Again with the questions eh? Ok, post 98 Sp500's. I'm looking for any downsides noticed here. Still trying to justify changing quads. When I mean downsides I don't mean anything specific. If I were listing downsides to my AC, I would say things like "plastic rattles, rear diff. drain plug hangs down and can get smacked by rocks, gas guage rattles, and stuff like that. Just wondering what the common annoyances were. I always figured that the plastic hood thing below the headlight pod would rattle and possibly become loose. I know for some reason the special edition Sp500's are all warped, I guess because of the camo application or something.

I say post 98 to rule out any U-joint problems that persisted in the older models, as well as old starter bendix problems.

 

ANDY
I'm very satisfied 500SP owner,so hard to come uip with something.As far as the cover they stay tight as there are metal springs that hold it in place along with the tabs.I guess the only real thing that comes to mind is the seat,I seem to end up scooting forward on it,would like to see it more like saddle so it wouldn't allow you to move forward so easy.I'll be rideing along and first thing you know I'm straddling the gas tank.The only other thing I can think of,and it's small.When you add winch the bolts that hold the brackets on are real short,and it's hard to fight them,just add longer ones.CM

 

The 98SP500 has u-joints. That is the only reason I upgraded to the 2000SP500. I have had many bikes, and I can afford whatever I want. I have been riding since 77. I ride a SP500. In my opinion the downsides are that you have to have some sort of mechanical aptitude and common sense to own one. You need to understand the front hubs, the clutch, and the cooling system in order to not exceed the limitations of the bike. It is powerful enough to tear itself up. You need to understand how important it is to keep the rad clean. You need to know better than to submerge the fan while it is running. AND if the fan is running, the motor is probably hot and you might want to wait for it to cool down before submerging the hot motor in cold water. You also need to know not to let the front wheels get cocked sideways in reverse if you have a lift and big tires.

Are these downsides? I don't think so. Most of this applies to other bikes as well. But these are still things that some of us know and that is why we have good luck with our machines. Some people like to abuse their bike and blame the manufacturer when their bike breaks. A Honda 300 is idiot proof therefore somewhat bullet-proof. It has limited power with a limited turning radius with limited ground clearance. All of which help it to be reliable. It is all in what you want out of a bike, but be realistic. If you buy the baddest 4X4 their is on the market, it will not be as reliable as a Timberwolf250 4X4, but which one would be more fun to ride. If I was limited on funds, and could not afford repairs, I would by a rancher s. However, I paid cash for my bike and repairs are in the budget if necessary. I hope I have helped.

Greg

 

I can't think of one downside?
Mine is still rock solid no rattles, squeaks or anything like that. I have to say I agree with Greg 100 percent that is the best post explaining the SP I have ever read and it is true.

 

ok i got one , you will not want anything else unless it is another SP. It ruins you from wanting any current machine out there right now. The ride alone is enough, let alone everything else. I am on the trails and sometimes people ask me to trade for a bit ,I used to get excited over this, you know cool get to try sometihng different, then along comes SP 500 and now it is like ok get me off this thing and let me back on mine. Not much compares if anything to owning an SP.

 

My brother-in-law has one & compared to my Xplorer, it seems heavier, a little higher and maybe a little more tippy. I do have to agree with XE, though. If we swap rides for a while he is like 'well, let's switch back' and I am more the 'aw, come on, can't I drive your SP just 5 more minutes?'. It is harder to get 'unstuck' than most. Partly because it is heavy, but mostly because it gets you so far into the mud you can barely walk to it to hook up the rope. The ground clearance is amazing.

And by more tippy, I mean just barely. You would almost have to get an angle measure to tell for sure.
The only other drawback is unless there are several other Sportsmans in your riding group, it seems everyone but you will be driving it (lol).

