SP500 vs SP700 EFI

[Ken]

lol... We all have our issues. I love the 05' however my concern are the footwells.... Way to much plastic for the way I ride. Check em out... you'll see what I'm talking about. With the 04 we have a way to add and install metal footwell guards.

Where there's metal and a welder...there's a way to make something.

[Gregg]

I was just looking over the specs of the 500 HO and 700 EFI and discovered something very interesting...

On all of the EFI models, the gas tank is 4.13 gallons.

On the carb models, the gas tank is 4.75 gallons.

WTF?



I know a SP500 will get the same mileage as my Grizzly based on prior experience. But as Gregg pointed out, above 35 there isn't much "oomph." My Grizzly definitely has oomph above 35, though maybe not as much as a 700. And there's a lot of fun to be had with "oomph."

Dang... decisions, decisions.

Rob

From what I have read, all 2005 Polaris Sportsman's have a 4.25 gallon tank. The EFI models may have an in-tank electric fuel pump which displaces 0.12 gallons to yield 4.13 effective. Some of the specs on the Polaris website are supposedly incorrect (Go Figure!!).

There is a definate lack of "oomph" above 35 mph. It accellerates but takes it sweet time to break 50. Of course my fat ass plus winch, bumpers, tools & extra fuel don't help.

[Stumppuller]

One major problem I found on the Polaris EFI is the Fuel Pump is in the tank which is where they have to be I hear, but the problem is someone told me if you run it low on fuel, the pump heats up from fuel starvation and eventually will cause it to fail. I usually run my machine till it needs fuel as I go on long trips so fuel economy is very important to me as is ride quality, so hearing that I could end up having to be towed home did not impress me at all, especially seeing my friends 03 700 twin blowing the motor in the woods and having to be towed home and on another ride in the winter the starter going with NO backup so we pulled him again.

I think alot of the guys not having problems ride in hot weather most of the time but here it gets to -30 sometimes and we ride in all weather. I've been scared away from Polaris for now, from a polaris owner. I can't afford break downs and If's, I need something dependable like by traxter XT that has 3500 hard miles on it and has had NOTHING changed, except for AC 650 radials and a suspension kit added for a better ride.
I'm thinkig grizzly for a second bike as the 04-05's seem to be bullet proof.

[RobG]

A VERY valid point about the fuel pump issues. I've heard that this is a tendency with many EFI machines. What I don't understand is why they didn't use the fuel pump design like on the Predator sport quad, which isn't inside the tank. That would have been MUCH better.

This pretty much nixes my 700 EFI plan and puts me back at wanting the 500.

Rob

[Mr. Miyagi]

Back to the 500? lol.....

I can't remember where I heard this however someone was saying the 500 is far louder/noiser than the 700. Ken, who was it?

I think it was the old guy who I photographed putting his two polaris quads "on" the back of his truck (with the long ass trailer) at the Yuba river crossing where (if I remember correctly) you found your GPS. lol..... I looked in my truck I swear.....roflmao.

[Stumppuller]

