Last summer when I bought this beast I stated an honest longer term
review would be coming, well here it is.
We've always had Honda's and I was a bit hesitant to go with the
Sp 500, first time out summer of 2000 on the Gladwin Trails the
gas cap leaked over the plastic (ruined it) and the left rear tire
went flat overnight. I was not happy... the dealer replaced the
silver plastic and the cheap gas cap gasket, bad valve in the wheel
was the bad guy on the flat. Lets try it again, after riding both
private land and state trails, thick mud, water, medium hills ect.
day and night riding this has turned out to be one fine machine.
Get a WINCH, this baby is Heavy and can get stuck in the heavy deep
mud, two men and boy have their work cut out for em".
Great ride,good power, a bit top heavy she'll stand up on two wheels
climbing off camber but you can shift your weight and control her.
The Beast is high maintenance with all the grease fittings but this
could be a positive if properly maintained.Good lights but I am
lookin' at some home wiring as some have done. Starts right now
and runs well no further problems, yes I would buy this bike again.
Like to see some weight shaved off this model and some things are
not easy to service but an all around good machine.

Regards, SwampDog

 

My 2000 has been the same way, awesome, I tore a CV boot other than that not a thing has gone wrong. When I parked it yesterday it had 2008 miles on it. The ride is second to none, I have never ran out of power or thought I needed more. It will run 55- 60 with 2 people on it. I have been stuck once and yeah it took a 425 Magnum and 400 Xpress and 4 people to get it out. I carry a hand wnich with about 100 feet of cable and strap. I have no complaints at all, never have since I took ownership of it. I figure with over 2000 miles on it I am able to give a reliability testament. The grease fitting are a pain at first but after I new were they were and got a flexible grease gun hose It takes me 20 minutes to hit them all. After 2000 miles I have personally never been happier with any toy I have owned, this has been my most trouble free ATV, by far.
Polaris truly builds the most satisfying ATV's on earth.

 

Thats great news. I have about 250 miles on my 2000 RSE sp500, not even broken in. I installed a warn winch myself and replaced a torn cv boot. I also put on the A-arm and full skid plates that polaris sells. I have been studing all of the mods most people have done to make their machines "H.O.'ed" It is tempting but adds up$$$! If there was a tried and true modification list of parts that was proven I would go for it.

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know what has worked for you.

-Joel

 

I was a bit hesitant buying my 2000 Polaris SP500 last November when my wife and I went shopping for a second machine. Our other machine is a 1999 Kawasaki Prairie 400 4x4. Polaris was the only brand I hadn't done any research on (other than Honda).

After walking back and forth in the showroom looking at different models, I kept coming back to the SP500. I must admit, a big part of my reasoning for getting it was the styling. I just thought (and still do) it was the meanest looking machine.

Another big thing was the selectable 2 and 4wd, which the Kawasaki doesn't have. The SP500 feels much more nimble (lighter steering) than the full time 4wd Kawasaki, even though it weighs 100+ pounds more.

Anyway, I've never regretted buying it, and so far haven't had a single problem with it. My son and I did 80+ miles at Bull Gap last Saturday, riding pretty hard and fast. One other bit of info: The Kawasaki is ever bit as fast as the SP500, including accelleration and
top speed. In fact, when I reached my top end, the Kawasaki was pulling ahead slightly.

Ok, I'll quit boring everyone now [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]