P500 Be Honest....Would you rather have a 700 or 500?

[Mudder]

Imagine what a double Trigger shield would do?

 

[Admin]

 

[trigger]

Imagine what a double Trigger shield would do?

I've thought about that before, I bet it would help?

 

[Mudder]

A sound meter test would be interesting. More shielding, less noise, and alot less $$ and effort than alternatives.

 

[Russ989]

I’ve had the 500 and now have a 700-4, I’d go with the 700.

 

[1border4manu]

For what I am going to use my 500 for, i would still have a 500 over the 700.

 

[DG Rider]

Looks like you have given this a lot of thought already. I have never been around the 700 except in the showroom so I can't comment on it. I own an Artic Cat 500 ATV and a Honda P5. I was introduced to ATVing a few years ago and it provided some of the thrills and escapabilities I enjoyed many many years ago when I rode a dirt bike forever in the woods of southern LA and MS. Now much older, retired, and living in Maine where most of the trails are across private property so "leave no trace" is the watchword or we'll loose privileges which happens every year in every trail system. I rode the ATV a couple years but wanted to put a little more and just escape, watch nature, picnic and maybe camp: so I bought the P5 this Spring. We had a really wet Spring/beginning of Summer so I had to ATV if and when a trail opened in mid-June and across my 50ac property. The ATV has more ground clearance, more wheel travel, is shorter more maneuverable and has mud tires. So far we haven't introduced a passenger into the story so lets go. I put a two up style seat and footpegs on the ATV and because this caused a bit of tipsiness and general clumbsiness in the maneuverability it only lasted one ride. There was the breaking point and I bought the P5. For older listeners who may have limited strength and flexibility let me step back a second and mention that with my RA (rheumatoid arthritis) I had to recoup for a week every time I rode the ATV which was another part of the decision to go SxS. The RA was so bad that getting the ATV in and out of these modern 10 ft high truck beds caused me to start trailering it which added to the chore of finding a good loading area. So if I have to trailer anyway and I want to putt sometime, the question simply became which SxS to get? First consideration like yours was what do I want to do with it and where. Now I'll jump ahead here and state that with the P5 I cannot go on a lot of trails up here that have water hazzards because the P5 has golf cart like ground clearance and limited suspension travel. There's a lot of submerged "gottchas" in those water/mud pools and no way in the P5 to go around as I could on an small ATV. But, I can go on a lot of trails the average SxS cannot because of size restrictions. SO there's the first big consideration. If you do not have this to consider then it releases you from being limited to the P5. The downside consideration is whatever the ground conditions are where you hunt as around the house is probably not enough to sway a decision. My ATV will run through the snowpacks up here up to probably a foot or so as long as I can race through the snowdrifts. NOT the P5. So no hunting with the P5 in the Wintah. As I say these things I know there will be other's comments about my challenges and I really hope you and I get some good feedback on how to overcome them. The P5 comes with size 24s and the dealer suggested I could go as large as 28s but larger than that would rub the frame/cause steering and other suspension issues and may even cause driveline damage if too large tires are tried. Sooo. How can that be overcome without replacing the A arms and probably widening the P5 beyond the 50" advantage? The P7 has this solved for a little more ground clearance but now you would not be able to ride the limited access trails up here, which may not be an issue for you. Next the P5 is really noisy. All that gear shifting transmission noise and engine noise right at your back. Helps to wear ear protection but that limits communication. Yes the do make add on mufflers but that doesn't stop the rest of the noise. I'm working on solutions for that in the bahn now. Any different with the P7? Probably not. Dust is a big problem on the trails but may not be a consideration; anyway the dust affects P5 and P7 the same. I have long legs and the P5 wheel well on the driver's left really cramps that leg room which is a blessing because I get out and stretch more. P7 has more room. The P5 does not have power steering. With my RA it was too hard on my hands and severely limited driving it because of the wheel jerk over rocks and tree roots etc. I installed the PS kit off ebay for 329 dollars and its awesome! NO more wheel jerk. When I bought the P5 I had the dealer install the winch and split windshield and I installed the roof. I'm not impressed with where the winch installs on either Ps for a couple reasons but there are other options that I didn't feel urgent at the time. The P5 has never overheated as some 4wheelers do after getting muddy water etc up in the radiator. You didn't say you were a mudder so probably not a consideration for you. Honda makes world class engineered products too, so you're pretty safe with either. Now here's a consideration I recommend - what are you going to modify/add etc? For instance the winch installation added a power block right up front under the hood which was very helpful when adding other accessories because you don't have to run cables all the way back to the battery which is way back under the bed at the passenger side. This block unfortunately interfered with the placement of other things which is a learning experience. Here goes - the aftermarket folks aren't particularly interested in our mods and they sell their accessories as though its going to be installed on a unmodified unit. ALL of them do it especially the biggest named one I will not mention. So when I purchased the glove box and installed it on my P5 I had to make another bracket and remount the electrical block for the winch and go back and forth with its maker with photos etc etc.. When I installed the PS unit I had to mount its control box in a different place in order to allow an under hood tray space to fit. Then the new improved plastic tray from a dealer who used to have a metal one with access to your coolant overflow will not fit on the P5. I will not mention their name but they were useless when negotiating this with them. So I bought a 6 dollar plastic Wallmart box and mounted it there instead of their new improved 135 dollar did no longer fit model. I first ran the P5 with things bungie corded to the cargo tray in back where the P7 has the dump body and they squeeked and drove me nuts even over the noisy transmission. So I padded it with rubber insulation used on AC units and I tie down a large heavy duty plastic box, another cheep purchase from wallyworld, vice the expensive Honda bag. This cargo tray is very convenient for trail riding and camping but I don't think it the best choice for yardwork unless you add a dump bed but I believe the P7 will hold more there. I regret getting the very expensive Honda roof because there are adequate ones out there for a third the price. I think the P5 runs nicely about 25 mph loaded with passenger and camping gear down the trail and has enough guts to up and down with the best of them. Limited by ground clearance. Because this is a P5/7 discussion its moot but these Hondas with transmissions are well behaved going up and down because you have engine braking not freewheeling and braking and loosing steering like with CVT style rigs, but that may not be a consideration for you with your needs. So I think you would be served well by thinking as much about how you will accessorize your unit as you do about how and where you will use it. Enjoy!

