FINALLY A P500 OWNER!!!

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HP5NC

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May 27, 2018
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  1. 500
Hello all I am new member of the club/forum. Apologize now...this could be a lengthy post,hopefully not. After a year an half ownership of a 15’ Kymco UXV 450i (loved my Kymco great machines nothing bad to say about them) I finally traded her in. I’m the new proud owner of a 2018 P500 in olive. I absolutely love everything about it so far. I made a list out comparing them when I was looking to do the deal. In a lot of ways one might say a gave up a lot. The Kymco has significantly more storage from the get go..locking dash under hood tailgate and under the seat. (When I’m finished with my little P5 it will have all I need) Kymco more suspension travel topped out at 48-50 and front diff lock. And on paper more HP 33 from lower displacement 443cc compared at 28hp and 475cc. One might think ya gave up a lot. But I don’t think so. Most those listed things are subjective. The Kymco are solid machines well built and seems to be great quality. What I gained was and wanted most was THE GEARED TRANSMISSION. AND a very strong dealer network. (Kymco has improved here but still WAY off from the likes of Honda and the other big name players, hasn’t helped Kymco the several of their regional sales reps have left and teamed up at sportsman’s country-massimo bennche Linhai etc) I wanted the gears and boy have I missed having control of your gear. We’ve always had Honda growIng up. Grow up on a brand new for Xmas of 89 new Honda XR80 dirt bike rode the piss out of that thing! We still have a 70’s model three wheeler 70cc that is still running strong my 8 month old son will soon ride it! I say that to say not only did I want the gears the dealer network but I wanted Honda proven reliability back. (Again never had not one issue with my Kymco but I know without a doubt Honda will be there generations from now)

Now so far I am in love with the pioneer 500. I can’t believe how much easier it steers and turns. For only having 5.9” on travel I find it very smooth thus far. I’ll use it for just general trail riding. I don’t mud bog or nothing wild. Just like to explore. Work around my 6 acre property hunt and fish camp etc. I think it’s going to be the perfect machine. I went ahead and got the Honda roof for the summer to keep the heat off. Eventually I will get a windshield-have that narrowed down to the Honda hard coat tip out or the super atv flip up. I don’t plan to use the storage space under the hood area (though I do like emp box they have for that space) whether I use that space or not being able to open the hood for service/maintenance and cleaning will be important. I don’t think with the super atv flip up windshield you can get under the hood? The more I’ve researched my build and plans the more it seems like it may be a good idea to use the Honda accessories or certain ones anyway. For the front-winch I’ll add not sure which one but prob 3000-4500lb is what I’ll get. SW terra 35 seems to be the leading winch here. I’m thinking at this point to go with the Honda front bumper (granit it really isn’t a “bumper” to me) and the KFI winch mount plate. Has or does anyone have that setup-Honda front bumper with KFI mount? I’m not set on anything at this point on the front end-I’m all ears. I’ll get some side view mirrors at some point. On my rack I plan to build a nice box. (I’ll go into detail later or if y’all care to know my plans) I have lots more questions and have dug all through the forum. But I just wanted to say I’m happy to be in the family of P500 owners and have the awesome outlet of information here on HondaSxS!

Oh one last thing does the tranny smooth out once it gets broken in more? I knew going in to start they are a little jerky. It’s not terrible by no means but it is there. Overall she’s a smooth running and rider! I’m sure top shelf synthetic fluids will help too?

If your this far...thanks for reading my initial LONG post!
 
