Lets hear from yall,tell us your favorite trail story on that sp500!! i love reading these things.

 

there is no trail stories out there???

 

Best trail ride I'v done. 271 miles in 3 days, cross country from North Pole Alaska to Tok alaska. No trail to speak of, we tried to follow an old historic pipe line trail but it was so over grown that we had to bust our way in the woods, along power lines and along game trails. The Sp 500 ran great, it was July and in the 80s & 90s. Good memories, I wouldn't do it again if I was paid. 12 - 14 hours a day in the seat.

 

Does it have to be about a 500?

 

No favorite trail story but love
my sportsman 500.


00 sportsman 500

 

I have a good story, happend just yesterday.
My buddy and I went out to clear a new trail we have been eyeing since we both got our new machines. (Both 2001 SP500HO's). This trail is actually an old trail but stops when it starts to get real nasty, trees, mud, small creaks. This is the 5th or 6th time we have riden together and so far I have been the fool who has gotten into trouble each time we have ridden. 1st time out I rolled mine and dislocated my shoulder each time after that I have been buried beyond belief or do something to warrent a chuckle or two from friends when the story is told by my buddy. Well this time it's my turn. We had just got done cutting about 200 more yard of trail and opening up a new section when we decided to call it quits for the day and go have a beer. I turned my machine around and was looking over a small stream (mud hole) we had to cross (The bank on the other side although not high was straight up)when my buddy yells out to quit being a wuss and just go. So I did and made it with out a problem. So he decides it's his turn. I'm stopped now watching him try to get across. He hits the bank a little to slow and hangs up, he backs up to give it another try and yea you quessed it hits it a little to hard and wheelies out falling off the back of the bike and landing dead center of the mud hole he is now laying in soupy mud roughly 2' to 3' deep with his machine standing straight up looking to fall over on him (It didn't) so he panics and starts to swim for his life in this mud, you had to see him it was a riot, He's covered in black muck head to toe, his machine is just sitting there on it's rear bumper and I'm standing there laughing my *** off (Only after I know he was OK of course). Needless to say I had a good time telling this story a few times.

Mud4Me

 

well me and buddy of mine went rideing last night in 20 deg.weather and was on a new trail beside the river when we saw another trail to the left and we both said lets see where this goes,so we went down the trail for awhile until it ends at a near empty pond,we sat there for a min(he rides a 450es honda and im on my HO)and he said hey lets cross this thing you have a winch so i said you go first so i can pull you out if you get stuck and off he went.well he made it halfway across and it sat down.he yells pull the cable to to me and i reel out almost enough to make it when he said just pull out here alittle bit so i can get it and not get my feet wet.well insted of pulling alittle more cable out i pull out there like a dumby and give him the cable and proceed to back up and the crust on top broke threw and i started spinning down and stopped and told him i should get him out so i could have something to winch to if i couldnt get out. well i winched him out of the hole he was in as close to me as i could go and guess what???? he got stuck agin right in front of me so here we are sitting here in a pond in 20 degree weather both of us stuck right beside each other with nothing to winch to and no water boots on,(we wasnt going to do much i thought)so lucky i had my cell phone with me and we had to call another buddy of ours to come pull us out and he didnt even know where we was at.so i had to talk him down there and i hooked the cable to his explorer and wiched myself out first then my buddy out.needless to say i learned a lesson.

 

Silverado,

Great story,
I had something similar to that happen to me, along with the time I accidently nudged my front wheels over the bank of a deep fast running river with no way to go backwards, had to proceed forward and darn lost my bike (first time out with this machine and I was alone). These two incidents were the reason I just built and installed a front and rear quick disconnect winch set-up for mine. Almost every situation I've been in I would have been better off pulling myself backwards. Look into it, if you do it yourself it's not that expensive.

Mud4Me

 

mud4me,did you swamp your bike??? Man i bet you about s--t a brick.lol how did you make your setup for the winch??

 

Silverado,

You bet I Sh*t a brick. All I could think of was how was I going to tell my wife I just lost my new machine.
I was lucky enough not to swamp it though. The water was about up to the top of the engine but the bad part was it was rushing pretty fast over the rack. When I went in I tried to turn up river as the bank was to steep to climb back out were I went in and every time I tried to move the water pushed me about 10 more feet down river at this point I am still side ways and can't get straight, I am pretty well hung up on some rocks so I jumped off and tried to push but that was no help I had all I could do not to get sucked down stream myself, as luck would have it, while pushing I noticed I was not in 4 wheel drive(remember this is my first day out and know nothing about the bike) so I got back on put it in 4 wheel and started to head up river, it started to run a little rough but made it to a spot I could get out except there was a small fallen tree blocking the way so I had to dismount agian and move the tree as I was doing this the bike started to head back down stream I caught it after falling down several times and finally managed to get out. What a trip.
When I got out I checked the oil to be sure and there was no sign of water, the belt never slipped either.

Mud4Me