I have a 2001 500 HO that I bought at the end of summer. I was running fine but now it seems to be getting worse. Idle and low end seem to be fine but if I try and gas it too much or punch it it bogs, sputters and seems to backfire. I used it for plowing today and slow speeds are good, but if I was getting stuck or just driving around, I couldn't gas it too much. So the question is, do I just need to take of the carb and cleand it or do I have other problems?

 

have you checked the air filter

 

the filter is about 1 month old.

 

Sure sounds like a partially plugged main jet. Id start with that, and go from there. If you find crud in the float bowl, you might want to change the fuel filter, or install one if there isnt one.