Im going to look at a 2002 500 xc edge i think thats what its called .... anyways its red and everything looks good in the picture but what should i know about these sleds? what should i check on them when i go to look at it? thanks for your guys help jake. there asking 2500$ is that a good price?

Great sled! Thats actually the sled I was looking for before I found my 700. The EDGE chassis is great, works well in pretty much all riding styles and terrain... and is very predictable. The 500 VES motor is a pretty stout engine for a 500, extremely reliable as well. I'm pretty sure they were between 105-110 HP and bone stock could run 100 mph.

There are a decent amount of aftermarket stuff you can get for it (pipes, cans, heads, cosmetic stuff... you get the picture), but with some carb tuning and clutch work that sled will give some 600's fits, and you'll be able to keep up with all the bigger boys as well.

As far as what to look for heres what I usually look for:

- Overall cleanliness, both inside and out

- Seat condition

- Mileage, although a well maintained sled with higher miles is better than a low mileage sled that was neglected

- Look at the plastic pieces on the outside of the sled or the decals: If they look faded, the sled was probably stored outside quite a bit

- Look under the sled at the belly pan and bulk head, make sure nothing is cracked or bent. Hitting big rocks or stumps can easily damage the underside of a sled

- Look over the suspension both front and back. The front shocks and spindles of the sled will likely have some paint chipping and rust on them; however I don't like to see a sled that has a lot of rust in these areas. The rear suspension will likely be the same: probably some rust on the the suspension parts but there shouldn't be too much.

- Look the track over good: If its studded, make sure there aren't any or too many studs ripped out and if some are ripped out make sure its a clean hole. If there is a deep lug track (which there probably isn't) check for missing lugs, some may be ripped off but you don't want to see too many. For any track, make sure the rubber is not cracked and brittle.

- A little trick I learned from a friend of mine: Check to see how much "play" is in the handle bars and steering column. Typically, the higher the miles a sled has or the harder its been riden, the more "play" or "slop" the handle bars will have.

-Start it up, make sure it runs/sounds okay. If you can, check the compression on each cylinder (not sure what the compression should be on those sleds, someone on here should know though)

- Check to make sure they clutchs look good: The sheeves should be nice and smooth, check to make sure the rollers are still round.

I know thats a lot, but thats what I usually check over. Depending on the condition and mileage, $2500 is about the max I would pay for that sled. See if you can get him around $2000 or so.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

Great sled. Good power. 105hp. Stay away from pipes,heads,cans. None are worth a shit on that motor. Clutch it and leave the rest alone. My son rides a 01, it's fast with his 110#'s on it. Price is a little high.

Same here....stay away from the motor mods...they do nothing...clutching...jetting...add some studs and good to go. I'd offer $2,000 and start from there...especially if the shocks need rebuilding...bearings need replacement.. or the track is rough.

thanks and is there anything that usually goes wrong with alot of these sleds? thanks for your guys help

These guys are right: clutching, jetting, gearing paired with some good traction will be perfect for that sled. I was simply letting you know that IF you wanted to put a bunch of aftermarket stuff on, it is available... but not really worth it.

The only thing I could really think of is some people complain about the stock VES valves on the variable exhaust motors (of all displacements, not just the 500). I've never owned a VES sled, so i'm not the expert on this... but I've heard of the stock valves breaking off and falling into the piston or simply wearing and not performing properly. There are some VES valves made from a different material (again, not sure what) that are supposed to be more durable and better performing. In your anual maintenance just make sure the check them and clean them and you should be fine. One of the other guys can give you more insight on this.

Thats really the only thing I can think of off the top of my head. Those are very reliable motors in a well build chassis, other than standard snowmobile maintenance you shouldn't run into any problems. Take care of that sled and it will take care of you!

ok awsome.... if i get it ill be asking what to do lol but thanks for your help.

Good luck, hope it works out for you!

Never say never, but the VES valves breaking was really only the 800's. I'd replace all 4 drive bearings, clean the valves, and pull the fuel line out of the tank and replace it. They get soft over the years and fall off in the tank. You can have 1/2 a tank of fuel but when it drops below the the broken line level, you can't get the fuel picked up.

I don't think the valves on a 500 are an issue for breaking either, but clean and inspect them anyways along with the rest of the ves....check for any tears in the ves bellows...you can check the valve guillotine edges for any warping or curling....see it on a couple smallblock motors already as they pile of time and get into bad fuel. At this point its a good idea to replace the valves

That's a ok price for canada, unless it has a lot of miles and abuse.
I had a 02 500 edge-x for three years, it was a very fast 500.
Just put in some 56 gram weights, and let it rip.

Can't tell from your post if it's a xc500 or an xc500sp??? If it's just an XC your not gonna have the VES and that price would be pretty high. If it's an xcsp then it's an average price. I paid $1750 for an xc500sp last December with 2600 miles on it. Asking price was $2250

Here's what it looked like when I bought it
Click to view attachment

Then I added a windshield bag, powermadd tool caddy, red ski hoops, an 05 PASS seat, and removed all the decals from the tunnel and polished it up.
Click to view attachment

Next on the list are: gps mount, powder coating the trailing arms and springs, 96 studs down the middle, handle bar risers, chrome windshield, and arcticfx graphics.

Here are some of my posts that may help you.
http://www.hardcoresledder.com/forums/inde...=290320&hl=

http://www.hardcoresledder.com/forums/inde...=292296&hl=

http://www.hardcoresledder.com/forums/inde...=304551&hl=

Good luck with the purchase I hope you get it for a good price