I'm about to get a 1996 Sportsman 500.It is in really great shape and I rode it and it felt great.I just wanted to hear from anyone that has one and how they like theirs.Also,tell me about any common problems.Thanks.






Red 2002 Recon ES
soon to be Polaris Sportsman 500(can't wait!)

 

I have a 97 Explorer 500, It's the same as the Sportsman without the headlight pod. I got mine used about a 18 months ago. I have had no trouble at all. I don't ride hard, just trail riding. I do work with it, hauling wood and such. Some say the U joints are week, but mine are original and are holding up good. I run 27" tires. I took some bad advice on that one. I wish I would have goten the 26" instead. If you get it, you wont be the fastest guy on the bloke, but not the slowest either. You will have a comfortable ride though. I like mine, I don't regret getting it at all. I would buy another if I could afford two. well that's my .02

 

the list of my parts are. cam,carb diaphram,rockerarms,weights,pins,tierod ends(all),a frame bushings,ball joints,front yoke, rear yoke, all four rear joints,both rear wheel bearings,one side front wheel bearings,steering stem bushing(2 in one year, cured with a real bearing),two bateries,starter brushes,recoil rope and pully,one caliper,many pads,transmision main and reverse chains, self adjuster,belt,clutch cover,muffler,
this is all i can think of right now, i love my bike when it runs but it breaks a lot. love the power and ride, hate the parts bill.
he is right on the 27, some brands wont fit without some customizing.
you may need to cut rear sway bar down, lift front, move front a frames ahead 1 in, reverse right hand tie rod end at strut.
watch your rear shafts , if the joints get even a little loose replace them. as they will distort your yokes if let go. dont by polaris joints go to local farm supply store and buy joints, i have had great luck with them and they are 10$ as apposed to 50$ each.
first thing to do to the bike is to bypass the rev limmiter. then buy k+n jet kit and filter. make the inlet for the box larger as it is not as big as the inlet for the carb. buy a clutch kit from super torquer. lengthen out your head pipe 12 in at least(alittle cut and weld)adjust your valves, and wile your in there make sure you dont have the bad cam issue.
all i got for now
by
betheviper
scott

 

I bought my 96 Sportsman used, got all the records on it and know the shop where it was taken care of, all it has had done since it was new is brake pads, I am real pleased with it. Mine is like new except a few scraps on the plastic. Gets great gas milage. 4X ***** must have got a lemon or is really hard on it [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] See Ya.

 

i think both, got a lemon and is hard on it.
who knows what else i will break. got to ride one more year befor i buy a grizz.wish they sold the blue grizz in the states.

 

Not to pick on 4x, but check out his signature.
HO cam
new carb
ported head
27" tri-claws
lift
clutch kit

In my opinion, the mods had something to do with the parts he has replaced. Those machines (the older ones especially) weren't built for that kind of stress on the driveline/chassis.
Whenever anyone mentions they had to replace the tranny chains in a Sportsman, I ask, 'Do you have any mods or big aggressive tires?' and the answer has been yes in all but one instance. In that instance, a seal blew, and it was run low on oil.

4X, no offense intended, just trying to point out that if you wanna play, you have to pay.

With an unmodified Sportsman, about the biggest problems I know of are the rear U-joints (like they said, replace them as soon as they get even a little loose) and steering components (go to HPD for center stem, do a search for the thread titled 'tie rod ends' for that).
Some had bad cams, but by now they should have been found & replaced.
I don't recommend putting a HO cam in a non-HO machine, as the crank, crank bearings, and engine cases have been beefed up for the newer machines. I doubt they did that just for fun.

 

none taken
the ho cam is a good mod but needs to be clutched to 6000 rpms not 6500 like the newer machines , like you say they changed the cranks for the better. the trany blew the adjuster just after all these mods. just a lot of miles on the machine.
as far as tierods im gona use joints from snowsled on the iners with car tierod ends for the outers. then i will be done for good with them. the stem was fixed with a real bearing and a carier welded to the frame.
got to go
betheviper
scott

 

Sorry to bring this back up...BUT...I think I'm going to go look at one of these machines. I've never bought a bike before. Would you guys recomend one of these? What should I watch for when I go to look at it? THanks alot.

 

buy a 660 grizz. i will own one this june. i finally found some one to buy my junk. that is my impression of poo, they are the best riding , mudding, handleing bike out there and first on the truck or to be towed

 

If it has the u-joints in the rear axles, that is probably the biggest weakness on those machines.

If it has the CV joints in the rear axles, the main things to check will be the steering components & brakes.

On all machines, check the general looseness of the IRS setup. If the bushings are loose, they are not that hard to replace, nor that expensive, but if the previous owner didn't grease the chassis, they may have been lax on other maintanence, as well.

As always, check for anything bent, and so the 4wd works.

Farmr