Polaris Sportsman 500 HO Oil Change [[ Big Problem! ]]

Any one who has ATVs knows regular maintenance is a must. Changing the oil often will keep things running smoothly for a long time. These amazing pieces of machinery are still not built proof. Regular maintenance is a must. My Polaris Sportsman 500 HO is not my favorite vehicle to change the oil in. It has two oil drain plugs. One is in the reservoir. The other is in the crank case. The reservoir is very easy to get to. The crankcase not so much. It is a pain to get out and even harder to get in. The first time I changed the oil I mildly stripped the head. Due to the very bad angle to get a socket on the plug. Over the years it has gradually gotten worse. I have ordered replacements, but I always get the wrong one. Now I am going to have to take a trip to the dealer for a replacement. One thing you have to remember to do is prime your oil pump. Once you put your 2 quarts of oil in you have to pinch off the main oil line. This causes the pump to draw a vacuum and suck oil into the crank case. This has been somewhat of a issue for me when I change my oil. Often I have to do it two or three times. For whatever reason. This time I gave it a very small amount of throttle and it sucked it right in. This probably is not recommended. You are running slightly higher rpm on a empty crankcase, but it worked for me. Of course I had to talk positively about my four wheeler. It has been good for me over the years. With only one issue. But I put my BIG foot in my mouth big...