Will be buying polaris, have some questions..

[ravenz]

Hello all,
I am new to the ATV world and plan on getting a sportsman later this year. I have ridden them in the past and cant wait to get my own. I have it narrowed down to a sportsman 500 or 800. I'm looking to spend around 5 grand, needs to be able to plow snow, and be able to ride some trails, nothing too crazy though. Power is important, but I dont need to go overboard. So what model years should I be looking at ? If i got a 500, what performance mods take well to them? All opinions welcome

[redneck2725]

Welcome to the site, I'm sure someone will chime in with some info

[Bruce!]

Welcome to the board!

[blueline15]

first off, welcome....

it sounds by what you need the sportsman 500 is the better choice for you.

-it will be much easier to find a 500 at the $5K price range.
- the 500 is plenty powerful enough to push snow (i have personally plowed with a sportsman 300 and it did okay)
- the 500 is plenty powerful for the trails. it is actually a lot of fun, as its not so responsive on the throttle so there is more "give" (i rode a 07 sportsman 450 and at 250lbs the 450 was powerful enough for me to have fun with it.)

if your looking for the "newer" body style with all the storage, you will want to look for 2005 and up year models. all and all, try to ride both a single cylinder and a twin. although i could live with either, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

the sportsman 500 single cylinder --- available in either carbed or EFI with ADC (EFI- electronic fuel injection, and ADC- active decent control which is engine breaking to the front wheels during steep decents, its a nice system) the motors are imported and made by a company called Fuji. but, Fuji has been making these motors for years and they really are bulletproof motors if you maintain them properly. not as responsive on the throttle (could be good or bad) and a little easier on the fuel mileage.

the sportsman 800 twin--- built by polaris in the USA. again, pretty bulletproof with proper maintenance. the twin has comes in EFI with ADC, so that is very nice. it is a parallel twin configuration. has gobbs of power very low on the powerband. it is much more responsive throttle, and runs and idles with less vibration then the single, simply because of the additional cylinder on the crankshaft. not as good fuel mileage.

honestly, you should really go down to the dealer and ask to ride both. see which one suits YOU best. even if you arent going to buy from the dealer, you should be able to ride both (just dont tell them off the bat your arent planning on buying from them) and it will help you establish a relationship with your dealer

[uncre8tv]

Originally Posted by blueline15

the motors are imported and made by a company called Fuji. but, Fuji has been making these motors for years and they really are bulletproof motors if you maintain them properly.

Wikipedia clarifies: "Fuji Heavy Industries now also maintains a US based production plant, in conjunction with Polaris, so that all engines are now American Made."

As a "Buy American" guy this was a selling point for me. Of course, Wiki doesn't have a date on that, so maybe for the recent used machines they were still shipped over?

[blueline15]

Originally Posted by uncre8tv

Wikipedia clarifies: "Fuji Heavy Industries now also maintains a US based production plant, in conjunction with Polaris, so that all engines are now American Made."

As a "Buy American" guy this was a selling point for me. Of course, Wiki doesn't have a date on that, so maybe for the recent used machines they were still shipped over?

this i dont know. i would almost venture a guess that they are being made in the US now, and that they were imported before. as polaris has grown to take more of the market share, it may have been cost effective for Fuji to open shop in the US so they didnt have to deal with shipping international and customs. i dont honestly know though, i havent done much research into it as of late.

[ravenz]

an american name is important to me as well. i plan on going to a dealership in the next month or two and riding a 500 and an 800 to get an idea of what i want.

[cdkmbjones]

Hey,
I just joined today - I have had a number of machines over the years - mainly in the snowmobile world but I recently bought some property in the Catskills of upstate NY and found my 2wd ATV was just not going to cut it - stuck in the mud more than once. I was curious how your quest turned out becuase I am in the same boat. $ are tight and I love trail riding, so the machine needs to be light and tight but must have 4x4. I found an awesome deal on a 2003 Magnum 330 4x4 and bought it. The little machine is not the fastest but it just goes through everything that I have tried. The key to out-performing friends on larger machines was a good tire choice - the GBC dirt devil was what I picked up and it was a good decision. Now I am looking to get another ATV and was thinking of a little more power and agility so I have been leaning to the 500 sportsman but really want fuel injection. Does anyone know what year fuel injection came out on the smaller Polaris ATVs?
Thanks
Chris

[phil]

Don't know when they started but the 500 has come with (or without) efi for a few years. My buddy has an '07 500 that is efi.

[cwlongshot]

Both will suit your needs. But one comment. If your going into this contimlating the 500 and immediately adding mods for more power, why not just do it rite first and get the 800. I mean you dont even have it and you want more power... The 800's got allot more Lo-end grunt and is smooth and sounds better than the 500. It's heavier so better at moving snow.

I was in a similar boat. I decided on a '07 700 efi and so far have zero regrets it's fast powerful and pushes snow easily.

CW