From my experiences, if the Sportsman is squatting, you need to tighten up the suspension.
I think the Rincon is setup pretty good, considering it is non-adjustable, but from what I have seen (and I only saw them head to head once) the Sportsman comes from the factory set up perhaps a little looser than the Rincon, but can be tightened up enough to carry a bigger load. Heck, I have seen HOs with 3 200+ pound people on it, and the rear suspension wasn't squatted down enough to make the rear axles 'level'.

 

I can answer a few of your questions, I have owned 2 sportsman 500's and yes both had shinney mufflers, but it was from running 13" wide VAMP's with ***** on the sides. The suspension was flexing going over big bumps at high speeds.

As far as pulling a load, I own an ATV pulling sled and hold pulls almost every weekend. I have seen both the 700 and the rincon pull several times. The 700 pulls good with lots of starting power, but won't pull with the grizz's or p650's. The ricon will only pull half as far and it's because of not having a low gear and locker on the front end. The 700 would pull as far as the p650 and grizz if it had a true lock out on the front diff, under load it slips and goes into three wheel mode.

Both are nice bikes, get the one that will most likely do what you want to do. It might come down to which dealer you like best.

 

Shotgun, The 700 slip into 3 wheel drive under load? and doesn't have a true locking four wheel drive? You have been running you quad in the garage with the door shut for too long. The Sportsmans have a true locking four wheel drive. Check your facts before you talk. The Rincon is the one that doesn't have a true locking four-wheel drive.

 

In the sled pulls (according to ATV Magazine) the SP700 came in third, right behind the Quest (1ST) and the Kawi 650 (2nd). Although the Polaris's longest pull was only .6 feet shorter than the Kawi's and the Polaris has the longest average Pull of 129.7 feet. Just in case anyone cares: the Quest's longest pull was 171.6 ft, Kawi 650's was 156.6, Polaris's was 156 ft, and the Grizz 660's was 152.6 ft.

 

I've pulled with Sportsmans for years, They were the best pulling bike out there, before our team went to p650's. Your true four wheel drive, as polaris calls it, is just magnets that lock the front wheels. Under the load that the pulling sled puts on the bikes the magnets won't hold, and the front tires aren't ingaged all the time. The true locking diff on the grizz's and p650 are actully gears that engage, there is no slippage.

Sorry to raise the garage door on you like that.

 

TGI

I didn't read the article, but if these bikes they were pulling were factory stock, then the Quest and 700 would be alot heavier, would have a lot better tires, and would have an advantage in hitch height. (picking up on the front of the drag).

Again I didn't read the article, but on standard ATV pulls, all bikes weigh the same, (1,000 lb, 1,100 lb and 1,200 lb classes) and they all have the same hitch height, 14 inches from the ground. Weight placement is everything, in the lighter class, 1,000 lb the Quest can do well because of it's mid mount engine but as the weight class increases, it does less, The lighter bikes have the advantage being able to place more weight on the front wheels.

I'm putting the door back down!

 

Wrong! Magnets ativate the fourwheel drive system. The six metal roller press against the inside of the hub which turns the wheels.

 

Shotgun, I'm not trying to bash what you say, but it just doesn't add up. How could that happen (3 wheel-drive) In no way is the Polaris awd system limited slip. Maybe one of the armatures (sp) failed or something weird like that. I've heard of the hubs not unlocking, but you the first person I've heard saying they slipped into 3-wheel drive like a limited-slip. Polaris's don't even have a differential gears.

 

i was just saying the top speed, not accusing anyone of anything. (the guy i ride with has a p650 & a sp700)

His sp700 had a "shinny" spot and it was all stock. he had his little daughter on it with him (60-70lbs, MAX!) and when we came back after the poker rally it had a shinny spot on the mufler. (bike is completely stock, including tires) So i "SAW" the shinny spot. Some people just need to relax. When i pointed out the shinny spot to the guy, he never flipped out at me and said "hey you're just mad cause polaris is better than you're yammie" Relax fella's.

I know what you mean though, dad's 300 honda has a long shinny spot on his muffler (12.5" bear claws) but a lift kit fixed that.

 

YELLOW500,

I KNOW YOUR NOT BASHING, JUST YOUR OPINION, AS IS MINE.

Back to the true diff. lock. When I put the handle and hold it in to engage it, I can't even steer. It goes in one direction, that's straight ahead because all four tires are turning equal. On your bike when your 4 wheel drive is engaged, you can ride all day, it seems to me when you turn a corner the inside tire has to go slower than the outside. So there is slippage or disengagement, that's what I see in pulling. my bike has 4 equal holes dug in the ground when we finish pulling, the Polaris's don't.

Don't get me wrong, in my opinion, your riding the best all around bike out there. my 500's were yellow to.