BITTERFITTER: see post #39 again, its edited. also lets stay on the point. the guy previously owned a 500, so he must of liked it. he was forced to sell because of money issues. so dont u think he should probably get something reasonably priced that will do just about anything he asks? these are 700 pound 4x4s people, why would most recreational riders need 70hp? because most dont. 500s used to be king, and nobody complained then

 

"Detuning" as yoyu call it,or rather mild engine tuning/building lends to improve reliability...these are utility machines first and foremost..
Using an engine of larger size and then setting it up rather mildly compared to what CAN be done with that engine size is a way to increase liability. Example..mild cams have lower lifts...less mechanical wear and tear on the valve train...Mild ignition timing creates lower cylinder pressures and provides a greater margin of error in case of bad fuel...ect ect...
Engine building 101...as performance goes up for a given engine reliability will go down.

Another benefit of larger displacement is more TORQUE at a lower rpm range....look at the peak TQ of those smaller "hotter" set up motors...the TQ will likely peak high in the RPM range compared to a mild build big bore twin,and relatively low compred to peak HP(HP and TQ are mathematically related,always being equal at 5252 RPM)...not really good for a utility machine...Peak HP is only a part of the equation...TQ and where it is made is equally important, and in some cases even more important.

Which brings up another point...guys might not NEED 70 Hp...but guess what that 70HP means...more power and TQ with less RPM....where that loaded down 500 is straining to make it up that long steep climb to the top of a hill the 850 will do it without breaking a sweat...
And when towing that extremely heavy load on take off the 500 strains to get engine RPM up high enough to fully engage the belt(remember that primary clutch and those weights that need centrifugal force to clamp the sheaves against the belt?) if the load is high and the engine doesn't have the TQ needed during inital engagement,at low RPM where TQ and power are at their lowest, to get the load moving then the belt will slip..the 850 again will snap the primary close and engage the belt with little to no slippage even with a load so heavy that you churn all 4 26" BigHorns on semi-hard ground befor the load gets moving...
Even with it's higher low range ratio the 850 will get a the same load moving that even the 800 would have a little blet slip to get moving...I know that because I have pulled the same loads with both and seen it first hand. The 800 with LESS traction would have to slip the belt some to get the load moving...yes they will both spin all 4 tires...but that inital getting the tires turing feels completely different because of the power...one feels confident...the other feels like you are abusing it..you can hear the engine bog and feel the belt slipping.
I think until you hva some riding experience on these machines you arguments are futile. Case in point you didn't understand what Roofer was saying about jumping up over obstacles, I do...if you are climbing over say a dead fall tree that is high enough to high center the machine then you need enough power to lift the front of the machine long and high enough for the rear tires to reach and get a bite on the obstacle....pull the front tires up on the tree and blip the throttle on the 850 and it will pull the front end up in the air so your back tires can get to the tree without the bottom of the machine hanging on the tree. I can tell you the 850 will do that SOOO much easier than even the Polaris 800,much less the 500...
I'm not saying everyone should go out and trade in their 500's because a bigger bike is a must...but to say that a 500 will do everything an 850 will is dumb IMO.

 

u are correct. also no matter the tuning torque is usually always double that of an engine half its size. though i agree with u on what u just said, i still dont see the need for an engine so big in a quad.

 

Depends on what you do with it....go drag around some 1000# logs or 1500# trailers for awhile I think you might change your tune...would you rather work your machine at 70% capacity or 100%? Again not everyone needs it...but some do,or at least it is nice not to feel like you are woirkng the machine at it's limits to get something done...Yes for strictly recreational riding 500cc's is likely plenty..but there again...now we are talking riding for fun...and if you like power,quick acceleration ect..then maybe 500 isn't enough...

 

no but id rather work my wallet at 70% then 110%. no i the 500 or 550 wont do the job as easily, but guarantee it will do 95% of the jobs u need to do because in my experience anything much over 400cc breaks traction before it loses power. ive towed fullsize pickups with my old foreman 450 and sportsmans and they lost traction, never bogged if they couldnt get one to budge (sitting a while with flats).

 

I have a friend who is the same way, same attitude (actually just a cheapo), saying his little 400 Kodiak can do everything a bigger machine can. Prove him wrong all the time....one instance

We were pulling telephone poles on our property to make a bridge. Our property is mud, trees, water, and more mud. The 400 pulled one telephone pole and struggled. My Prairie 650 at the time pulled 3 of them at once and never even flinched. You know what his excuse was???? "well, I still paid less for my 400"

 

i had a 650 prairie, good quad, BUT FOR ME!!!!! i never needed more then that in a 4x4, though it was fun on the straights for sure. also my user name may be new, but i am not. i was on here years ago and have been riding for 12 years now

 

See, always come down to the wallet.

I get this type in our line of work also. Some just want cheap windows, cheap siding, cheap roof. They figure they are all the same because of what the package says.

GO RIDE ONE

 

Here's another one.....go put tracks on a 500 and then try tracks on a 800 or 850.

 

what dont u comprehend? i will never ever put tracks on a quad. i will never pull telephone poles and i will NEVER EVER spend 9k on a quad! are u telling me the 500 is of crappy quality like a cheap window? shut up already