anybody ever move up to a 700 then go back to a 500? just curious, the 500ho sure seems to have a lot of happy campers...

 

Well, how do you like your 700? I'm about to get one myself.

BTW, what year is your beast?

 

04.5, 45 hours and 450 miles. simply awesome. I am wondering if anybody thinks the 500 has as much low end torque to go along with the 50 fewer pounds. the top end of the 700 is wasted on me.

 

I went from a 5 to a 7 am not all that impressed with the small increases, sounds better. Top end, pulling about the same. When you have all 4 tires spinning towing something as the 5 did dont really need much more so when I buy again think will be going back to 5. Gas went further too, as did the green.

 

I know i got the 500HO for the following reasons over the 600 or 700.

1. Pull Start
2. Better Gas mileage
3. Never saw any 500HO get stuck any where it couldn't spin all 4 tires
4. Didn't need more top end speed than the 500HO could give ... most of the time i cruse around 30 mph

 

I originally had a 02 700 (stolen after 1 month)
This year I bought an 04 700 and after a week I went back to the dealer and got the 04.5 500HO There doesn't seem to me to be a large difference in power and considering the 700 was getting 12-13 mpg and the 500 gets better than 20 mpg I couldn't justify keeping it. The power just didn't seem to be that much better.
Just my opinion

 

i also went from a 700 to a 500. i agree 100% with the above reasons.

that 500 is one nice quiet ATV.......and keeping quiet is a real plus around my area.

i had to get used to using a choke again (prev ATV was 700EFI). the dealer up'd the idle once for me and life is great.

if the 500 goes EFI for '06, of the 3 EFI's offered(500,700,800), i'll get another 500!

good luck with your purchase, i'm completely satisfied![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

PS. i did some night riding for the first time two nights ago and WOW was i impressed with the new lighting on the SP. both front and rear lights do a very good job.

-MT

 

gmi1979-"the 500ho sure seems to have a lot of happy campers... "

you've got that right. the Sportsman500 was the pivital ATV that completely changed the entire ATV industry. ATVs wouldn't have advanced soo much if the 500 wasn't born. Polaris forced every other Mfg scrambling back to the drawing board. what made the SP soo fantastic was the full running boards, IRS, 2wd/4wd option, 11" ground clearance, disc brakes, true 4X4, large 5.25gal fuel tank, brake light, composite racks, and the fact that it kicked-*** in every catagory!

no other ATV has made such a major impact on the ATV industry as the Sportsman has. every other MFG has a spin-off cloan of the Sportsman. can you say Suzuki Vinson, Honda rincon, Yamaha grizzly, Artic Cat, just to name a few.

the SP500 is a historic machine and i'm damn proud to own two of them![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

If the 500 had EFI I would of bought it over the 700 in a second. I think this race for bigger motors is just a waste of gas and heavier machines. The 500 is probably Polaris's best ATV but I wanted the convience of EFI.

 

I have had 2 500 ho's a 01 and a 04.5 both very good atv's ,I will probably trade my 04.5 in if they come out with a 500 efi if not I will just keep it ,works good but efi would be nice just has to be a 500 ho.