Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

I'm thinking about maybe (and that's a big maybe) getting a USED Predator if I can sell my Suzuki King Quad 700 for the right price (I need something a lot cheaper than a KQ). The reason I'm looking at the Pred 500 is b/c I don't really want a 400cc sport quad(like the Z400)..I want a little more power, plus I've seen used Pred's for $3,000 to $3,500 whereas the 450's and Z400's are $4500 to $5000 used.

Now I've searched this Polaris forum already but need more precise answers.. My main question is...how many hours could I expect out of the Pred's 500cc motor, isn't it made by fuji? How good(strong) are all the components such as suspension/tierods/axle vs. the Jap 400s/450s? And were there any problems with the first year 2003 Pred's b/c those are cheaper. Any problems I need to be aware of? Is the engine fast by anyone's standards?
Oh yeah...how high of a jump does it take to bottom out the suspension...that's a big reason I want a sport quad is for hitting some jumps...but not MX style. Thanks a lot guys!!

Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

Basically I want one too and have asked the same ques. no real negatives yet.... from posts I've seen... mine will be a year or so away...I want the outlaw [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

The 03's have a very week tranny, its not a matter of if its a matter of when the tranny goes out. I used to own a pred and I tried to love it but I ended up hateing it. I now own a Bombardier DS650 and like it alot better. If it is power your looking for your not going to find more outside a DS650 no matter what they say.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

So would you recommend an 04 and up then? B/c I'm not interested in a DS 650 b/c they're to expensive for my situation.
What is wrong with it's tranny on the 03's....I just checked 20 or so rider reviews on powersportsnetwork.com and almost all of them gave it a 5 star rating and some of them had 1500 miles on them.

Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

Goodsound must have gotten a bad one because I have not had any problems with the 03' Predator. I just sold it recently to my nephew because he owned 2 other quads that he kept breaking and I'm waiting to see what's in store for 07'. There were very few with tranny problems - less than 1 %. My quad has held up to the abuse I gave it- No tranny problems whatsoever - just changed the oil every 10 hrs. Now as far as speed goes, I raced a few DS 650's and lost once by less than a bike length- the other one was no contest. The Predator is definitely an over achiever when compared to all the bigger cc'd bikes out there - I was not afraid to race anyone with the bolt on mods I did to mine. They are no slouch bone stock either. I would just find a well maintained used one out there and not worry about the longevity. I beat mine pretty good and it held up to my 260 pound abuse and it's still going. My nephew races and jumps doubles with it every weekend and so far he has only broke the plastic and nerfbars. All cosmetic , so there you go. Good luck

Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

I own an 05 TLD and my friend owns an 04 aniversary edition. The front right shock unscrewed from the lower mounting bracket and the shock fell off hanging from the top bracket. This was on the 04 model. I inspected my 05 and found it good. I suspect that shock wasn't properly installed from factory. Other than that they both have been reliable machines that take alot of abuse. They have been used primary for hare scramble type riding with some private mx track rides. The close tranny on the 05 is best for me. As far a speed, they will run with them all. Rider ability accounts for most of it anyway.

Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

The Predator is a very reliable machine. My personal Predator has some issues, but it is mostly caused by an initial failure and not being repaired properly by the dealer. My group consists of 3 Predators (plus mine) a YFZ450, and an Outlaw, and the Predators in the group have all been REALLY reliable, (again, with the exception of mine, but i will exclude it, because everyone i've ever ran into with one of these has had great luck!) As far as Power goes, it's on Par w/ the new 450s, whether they believe it or not. The guy in our group w/ the YFZ is even amazed as he is frequently bested in the straight line by my freind's TLD (both are bone stock)

DISCLAIMER::: I'm not trying to start a bash session here, THESE ARE MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE//RESULTS WITH THE TLD AND THE YFZ, AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO START A WAR. The YFZ gets its share of the wins to, but with the right rider aboard, the Pred is far more competative then it gets credit for.

The '03s had some tranny issues, but '04s and newer are fine. If you can find an '05 TLD it comes with Podium X shocks which are the same ones Doug Gust, and Jeremiah Jones are running in the MX series. They also have a sweet Close-ratio Transmission.

I have a freind w/ an MX Practice Track and he recently completely over shot a 5-foot tall Table top. A 7+ foot flat land used up most of the suspension travel, but did not produce a metal on metal clank, so it was probably not quite bottomed. The Pred 500 motor has sufficient HP to pull the wheels up in fourth NO PROBLEM, and mine can even do it in fifth (it was able to with just the muffler.) So they make some pretty sweet HP. Overall, anything newer than '04 you should be good to run w/ most anything out there. (and if you find an '05 or newer, you get reverse too!!!)

ALSO: the engine's only real internal maintenance is frequent valve adjustments, (about every 6 mos. roughly) and they can be kinda a pain the first time, but as long as you have a Polaris service manual ($45 at your dealer) and another person w/ you you could do it in only around 1 - 1.5 hrs. Other than that, the engines run for a VERY long time.

Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

Don't get an 03 if you can help it, I had an 03 predator it was OK till I started drag racing it, the tranny wont hold up. I put a tranny up grade kit, and it never give me any problem after that. plus 558 kit. Wish I still had it.

Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

The 03 has a weak shift fork. Be sure to use the clutch when shifting. That's something I have to be careful of since I got used to shifting without a clutch when I was riding my Honda with a cast on [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img] I do like the way my preddy is more powerful than the 400ex was - the first couple of times, I nearly dumped myself off the back when I goosed it [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Predator 500 reliability/longitivity?
 

How much was the tranny upgrade kit? And what did it do or include?