Time to buy a new rig and I'm torn between these 2 machines...

The 2010 500HO is brand new...right off the showroom floor and is going to be $5400 + tax and all that fun stuff. The 2009 800 is my friends, he is looking to go XP or SxS. The 800 only has 120 miles on it and has been taken care of really well. He wants $5000 for it.

I've ridden the 800 and really like it...haven't tried the new 500HO. I'm assuming the 500 HO is just like the 800 and my 450 that I have. What do you guys think? Do the 500HO's get better gas mileage than the 800's? I would assume they do...but at the same time I've heard the HO's don't get as good of mileage. We mostly do railbed riding or dirt road type riding. Very little mudding or water holes. I will be doing a lot of riding with other 500's and doing a lot of long distance rides. My 450 gets between 80 and 100 miles per tank.

 

The 800 will have all the power you will ever need, a lot more than the 500 HO, and you know the person that owns the 800 and you know that its been well taken care of. So if it was my choice i would buy the 800. I don`t know what the mileage difference is between the two, but i would think with the 800 you should be able to go between 75 - 100 miles on a tank. You can always buy a fuel pack so you can carry extra gas with you.

 

i've owned both and theres a world of differnce between the 2 bikes. first the gas milage between the 2 is also a world apart in the 800 won't get very good gas milage(anywhere between 8 to 16mpg) vs the 500's can get in the 20's mpg when ridden gof. the 800 has alot more power, but if you don't care about the biggest and a little faster then the 500 is the way to go. if your riding mostly w/ 500's and in easy trails then why would you need the 800, which by the way runs hotter then the 500's where you can feel the heat on your right leg to where you really can't where shorts.

 

I can get around 100 miles to a tank on my 800. If you can deal with that I would go with the 800. If engine size is not an issue (do you have a need for speed) and you want to spend more money, go with the 500.
I would never ride with shorts on so the heat has not been an issue although you can and will feel it.

 

Just wanted to add that mpg will differ with the type of riding you do and how much your thumb is in the throttle...just my 2 cents...

John

 

I've got the 500HO and I've never been into the 20's for mpg. It has bags of power and in the trails I can't imagine needing more.

The 800 seems to me like a better deal however. We get a 2 year warranty over here on new bikes which would help me in making my decision.

I wouldn't thank you for the 2011 500, I wonder who designs them sometimes.

JF

 

Think about how many times you have heard someone say their atv is too fast and they want a slower one. And then think of how many times you have heard someone say they want to move up to a faster machine. The better machine is cheaper, this is a no brainer.
By the way you said you rode the 800 and you really liked it. Why???

 

Unless you spend most of ride cruising at 15MPH in high range on a smooth level surface, neither of those machines will go 100 miles on a tank. The 500 will do better... but you are not going to see 100 miles on a tank... don't care what anybody says.

At least with the new machine you will get a 6 month warranty.

I would get a gas pack (or two) regardless of the machine you get... for sure if you get the 800.

 

I guess we better listen to this guy....

 

I rode the 800 and really like it because it was much snappier than my 450. I liked the feel of it compared to my 450 in the throttle response. One thing that does concern me is the EFI and the lack of a pull cord. Do the 500 HO's have a pull cord? What the hell does one do if they have EFI and the battery goes dead or something out in the middle of nowhere? I mean even the best kept battery can have an issue? I just talked to one of my other friends who bought a brand new 2010 HO for $6400 earlier this year...he got the special oranage edition...boy does that look nice...he said he isn't getting more than 70 miles to a tank...but he hasn't gotten it broke in yet...only has 125 miles on it.

I was also looking and just found an XP550 for $5200 with front/rear cargo, bumper guards and only 600 miles on it.

My biggest fear is that the 500 just isn't going to be enough machine for me. When the wife is with me and we are group riding we cruise at 30-35. My 450 does well at that speed but doesn't cruise well at 45-50. When it's me and my friends out riding we like to get into the throttle a bit and ride faster. I really don't want to spend the money on something that is going to be not enough machine.