Hello,

I currently have a 2008 500 Sportsman EFI and I'm considering getting the wife the 400 but I'm a little concerned about going with a carb'd engine. Should I at all be concerned? I'm new to owning an ATV but thinking back to when one of my trucks had a carb'd engine I had nothing but trouble. Now I know that was back in 1988 and engines now a days are far more advanced but just not sure with an ATV if I should be concerned or just go with another EFI machine? I'm not bright enough is this area to know any better.

Thoughts and comments greatly appreciated.

Joe

 

EFI all the way..... I have had both and I like the EFI over carb. If you live in a cold area it is much more reliable starting.

 

That's one of the things that crossed my mind living in New England. I like the idea of the 500 X2 so that I can have the option to ride 2 up if need be.

 

We have both the EFI and card but have yet to test them side by side. Here in Arizona we can climb high in elevation real quick so I want to see how they perform against eachother. I have heard that this is the biggest complaint with the Carb compared to EFI as with starting in cold weather.

 

The carb is much more simple to work on. Like said before, EFI starts easier in cold weather. If you have any large changes in elevation get the EFI.

You wanna talk about sudden changes in elevation, try riding in the Rockies. I've been on trails that start at 7,000ft and go up to 14,000ft.

 

efi is the best w/ no question. we have the 400 ho carb and it does alright but you will need to use the choke for sure in our cold climate. once you get used to it its not that bad. imo.

 

I don't ever plan on buying a carb ATV for myself again (unless it's a spare ATV). I like EFI a lot better. But IMO you shouldn't let that stop you from getting a Sportsman 400 for your wife. Since the 400 is a mid-size it will probably fit her better than the 500 EFI and it's 133 pounds lighter. It has a good HP/weight ratio and it's a few inches narrower than the 500 so it should be good on trails.

 

Carbs are fine. I have had three sportsmans with carbs and never a problem. They are a little more cold natured and a pain if you take to the mountains (have to rejet).

 

Based on the replies it sounds as if I should stick with an EFI machine all things considered. Thank you all for your replies.

 

Based on the simplicity of the carb, I'm kinda parcial to them. EFI is great and seems to be good on the twins engines. I have heard and seen some issues with the 500 efi system for some odd reasons. Stalling and idle issues and a few other things have kinda haunted the 500 efi. They are better then when the 500 efi first was introduced but they are still working out some kinks. Part of the problem may be the way the injection system is mounted. I may be crazy but the 500 engine is still the same engine. They changed the intake boot and stuck an injecter and throttle body in place of the carb with a few sensors to control the fuel air mixture. To me, it seems thrown together and less refined than the 700 setup. I however do not have the experience with the efi and have 10 years of experience with the carb setup. So I'm use to it and know how to fix it based on how it is running. Now I am a GM technition and work on efi and computer issues everyday. The atv side needs some more refinement on the 500 end if it. From what I have seen on the twins the setup seems more planned out. I do know that the 700 engine was planned for efi and the 500 was not. Maybe that explains some of the kinks?? NO, I'm not bashing. Just thinking outloud. Now that I have rambled on I think I'm done. I have most likely confused people more than helped. Sorry in advance. (LOL)