I am trying to decide between these two machines. I have read hear about some of the troubles the 500 EFI has had initially. I hope these issues have been addressed for the future owners. Not heard alot of complaints about the Rubicon. I realize no one atv company is without problems though. They are after all machines.

I realize these are very different atvs. The polaris is without a doubt the brute of the two. It has a better ride, more ground clearance, EFI, Better towing capabilities to name a few. But it is also much much heaver than the Rubicon. More top heavy, unless this has been addressed from the 04.5's to the newer ones. This can be quite concerning on steep side slopes. I plan on using my future atv for trail ridding and hunting.

I have a few questions about the new 500 EFI I need answered before I make my decision and any other info from anyone that might help in my decision.

*Has the previous problems been addressed, The stalling issues? The overheating light coming on?

*How are the new tires holding up. I have heard they are not as durable as the Badlands that came on the 04.5's?

Thanks in advance.

 

We have 2 06 500EFI's, one had the overheat light issue and both had the melting plastic issue. The dealer fixed them both and we have not had any problems since. As far as the tires, I can't help you there as they came off the day we got the quads and replaced with the vision 14" rims and Kenda Bounty Hunter 26" radial tires. We do a lot of riding with a lot of folks that have different brand bikes, and in my opinion the Polaris beats them all.

 

Thanks for the info speedy. Where exactly did you have the melting plastic on the atv? Is it were the exhaust comes out of the engine? In what manner did they fix/repair to prevent future melting?

 

I bought my 500efi in November 2005 and has been in the shop three times just for the stall issue. Not fixed yet. Now, I have only heard of a few with the stall problem. The problem I'm having is, at first when I contacted Polaris about the stall problem they said they knew about it and were working on a fix. Now they have no idea what I'm talking about and want me to leave my quad at a dealer so they can take it apart. It's going on two months total in the shop. Other than the stall issue (Which is intermittent and only just as I stop the quad) and the fact that Polaris forgot about us stallers, this quad kicks @$$.

 

redmtn, I hate that you are having that trouble. That sucks. I hope they get it fixed soon. On a side note have you had any of the melting plastic issues?

 

Before I even rode my quad, I checked the clearance between the pipe and the side panel. I losened the nut and moved the panel as far away from the pipe then tighted it up. I have not had a melting problem. I again spoke with Polaris and they said they are going to concentrate on the EBS and belt. They have found a few with belts that are defective with a wide spot in it, causing it to grab and stall just as you stop the quad. Also if the EBS is not releasing it could cause it to stall. They said it would be an easy fix, and would explain why it is so intermittent. As far as picking between Honda and Polaris, I would do what I did, and try both and see what you feel more comfortable on. I also like that Polaris has a 3 year warranty. If I were to do it again, I think I would get the same quad and Just hope it was not made on flu day. Good luck. Just when I get upset with my quad, I just go ride one of my friends other brand. Then I feel great.

 

The plastic melted right underneath the AWD sticker on the back panel. They wrapped the pipe with header tape and put a ton of moose tape on it and it is ok now. I guess that they didn't want to replace the whole back section again. We haven't had any of the stalling issues since the first day that we had the quads. My wifes did it for the first couple hours and has been fine since. I totally aggree that you should try both the Honda and the Polaris before you make a decision. I rode about every brand out there and still went back to Polaris.

 

I cant speak for the Polaris 500 but i can tell you that my brother has a Rubicon that is about 5 years old and has been trouble free since day one.The Hondamatic transmission is a great.
I myself have the sp800 and the Rubicon can climb any hill that mine can. I cant compare the two in mud etc. because he runs half bald tires. I couldnt get Honda to finance me one or i definately would have gotten one. I used to have a 300ex and like Rubicon , it was trouble free.
My 800 has been back to the dealer once already for the creeping issue (250 miles) which they didnt get straighten out,and of course its hard to shift because of it. The ebs clunking drives me nuts.The motor is rather noisey (rapping). The muffler rubs on the rack support. The front suspension is too weak(non adjustable) for the added brushguard and winch. There are a couple of other noises that i havent tracked down yet. Other than those things its not too bad. No i dont hate it, im just being honest. As you said "they all have their probems" it just that some have more than the others.Take it for what you will , its all fact.

 

Don't know if this will help or not, but I saw something on another thread about a possible belt defect that was causing the creeping issues. From what I remember it had something to do with the belt having a wide spot on it that was causing it to grab and thus creep. On the motor noise, make sure the correct weight of engine oil is being used or the lifters can become noisy. Some guys are loosening and repositioning the muffler mounts to get better clearances . As far as the front suspension goes, there are cheap spacers that can be bought or made to cure this problem, or the springs themselves can also be changed to stiffen up the front.

 

I have 3 polaris' one being a 04.5 500 and an 06 800. Both have been good machines and yes they have both had their problems. When polaris put my 500 together they routed the spark plug wire between the frame and the gas tank. While riding it, the wire rubed through and the quad died. Then the ECU burned up on a ride and it died. again. Polaris fixed both issues and its been trouble free ever since. My 800 has not had a problem yet.

We went to Wisconsin last summer with a Grizz 660, a sp 500 (mine), and a 05 Rubicon. They alll performed great, as we put on 120 miles the first day. The first day, it got late for the wedding my wife was in and we had to ride back to the trail head at about 50 mph for the last 35 miles. The rubicon and the sp 500 were evenly matched as far as speed went. But I had a softer ride. But I still missed the wedding.