For the guys who put there Quads up on rocks like they do, I'm no expert but I'd stay away from the EFI, as the pump is in the bottom of the tank that means when you get to 1/2 a tank of fuel, the gas will be upside down with a fuel pump starting to get starved which will eventually strand you.
Rob, I've heard that every EFI, has to have the fuel pump in the tank to run.
I personally are at the cross roads like you but when you see what I've seen I my heart says Polaris big axles, beautiful looking, but what my brain says is Rock tough grizzly.
My cousin has a 660 that he abuses in water, mud, speed, pulling and has only broken 1 CV and it was his fault.
My buddy that rides with us with the 700 SP, has been towed home 2 times on big trips, Starter locking up, NO back up, and the motor blowing for some reason, and he rides it carefully, and also blew a belt because he wasn't in LOW gear going over a tree, his fault but my cousin rarely uses LOW gear and has twice the miles this guy had.
In canada were talking prices of 10.000 + tax, so you want to make sure you get a machine that will last years without costing you more money except for oil and gas of course.
I go far into the woods in all types of terrain from deep snow, to mud, to water, to mountain riding, to fast hard fire road riding to back into mud and rocks, and I sometimes Load my machine with heavy gear and a passenger. So far my 02 Traxter XT has been the proven machine, and now will be carrying a 12 Aluminum boat on a rack on top of all the gear on a 100 mile trip.
From my experience and knowledge I just can't bring myself to trust this company for rock solid toughness, pictures are nice but most on this forum are 20 mile trips with how many break downs, as my polaris friend said when he seen half the pics.
Also I think the -20 C snow riding doesn't help some of these machines, I read all the forums from www. atvfrontier.com to highlifter.com to atvconnection.com and i've seen more info on all brands and some are rider abuse forsure but others beg the question.
Part of me still wants Poaris 700EFI but I can't take a chance with this kind of money, especially with a 6 month warranty.

[RobG]

I know what you mean about Grizzly tough. My Grizzly has 4000+ miles on it and has been through hell and back with me. I think it's been on its side at least four times (all my fault of course)... it's been on the Rubicon twice, Fordyce once, in Moab, on lots of really tough trails and it's always done great.

Still, I don't want another Grizzly... I want something different. That's why I've leaned towards the Sportsman. I already know Honda doesn't make anything I want, nor does anyone else. The Suzuki King Quad is nice, but I've heard of too many transmission problems... plus EFI is an issue now. So I'd have to go to the Brute Force, but now we're at a 750cc twin that sucks gas as bad as a SP700.

Oh well, at least I have plenty of time to debate and decide.

Rob

[Ken]

From my experience and knowledge I just can't bring myself to trust this company for rock solid toughness, pictures are nice but most on this forum are 20 mile trips with how many break downs, as my polaris friend said when he seen half the pics.

Breakdowns? Who? When?


In 1,200 miles of 20 mile increments...we've only had 3 breakdowns.

1) Terry, rolled his Quad and messed up AWD switch and didn't fix it. 5 rides later, it gave out prompting a trail repair. I'd say that's USER inflicted.

2) My wife's ATV had a circuit breaker rust (the person who owned her quad before her was a mud bogger). The ATV still ran, though the headlights and 4WD flashed in and out. Previous User inflicted.

3) I rolled my Quad in the snow, and broke my throttle. User inflicted.


That's countless runs, thousands of miles with a Polaris 600, Polaris 700, Polaris 700, Polaris 700, Polaris 700, Polaris 700 and a Polaris 700.



You've seen the pictures....nobody beats their ATV like we do.

[RobG]

In my very waffling way, I may have made a decision. At least for the moment. This doesn't mean it won't change again, but at least for right now I made a decision.

After a particularly disappointing attempt at mountain bike riding this morning, I went by the local Polaris shop that I'm good friends with. Since I keep their computers running, they like me and don't mind me hanging around.

I went back into service to pick the brains of the mechanics. I told 'em about something, "I heard online," about possible fuel pump failures on the EFI systems.

They told me that the way the fuel pump is placed in the tank of the EFI Sportsmans, there is no way it will be uncovered without the machine being stood on end... and in that case, the pickup will not get any fuel, and the machine will stall. These are the guys who have attended the Polaris tech training, and are also seasoned mechanics in their own right... not 18yo kids who follow a step-by-step.

That being said, I then asked to ride a SP500HO and a 700EFI in the parking lot back to back to compare. I've already been told I can take 'em out on the trail to really test 'em, but for now since I have no $$, I thought a parking lot ride would be okay.

So I rode a 500 around for a bit. They have some nice potholes in the lot, which was nice. You can barely feel 'em. Maneuvered around stuff, backed up, etc. Then I repeated the process on the 700EFI.

