Hey Wildland. I've got a 2004.5 SP 500H.O. The engine braking system is awesome. You don't even need brakes. As far as being squirrly, it's not scarry, all it does is if you're on a really steep downhill with poor traction it will skid the back tires. But it stays pretty stable. All you have to do is touch the brakes a bit and it will stop or feather the throttle a bit. I don't find it a problem. I pull my trucks 8 by 5 foot utility trailer out of the bush loaded with firewood and I have to come down a pretty steep gravel hill. Even with all that weight it skid, but it stayed pretty straight and didn't get scarry. I also ride with my buddy who has a dirt bike and amazingly I can stop faster than the bike can!
Just a little extra info; one ride I got lost on a logging road and ended up running around awhile at pretty much wide open throttle. By the time I got back out to civilization I put on 65 miles and the low fuel light just started to flash. It had about 30 hours on it at the time. Anybody else with a 500 know if that sounds right?

 

i started saving my money up since i was a little tyke, i would get like 200 dollers to buy whatever i wanted for my birthday from my parents starting when i was 6, and my dad would alwase encrourage me to put my money into my savings account, before i bought my quad, there was 4500 grand in there, i sold my old yamaha dirtbike for 1800 and i had 700 bucks, and my dad picked up the rest [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] i decided to blow it on a real nice quad, and i love it.