P500 Checking Out

[JRF]

Well it has been only 10 months, and I’ve decided to leave the Honda Brotherhood. Fantastic, knowledgeable and dedicated group of people here in this forum. Our P520 (with winch, roof, poly windshield, power steering, 26” tires and alloy rims) although a great 50” utility machine, was not suitable for our riding purposes without spending a significant amount more to improve the ride quality, as crewcabrob is doing (kudos to that quality build). We put 1200 km (750 miles) since new in October 2021, about 12 rides averaging 70 miles per outing; we were pretty beat up after each ride (mostly rough old logging roads). Went to the dealer last week to trade up for a new P1000-3 with full enclosure, and was told they wouldn’t order unless we were willing to wait 1 to 2 years…..😳 (wtf, Canada eh), they had 21 customers with deposits still waiting over a year for their machines, and this is a power sports Honda exclusive dealer. So went down the street to a very large CanAm dealer and secured a Defender Limited full cab with P520 on trade, picking it up next week. Something wrong with Honda in Canada, we get the short end of the stick. Stay safe and ride everyone.

 

[Admin]

 

[Remington]

So went down the street to a very large CanAm dealer and secured a Defender Limited full cab

Sorry to hear this. Canned Ham makes a very nice sled, I own 4 but SXS’s…some of my friends that have had them have since moved on. Only one still has one cuz he has no money to buy something else 😂

I wish you the best with your new rig, so dont take this the wrong way.

After reading your post, sounds like u went to 1 Honda dealer. I would have made alot of calls. I dont think its all Honda with the issue. Theres threads up the ass on here about this in Canada and the US. Either way, sounds like you jummed into the 520 without thorough Research about it.
again, lots of threads on the rough stock ride. I hope you did research on the Canned Ham and are satisfied with what you read And better yet were able to test drive it hard and love that rubber band noise Especially in a full cab.

Again Wish you the best With your new ride. Stick around the forum. Just cuz u didnt buy another Honda doesn't mean u have to leave Here!

 

[JRF]

Sorry to hear this. Canned Ham makes a very nice sled, I own 4 but SXS’s…some of my friends that have had them have since moved on. Only one still has one cuz he has no money to buy something else 😂

I wish you the best with your new rig, so dont take this the wrong way.

After reading your post, sounds like u went to 1 Honda dealer. I would have made alot of calls. I dont think its all Honda with the issue. Theres threads up the ass on here about this in Canada and the US. Either way, sounds like you jummed into the 520 without thorough Research about it.
again, lots of threads on the rough stock ride. I hope you did research on the Canned Ham and are satisfied with what you read And better yet were able to test drive it hard and love that rubber band noise Especially in a full cab.

Again Wish you the best With your new ride. Stick around the forum. Just cuz u didnt buy another Honda doesn't mean u have to leave Here!

Bought the P520 during the pandemic, so opportunities to test ride was not so easy. and availability for any new machine was rare without having to wait 6-10 months, we lucked out as someone backed out the day we started to look in earnest for any SxS. So admittedly hind sight is 20:20 vision, nonetheless we learned a great deal about ORV’s and enjoyed the experiences we had with the P520….it took us to places that perhaps the 65” Defender can not go. We did test drive the Can-Am, and this noise you talk of from the belt (or any mechanical noise for that matter) cannot be heard, at least not in the 22.5 cab model we drove. One can have a normal conversation with your passenger without raising your voice, felt much like driving in our suv, granted we are rather conservative in our driving style, prefer to take in the scenery.

 

[Remington]

cannot be heard,

😂 🤣
Again, happy your happy!
Report back with with a 500 mile report.

 

[P1K5Dave]

Yeah @JRF - this forum has a place to talk about other makes and models. Stop back and give us your report on the Defender after a while.

I was looking at them when I was first shopping, but the DCT and the pop-up seats (4 people without the school bus length) made the Pioneer 1000-5 my top choice.

 

[P1K5Dave]

I did see a guy on the trails late last fall with a 4-seat defender, full cab, power windows and all.

My buddy and I were standing in the snowfall drinking a beer in our snow gear, this guy pulls up with two passengers, all wearing their t-shirts in their heated cab. Rolls down the power window to ask about the trail ahead.

lol. Quite a different riding experience. For the money he put into that thing, I'd just go ahead and get an SUV that you could at least drive to get groceries with as well...

