I am going to buy a new ATV at the end of this month. I took a new 99 500 Sportsman for a ride. I was really impressed. But when I talk to other people about it I get some that say they are nothing but problems and I get others that say it is the best machine ever. I was even told by a local resort owner that he had to get rid of the Poaris because they kept breaking down. I really like the machine. Of all of the machines that I tested, I liked this one the best. But I dont want to buy something and spend all my time working on it.
Any sugestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Lyle

 

I bought a "99" Sportsman 500. Got 82 miles and 12 hours on it. No problems with it at all except that one bolt fell out of a cover bracket. It say's in the owener's manual to periodically check all bolts even on the engine. It also say's when you take one back for the first time service check (at the dealer if you trust him, I can trust mine) to re-torque at first service only,the engine cylinder head and cylinder base fasteners (bolts).This is at about 25 hours. I didn't check mine at all, but i will check them from now on. Thats the only thing that has happen to mine but that's not many miles on it either. But on the other hand my wife's boss who is the CEO of a bank, bought a "99" Sportsman 500 put 8,yes that's 8 miles on it and the engine is defective (that's what he told her). He bought it June 5th and has been waiting on parts since then. We didn't buy at the same dealer. I like the Sportsman enough to take a chance on it. Really the dealer that i bought it from told me that Polaris was real good about making up for something wrong on their atv's. But from what I read on here it was hard to believe that this dealer had such good realations with Polaris. But that's what other people claim that has bought there.
The SP 500 does require more maintenance than any other atv on the market. But i don't mind that.
I don't ride mine real aggressive, meaning that I don't look for the big mud hole or the steepes hills to climb. But i am in a deer hunting club that is 6500 acers of cut over, creeks,washed out roads with big ruts, and all of this land is real hilly except for the main road and the gravel plays out right after the road goes through the camp. In the cut over (the re-growth is just high enough to not be able to see what's on the ground real good) there are some trees that are laying down that are on a hill and they are tough to go over. In the winter the road is so muddy that a 4-wheeler that is not a 4x4 has a tough time. In some places a 2x4 atv has to have a 4x4 atv push or pull them through. It not the depth of the mud , it's red and you have to figure in the glue factor of it when it get's wet.
I don't abuse mine at all, but I use it.
Don't know if this helps but maybe it will.
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Harold Cowley Hartselle,AL



[This message has been edited by hc (edited 08-11-1999).]

 

Give the Magnum 500 a look if you have any doubts about the sportsman it is a virtually maintainance free designgood solid machine with a short but good service record look through this page on polaris machines and you will notice there are no complaints against the magnum machines 500s or 325s. I have a magnum with 600 miles on it and it has not had so much as a loose screw on it and I am an agressive trail rider . You give up the independent rear suspension but I have ridden both machines and I believe the performance is close. The sportsman has an advantage in really rough terrain such as rock climbing and such . Just a thought give it a look

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I too am planning on buying a new Sportsman 500 and am hesitant after hearing all of the maintenance complaints. Thanks for the input Harold. This will be my first quad and don't want a sour taste after spending that much cash. I really need a convincing push in the Sportsman direction to buy. It's strange how the owners either have great success or end up with a true lemon. I'll be interested to see the additional posts to this subject.

 

Lyle,im sorry to inform you of my troubles with my 99 Sportsman 500cc 4x4,but here it goes.Replaced tie-rods twice,charging system problems,hi-low reverse selector not shifting,two sets of clutches wore out,3 belts,decompression lever replaced,push rod replaced,cam chain replaced,cam tensioner replaced,pvc seal replaced,water pump replaced,and now after the quad was in the shop for 2 1/2 months,it uses excessive oil and smokes.Polaris will not replace it with another 99 model either.I know I have a Lemon because not to many Sportsman riders are having all the problems I am.The dealership will not do anything for me either.The dealer told me to buy a new 2000 Sportsman and they would sell mine for me,;;BIG FREAKING DEAL POLARIS;;.It is my recomendation that you stay completely away from ANY Polaris product at all.Polaris does not back what they sell.Their only concern is $$$$.And that is no way to treat someone who just spent 8000$$ on a 99 Sportsman and Polaris accessories is it?I have heard before what poor reliability problems P olaris quads can be, now I found out first hand.I hope I helped somewhat. BILL.

