"yamaha fanboy psychosis" Wow, you clearly haven't been on the forum very long. Welcome from Maryland! I have a P500. Bulletproof, and somewhat modified...
My beef is with the company in general for many reasons which I won't go into (yet again) here. I am presently the shop supervisor at a Honda marine shop. I have been working on, and with Honda outboards for the last 10 years of my 38 year long career in the design, repair and modification of cars, trucks, heavy equipment, agricultural equipment, motorcycles, boats, etc.. And most recently, I wrote and illustrated the install manual for Torq-Masters 'Torq-Locker' automatic locking differential for the P-500. As far as being "aware that the I-4wd system is an upgrade".... I am quite aware that you believe it is. In my
expert opinion, it is a very poor choice for a machine that is clearly intended to be run hard. There are very limited situations where a brake grabbing a low traction wheel will ever work as well as a locked differential. If you get into mud a lot, you already know how quickly brake pads disappear. No pads, no more traction control. Now add the additional wear of the computer applying the brakes continuously every time a wheel starts to spin....
If you have a vehicle with this system (I do) you can do a simple test. Put one of the driving wheels on a slippery surface, and one on good traction- say one wheel on grass and one on pavement. Floor it. See if vehicle accelerates hard- it won't, brakes chattering, lights flashing, computer cuts engine power to nothing. Now do it ten times- rotor on the low traction side smoking, and system shuts down. In a muddy situation, or on snow, that's what the brake system will be subjected to
hundreds of times. It's extremely disappointing to me that, yet again, Honda does not give it's customers choices-
options. As far as the cost of true locker vs brake grabber, I'm pretty confident that a hydraulic pump, two,or four speed sensors, and programming to the existing computer, is far less expensive in the long run than the materials, complicated machining, and associated components to build, install, and actuate a true locking differential. Try not to get caught up in advertising hype. They have to
sell it to you in a way that makes it sound like it's the best thing ever. It's usually just best for the company. And lastly- I do NOT want a Wolverine. I feel that Honda has completely ignored it's customers on so many fronts, that I feel
right now that the only machine that will give me everything I want- short of the geared trans- is the Yamaha. It SUCKS, but presently, that's the only choice i.m.o.
Cheers!