 

[Remington]

this guy pulls up with two passengers, all wearing their t-shirts in their heated cab. Rolls down the power window to ask about the trail ahead.

And that was in the winter. There a GD hot box in the warmer months. Thats when i want his report 🤣
Friends that had one complained about the heat in the summer worse than the P1 and with no doors or windshield.

 

[futzin]

View attachment 347911

If those are 14" wheels, you did yourself no favors there for ride quality. Just sayin'.
Hope you enjoy your new ride!

 

[P1K5Dave]

And that was in the winter. There a GD hot box in the warmer months. Thats when i want his report

He had AC as well. Accessories, mods and all it probably approached $50-55K

 

[Remington]

He had AC as well. Accessories, mods and all it probably approached $50-55K

Holy sh!t!!!!
That dude must have had money to burn! thats 10k less than what my F350 Platinum Stickered in 15’
no thanks

 

[Remington]

He had AC as well. Accessories, mods and all it probably approached $50-55K

Oh yeah, didnt even think about Canada money!
Hay OP @JRF, How much was the Canned Ham and what did u get for your trade if u font mind us asking?

 

[JRF]

Yeah @JRF - this forum has a place to talk about other makes and models. Stop back and give us your report on the Defender after a while.

I was looking at them when I was first shopping, but the DCT and the pop-up seats (4 people without the school bus length) made the Pioneer 1000-5 my top choice.

Would have like to have the P1000-3, but was unwilling to wait more than a year For delivery.

 

[JRF]

Oh yeah, didnt even think about Canada money!
Hay OP @JRF, How much was the Canned Ham and what did u get for your trade if u font mind us asking?

No more than a P1000 with full enclosure.

 

[crewcabrob]

Well, that's too bad the P520 didn't work well for you. I totally understand that out of the box, it is a little rough around the edges, and as you found out, the mods to make it more "civilized" get extensive and expensive.

I didn't get to test drive my Pioneer either. Bought it sight unseen and almost 750 miles from where I live. My only experience with Honda was from riding Rancher ATVs on family elk hunts in the La Sal mountains east of Moab Utah. In 2018, I convinced my wife that we needed a small UTV to help with chores around our acreage, so we went down to our local dealer to look. Prepandemic, I could sit in a 500, 700 and 1000 on the showroom floor. It was quickly evident that while the 500 was the right size, it was going to lack a few nice things the larger more expensive machines had. That was my experience with Honda SXSs until I bought mine and drove it for the first time.

Money wasn't a big consideration. If they had offered different levels of the P520 such as they do with the larger machines, I would have bought one. The most intriguing thing about the P520 is the size. I always try to live life a bit smaller than most would. Our home is modest in size, but full of the amenities of a much larger home: wine cellar, full dog spa with built in kennels and a dog shower, 2 laundry rooms, enterprise grade network, two level 2 chargers in a 5 stall garage... yet its only a 1 bedroom with an office. My wife and I have had wonderful careers and had many nice things including a big house. Now, in our 50s we want to live smaller. The P520 fits that and it's ability to be on 50" trails and just get around our back yard full of trees is important. We don't need a larger machine and really, I don't want one.

I'm sure the other brands make a nice machine, I see a lot of support for them in the aftermarket. I looked briefly at the small RZR trail which is also 50", but the lack of the utility we needed was not going to work. Having a bed was important to us; that is why we didn't buy the P500. When the P520 came out we knew it was the one for us.

Best of luck and I hope that the new machine is a better fit for your needs. I suspect that I will upgrade some time in the future, but given the 500/520 basic platform has been around for almost a decade with this being the first major design upgrade, I might be dead before a new small machine comes out.

Rob

 

[JRF]

Well, that's too bad the P520 didn't work well for you. I totally understand that out of the box, it is a little rough around the edges, and as you found out, the mods to make it more "civilized" get extensive and expensive.

I didn't get to test drive my Pioneer either. Bought it sight unseen and almost 750 miles from where I live. My only experience with Honda was from riding Rancher ATVs on family elk hunts in the La Sal mountains east of Moab Utah. In 2018, I convinced my wife that we needed a small UTV to help with chores around our acreage, so we went down to our local dealer to look. Prepandemic, I could sit in a 500, 700 and 1000 on the showroom floor. It was quickly evident that while the 500 was the right size, it was going to lack a few nice things the larger more expensive machines had. That was my experience with Honda SXSs until I bought mine and drove it for the first time.