 

lets hear it for greg hip hip.... hip hip.... good post greg for gosh sakes Andy just go by one you are going to keep on posting and the guys from Honda are going to be accusing you are just running up the post numbers hehehe...seriously Andy I have had both...Sportsman feels more tipsy in some situations than the AC and doesn't go down hills as good as the AC putting on tires improves this in both situations. YOU know the other ones needs better brakes and tie rods and mine as we speaks needs a rear rotor it is cracked but there is an improved rotor on the newer models which I am sure my dealer will replace mine with...and of course this rotor could be a little my fault if you know what I mean...

 

Andy,
If you are a maintenance freak like myself, the SP500 is the bike for you. It has a ride far above the rest, bar none. It has plenty of power, and I can't see you going wrong with it. Mine did overheat if alot of mud got in the radiator, and that had to be its main drawback to me. Otherwise, it was an excellent bike. I bought an Xplorer due to same radiator as sp500, smaller engine, lower compression ratio. All this equates to a bike that is harder to overheat. There are definitely some things you want to do after purchase. Greg Sims has an excellent list of post-purchase cheap mods that will ensure long life. I've added a couple of my own mods to the list as well. These cheap mods will ensure against water entry to the front and rear drivetrain, silt entry into the cooling system, etc. I bought an Xplorer, but realize the tradeoff for its good points are ride, ground clearance, and chain maintenance. You will also have more electric starter maintenance due to the starter being on the bottom of the engine. However, for me, and guy who spends alot of time in the mud in hot weather, I'll put up with these other items to avoid overheating. My sp500 would never overheat if the radiator didn't get clogged with mud. My polaris service guy said the 400's radiator could become almost completely clogged with mud, and still never overheat. BTW, polaris has a new larger improved radiator on the sp and 400 since '99, and that should reduce/eliminate the overheating problems I had. For me, nothing but Polaris products are in my future. Traction, ground clearance, disk brakes, and ride are polaris' strong points. Like Greg said, the trade-offs for "being bulletproof" are an inferior-performing machine. The Honda 300 is an excellent bike, but you are severely limited as to where you can take that bike without constantly winching yourself out of mud or up hills. Buy yourself an sp, and keep a watch on this forum to educate yourself on every aspect of making the bike the best it can be. Ride behind your buddies with a solid axle, see the jolts they experience when crossing fallen logs, and then notice how you barely even know something is there. At the end of the day, the only thing that ever got mildy sore on me was my shoulders from turning the bike. I would also get a little saddle-sore from my crotch rubbing the seat. This is something that will get you on any bike. I said earlier that I will buy nothing but Polaris, and I can even narrow it down further than that. I will never buy anything except for another sp500 or another Xplorer. I would love to see Polaris put the 400 2-stroke engine in the sportsman chassis. That would be the ultimate bike in my opinion. Same power with a smaller engine. For purchasing anything major, my attitude is to buy it, keep it for the warranty period, and if not pleased, trade it/sell it, and get something different. There is a cost associated with this type of thinking, but at least you get something for it. That being said, the purchase of a new SP500 is one that I don't see how you could regret. You'll be thanking us for talking you into one, and wondering what took you so long to decide. Owning one will quickly put your fears to rest. As far as fit and finish, the bike is put together great. Occasionally after a long mud ride, I would need to lubricate the top strut bushings with armorall. The rear brake would squeak some too, but Polaris has improved their entire brake system, so that's probably not a problem any more. Overall, I was thoroughly pleased with the sp500. I wasn't even planning on selling my sp500, it's just that a buddy of mine on a prarie 400 test rode mine, and offered me cash on the spot to buy it. That's how impressed he was. I had been interested in the 400, and it was inexpensive and had the "pros" that I wanted, so I got it without having to finance anything(the sp500 was paid off). I know this is a long post, but I hope it helps you.

Waylan

 

Andy, some minor annoyances that I've experienced are:

-moisture in speedometer
-way too heavy
-4x4 system not always reliable
-no engine braking (fixed with the addition of EBS, though still not much braking in high range)
-no 4x4 going downhill
-hard steering (improved)
-belt can slip in water
-high maintenance
-reverse override a pain while using a snowplow
-all 3 headlights are not on at the same time

That's about all I can think of.

 

That figures... Honda guy in the forum!!!!!!!!!

Just kiddin'