I HAVE HAD MY SP500 FOR ABOUT A 1 1/2 YRS AND I CAN SAY THAT I HAVEN'T HAD ANY TROUBLE WITH THE BELT DRIVE. I JUST HAD TO PUT IN A U-JOINT THIS WEEK THOUGH. AS FOR MANUFACTURE PREFERENCES MY 1 SON OWNS A YAMAHA AND THE OTHER OWNS A HONDA AND MY WIFE IS LOOKING AT A KAWASAKI. WOW

 

Prarie-Dog,

Sure is air cooled, that's what all those fins on the cylinder and head are for! Yes it has an oil cooler and fan to keep the oil cool and generally keep engine heat down. Make no mistake though it is an air-cooled engine.

This is the same setup that many of the other manufacturers use. Honda has done this for years.

DJ

 

Don't worry about the belt. My brother in law has had two sportsman 500's. The first one was dead reliable, The second has had a few problems that were looked after by the manufacturer. He has towed everything from empty haywagons to a trailer with 10 people on it. He has swamped the tranny a few times. That led us to replacing one belt in over 5000 miles.

 

Deej, I stand corrected, you are correct, it is air cooled. However, with the addition of the oil cooler and fan, it sure beats an air cooled engine with out the oil cooler. That's the point I was trying to make, that's all.