have to slip 1/5 before AWD puts power to all wheels. i have found this delay to cause the rear to slide at times. so your complaint i think is normal.


which tires to go with is a whole new topic. maybe do a search....lots of stuff on tires. i call Highlifter for my tire needs.

-MT

 

increase your ground speed and the rear won't kick-out as much.

-MT

 

Something for you to keep in mind, when descending a steep hill the back wheels can semi lock-up causing the rear end to slide sideways sometimes. This is because the EBS only has effect on the rear wheels, the front wheels free wheel. If this is what is happening to you then changing tires will help traction but will not eliminate the rear wheel sliding problem. After some seat time you will learn different driving techniques that will significantly reduce the effect.

 

I have the 589's and I like them better than any tires I have had before. They are stiffer than most, but they a great tire. Take a look at my picture if you want to see what they look like on a Sp500.

 

I attempted a 800 foot sand hill climb today on my Sp500. What a joke. It's just too heavy and underpowered for that. But what was even more exciting was trying to ride down that ***** with that EBS locking up the rear tires. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] I found that it was safer to just put it in neutral, and use the hand brake to control speed. Otherwise, that thing would've swapped ends, and that aint no fun on a 39 degree slope.

As for the shifter locking up, this is a common problem. Mine gave me fits until I did one thing. (BTW, I have a 2003 model which is the older 'h' pattern.) I took the top of the shift box off, soaked the oil up that's inside onto a rag (it's just motor oil), and removed the shift lever. Inside the box, there's two rods. Each one has a notch cut into it. This is where the shift lever fits into. When the transmission is in neutral, those two notches should be perfectly side-by-side. If they're not, then adjust the linkage rods until they are. Once done, put some motor oil back into the box, put the lever back on, and you're done. This totally takes the guess work out of adjusting the linkage rods, and the job only takes 15 minutes. My transmission has never shifted so good.

 

I concur...its the EBS. I have only 16 miles on my new 04.5 Sp 500 and I have experienced the same thing.

 

Thanks all for the info.I found out that if you dont let off the gas all the way while going down hill the the EBS wont kick in and the rear will stay put,but still having the whole thing sliding sideways down a hill sucks,
As far as tires go,I work for a tire co. and can get tires at a really good price.When I get the new tires on anyone innterested in buying the Goodyears? give ya a good deal
only 100miles on them
Rich