Within the past month, I have done two long (2-hour) rides on two separate Saturdays. On the first ride I felt NO heat from the right side of the engine. On the second ride it was burning my leg through my heavy-duty work pants. Here are my observations:
1. Both days were approximately the same temperature, and I rode the same time of day - noon to about 2pm.
2. I was wearing the same clothing on both rides.
3. I rode the same trail on both rides.
4. I was on the same tank of fuel on both rides, and...just to be clear...the SAME 2014 Sportsman 570 EFI on both rides.
5. On the first ride I rode at a good pace with lots of full-throttle bursts for 2 hours, and covered lots of ground.
6. On the second ride I rode slow, at 15mph or less most of the time, with frequent stops, while my son followed me on his Sportsman 110 EFI.
7. On the first (fast) ride I expected to feel heat from the right side of the machine, because I read so many complaints about it. No heat whatsoever. NONE.
8. On the second ride, by about 30 minutes my right leg was getting toasty - enough that I noticed and adjusted my leg position to distance it from the heat.
My theory, based on my experience, is that the Sportsman 570 stays cooler when it's moving along at a good pace, even if that pace includes lots of hard on the throttle. When I was literally putting along, just enjoying the scenery with my boy, stopping to take in the view or talk about the trail, it got HOT.
Anybody else notice the same thing?