I rode a RMK today and boy is it sweet!! Great steering and control, low gears, and good power. Has anybody bought one of these yet? I can buy this one for $7000 out the door. Is this good or can I do better? I live in East Tennessee. I know I can get a Sportsman 500 for around this price and probably cheaper but for what I do, the IRS wont work. Is the RMK worth it or just stick with the standard Magnum 500?

Thanks
Scott

 

500SCR: Yes I have one of these. At first I thought I had made a mistake selling my 99 Magnum 500 and going to the Visco-Loc front diff of the RMK.
But as time as gone on I truely love this machine. Except for one thing,and it really is a minor issue for me, but , it is a lot slower than the other 500's. Top speed seems to be about 50. It is just the lower gearing that it has. I like the Goodyear Rawhide Grip tires, however not as much as I enjoyed the Mudrunners on the old Mag. 500. When these are worn out I will definately go back to the Mudrunners and when I do I will put the 26" units on and try to gain a little more top end!

Now the good points. I just went out last weekend on a trail that was just extremely steep. It is one of those that you just ride to the end of and go back the same way (hey they can't all be complete loops!). Anyway, this trail is 12 miles down hill and just the opposite coming back. Three of us riding on this day. One on a 2001 Magnum 500, one on a 2000 Sportsman 500 and me on the RMK. On the down hill segment, the four wheel engine compression breaking of the RMK along with the super low gearing made them both jealous. At times we traded rides just to experience the difference. They were amazed. On this trail, the two wheel engine breaking is pretty hairy! When we came back up, the standard Magnum did well, except for one exceptionally steep hairpin. Where he just picked the wrong line and almost flipped over. The RMK made it through all the uphills, even in the loose stuff, without a fuss. Now, my freind on the Sportsman had the most trouble. We actually had to winch him up certain places twice! I contribute some of this to the fact that a lot of the Sportsman weight is more rearward than the Magnum series. And, I contribute some to the fact that he his somewhat more cautious than me and my other freind. However, in the second place we winched him, before we did, my Magnum freind tried getting that Sportsman up the hill and he couldn't do it either!

At first when you ride the RMK it takes a while to not only get used to the stiffer suspension, but also for the supension to break in and soften a little. It will though and from then one it is not a bad ride. The steering as you've noted is extremely easy. I also find the park feature to be quite handy, especially when I have to get off on those steep hillsides and help others!

Anyway thats my 2 bits worth!

 

I rode a RMK about 2 month ago and i felt it is a lot easier to steer than the Sportsman. Whats your opinion?

The Sportsman gives me a very hard time to steer - no fun eh - and I really regret that I didnt choose the RMK.

Martin