Question about 05 sportsman 500

[thorguy57]

I am thinking about trading my 07 KX450 dirt bike for a 05 sportsman 500. Are there a lot of known problems with these machines? Does it seem like a fair trade? Does 716 hours seem like a lot? I don't know a lot about 4 wheelers and how many hours seem like a lot. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[Diesel man 03]

I have a 05 500HO, what type of problems are there suppose to be, my machine works great, I have about 120 hrs and about 530 miles. Please post the problems so I can keep an eye out for them.

[Bruce!]

Welcome to the board!

[WalkinTarget]

Not sure about the 500, but these are things to be aware of on the 700/800s:

Known issues with the 2005 Sportsman Twin include:

1) Recalls on the ECU (supposedly only on the carb model, not EFI)
2) TBAP wiring breaks or stress fractures as it runs over the throttle body (weakening of the wires from vibration)
3) Overheating issues when the radiator gets caked up with mud or dirt/dust.

In researching these issues, they are generally easy to correct for a few $$.

1) Check the VIN and see if the ECU was one of the recalls. Or buy an EFI model
2) Purchase a $40 TBAP wiring replacement, or make your own (prreferred) with thicker gauge wire.
3) Pick up a fan rocker switch for your pod from Quadovator and pair that with their matching autometer temp gauge

[Diesel man 03]

Thanks, already had the ECU replaced but had no problems before they did it, what is a TBAP wiring harness?