I am giving my 2009 500ho to my son and I am buying a honda 500 Foreman. 1800 miles and I have to replace the needle valve for 50 bucks and my buddy with his 08 500 Foreman with 14000 miles an has never seen the inside of a shop. My old sp335 was a pretty good bike but now that I think about it it cost about $1000 in repairs to get it up to 14000 miles

 

DON'T know what your problem is,whether leaking carb or what,BUT my personal opinion is the BST40 carb itself with the float system that actually holds the needle valve in place when the bottom bowl is replaced! Notorious for leaking out the overflow,excessive needle wear compared to the old reliable BST38. Just my old opinion,can't fault the entire atv in general! (Plus you can get the needle valve for less than 30 bucks at a couple online places) Maybe some more info could help? OPT

 

there are good and bad ones in every bunch for sure. the honda is a very good bike, but veryu expensive to fix if and when needed. you won't get the good ride and true awd, but i can under stand your frusttion for sure. good luck.

 

I'v got over 11,000 miles on my 08 and the carb has never been off or apart , it has never once gave me a problem . It the best most reliable toy I'v ever owned bar none I'm trying for 20,000 miles . Mine is a BST 40 11,000 miles problem free seems pretty reliable to me .

 

After being used to the power, the suspension, and the overall performance and ride of the Polaris you will hate that Honda before long and wish you had the Polaris back.

You will really wish that the first time you buy a few Honda parts.

 

Really...over a $30 part that's easy to change out?? Kind of funny actually...my uncle dumped $800 into the rear end of his Foreman last fall, it had 2500 miles on it. His bud had the speedo melt on his 08 griz a few months ago. My Xplorer is getting a top end rebuild at the moment! All bikes need repair from time to time.

It's a recreational item, be it ATV, boat, camper, etc....they cost money and need repair from time to time, regardless of make. It's the nature of the recreational industry. You have to pay to play.

Over a $30 part!

Wenty

 

I had the same issue with the BST40. Changed the needle valve and seat and it still peed gas out the overflow when the float level was set to recommended specs. The only thing that cured it was lowering the float height a bit. I've heard some KTM guys complaining about the same thing with that carb.

 

Yes the old KTM LC4 and the Duke had the same problems as well as Polaris. Mikuni has had over 10 years now on this carb since changing from the BST38 to remedy the problem! Most of it centers around the lack of pressure on the needle valve by the float assembly when assembled and the sealing o-ring quickly wearing which leaks past the seat into the float bowl and dripping out no matter what setting on the float arm! Best I could rig up was removing the metric o-ring and installing a slightly larger non metric one and twisting the seat in place. Worked for a while on one atv,then started doing it again! Some BST40s wouldn't leak,MOST did that I encountered from a small dribble now and then to just pouring out!

 

I still can't figure out what kind of trails (roads) you ride to average over 16 mph??

The number one reason people buy a Polaris is for a smooth ride, you buy a Honda if you want dependability.

We could argue all day and get nowhere. I'm not sure which one would be the last ATV I would buy, an Arctic Cat or a Polaris.

 

Yamaha has taken over the number one spot for reliability passing Honda . I bought my 08 carb because it lacked all the fancy extra's that can lead to problem's and expense down the road . With the high miles I do I figured less is better my main concern is total reliability . I ride almost 100 % of the time alone and so far this machine has been great . I did not buy the extended warranty and I would never of used it even with 11,000 miles if I had . Every ride I do averages 60 to 100 miles I'm a club volunteer . We have over 100 miles of trails that run roads and bush , the trails start 2 miles from my driveway . You don't need a Honda for reliability a Polaris work's just fine maybe even better