[throttlejock27]

hello, im looking at buying a sportsman. ive rode a few 500s before but never have rode a 400. im looking at a 05 400 and i was wondering if im goin to be disapointed with a 400 as far as power or anything else goes? i will be using it for hunting, hualing my portable ice shack and gear around and trail ridding. thanks guys.

 

[AZDesertRat]

I have no experience with the 500 but I do own a 2005 400 and I love it. I have had it on several trips over 6500 ft. altitude with no starving or power problems. I'm about 180 lbs myself, haul quite a bit of gear in the trunk and front rack and it suits me fine.
My riding buddy has a 700 and I have no trouble keeping up at all. Best of all on three recent 60+ mile trips I have averaged over 25 MPG each time and all included quite a bit of 4x4 mountain climbing, one in 18-24" of snow and mud at 6400 feet and another following switchbacks down into the bottom of a canyon and back.

 

[blueline15]

i dont think so. IMO the difference is not enough to worry about

 

[throttlejock27]

alright thanks guys. im looking at a 2004.5 sportsman 400. has about 250 miles on it with a polaris winch and a aftermarket bumper for $3500. he also has aftermarket itp wheels and some mud tires for it also for extra money

 

[AZDesertRat]

I paid $3500 for my 2005 400 Sportsman two weeks before this past Thanksgiving. It has 1100 miles on it and had a Warn 2500 lb winch, the rear trunk with the smaller accessory bags on it and is street legal, emissioned and licensed. Looks like your is very similar. I might add the suspension was upgraded, the lighting was improved and the front rack includes inside storage between the 2004 and 2005, not sure which yours is but I held out for the 2005 even though I found a couple 2004's priced slightly less.

 

[throttlejock27]

yea this one does not have the storage in the racks. ive seen the type u have and seem like a nice thing to have for carrying tools and other misc things

 

[blueline15]

i rode a 07 sportsman 450 last year and i am 6'3" and 261 lbs (muscular athletic build i swear!) and i had a blast tearing up the dunes and trails with it. had plenty of power for my needs!

 

[christpuncher]

If it's an 05 it should have the storage in the front rack! I have one it does 58mph and I use it with a 4ft plow effortlessly in low and tow my 14ft boat motor and trailer to the boat ramp 1/2mile down the road it has 1900 miles on the origanal belt. paid almost $1500 less new than my friends foreman! I was looking at new bikes today and not much has changed in 5 years accept the price there almost $1700 cheaper now!

 

[throttlejock27]

it must be a 04 then. he says its a 4004 1/2 so i dont know. thinking about maybe getting a 2010 500 ho or a left over 2009 model. went and looked at them today at a local dealer. looking at about 6 grand for a new 2010 carb model. im gonna call a few dealers tomarow about some leftover 2009 models.

 

[throttlejock27]

this is what im lookin at. worth $3500 isnt it? 250 miles on it. guy said he used it at his cabin a little bit and thats it. he bought it new. i hate the color though lol

 

[blueline15]

throttlejock27,

if you go new, be advised there is a $250 rebate on 2010 500 HO and a $500 rebate on 2007-2009 500 HO (carbed model) offer good thru feb. 28, 2010. make sure you get that rebate from the dealer!

 

[AZDesertRat]

Absolutely its worth $3500. With only 250 miles its not even broken in yet.

 

[denseleit]

I've owned both, the 500 is more powerful goes a little faster and is a full size machine vs. the 400 being an entry level mid size. We sold our 400 to buy the 500 and no regrets. The 500 rides smoother too and was more comfortable to ride..
400 was '08
500 is '09

 

[AZDesertRat]

The 04 and 05 400 is a full size machine, not the rebadged Hawkeyes they sell today.

 

[throttlejock27]

well thanks for all the replies guys im shoppin around

 

[blueline15]

AZDesertRat is right. in the year throttlejock is looking at chassis to chassis and suspension to suspension the 500 and 400 are the same.

 

[denseleit]

My appologies, wasn't aware of that....Thought all 400's were mid chassis..

 

[AZDesertRat]

Only the last couple of years when they stuck the bigger engine in the Hawkeye chassis. Until 2007 I think, they shared the same frame as everything up to the 700, without looking at the tank stickers you could not tell the difference. The new 400 is a much smaller machine and lacks the suspension, low range and several other features the larger units have.

 

[blueline15]

no its okay.....just FYI....in 2007 they had the fullsize sportsman 450 which was identical to the 500 in everyway but motor cc's. they also had the 300 hawkeye, which was on the mid-size chassis you were referring too. in 2008, they took that 450 motor and put it into the mid-size chassis and called it the sportsman 400 and renamed the hawkeye the sportsman 300.

your comparison is spot on about the two though. the full size machines ride so much softer then the mid-size. great for children and women who feel uncomfortable on the bigger machine but i feel its too small for your average full grown adult, although possible. i had fun when i rode an 08 sportsman 400, just missed the ground clearance and suspension travel.

 

[AZDesertRat]

And to get back on topic, the 400 the OP was referring to is a full size machine but lacks a few features introduced in 2005, namely the improved suspension, better lighting, new body style with pebbled finish to hide scratches and additional storage under the front rack. The 2004 with so few miles on it is still worth the $3500 though and is a fine machine.