Money wasn't a big consideration. If they had offered different levels of the P520 such as they do with the larger machines, I would have bought one. The most intriguing thing about the P520 is the size. I always try to live life a bit smaller than most would. Our home is modest in size, but full of the amenities of a much larger home: wine cellar, full dog spa with built in kennels and a dog shower, 2 laundry rooms, enterprise grade network, two level 2 chargers in a 5 stall garage... yet its only a 1 bedroom with an office. My wife and I have had wonderful careers and had many nice things including a big house. Now, in our 50s we want to live smaller. The P520 fits that and it's ability to be on 50" trails and just get around our back yard full of trees is important. We don't need a larger machine and really, I don't want one.

I'm sure the other brands make a nice machine, I see a lot of support for them in the aftermarket. I looked briefly at the small RZR trail which is also 50", but the lack of the utility we needed was not going to work. Having a bed was important to us; that is why we didn't buy the P500. When the P520 came out we knew it was the one for us.

Best of luck and I hope that the new machine is a better fit for your needs. I suspect that I will upgrade some time in the future, but given the 500/520 basic platform has been around for almost a decade with this being the first major design upgrade, I might be dead before a new small machine comes out.

Rob

Thank you for your comments. We too were attracted to its small size, namely the 50” width, and just as important the dump box. However the ride stiffness and engine noise was all to much for us on the long rides we do. I’m in my sixties now, and we are ready to enjoy a softer and quieter machine. Was really wanting to trade up for the P1000 fully loaded, but as I said nothing was coming available anytime soon.
I admire your abilities and choices on modifying your P520, real quality there, and I’ll be following your adventures. My hat goes off to you.

 

[crewcabrob]

Thank you for your comments. We too were attracted to its small size, namely the 50” width, and just as important the dump box. However the ride stiffness and engine noise was all to much for us on the long rides we do. I’m in my sixties now, and we are ready to enjoy a softer and quieter machine. Was really wanting to trade up for the P1000 fully loaded, but as I said nothing was coming available anytime soon.
I admire your abilities and choices on modifying your P520, real quality there, and I’ll be following your adventures. My hat goes off to you.

Kind words, but likely not warranted. My skills as a mechanic are pretty rudimentary. To be honest, the simple design of the Hondas are just as responsible for my successful build.

I'm excited to get some trail miles in this week. I have only driven 1/4 of a mile since adding all of the goodies. I'm most excited for the power steering and the shocks. The locker will be nice to have but I bet I could have gotten away with out it. The turn signals will be nice for getting it plated some day.

Stay in touch. I should have some pictures up this week in a new thread on the Medicine Bow National Forest.

Rob

Rob

 

[JRF]

Kind words, but likely not warranted. My skills as a mechanic are pretty rudimentary. To be honest, the simple design of the Hondas are just as responsible for my successful build.

I'm excited to get some trail miles in this week. I have only driven 1/4 of a mile since adding all of the goodies. I'm most excited for the power steering and the shocks. The locker will be nice to have but I bet I could have gotten away with out it. The turn signals will be nice for getting it plated some day.

Stay in touch. I should have some pictures up this week in a new thread on the Medicine Bow National Forest.

Rob

Rob

You will love the power steering! The bigger tires and rims have just that needed extra inch+ clearance and better grip, gave us a little more confidence on the sketchy parts of the trails. Safe travels.

 

[Remington]

No more than a P1000 with full enclosure.

And that is?
us in the lower 48 dont know what it cost up there for full cab. or down here for that matter, not too many buy a P1 that way. There are a few different trim pkgs of a P1 that change the price quite a bit. Thanks

 

[Scoop]

We did test drive the Can-Am, and this noise you talk of from the belt (or any mechanical noise for that matter) cannot be heard

Oh, you will, you will.

 

[Bighat]

And that was in the winter. There a GD hot box in the warmer months. Thats when i want his report 🤣
Friends that had one complained about the heat in the summer worse than the P1 and with no doors or windshield.

They got AC and heat. I almost pulled the trigger on one before I found the Honda. I got the full cab with heat also because I use it everyday in the winter checking cows. I really don't see the point in AC for me. I make a lot short trips and I'm in and out a lot.