How long did it take you type this?

 

[trigger]

How long did it take you type this?

Lol, kinda what I thought too! I just skimmed through it and hit the finer points.

 

[DG Rider]

Lol, kinda what I thought too! I just skimmed through it and hit the finer points.

What did it say?

 

[trigger]

What did it say?

P5 is noisy and has a rough ride... P7 is better.

 

[mjager]

P5 is noisy and has a rough ride... P7 is better.

LOL That was one BIG block of text

 

[Backwoods]

How long did it take you type this?

I think that may be a forum record . Maybe he will win a winch or something . Longest post ever.

 

[nctrailboss]

All of my posts have that much thought involved,but since I can't spell or type very good,it comes out in 15 words or less.

 

[Backwoods]

All of my posts have that much thought involved,but since I can't spell or type very good,it comes out in 15 words or less.

It was good you put that much thought and effort into it.

 

[Mudwing]

I’m sticking with my first pick…700!

 

[Backwoods]

View attachment 143777 I’m sticking with my first pick…700!

Excellent choice.

 

[Slayer]

Well.....bought a 500....already having buyers remorse but that is normal for me. Definitely surprised at how noisy the transmission is. Travelling the next few days....will post more first thoughts later.

 

[NTCPrezJB]

Well.....bought a 500....already having buyers remorse but that is normal for me. Definitely surprised at how noisy the transmission is. Travelling the next few days....will post more first thoughts later.

Congrats on the ride. Word on the street is they smooth out and quiet down after the first service.


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[Xbow]

I am trying to decide which pioneer to buy, and I keep going back and forth between a 700-4 deluxe and the p500. They each have their benefits, but I keep coming back to the 500. I primarily use atv's for hunting and work around the house. I live around alot of national forest so the 50 inch width is a benefit. Not going to build a mud riding machine, just a good all around bike that the wife and I could trail ride with if we wanted. If I went up to the 700 I would want the power steering and 4 seats thus the 700-4. ....so if you had to do it over again, would you still go with the 500?

Now there is a million dollar question. Everything is subjective. I have both a P500 and a Yamaha Grizzly 600. Both have their place. The 700 also has it's place. It all boils down to what do you want in a machine. I bought the P500 due to the 50 inch width restriction on ORV trails. It can be loaded into the back of a long bed pickup as well. It is not a power house but has plenty of power for what I want to do with it. For instance; you wouldn't buy an 10 foot pram to go high seas fishing right? Also you wouldn't buy a .223 cal rifle to go grizzly hunting. Just figure out what YOU want a machine for and where you will use it. Then buy the one that best fits your style of riding. Either way, they are both really good machines. They are Honda's after all.

 

[mjager]

Well.....bought a 500....already having buyers remorse but that is normal for me. Definitely surprised at how noisy the transmission is. Travelling the next few days....will post more first thoughts later.

Me too, but it's the poor ride that is my biggest complaint. I'm still deciding what to do. Other than that, the machine fits my needs to a T.

 

[mjager]

To choose the P5 you have to be committed to small. Its physical size, weight and gas mileage are the advantages it has. It looks comical and puny at the trail head next to the buses with 100+ HP and 20" of suspension travel, they'll leave you in their dust on wide open trails. Then they try to follow you into the tight stuff and all that HP and suspension goes out the window, now you're waiting on them.
As for how much you can pack, it depends on how you set it up. I carry more than most and still have room for more.
Here's a video showing two P5's in their element, you won't see any buses on these trails. Advantage 500!

Nive video. All your above points ring well with me and I couldn't agree more. My only complaint is the rough ride. I mean on my bumpy, rocky trails in my area, its really, really bad.