Hello everyone. I need your opinion.
I currently have a 2003 Sportsman 500HO with about 700 hours on it.


I have a chance to get a 1999 Sportsman 500 with about 100 hours on it. Very good shape, for the same price that I could sell my 2003 for.


Would I be disappointed in the power or any other features of the 99 vs my current 2003? The reason I'm considering this is that the 99 has much less hours than my 03.


Thanks for any opinions on this!

 

DON'T trade downward unless the 99 is in immaculate condition.. And even then I'd hesitate!! It's not an HO engine like your 2003,a little less power,BUT the main thing is it falls in the year range that soft cams were an issue.

 

Ah...didn't know anything about cams being an issue. Do all the non-ho's have the cam problem?

 

1996-2000 model Sportsman 500s were in the affected range. Plus all 425 engines that used the same cam as the 500s. The 2000 Scrambler 500 had the first HO engine. The first Sportsman HO came out in 2001.Main difference is the cam duration(holds valves open longer for better flow) larger intake manifold and 40mm carb versus the 34mm carb on the non HO models. Not all of them had cam problems but quite a few did. Here's pic from a 99 Scrambler 500 that had a ground down cam.Bad Cam Pic - ATVConnection.com ATV Enthusiast Community

 

The older 500 had 10-15% less power, depending on who you ask. It's not a huge amount but it's enough to tell the difference IMO. You would lose 1.5" of suspension travel on the front end too. I'd stick with the H.O. unless there's something wrong with it.

 

so my 98 scrambler 500HO really doesnt have the HO cam?????i know about the issues with the year cam but i thought it was still HO...says it on original plastics.?.?

 

Don't fret, I was thinking the 2000 model was,but the 98 Scrambler 500 does indeed have the first year model HO engine.. So not to worry... If I was right all the time I'd be asking for beer... Plus 2001 was the first year for the Sportsman 500 to have the HO.. Why the long wait I wonder?

 

hmmm weird they waited, id think theyd have put it in the sportsman first

 

Some people made their own Sportsman 500 H.O. before Polaris did. They just put Scrambler parts on a regular Sportsman 500. Polaris probably had a stockpile of non-H.O. parts to use up first before they switched over.

 

Yamaha did the same thing with the Raptor and Grizzly. The Raptor got the high performance engine parts and the Grizzly was detuned a bit. I remember people mixing Raptor engine parts with Grizzlies to make more power, 660's that is. Not sure if they did it with the 700 efi engine but I'm sure they could have.