I went to a Polaris dealer today and test drove a SP500HO. There was only one Polaris dealer in the phone book, that is covering about 1 million population! These are my initial impressions.
Strengths:
The engine is very strong and smooth. However, it does not feel stronger than my Grizzly. At least not through the low RPM and low mid range. I was not able to rev it any higher then that, so it may be faster once it gets wound up some. But initial impressions tell me that it wouldn't. The lo range on the HO is quite alot lower then my Griz, and in a drag race in lo range it would get its *** kicked by a Grizzly! In high range I counldn't even guess, the HO ain't no slouch. I would believe that an HO might beat a Griz in hi range. But untill I do a side by side race I couldn't say.
When in gear, the Sportsman was way smoother then my Grizzly sitting at an idle. As well as when riding. But when I put the SP in neutral it idled like something was severely out of balance.
I know what you Polaris riders mean now, by the smoothness of the IRS. I was very impressed! I wasn't able to really give it a run or anything but the little bit of riding that I was able to do in the back yard of this dealer was very impressive! The ground clearence was unbelievable, it had to be more then 12" to the center. The dealer said that the low side of the rear A-arm was 9". Thats more then my Grizzly at the rear dif cover!
The steering was alot easier then the 99SP that I rode. But the turn radius was not any better. My Griz will turn alot sharper! I switched the 4x4 on and watched the rear wheels as best I could for slippage. I could see clear wheel slip before the front wheels engaged, but it never felt like it. It had a "surging" sensation, but no abrupt engagement like I thought it might.
The SPHO was alot quieter then my Griz all the way around. It ran quieter, and I couldn't really hear the tranny at all! However, the tranny is LARGE! That sucker sticks out way more then the tranny on my Griz does.
Apparently the 4x4 does not work in reverse unless you hit the "override" button on the left handle grip. The dealer had me try it both ways, and it didn't engage 4 wheels unless I hit the yellow button.
Weaknesses:
If A guy really wants to spin around with the rear wheels spinning, the Sp ain't the bike you want! It was very top heavy, and if I went into a turn at any kind of speed and tried to hammer the throttle to spin around, it felt like it would flip! It didn't seem to sit any higher than my Griz, at least not when I mounted it. But went I tried to get aggressive with it in turns it always felt like it was going to flip on me.
The shifter SUCKS! The damn thing will shift between hi, lo, neutral, and reverse in about 1.5 square inches! With my Griz you actually have to move the shifter a few inches untill it clicks into gear. It has dash lights to tell you what gear your in, but they don't work right. Twice I went by the dash lights to determine which gear I was in for sure, and both times it was wrong! The light said I was in neutral, but I was still in reverse, and visa versa.
Its a heavy bike, there ain't no denying that! I think that has to do with why it rides so well as well as the IRS. Kinda like a big heavy luxury car! I looked closely at the IRS set up. The thing has more moving parts then a Timex! More stuff to break, as well as maintain!
The radiator is mounted way too low in the frame, I can see damage happening on that one. Plus it explains why some of the Polaris riders have had radiator clogging/over heating problems. I would think that it makes more sense to put it high in the frame/body, like the oil cooler on my Grizzly. Another thing I didn't like was the winch was right in front of the radiator, blocking air flow.
The brakes are the dumbest thing I have ever seen! It only has rear wheel engine braking, but you can't use just the front breaks to compensate! When using the brakes, you have to apply all of them or none of them! Plus there isn't a brake lever on the front right side. The whole time I was riding this thing I kept grabbing for the brake lever, that all other quads have on the right side, but it doesn't have one!!!! I guess it doesn't make any sense to me that a company can make such an innovative quad, and not give you front and rear brake differentation!
It DOES NOT have 4 wheel engine braking when in 4WD! For me thats a big disadvantage. After having ridden one I find that to be unfortunate. The engine braking is good, but not as tight as the Griz is.
All in all I was impressed and happy with the SP500HO. I'm not going to rush out and buy one, mainly because the short comings that it has are real important to me. But if I had it to do over again from scratch....................?

Rick

 

My brother in law has a Sportsman (non HO) and everything you said has a ring of truth to it. I will beg to differ on one point, though. For as high as they are, Sportsmans are NOT tippy. They 'feel' that way, but really aren't. I think what happens (and this is just my opinion/guess) is that when you turn aggressively, the suspension on the outer wheel will compress slightly, giving the impression that it is gonna tip. However, the anti-sway bar soon puts an end to it. First impressions are that you are driving on the edge of rolling the darn thing, when you still have a way to go. Actually, my brother in law has tipped his Magnum over, but not his Sportsman. He went on a sidehill with his SP, going slightly higher up (where it was steeper) each time until it was on the verge of tipping. He then followed the same line with his Magnum & it tipped over on him. Looking at the terrain, he hit a bump with the uphill tire that he didn't hardly feel on the SP, the IRS just soaked it up. With the Magnum, the wheel couldn't move independant of the frame & it kicked the wheel up just enough to tip. It seemed to take about a half hour to go over (his words) but it did. I think it would have stayed on all 4 if:
He didn't go as fast as he did with the SP
He would have turned downhill quicker, or
He wouldn't have hit the brakes

Yes, there are a lot of moving parts in the rear. The price you pay for the ride. Grease 'em often & they seem to hold up well, though. When Polaris puts the HO engine in the Magnum frame I will want one. It weighs notably less, and has a simple swingarm suspension. I can live with a few bumps to gain simplicity. Even better if they can knock a few pounds off of it. They have come a long way in terms of ruggedizing their machines, but the trade off is they are heavier than most.

