I have not been a member on this site for very long, but I've been in the ATV hobby since 1981. First machine was a '75 Honda ATC 90 and I've been nothing but Honda since. I bought my 2018 P500 from a friend in 2019- as my first side-by-side. I personally maintain, repair, modify and rebuild my ATV's. This is probably the main reason I have stuck with Honda all these years, for I've found they have the most easily available parts and are easier to work on than the other Japanese brands and especially the US made ones.
With that said, I am posting here because I have read many posts like this one on this site as well as other sites for other products that I have interest in and felt compelled to reply.
As with any product, there is only so much market research and so much design engineering that can be spent on a product and be able to bring it to market at a price point that the market will support. My observations of this as well as the Pioneer 500 story are this way:
In 2015 when Honda introduced the P500, there were only 2 other 50-inch width side-by-sides on the market: Polaris RZR 900 Trail and the Arctic Cat Wildcat Trail. The MSRP on these 2 machines in same order was: $12,799-RZR and $11,999-Cat. Honda brought the P500 to market in 2015 at $7,199. That's $4,000 ~ $5000 less than the competition. How and why did they do that? Basically by designing a frame that would accept all the Foreman 500 drive-train and suspension. That way the engineering and tooling were already there and this machine would be less money to produce.
Also remember that 2015 was not long after Honda finally introduced a side-by-side that was more marketable than just a utility vehicle ( remember the Big Red UTV) - the Pioneer 700. Which again, got most of it's drivetrain from the Rubicon.
Finally, as mentioned in an earlier post here- after the class action law suits in the late 1980's over 3-wheelers, as well as the all manufacturer ban on any type of ATV racing support until 1999- Honda Motorsports Division became an ultra-conservative company. They piled all R&D into reliability, since they no longer were chasing performance.
So with my rant I am trying to say this to the original poster as well as others that will read this: the P500 and P520 were never meant to compete with the style, performance and looks of a Polaris, Can-Am, Yamaha, Arctic Cat, Kawasaki or even Kymco side-by-side. A P500/520 is what it is at the price it sells for. Yes, all the short-comings that people point out could be addressed by Honda, but the price will go up accordingly. As well as Honda is so conservative, that "if" changes are made, they will be small and over a long period of time. I mean hey, they finally listened and put a cargo bed on the P520. Maybe in another 2 or 3 years they might add factory power steering of a front diff. lock?
Sorry, just tired of reading posts about people expecting more out of the P500/520 than Honda ever intended the machines to be.
With that said, I am posting here because I have read many posts like this one on this site as well as other sites for other products that I have interest in and felt compelled to reply.
As with any product, there is only so much market research and so much design engineering that can be spent on a product and be able to bring it to market at a price point that the market will support. My observations of this as well as the Pioneer 500 story are this way:
In 2015 when Honda introduced the P500, there were only 2 other 50-inch width side-by-sides on the market: Polaris RZR 900 Trail and the Arctic Cat Wildcat Trail. The MSRP on these 2 machines in same order was: $12,799-RZR and $11,999-Cat. Honda brought the P500 to market in 2015 at $7,199. That's $4,000 ~ $5000 less than the competition. How and why did they do that? Basically by designing a frame that would accept all the Foreman 500 drive-train and suspension. That way the engineering and tooling were already there and this machine would be less money to produce.
Also remember that 2015 was not long after Honda finally introduced a side-by-side that was more marketable than just a utility vehicle ( remember the Big Red UTV) - the Pioneer 700. Which again, got most of it's drivetrain from the Rubicon.
Finally, as mentioned in an earlier post here- after the class action law suits in the late 1980's over 3-wheelers, as well as the all manufacturer ban on any type of ATV racing support until 1999- Honda Motorsports Division became an ultra-conservative company. They piled all R&D into reliability, since they no longer were chasing performance.
So with my rant I am trying to say this to the original poster as well as others that will read this: the P500 and P520 were never meant to compete with the style, performance and looks of a Polaris, Can-Am, Yamaha, Arctic Cat, Kawasaki or even Kymco side-by-side. A P500/520 is what it is at the price it sells for. Yes, all the short-comings that people point out could be addressed by Honda, but the price will go up accordingly. As well as Honda is so conservative, that "if" changes are made, they will be small and over a long period of time. I mean hey, they finally listened and put a cargo bed on the P520. Maybe in another 2 or 3 years they might add factory power steering of a front diff. lock?
Sorry, just tired of reading posts about people expecting more out of the P500/520 than Honda ever intended the machines to be.
