Thanks for the input guys, since I have never ridden an atv over 500 cc and never one with power steering I'm going to try them both out at the dealer next week, thanks again.

 

i have the 850 xple and i love it but my son has a 400 kodiak and he keeps up with me quite well except on the straightaways on the road i have the power steering and i find it too much except when we do 10 12 hrs i find you lack the feel and it sometimes doesn't feel like off roading it is too much assist! i personally have never tried the non power steering edition but i think it would be fine they say the polaris is super easy to steer without the P/S i personally would buy the 850 over the 550 just because i hate regretting my purchases and the 550 is 20 less HP i feel ya don't need it but hell for 900 dollars why not???

happy hunting~!!!!

 

You need to go out and ride an 850. That maintenance line is pure BS. As long as you don't sink it, what's the difference?! If that is really a deciding factor we should ride mini bikes with chainsaw engines!

How can the 550 handle better than the 850???? The 850 has more power to jump over things, power through corners, speed over puddles in short distances........With everything else being very close to equal, the one with more power always works better. If you are comparing a 400EX to a Sportsman, then you aren't comparing apples to apples, thus a very lame comparison.

Saying a 500 sportsman will do anything a 850 will do is just a VERY ignorant statement!

Sure, if a 65 year old man uses a 500 and an 850, there will be little difference in what he can do with it.....I don't think that is the comparison that people want to talk about.


For this person, maybe a 500 will do everything he wants it to, but why even consider the 850..........


A 550 with EPS is close in MSRP price to a 850 without EPS. IMO, you'd have to have very good reasons to buy the EPS system when comparing that way. I wouldn't have an EPS system without a warranty, that is for sure.


Here is my 850 sound clip.............

850 XP :: hotseat pipe video by Roofer750 - Photobucket

 

where did i ever compare anything to a 400ex or anything similar? i said a 500 will do anything an 850 will do except outrun it! and that is true!!! (and severly deep mud) what does "jumping over things" have to do with handling? if u cant notice the weight difference then ur not pushing hard enough. so i guess people never replace belts huh? id rather buy two nice used machines then one over priced over powered machine that u need another couple grand to run like that decal suggests! and what does that tell u? these things are getting too big. if u have to detune the crap out of an engine before u put it in the chassis, then why bother? none of them are tuned within an inch of there lives. choke on that

 

500-696 lbs. dry
550-726 lbs. dry
850-774 lbs. dry

There is a weight difference on paper, but NO I do not notice the weight difference. For one thing the handling of the XP is leaps and bounds better than the older SP's, thanks to getting rid of the struts. The thing I DO notice is that the 850 feels so much lighter and nimble because of the 70 HP.

I don't get you analogy on the HP either. 500 and 550 are around 40 HP and the 850 is at 70........that seems about right to me.

 

"seems right" in what way? u do know that those are crank numbers right? 70hp is pathetic for a twin cylinder 850cc fourstroke. the smaller the displacement in quads the "hotter" they seem to be state of tune wise. in other words the 550 looks to be putting out about what it should. i mean does it have more potential? sure, everything does, but the 850 has ALOt more because of how choked it is from the factory. 55-60 wheel hp isnt much for a 850 sorry to tell ya.

 

Simple math

850/500=1.7
70/40=1.75

70% bigger 70% more power.

Granted it is choked up...I get your point, but relatively speaking, the power compared to the others, is right on or close.

As you can see, I've been on here since 2000 and been through quite a few atv's. I understand crank numbers and rear wheel numbers.

The 850 doesn't get 55-60 RWHP. It's actually closer to 40. I think a 500 only gets 18 or so to the ground. Like I said, go ride a 850 and a 500, you will notice a big difference.

 

Triumph motorcycles bonneville has an 865cc parallel twin that makes 67 HP.
HD's 883 v-twin makes 50 HP.
BMW's F-800ST makes 85 HP.
Ducati's supersport 900 makes 85 HP.
All crank numbers. The first two use 87 octane, the second two need premium.

The 850XP engine is in that mix. I don't know how de-tuned it is, but it certainly isn't as detuned as the Kawi BF750 moter is.

As for the weight and displacement arguement... ride em all and get what you like best and can afford. I can tell the difference between my old 500HO and the XP. To me it's leaps and bounds difference. Depending on how you ride, you may not notice it so much. And the 500HO is a very capable quad, especially for the money.

 

your comparing an air cooled pushrod cruiser engine, not a good comparison. yeah 70 and 85 arent close. 85 is closer to what it should have at the crank in my opinion, which is too much for a 750lb quad...

 

yes but the 850 is also a twin, not just 70% bigger. also i know they put down more then that at the wheel, the 500 scrambler/sportsman put down 400ex numbers at the wheel (mid to high 20s). there should only be a 20% difference from the crank to the ground. ive seen smaller displacement 4x4s with more numbers at the wheels