anyone know of any problems with the 2000's sportsmans 500ho??? gettin ready 2 buy 1 this week..i've had a 96...but time for a newer 1....any one know of any problems with that year??

 

good all round machine

 

They have alot of grease points on them, mainly in the rear suspension. I think the HO engine was in 2001??? Someone else could verify this. I would get the HO engine before the non HO due to the exhause lobe issue with the non HO cam. Good machine all around though.

 

so the 2000 is a non HO?? and they went 2 the HO in 2001???

 

Pre Ho engines didnt have cam problems IF owners changed oil regularly!!! No difference in reliability between either cams! And I've seen a bunch of both! The only negative problem that I've encountered on the 01 and 02 Sportsman 500's is after a while they have a tendency to need clutch alignment and need changing out the early model brass washer that wears rapidly on the cap in front of the one way bearing on the front clutch. These cause the creeping problem on these two models! 01 and 02 are DEPENDABLE machines and I have a bunch I still service.

 

So when did the HO engine start 2001?? or 2002?

 

I believe it was 2001.

 

01 was the fist H.O for the Sportsman its the same engine but has a higer duration cam and a larger 40mm carb,which makes about 4 hp over your 96 Sportsman, it really only in the mid to high rpm that you notice the extra power over the non H.O

The only real advantage you will notice from your 96 Sp500 is they do not have all those fuses in the nose just a resetable breaker and they use stronger CV joints rather than U joints.