http://www.ansley.net/temp/dw_03_2001/page3.jpg

I recently read two ATV reviews in the current issues of Dirt Wheels and 4 Wheel Action. I was amazed to read that the new Sportsman HO had less low end torque than last years 2000 model.

Is this true?

 

ya i dont know about that either, the HO has a bigger carb and long duration cam. so this would allow more fuel into the cylinder. i dont think the compression ratio changed from 2000 to 2001 either. the only way i see that the torque could be less is if polaris changed the gearing for 2001.

 

Yeah, I commented on this in another forum and that is the scan from my website. I also can't see how this could be. That is the third article that has said that. Only thing I could think of is the riders haven't riden a non-HO anytime soon and they just "think" it has less.

 

I've read a few posts that people with non ho's can lift the front end off the ground and ride a wheelie. I can't get the front end off the ground. I also can't get over 50 mph (GPS). How about anyone else with a ho.

 

I can pull wheelies in high or low and ride them,top speed I have reached is 67mph as checked by speedometer of a car(quad speedo aint accurate).
I had a 1999 SP500 and I can tell you that the HO is better in every way and those guys from the magazines are idiots if they say otherwise!

2001 Sportsman 500 HO
1998 Sport 400
2001 Scrambler 90

 

There may be one thing the H.O lacks in ,and that is range.The non H.O will easily get 100 miles to a tank but I hear people only getting 60 miles out of a H.O is this true?

 

That’s BS. I only saw the 4-WA shootout article but it was so unabashedly biased I quit reading it in disgust. Sure they got “lucky” and had a few of their facts right but for the most part I can’t give that article any credibility at all. I pity the poor soul who goes out and buys a machine based on anything read in a Daisy/Hi-Torque publication, thinking he has any real information. These rags are for entertainment, nothing more.

How many articles have we seen previously giving the nod to the HO over the Ruby? I remember one, and I gave that as much credibility as this one. These articles are nothing more than subjective opinion edited by a publication that depends on advertising revenue from the manufactures of the very products it “evaluates.” The result is print that fills space and sells magazines. Opinions are like a$$holes, everybody has one.

For a time last fall after we bought our two new HOs we had two machines here with well broken-in non-HO 500 motors in them, a ’99 SP and ’99 Mag. Jumping from one to the other we were amazed at the performance difference between the old ones and the HOs, and the new ones hadn’t even loosened up yet. The older machines were eventually sold so I can’t do a current comparison. Since ’97 all my trail machines have been SP 500s and I ride the same trails a lot. After a while you just get used to knowing you’ll be lagging a bit up a particular steep hill or trail. After 3 years of conditioning to the “same old power” I’m continually surprised by the increased performance of my HO in these high-load situations. I’ve never felt it lacking in power in any situation at all and consider it an improvement over the original 500 throughout the power band. Not that you’ll find me complaining about the original 500. It’s still a fine power plant and performer.

If you can’t get your HO over 50 take it back. Something is wrong with it. Ours will do 60 (GPS) but why would you want to? Maybe you just need a new GPS?

 

I'm also wondering if it will get faster after it's broken in. I only have about 30 mile on it now. How do I check to see if the jetting is right. What else should I be looking for. I know I should be able to get more power and speed. I'd love to pull a wheelie and ride it.

 

Its a fact of life folks, to gain something you have to give something. In the case of the HO that is low rpm torque. What it got is high rpm HP. When ever you increase valve duration, and increase carb size, the engine will have to rev higher to use the extra air flow. I'm willing to bet that the Ho has higher torque and HP than a non HO, but those peaks will be at a higher rpm. I also would bet that the clutch engages at a higher rpm on an Ho, that would be the easiest way to compensate for the loss of low rpm Torque.

 

Nice pics there Tim. Check mine out.