P500 Gear Adjustment Screw Up

[tincangob]

I like the comment about driving it like you stole it. You can't baby the Honda transmissions for sure. I even took my P1000 back to the dealer, and the mechanic took it out and drove it much harder than I was doing myself. He pronounced the transmission normal.

 

[MI-Trailblazer]

First- Welcome from another Michigan Member!

Second- I also drive my 2018 P500 in manual, not Auto. 2 reasons for this: 1) I came to the P500 ownership from a couple of decades of sport quads and 3-wheelers, so manual shifting is all I know on ATVs; 2) after 3 rides in the P500 in the Auto mode I really did not care for the shift points. As others pointed out the up shifts were too delayed for the load I had on the machine and the down shifts were completely unpredictable and always at the very wrong time.

 

[Brmcg324]

After 2 years of property riding, I had my first 50 mile serious trail ride this last weekend. I only use MT manual shifting. One thing I really like is how it down shifts automatic from 4th gear to 3rd gear when I was a little slow to shift. Somehow this automatic shift is very smooth and takes out any risk of stalling the engine, does this in manual shift mode. My trail riding is mostly in 3rd and 4th gear with frequent shifting. Uphill going from 2nd to 3rd to 4th gear under heavy throttle is a hard loud slap and jolt with the engine screaming. That part makes we wish to adjust or learn how to feather the throttle a little. But following another 500 on the trail, and that driver is pushing their 500 hard to keep up with dirt bikes…that’s where the fun is! In steep down hills, 2nd gear engine breaking is superb and even in first gear the 500 floats down the hill effortlessly, I did not feel the tires lose grip on the steepest, muddy/rocky down hill grades. That‘s my 2 cents worth of opinion about the 500‘s gearing and shifting.