I am about to purchase and 98 sportsman 500 tonight. It seems to be a good deal when comparing with prices around here. The last one i had was a 1993 Polaris 350L. Couple of questions

- is this a good maching?
- what is bike worth (well taken care of, extra tires, rims, boxes, winch, but lots of km's 6000)
- any known problems?
- whats the difference b/w this and the 500 HO that are now out?

Thanks, Utah

 

I would ask them if they have had the camshaft replaced. I bot a 99 last summer and exhause lobe went out this
spring. Found out later that this was a common problem with Sportsman around that time once they had 3000-4000 miles on
it. They all weren't bad but would definitely ask about it. Other than that I love it. Lots of power and plent of speed for me 55-60mph.
Good luck.

 

he mentioned the rad was new, clutch was new, and u joints were all new.

does anyone else have any input on this??

Thanks

 

I have a 98 Sp and it's a great machine. They say the HO's have a hotter cam and larger carb along with some other improvements. Mine is plenty fast (60mph) and more pulling power than I will ever need. Some models have EBS on them and some not. It's a nice feature if you rides in the hills. These independent rear sup. don't ride as smooth as the straight axels (my last wheeler was a SP400 2 cycle). Over all, I think it's about the perfect wheeler for me.