 

PS The shifters on a Polaris start out notchy and without much feel. After a couple hundred miles, they really smoothen out.

 

Farmr123,
I think your right about it just "feels" like it wants to roll. I never actually got the inside wheels off the ground, it just always felt like they wanted to. I have to say it again, I was very impressed with the ride. There were a few pot holes and mounds in this dealers back yard, and it just walked right over them like they weren't even there! Its a good thing that the shifting smoothes out some after awhile like you said. That really short notchy shifting left me wondering if I was actually in gear or not! The dash indicator lights weren't much help, they were wrong as much as they were right. I to prefer simplicity and low maintainence, but I have to say I wouldn't mind having an HO in my garage! Later.

Rick

 

I speak from the perspective of having ridden a Griz for something less than 100 trail miles and having had the pleasure of putting about 9000 miles on Sportsman 500s since 1997, the last 700 of which have been astride an HO. Some of your impressions are fact and some are opinion. All of your impressions are based on the comparison of an unfamiliar machine (Sportsman) with a machine you’re very familiar with. You’re also comparing a new machine to one that’s well broken in. Four-strokes gain power and smoothness as the parts get more comfortable with each other. There’s also a big difference between trail miles and flat hardpack.

That said, I believe most of your “facts” to be valid and most of your opinions to be your own. Polaris chooses to stay with the single lever braking system, not through lack of innovation but as a choice for ease of operation. Personally I like it, but that’s just my opinion. Grizzlies don’t have 4 wheel engine braking either, at best it’s 3 wheel due to the differential. The SP motor runs quieter, smoother and cooler by virtue of being water cooled. The radiator is far better protected than the oil cooler in your Griz, and yes, that makes it more difficult to clean. The balance between the SP with its IRS and any swing arm machine is very, very different, and is felt both in turning and front to rear. You give up some of the “sportier” lighter feel of the swing arm for the comfort of the IRS. It takes some getting used to, life has its trade-offs. I’m not sure what your shifter problem was but it sounds like it was in need of adjustment. I much prefer a short travel shifter to one that has to move a long way, but that’s me. You’re right that the EBS isn’t as tight as the Griz’s clutch setup, but to some it’s too tight the way it is and to others it may not be tight enough. Personal preference again. The reverse override / AWD engagement is a safety “feature” and one of the first things I disable on my machines.

Both the Griz and the Sportsman are great machines that probably have more differences than similarities. Isn’t it fantastic that we such great machines to choose from in picking the riding “tool” for our personal riding preferences!

 

I have a new H.O. I just sold my 2000 Sp, and I can agree with some of what you said. The Shifter is clunky and uncertain, of course it is used very little as it only shifts from Hi to Lo range and reverse, but it is a long awkward linkage, and is not nearly as smooth as the Yama
shifter, especially the Kodiak.
I must insist that a drag race in Low range is ridiculous. A Tug of war or hillclimb or slow race sure, but low ranges vary so much, and speed and acceleration is no way to test a low range. I think the Grizz would beat a Sp in a tug of war.
I think a Grizz is a small Kubota with Yamaha decals.
I like the brakes, they're really easy to use and work fine.
I don't believe anyone truly understands the Polaris four-wheel drive system, but it works well. My dealer has a front hub connected to an electic motor on display. There are strategic cut-outs so you can see the internal workings of the heart of their 4x4 system as it engages and disengages using a handlebar thumb switch which they have rigged up.
I played with it for half an hour till I ran the battery down, trying to figure out the nuances of this convoluted but effective system.
The one thing I did learn is that it allows the front wheels to ratchet forward faster than the rear wheels, like when going around a turn, but as soon as the rear wheels catch up it is engaged.
It did not fall out of gear just because the rear was going the same speed, and if you think about it, this would mean that the 4x4 does work going downhill. Not allowing the front wheels to go slower than the rear would mean engine braking would slow the machine, and it would keep the front wheels from locking up from too much hand brake, unless you locked up all four wheels.
Polaris are too heavy, all of them. We love the way they handle, but the first time I drove a SP I thought it was too tall and tippy too. It took no time to get used to it though. Now I think it is the Best Luxury/Utility Quad out there. Mine will do 65 mph comfortably, even on pavement, and on the rough stuff there is no equal. That IRS has a lot of grease fittings but it is worth it. It makes all other quads seem technologically stone-age in comparison. Swing-arms on Quads are cheap and easy for the manufacturers but vastly inferior to real suspension. On a Trail the SP flies. I consider the Grizz a workhorse, the Clydesdale of Quads. The SP was the Cadillac, the new H.O. is the BMW.
Silly Later,,,,,Fourlix

 

Your wrong about a Grizzly winning a tug of war with any SP.I have heard of a 335 SP betting a Grizzly in a pull off.It makes sense the SP is lowered geared,heavier and has true 4wd there for more traction and thats the combo you need for a pull off contest.

 

9000 MILES! Go tell that to the Honda boys.LOL

 

floodrunner,
You are correct about the protection of the radiator. It had a sturdy steel mesh in front of it, but the gaps in the mesh were about 1/2". More then enough room to push a radiator breeching stick through. But then again the winch almost completely covered the radiator, all but about the bottom 25%. It seems like if they were to move the radiator up further, it would get better air flow, due to the winch location. Plus it would put it up, more out of harms way. Your are correct about the Grizzlies oil cooler not having any protection, but its mounted way up in the body/frame. I've been lucky so far, and haven't gotten any debris up that far.

 

Tim1,
I agree completely, the weight and traction of the SP would clearly make it a better puller. But I did actually have a tug of war with a 99SP once, and I won. I would except that as a fluke, never the less it did happen.

Rick