 

Bill needs to talk to his dealer, or sue him. I've had a '99 SP500 since last Augsut '98. There have been no problems. But that's typical for us. Some things that I think needed to be changed, but not problems at all. It's actually more than I expected. The Sportsman 500 ride is the best there is on the market. We have made quite a few changes to ours that ou may be interested in.

www.godigital-design.com/96Polaris.html

 

I have owned a Magnum 425 for 2 years recently I decided to give that bike to my wife and buy a new one. Had the Magnum been a reliable machine I would have bought a 99 sportsman. That was not the case it was in the shop more than on the trail. I bought a Grizzly instead and although I will admit the sportsmans suspension is superioir, the Grizzly was the right choice. It is quality built and takes what the trail will give it.
If you would rather ride than wrench don't buy Polaris.....

 

Jack what changes have you made to your quad?
Dave Formstone
98 SP500

 

I’m on my third Polaris Sportsman in as many years and put about 2000 miles on’em before I trade. Yes, there have been a couple minor problems but none that weren’t covered by the warranty or made right by the excellent dealer I buy from. My wife had a 425 Magnum that we traded for a new 325 Magnum this year. It took a lot of convincing to get her to do the trade. She loved the 425 but I hated the chain drive. Aside from the amount of vibration inherent in the 325 and the typical Polaris excessive brake wear, both her Magnum and my latest Sportsman have been trouble-free in the first 1000 (OK, 960) miles.

I feel so badly for people like Bill C. who have had such poor luck with their dealers and machines. After going through 4 years of owning a lemon Max and fighting with the manufacturer I know what it’s like. Life’s experiences having turned me into a natural skeptic, my tendency is to first suspect abuse when I hear about problems with machines that have been good to me. But Bill seems like a far more reasonable guy than most who use this forum as a soapbox to denounce the brand. And I remember how I felt when my Max would break (over and over and over……..) and the factory blamed me for abuse (!@#$%^&%$#@!).

Elsewhere on this forum the long list of used Polarises in the paper has been sited as a reason for not buying one. This is flawed logic. I move on to new machines because Polaris keeps coming up with attractive innovations I desire, and I suspect that many (not all) selling their current machines feel the same. I can only hope that the complaints voiced here and the reports of those turned to different brands by them reaches Polaris’ ears so they continually strive to produce more consistently reliable products.


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FloodRunner, on the Wisconsin River



[This message has been edited by floodrunner (edited 08-23-1999).]

 

TAKE THE BASHING FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH YOU DONT HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT SOME YAHOO HAS DONE TO CAUSE HIS MACHINE TO BREAK DOWN WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF ALL THE BAD PARTS GOING INTO ONE MACHINE GIVE ME A BREAK, HAVE RIDIN POLARIS SINCE 94 HAVEN'T HAD ALL THESE PROBLEMS HAVE HEARD ABOUT.RIDE WITH 6 OTHER 500'S SPORTSMAN HAVE 1 GUY GOING TO BUY 2 THIS WEEK NO PROBLEMS WITH ANY OF THEM.THE PEOPLE WHO PUT POLARIS TOGETHER AREN'T ANY DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES WHO PUT CAT OR ANY OTHER BRAND TOGETHER.THEY ALL BUY PARTS FROM SOMEONE ELSE ITS ALL THE SAME.BUY WHAT EVER MAKES U HAPPY,DEALER SHOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT TO DECISION.YES 500 HAS ALOT OF GREASE ZIRKS BUT WOULD RATHER GREASE THEM THAN WONDER IF CLOSED BEARING HAS WATER OR GREASE IN IT.NOT REALLY A BIG DEAL WHEN I GREASE MINE GIVES ME GOOD EXCUSE TO LOOK IT OVER GOOD HOW MANY OTHER GUYS DO THAT WE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO!