thinking of trading in my 06 kodiak 450 for a limited stealth black 500. are the 500's more reliable than the other sizes-600,700, 800? the more i keep reading, the more im not sure. seems as if alot people are getting lemons and polaris wont help you out. so..... should i take the risk and buy the 500HO EFI or keep the kodiak? Tim

 

Don't be afraid of hearing about these "lemons" There are a very small percentage that are lemons, but that will be all you hear about. I think if you asked a poll on these forums as to who was happy with their bikes and who was unhappy with their bikes, the happy riders would wayyy wayyyyy outnumber the unhappy ones. And like I've said before, I LOVE my 07 500 and I loved my 03 Scrambler 500. I would have no fear of buying a 500 again

 

To be honest, the Kodiak 450 & the SP 500 are in the same mid-level class of ATV. Can one do something the other can't??? The SP 500 is a great machine & there is a reason it is Polaris's #1 selling quad. You would be very happy with a Stealth 500!! I am not one of those guys who buys "the biggest & baddest" machines. I buy a machine that is functional & will do what I want. I have always owned 400-500 cc quads. I finally splurged on myself and bought a 700.

Upgrade to a Grizz or SP 700 or 800 if you can. Otherwise, I would keep the Kodiak & save my pennies.

 

id keep the kodiak but wasnt too impressed when i went trail and mudding with it for the first time. i always kept having to ingagae and disengae the 3 wheel drive or the diff lock. id rather worry about one button than having to worry about two. also im not to fond of the rev limiter, you can only go about 16mph when in diff lock . the top end on the yamaha isnt too impressive either, about 42 WOT. withthe polaris youll atleast get 60+ at WOT. id buy the 700 or 800 but dont have the need for the extra hp. plus id rather have the better fuel economy of the 500. i shouldve bought the sportsman to start with, id be money ahead, but no i listened to a co-worker and the yamaha dealer and they talked me out of it. oh well.... when my loan comes in from my retirement, ill be going to the polaris dealer and picking up the stealth deluxe 500.

 

My 2007 Sportsman 500 EFI Deluxe is one awesome ride..Owned for six months and have over 2000 miles ..ADC was replaced at 700 miles but everthing else has been flawless..This is my third 500 Sportsman..I am 63 years old and ride 80-90 miles with a bunch of younger fellars...They normally wimp out before I do thanks to the plush ride ..Hope this helps...Ride Hard..Ride Safe!!!!!

 

did they say why the ADC went out? Tim

 

I have taken my 07 sportsman 500 deluxe out for one real trip so far and it performed awsome. It has only needed the new heatsheild put in and got new back plastic cause the exhaust melted some of it. Real test will be this winter on the lakes.

 

The ADC was making noise and the dealer replaced the complete unit..It still worked but was very noisy..

 

so, should i ask the dealer for upgrades for the heat shilds for the exhaust? i dont want to buy a new quad and have the plastic melt on it. also, does your leg get hot from the exhaust? are the digital fuel guages dependable? Tim

 

I'd also like to say the 500 is a great engine. With EFI it's even better. It's pulled my 350 lbs. through, down, up, and over anything I've tried. It has been very good.