I agree 100%....Well said Beergut!

 

I,m sure the SP800 handles well but the XP550 handles better, but for me I will take a well handling machine with the much more exspensive and powerful twin cylinder big bore motor if your offering them both almost the same price.

Look at the people on this site that dump $1200 or more one motor mods (Pipes,jet kits,clutch kits,big bore kits and breathers) just to get there mid size motors be behave like a big bore motor,which is not going to happen.

 

So you would rather buy the sp 800?

 

Between the two at the "same price",the power of the 800 twin would trump the better ride of the new 550.

Polaris has always had a nice ride and the 800 is a proven machine with the same AWD system polaris uses in its new XP.

For the same price I just cant take a mid size single cylinder over a big bore twin cylinder.

 

Well considering we just had 17" of snow and 4'-6' drifts, I had to go play with the new 550. The roads had about of foot of snow on them and much to my surprise, both the 550 and the 500 cut through the stuff, even with stock tires. Now granted we were slip slidin' a little and had to feather the throttle to keep moving, but we made it through with no issues.

With the limited time on the 550, the main thing I noticed between the 2 machines is the steering/handling. The 550 is much easier to steer and feels tighter. The seat is also a little more comfortable on the 550 (according to my wife). I am 6'4" and 250 so the seat width didn't make that much of an impact for me.

Power is about the same and since both are EFI units, acceleration and roll out are about equal.

For our style riding, I am pleased with both purchases.

 

EFI does not have a power advantage over a carb. A 40mm throttle body deliverers the same fuel as a 40mm carb.

The 2010 450 ktm with a carb won motorcross of the year.http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/11/537...onclusion.aspx

 

I would say the biggest advantage efi has over carb is cold weather starting, fuel economy and dependability-
I'd agree one doesn't create more power then the other.
Being the muscle car freak that I am, and from hanging around the track pit as much as I have I can straight up say a finely / properly tuned carb can out perform an efi easily~

 

Agreed on the power. My point was that the EFI is smoother on acceleration and starting, especially in cold weather, than a carb'd unit. The potential for sputtering and stalling and the possibility of the carb getting gummed up if it sits parked for too long is virtually eliminated with EFI. Since both machines are EFI, my comparison between the 2 was neutral specific to that category.

 

Not sure about the dependability part. The throttle body relies on ECU/EMC if they fail you stuck also they need power for th FI sensors to work.

A dead battery cause no power means no fi wich means no start unlike carbed you dont need power to start.

leave your lights on and kill your battery on a carbed ATV you just pull start it and drive off,with a efi your walking or need a jump star.

 

You guys are leaving out the most important benefit to running EFI. And possibly the single biggest selling point to it. Altitude changes. You don't have to rejet EFI. For me personally, this is the only reason my next ATV will have EFI.