C

Chooglin

Guest
Hello all I am new member of the club/forum. Apologize now...this could be a lengthy post,hopefully not. After a year an half ownership of a 15’ Kymco UXV 450i (loved my Kymco great machines nothing bad to say about them) I finally traded her in. I’m the new proud owner of a 2018 P500 in olive. I absolutely love everything about it so far. I made a list out comparing them when I was looking to do the deal. In a lot of ways one might say a gave up a lot. The Kymco has significantly more storage from the get go..locking dash under hood tailgate and under the seat. (When I’m finished with my little P5 it will have all I need) Kymco more suspension travel topped out at 48-50 and front diff lock. And on paper more HP 33 from lower displacement 443cc compared at 28hp and 475cc. One might think ya gave up a lot. But I don’t think so. Most those listed things are subjective. The Kymco are solid machines well built and seems to be great quality. What I gained was and wanted most was THE GEARED TRANSMISSION. AND a very strong dealer network. (Kymco has improved here but still WAY off from the likes of Honda and the other big name players, hasn’t helped Kymco the several of their regional sales reps have left and teamed up at sportsman’s country-massimo bennche Linhai etc) I wanted the gears and boy have I missed having control of your gear. We’ve always had Honda growIng up. Grow up on a brand new for Xmas of 89 new Honda XR80 dirt bike rode the piss out of that thing! We still have a 70’s model three wheeler 70cc that is still running strong my 8 month old son will soon ride it! I say that to say not only did I want the gears the dealer network but I wanted Honda proven reliability back. (Again never had not one issue with my Kymco but I know without a doubt Honda will be there generations from now)

Now so far I am in love with the pioneer 500. I can’t believe how much easier it steers and turns. For only having 5.9” on travel I find it very smooth thus far. I’ll use it for just general trail riding. I don’t mud bog or nothing wild. Just like to explore. Work around my 6 acre property hunt and fish camp etc. I think it’s going to be the perfect machine. I went ahead and got the Honda roof for the summer to keep the heat off. Eventually I will get a windshield-have that narrowed down to the Honda hard coat tip out or the super atv flip up. I don’t plan to use the storage space under the hood area (though I do like emp box they have for that space) whether I use that space or not being able to open the hood for service/maintenance and cleaning will be important. I don’t think with the super atv flip up windshield you can get under the hood? The more I’ve researched my build and plans the more it seems like it may be a good idea to use the Honda accessories or certain ones anyway. For the front-winch I’ll add not sure which one but prob 3000-4500lb is what I’ll get. SW terra 35 seems to be the leading winch here. I’m thinking at this point to go with the Honda front bumper (granit it really isn’t a “bumper” to me) and the KFI winch mount plate. Has or does anyone have that setup-Honda front bumper with KFI mount? I’m not set on anything at this point on the front end-I’m all ears. I’ll get some side view mirrors at some point. On my rack I plan to build a nice box. (I’ll go into detail later or if y’all care to know my plans) I have lots more questions and have dug all through the forum. But I just wanted to say I’m happy to be in the family of P500 owners and have the awesome outlet of information here on HondaSxS!

Oh one last thing does the tranny smooth out once it gets broken in more? I knew going in to start they are a little jerky. It’s not terrible by no means but it is there. Overall she’s a smooth running and rider! I’m sure top shelf synthetic fluids will help too?

If your this far...thanks for reading my initial LONG post!

First off , congratulations and yes , I read the entire post :)

Of all the mods that I have done to mine , the W.E. shocks are my favorite. There will be a locker released shortly for these machines , we are all anxiously waiting for its release.

Looking forward to your build!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
H

HP5NC

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2018
252
284
63
NC
Ownership

  1. 500
First off , cong


First off , congratulations and yes , I read the entire post :)

Of all the mods that I have done to mine , the W.E. shocks are my favorite. There will be a locker released shortly for these machines , we are all anxiously waiting for its release.

Looking forward to your build!


Thanks Chooglin. Very happy with my purchase. I have been surprised how smooth the stock suspension is with its 5.9” of travel. Maybe someday if I see I need the W.E. I’ll ceetianly consider giving up the families Christmas to get them LOL I’ve watched application mountain riders YouTube on the shocks and they’re certainly worth it I have no doubt!!!
 
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100Acre

100Acre

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Apr 25, 2017
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Super Awesome Congratulations and welcome to the club! I love my Green P5! We need pictures!
I followed the Honda manual on changing the oil for the first couple of times using what they recommended and then switched to full synthetic.
 
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HP5NC

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May 27, 2018
252
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  1. 500
Super Awesome Congratulations and welcome to the club! I love my Green P5! We need pictures!
I followed the Honda manual on changing the oil for the first couple of times using what they recommended and then switched to full synthetic.

