700 4 with 4 passengers

[montana76]

I have my 700 4 on order but have yet to drive one. I am going on what I am reading here and on other site. I have been seeing many videos that look to express the lack of power the Pioneer has. Living in MT we have mixed terrain and need to know I'm not going to get in trouble on a hill climb with my wife and two small kids aboard. I do not drive crazy or do stupid things but there are long step roads where we ride. I did ride the Viking but I am a Honda guy. This has me thinking I have made the wrong decision. Anyone have first hand experience with 4 people and steep riding areas 7k feet or so?

 

[Admin]

 

[wyo700]

I absolutely love my pioneer. Do not regret my decision that I got it but I had my first experience with a long hill that got steeper as it went up. I got almost to the top and had to winched the rest of the way up. It was just me and my wife. I live in Wyoming and was riding at about 7000 feet. Just because of this doesn't change the way I feel about the pioneer. I will rarely ever ever be in this situation and if it was just me by myself no other sidexsides I wouldn't have done it. I always know there is another way around. If you will be wanting to climb steep hills all the time then maybe rethink your decision. If mostly trail riding then get the pioneer.

 

[10spoke]

Don't get the pioneer. You will definitely regret it. I had 4 passengers and it wouldn't climb it would crawl. I climb a few steep Hills with just my wife and it made it up but at full throttle @ 8mph. To me that's just not enough for me. Imagine that will 4 adults. It will probably be @ 5mph or even slower.

 

[montana76]

I will not take a 12k chance... I have cancled my order with local dealer.... He gave me my deposit back and said he would re sell it today to peole waiting on "the list"

 

[Plumber32]

I had a great trip me the wife and 2 kids all the power I could possibly need following a maverick and 900 ranger in fact I got sick of them stopping to go from hi to low all the time we were at around 1200' and was rough terrain heavily a traveled and in maintained trails wash outs knee hi in the middle of the steep hills. Climbed up no problem and my wife was holding on for dear life my boys 2&4 were loving it.

 

[Plumber32]

I had a great trip me the wife and 2 kids all the power I could possibly need following a maverick and 900 ranger in fact I got sick of them stopping to go from hi to low all the time we were at around 1200' and was rough terrain heavily a traveled and in maintained trails wash outs knee hi in the middle of the steep hills. Climbed up no problem and my wife was holding on for dear life my boys 2&4 were loving it.

 

[scott]

I would wait and see if the 2015 pioneer has an update o2 censer or something that fixes the high elevation issue.

 

[TandT]

Here in Ohio I have all the power I need. I took my P4 on the Windrock trip with 4 adults and we did not have any problems other than not having the rear shocks set right and was bottoming out. Since than I adjusted the shocks and all is good. So glad I bought the P4.

 

[montana76]

I would wait and see if the 2015 pioneer has an update o2 censer or something that fixes the high elevation issue.

This is what I am hoping for... I am also hoping I will see one out on the trail and see first hand how it does out here in Western MT. I love the idea of it but it needs to be tweaked a bit for me to use.

 

[redridder]

I have put over a hundred miles on my new 700-4 in less than 2 days and had my wife and 2 kids with me. Had all the power needed and we had a blast

 

[ccbrett]

Ive had 3 adults in mine and climbed some pretty steep grades here with no issues.

 

[jimk]

I have only had my P4 out once, in the hills of KY. It was not only my first hill climb with it. But, my first time behind the wheel of any sxs, other than a few minutes here and there taking the neighbor kids up and down the road. On that first outing I wish it had a bit more power and top speed. But, since I was following a Big Red I stayed right behind my friends.
There is a step, rutted out, hill just before you get to their cabin. Not being used to how the P4 handled I was.very nervous with just the wife and I. I put it in 4 low. Put the pedal down
And she climbed right up without a problem. After picking up another couple, the P4 was loaded. Just a quick guestimate, my 3 passengers and myself probably weighed 750#. She went up the hill again without a problem.
I don't know how step the hill was. But, it was a couple hundred yards in length max. I will have to check out my gps data, if I still have it.

I hope that helps.

Jim

 

[clint]

I have a pioneer 4 and ride 4 adults from time to time, but they barley have enough power for 2 adults. I hope to see honda ad a low range and or more power in new models, other than that I am pleased with mine.

 

[Cali4nia]

I believe this has to do with elevation over 6'000 . perhaps it could be tuned for that elevation , I ride at 1500' and at 6500' and notice a difference in PEP at the higher elev !

 

[ohanacreek]

I am within 2000' of sea level for 98% of my riding, it's not a rocket here but I make it up @35ish degree hills (SWAG) with 600-800 lbs. of fried food feed southerners and a cold ORCA cooler ("Made in America"), thing is I'm as fast up it as a more powerful sxs, yeah they may spin the tires but not be moving any faster than I am. They are afraid to roll over just as easy, so they're still going slow.

LYNN, seems to have a solution to the altitude sickness, but it would be nice if Honda was able to reprogram the ecu to auto compensate somehow for high altitude.

 

[spifyd]

just left Montana road to 10000 feet a couple of times at the rally in the pines. there is some power loss as every machine has. I just put more air in my big radials and that all but made up for the loss.
there is one of two things going on here either there is some people flat out lying about the power of there bikes or there is a few out there with bad fuel systems. we had mine on the dino at 4000 feet an it made 25 hp and 26 ft tork.
that doesn't sound like much but it enough if your not trying to race up the hills. also we were trying to find out how far off the fuel programing was and if it could be corrected. it turns out Honda did a grate job on programing the fuel system. on mine at least.
if you were to install a air cleaner and a pipe then a fuel controller may help.

 

[ohanacreek]

just left Montana road to 10000 feet a couple of times at the rally in the pines. there is some power loss as every machine has. I just put more air in my big radials and that all but made up for the loss.
there is one of two things going on here either there is some people flat out lying about the power of there bikes or there is a few out there with bad fuel systems. we had mine on the dino at 4000 feet an it made 25 hp and 26 ft tork.
that doesn't sound like much but it enough if your not trying to race up the hills. also we were trying to find out how far off the fuel programing was and if it could be corrected. it turns out Honda did a grate job on programing the fuel system. on mine at least.
if you were to install a air cleaner and a pipe then a fuel controller may help.

I think it comes down to expectations, and it not being a 70hp motor so when it looses 5hp it makes a big difference.

I think some people are looking for "style points", some are genuinely loosing power, some have buyers regret as it's not a sport sxs, and others caught a fish this big.

Me I didn't buy it expecting a sport, don't care if I set the dirt on fire with wheel spin, want it to work hard, and just want to get from A to B and back again without having to repair it all the time. So far it has accomplished those goals. So I'm happy.

Def gonna try the pipe, air cleaner and better intake arrangement.