Power... I can't really tell a power difference between the two, not at parking lot speeds (15 mph or less). What I did notice immediately was a much nicer sounding motor and far less vibration on the 700EFI. It ran smoother, and the clutch engagement was invisible, whereas it was noticeable on the 500 (and my friend's 04 SP400).

All in all, I liked the 700EFI a whole lot more than the 500. Both machines that I rode were Camo. After comparing the green plastic to the camo, I decided that camo was the way to go becacuse it dosen't really show much dirt or scratches. That made the choice of the 700EFI much easier since the only color it comes in that I like is camo.

And so there you have it... I've chosen the 700EFI. At least for today.

The $49 winch deal ends at the end of May, so I have until then to make the purchase. I have two people interested in my snowmobile and I might just sell it (and buy a new one again in the fall) and put that money towards it. Hmmm.....

Rob

[Mr. Miyagi]

lol... All of those user inflicted issued were ridable. With the exception of Mirens ride.... (which, had we known what to do) would not have needed a tow (BTW - the only tow). All the others were fixed and returned on their own power.

I've rolled my quad maybe 5 times. Started right up.... and, talk about abuse. I've never worried about going fast over huge rocks (trust me when I say, forward or reverse). I've been amazed at times the Polaris put up with my abuse. Actually, that's one of the reasons I don't want to sell it....

I guess all makes and models have their lemons.

[Gregg]

So I rode a 500 around for a bit. They have some nice potholes in the lot, which was nice. You can barely feel 'em. Maneuvered around stuff, backed up, etc. Then I repeated the process on the 700EFI.

Power... I can't really tell a power difference between the two, not at parking lot speeds (15 mph or less). What I did notice immediately was a much nicer sounding motor and far less vibration on the 700EFI. It ran smoother, and the clutch engagement was invisible, whereas it was noticeable on the 500 (and my friend's 04 SP400).


Rob

Did you happen to notice if the 500 had an engine noise (like a tapping or knock) at idle that went away as soon as you started moving or revved it up a little? Clutch engagement was invisible on mine when new. After 400 miles you can just barely feel it engage. Once the warranty is over I plan to do some clutch mods.

[RobG]

I did not notice a knock, and I probably would have because I was paying close attention to the sound and feel of both machines; I really loved how smooth the 700EFI was.

However, the next time I'm over there, I will start up a few 500s and see if any of 'em have the knock. Do you notice it even when cold or only after it's warmed up?

Rob

[Mr. Miyagi]

God you guys....

Get over the fricken knock..... You don't hear it when your riding!! and... when idling.... turn it off......... save fuel. roflmao.....

[Ken]

LOL...


Rob...thanks for posting your painstaking search...It's been enlightening...I didn't know about the fuel pump...but in my book...there's probably no less than 100 items on any ATV that could fail and cause a TOW BACK to the car....so 1 more....doesn't sway me much.

I REALLY like how Polaris didn't try to reinvent the wheel with their EFI and simply used a tried, and test Bosche system.


And, we won't chide you if you change your mind again. My hope is that ANY brand you select...does what you need, reliably. I'm with Terry...any brand can have a lemon.


As for knocking...and noise in general. I know what you're talking about, as far as smoothness in the 700, versus the single cylinder 500.

As far as other "noises" on Polaris or whatever brand. Look...I have a 1947 Willys Jeep. And given the brutal tweaking that rocks do to suspension, frame, etc...I would be concerned if my Jeep didn't make ANY NOISE. I hear noise, moans, bangs, clicks and such all the time. It's just a fact of rocks.

[Gregg]

Big difference between a 47 Jeep and a brand new quad with 30 hours on it. I havent made an issue of chassis thunks and groans or body rattles, but there are plenty. An engine knock on any brand new vehicle is cause for concern in my opinion. If it is a harbinger of more serious issues down the road, I want it fixed on Polaris's dime, not mine. A new engine shouldn't have a knock, whether it's only at idle or at all speeds and whether it's in a quad or a Benz.