Can you tell a difference with switching to the synthetic???


These are the only pics I’ve gotten at the moment. I’ll get some more later

CA0E6221 98C4 475B 9F6D 3C420986E0E4 F72CFF14 7E29 478D 8492 51CF8DA50768 9C863B28 2A70 489A 90D5 97CB2AB79E07 E62F7236 2794 4C4C A3DE C9E2A5C4A149
 
Backwoods

Backwoods

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Congratulations in answer to your question on shifting after I did my break in oil change after about 5 more miles it really smoothed out. I read about the difference on this forum and they were spot on.
 
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HP5NC

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May 27, 2018
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  1. 500
Congratulations in answer to your question on shifting after I did my break in oil change after about 5 more miles it really smoothed out. I read about the difference on this forum and they were spot on.

Thanks! That’s what I like to hear. From a mechanical standpoint I’d think it’d only
Be natural for the gears and everything to settle in and smooth on out.
 
NTCPrezJB

NTCPrezJB

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Congrats and welcome to the forum.
 
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elkguide

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Glad to have you back in the Honda family. Smooth is the word after a good break in.

ENJOY!!!!!!!
 
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Twangin

Twangin

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Jan 19, 2018
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Welcome! You’re entering a world of fun for years to come. Loving my P5. A winch, tires, and a rear rack box would get you well on the way! Mine definitely got smoother shifting after the first service.. you can still hear the gearbox but it feels so much better. As for the rear rack box there are some great ideas in the post below. I made my own out of wood and coated with truck bed liner.. one of my favorite mods so far.

046a108971087559b4ad92a8793d474f

Post your rear rack/boxes Pics.
P500 - Post your rear rack/boxes Pics.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
H

HP5NC

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May 27, 2018
252
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NC
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  1. 500
Welcome! You’re entering a world of fun for years to come. Loving my P5. A winch, tires, and a rear rack box would get you well on the way! Mine definitely got smoother shifting after the first service.. you can still hear the gearbox but it feels so much better. As for the rear rack box there are some great ideas in the post below. I made my own out of wood and coated with truck bed liner.. one of my favorite mods so far.

View attachment 77042

Post your rear rack/boxes Pics.
P500 - Post your rear rack/boxes Pics.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yeah I was looking at that in that rear rack box thread. That’s basically what I’m looking to do as well. What’s the depth on yours? I commented my plans/idea for my box in that tread. I haven’t decided if I want to shape it on the back with the rack like you have or not. It would probably look more uniform that way. But I’m either putting hinges making a tailgate or a drop in lid. Either will lock via a tractor type pin.
 
Twangin

Twangin

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  1. 500
Yeah I was looking at that in that rear rack box thread. That’s basically what I’m looking to do as well. What’s the depth on yours? I commented my plans/idea for my box in that tread. I haven’t decided if I want to shape it on the back with the rack like you have or not. It would probably look more uniform that way. But I’m either putting hinges making a tailgate or a drop in lid. Either will lock via a tractor type pin.

I thought about just doing a square shape but for my uses I’m not really losing anything by cutting off those corners in order to shape it to the rack. And even with the aluminum box I still have plenty of room for a cooler, random tools if doing yard work or something, etc. Heck, today I loaded five 40lb bags of pool salt and a couple 40lb bags of sand back there and had room to spare. As for the depth (height) my sides are 8” tall.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
H

HP5NC

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  1. 500
I thought about just doing a square shape but for my uses I’m not really losing anything by cutting off those corners in order to shape it to the rack. And even with the aluminum box I still have plenty of room for a cooler, random tools if doing yard work or something, etc. Heck, today I loaded five 40lb bags of pool salt and a couple 40lb bags of sand back there and had room to spare. As for the depth (height) my sides are 8” tall.

I gotcha. Yeah I maybe lazy and keep it square. I’ll probably use treated 2x10” for the sides. I thought too if the sides were thick enough I could drill the out and make them like the side of the beds on the Polaris rangers and use some of the Polaris bed accessories. Don’t get me wrong I am NO Polaris fan but I do think they have some of the best accessory intergration on the market. I particularly like their chainsaw holder.
 
