Hi!

Anyone own a 06 450 here? What do you think about it? Is it worth buying? Here in sweden it is 300 $ between the 450 and the 500 HO... and the only(?) difference is 44 cc displacement, and of course the H.O, but I need a great hauler and H.Os isn't as good at that as none H.Os.

To pay $1000 to get 500 EFI, engine brake and get PXT tires and 800 clutch, EFI and such sounds more resonable than 300$ for nothing.... but then again... 1000$ is a lot... so maybe a 450 is better for me.

I can get a stock 450 for about 8000$, tax included (25% here in Sweden!). A 800 EFI costs about 12 500$!

And to me, it sounds that there are a lot of problems with the 500 EFI. We won't see this 06 machines here in sweden before 2006. So we are abit behind you guys! But maybe some "bugs" are ironed out at these european machines?

Merry Christmas to you all guys! I read this forum everyday!

 

You said the H.O. isn't as good at haulin as the NON H.O. Where did you get this from? There is a noticable power difference in the Sp450 and the Sp500h.o. $300 diff definetely go with the HO.

 

ppope took the words right outta my mouth 300 bucks well worth the hp difference

 

Have you ridden the new 450? I've heard that it is much faster than the 400.

And "HO" is just a term used to differentiate between old-style 500's and new ones, as the newer model was much more powerful, so they put an High Output on the name so customers would know its a better engine.

 

I'd like to know the power difference also, I dont think it would be that great.
You can take a Stock sportsman 400, add a 150 bucks in clutch kit, and another 30 for a filter and jet it properly and easily run neck and neck with a stock sportsman 500 ho up to 40 MPH.
Theres supposed to be a significant difference between the 450 and the 400. I wouldnt be surprised to see the 500 HO disappear next year, theres no longer a need for it with the EFI coming out.

As for Hauling better with the non-ho.. That is understandable. With the Carb and Cam difference, it makes a good bit more low end than the HO.

 

I don't know the exact hp rating for the new 450, however, as I've said I've had some seat time on it, and I own a 500ho (38hp). I am notoriously known for backing atvs on a pickups instead of driving them on forwards with (4ft long ramps), pretty step! The reason for this is so the front of the bike doesn't go through the back window. On the sportsmans, the back wheels will hit the back of the bed and prevent the rear racks from hitting the window. I tell you this because if you have ever loaded an atv on a pickup in reverse, it's true lowend power will be revealed. A 500ho will go up with ease. The old 400 would struggle really bad. When I loaded the 450, I also had to really get down on the throttle. It was better, obviously, than the old 400, but again nothing like the 500ho. If he is going to be haulin, this is where he'll benefit from the extra lowend grunt of the 500ho. It sounds like he is between the 500ho and the 450 because of $300, and the 500efi is out the question because of $1000!
Now, I agree the 500 carb may disapear behind the 500efi, but I gaurantee the 450 will never take the place of the 500!

 

I would highly doubt that Polaris will discontinue the 500HO next year. The 500HO is a tried and true engine and that is a very good selling point with an atv. Plus they just added efi to it, so I think you will see them for years to come. Just my opinion.

 

To this day I still think the 500H.O is the best engine ever made by polaris in their atvs. 38hp for a 500, aint to shabby.

 

I used to load mine the same way, very secure strapping agains the front of the bed. But I got a headache rack for the truck so I'm not as worried about the window. I think I'll start loading it backwards again, though, as I think forward loading puts too much weight behind my rear axle (steering gets wierd and the front end lifts). Only thing is I have short ramps; loading forwards is already a big challenge (usually end up wheelieing on the last oomph into the bed).

Back on topic - a 500 carb will not disappoint you, and I'd still highly recommend it. Plus, the PXT tires and engine braking you get with it (and not on the 4x0) are probably worth more to you than the 300$ difference in price, not to mention the extra power. The 489's on the 400 and 450 are good, but the PXT's are a much better tire that you shouldn't feel the need to replace for better performance.

 

I've also heard that they are doing away the 500 carb in the sportsman, also the 700 carb. They will have a 450, 500efi, 700efi, 800efi. Don't bash, I don't know if it's true, just what I heard.