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bobbybog

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Mar 2, 2018
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  1. 500
Welcome to the club from WV. I got a green one as well! For me tires were by far the best upgrade. They really smoothed out the ride and have some much needed ground clearance.

I haven’t built a box yet either, I am just currently using a Plano box that works ok for now. Planning on the box this summer when I get the time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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HP5NC

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May 27, 2018
252
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NC
Ownership

  1. 500
Welcome to the club from WV. I got a green one as well! For me tires were by far the best upgrade. They really smoothed out the ride and have some much needed ground clearance.

I haven’t built a box yet either, I am just currently using a Plano box that works ok for now. Planning on the box this summer when I get the time.

Yeah I hear ya on the tires. When I traded my Kymco I had practically new bighorn 2.0 26x9-12 and 26x11-12 on it. I was able to keep them on the deal. I’m gonna buy some extra wheels for them at some point. The stock 24” tires are fine for what I do around my property.
 
Smitty335

Smitty335

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  2. 1000-5
Hello all I am new member of the club/forum. Apologize now...this could be a lengthy post,hopefully not. After a year an half ownership of a 15’ Kymco UXV 450i (loved my Kymco great machines nothing bad to say about them) I finally traded her in. I’m the new proud owner of a 2018 P500 in olive. I absolutely love everything about it so far. I made a list out comparing them when I was looking to do the deal. In a lot of ways one might say a gave up a lot. The Kymco has significantly more storage from the get go..locking dash under hood tailgate and under the seat. (When I’m finished with my little P5 it will have all I need) Kymco more suspension travel topped out at 48-50 and front diff lock. And on paper more HP 33 from lower displacement 443cc compared at 28hp and 475cc. One might think ya gave up a lot. But I don’t think so. Most those listed things are subjective. The Kymco are solid machines well built and seems to be great quality. What I gained was and wanted most was THE GEARED TRANSMISSION. AND a very strong dealer network. (Kymco has improved here but still WAY off from the likes of Honda and the other big name players, hasn’t helped Kymco the several of their regional sales reps have left and teamed up at sportsman’s country-massimo bennche Linhai etc) I wanted the gears and boy have I missed having control of your gear. We’ve always had Honda growIng up. Grow up on a brand new for Xmas of 89 new Honda XR80 dirt bike rode the piss out of that thing! We still have a 70’s model three wheeler 70cc that is still running strong my 8 month old son will soon ride it! I say that to say not only did I want the gears the dealer network but I wanted Honda proven reliability back. (Again never had not one issue with my Kymco but I know without a doubt Honda will be there generations from now)

Now so far I am in love with the pioneer 500. I can’t believe how much easier it steers and turns. For only having 5.9” on travel I find it very smooth thus far. I’ll use it for just general trail riding. I don’t mud bog or nothing wild. Just like to explore. Work around my 6 acre property hunt and fish camp etc. I think it’s going to be the perfect machine. I went ahead and got the Honda roof for the summer to keep the heat off. Eventually I will get a windshield-have that narrowed down to the Honda hard coat tip out or the super atv flip up. I don’t plan to use the storage space under the hood area (though I do like emp box they have for that space) whether I use that space or not being able to open the hood for service/maintenance and cleaning will be important. I don’t think with the super atv flip up windshield you can get under the hood? The more I’ve researched my build and plans the more it seems like it may be a good idea to use the Honda accessories or certain ones anyway. For the front-winch I’ll add not sure which one but prob 3000-4500lb is what I’ll get. SW terra 35 seems to be the leading winch here. I’m thinking at this point to go with the Honda front bumper (granit it really isn’t a “bumper” to me) and the KFI winch mount plate. Has or does anyone have that setup-Honda front bumper with KFI mount? I’m not set on anything at this point on the front end-I’m all ears. I’ll get some side view mirrors at some point. On my rack I plan to build a nice box. (I’ll go into detail later or if y’all care to know my plans) I have lots more questions and have dug all through the forum. But I just wanted to say I’m happy to be in the family of P500 owners and have the awesome outlet of information here on HondaSxS!

Oh one last thing does the tranny smooth out once it gets broken in more? I knew going in to start they are a little jerky. It’s not terrible by no means but it is there. Overall she’s a smooth running and rider! I’m sure top shelf synthetic fluids will help too?

If your this far...thanks for reading my initial LONG post!
Welcome to the club! Let the spending begin!
 
500oneer

500oneer

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  1. 500
Hello all I am new member of the club/forum. Apologize now...this could be a lengthy post,hopefully not. After a year an half ownership of a 15’ Kymco UXV 450i (loved my Kymco great machines nothing bad to say about them) I finally traded her in. I’m the new proud owner of a 2018 P500 in olive. I absolutely love everything about it so far. I made a list out comparing them when I was looking to do the deal. In a lot of ways one might say a gave up a lot. The Kymco has significantly more storage from the get go..locking dash under hood tailgate and under the seat. (When I’m finished with my little P5 it will have all I need) Kymco more suspension travel topped out at 48-50 and front diff lock. And on paper more HP 33 from lower displacement 443cc compared at 28hp and 475cc. One might think ya gave up a lot. But I don’t think so. Most those listed things are subjective. The Kymco are solid machines well built and seems to be great quality. What I gained was and wanted most was THE GEARED TRANSMISSION. AND a very strong dealer network. (Kymco has improved here but still WAY off from the likes of Honda and the other big name players, hasn’t helped Kymco the several of their regional sales reps have left and teamed up at sportsman’s country-massimo bennche Linhai etc) I wanted the gears and boy have I missed having control of your gear. We’ve always had Honda growIng up. Grow up on a brand new for Xmas of 89 new Honda XR80 dirt bike rode the piss out of that thing! We still have a 70’s model three wheeler 70cc that is still running strong my 8 month old son will soon ride it! I say that to say not only did I want the gears the dealer network but I wanted Honda proven reliability back. (Again never had not one issue with my Kymco but I know without a doubt Honda will be there generations from now)

Now so far I am in love with the pioneer 500. I can’t believe how much easier it steers and turns. For only having 5.9” on travel I find it very smooth thus far. I’ll use it for just general trail riding. I don’t mud bog or nothing wild. Just like to explore. Work around my 6 acre property hunt and fish camp etc. I think it’s going to be the perfect machine. I went ahead and got the Honda roof for the summer to keep the heat off. Eventually I will get a windshield-have that narrowed down to the Honda hard coat tip out or the super atv flip up. I don’t plan to use the storage space under the hood area (though I do like emp box they have for that space) whether I use that space or not being able to open the hood for service/maintenance and cleaning will be important. I don’t think with the super atv flip up windshield you can get under the hood? The more I’ve researched my build and plans the more it seems like it may be a good idea to use the Honda accessories or certain ones anyway. For the front-winch I’ll add not sure which one but prob 3000-4500lb is what I’ll get. SW terra 35 seems to be the leading winch here. I’m thinking at this point to go with the Honda front bumper (granit it really isn’t a “bumper” to me) and the KFI winch mount plate. Has or does anyone have that setup-Honda front bumper with KFI mount? I’m not set on anything at this point on the front end-I’m all ears. I’ll get some side view mirrors at some point. On my rack I plan to build a nice box. (I’ll go into detail later or if y’all care to know my plans) I have lots more questions and have dug all through the forum. But I just wanted to say I’m happy to be in the family of P500 owners and have the awesome outlet of information here on HondaSxS!

Oh one last thing does the tranny smooth out once it gets broken in more? I knew going in to start they are a little jerky. It’s not terrible by no means but it is there. Overall she’s a smooth running and rider! I’m sure top shelf synthetic fluids will help too?

If your this far...thanks for reading my initial LONG post!
Welcome! I have always wondered how the kymco compares to the Honda.
 
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HP5NC

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2018
252
284
63
NC
Ownership

  1. 500
The kymcos are GREAT machines. Solid all the way around. Has a lot of things the this little P5 doesn’t. But what you get with the Honda are the GEARED tranny no belts. Honda proven reliability and a dealer network that is also top notch.
 
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