Hello All, I test rode the 4 two weeks ago and apologize for the late post. Well, here goes.... Upon arrival I noticed how small the pioneer looked sitting outside next to the big red. That was short lived....The dealer drove it up to me and this machine is much larger than my now-sold p.o.s. rzr. It is all of 60 in wide and all of 112 or so in. long. The bed is huge! I was originally sold on the 2, but after seeing that bed, it would be pointless to waste all that space and not add 2 more seats back there. Anyways, to the ride. Sitting shotgun with my dealer driving, we buzzed full throttle out of the parking lot into the muddy field test track. Yes, full throttle all the way to 43 mph! Once again, I am not buying this vehicle for the minimal top speed. We quickly banked hard into a left turn still full throttle. Mud was slinging everywhere but in the cab. The body roll was much less than I thought....being such a high and relatively heavy machine. I felt very safe with my seatbelt on and the machine felt stable blasting through the corners. Next was the off camber table top..full throttle. This one had me a bit nervous. We launched off the face with the throttle still pinned and came down hard on the right front wheel. Yes it did bottom, but there was no jarring or loud sound. I have rode many side by sides as well as atv's and any vehicle would bottom after that landing. Next we threw her in 4diff lock (which you can engage at low rpms) and climbed a very vertical shale wall. I was very surprised at the power and traction.. we made it up no problem. Then we went back down and did it in reverse. Still no problem. Very impressive. I was curious how it handled with 4 people and we went and picked up my buddy and my fiance. Bam. We did the same stuff all at 3/4 to full throttle. Other than the decreased acceleration, it felt like the same, stable machine. Minimal bottoming both front and rear with just a little less ground clearance. The machine now covered with mud, we got out with just a few mud globs on us from it spitting frontwards off of the front wheels, hitting the wind and coming back at our faces. No mud slinging from the rear which annoyed the crap out of me while riding my p.o.s rzr. Overall, I am very happy with the Pioneer. It would be nice to have a bit more power, but the suspension, handling, versatility, and just the fact that it is a Honda has me sold. My red 4 is scheduled to come in next Wednesday the 28th. I cant wait for a machine that I can use around the property, ride in the trails, bring another couple to enjoy life with us, all with the proven Honda guarantee of reliability and fun!
The main reason I choose the Pioneer.red4life said:
Red4life, Thanks for the review. You have me excited to get mine.
- the extra 2 seats will pay off. and if you never need them remove the rear cage and lock it down somehow.
- 43 mph uh... A big red I rode went faster then that. Were yall still keeping it "light" because it was new. Anyways thats plenty of fast for me. go fast doesn't mean you made it to the end. Reliability wins.
- Like how you talk about not getting muddy. My wife will love that. But It's my mission to get her muddy so it will happen one way or another.
Cant wait to get one on the trial...
Again Thank you for your real life review. Much better then all those media reviews that sound the same and drag on, and on.
I'm not claiming 43 to be the top speed..its just what speed we hit to before we had to turn. Granted the engine seemed to be revved out. But given a straight dirt road it may have more. Also I didn't get to experience the different shift map for easy riding.
Hondasxs
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Red4Life, Thank you taking the time to wright that up. You have us all excited to get our Pioeer amd get it on the trail.
Hey ya'll. I have just joined this site and was glad to hear someone had actually rode in a pioneer. I have a red 700-4 ordered which should be in sometimes next week. I live in Northeast Texas just outside of Longview. Gilmer , Texas is were I live. have owned a 650 Rincon for about 10 years and have had no problems with the drivetrain which I believe the Pioneer has almost the same setup. Anyway I hope to hear more about this side by side in the coming days from ya'll.
Hondasxs
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Welcome Bobbo64. Mark this as your site for everything related to the Pioneer. Going to be a blast.
Test drove my Red 4p today at the dealer! First impressions when walking up to it is it is much bigger in person.
1st start - instant as it should be with EFI. The engine sound is nice and is typical of a honda atv. Sound is fairly quiet for the driver and passengers especially compared to some other sxs's I've ridden. Felt vibration is minimal.
Seating comfort and ergonomics is very nice front and rear and looking back over to the rear passengers provides a jeep-like feeling. Although the course we rode was very short and limited, I was very impressed with the ride quality and suspension and it felt almost unchanged with 300 lbs of rear passengers vs solo.
Steering effort is fairly light as advertised but power steering would be a nice addition in the future. We stayed mostly below 20 mph due to the small space available so I'm sure at higher speeds the steering would be much lighter.
Available power and acceleration was very adequate for my use. I floored it a couple times and it revs to the limiter between shifts with pretty good pep. Not a racer but by no means was I disappointed. Shifting was nice and smooth and the early shifting while riding casually was very comfortable and keeps the engine at a lower rpm compared to the cvt transmission machines I've ridden. Low end torque while crawling around parking curves, a few tree roots, and hills was very strong. No need for a low range on this machine. Turning radius was impressive as well.
While waiting for my turn to sign paperwork I had time to take a good look at all the fit and finish details. Its obvious honda did a very thorough quality inspection during assembly as all the critical fasteners have paint stick marks. Doors are very stout and I was pleased with the quality of the latches. I shook them to check for rattles and the passenger door had a tad bit of slack. Upon inspection I noticed the rubber door stops at the latches have a spiral groove like a screw thread that makes them adjustable. A quick turn of the rubber stop and the slack was gone- brilliant!
Overall I left very impressed with the machine and the feeling of riding comfortably with 4 people on board is really was sold me initially. The only thing that I was disappointed with was the tailgate. This is the first vehicle I have ever seen that does not have a tailgate stout enough to sit on. Yes that's right- the tailgate is all plastic and although it will be very durable, it is not rigid enough for heavy loads. I will definitely be adding a stiffener plate of some sort in the future. I imagine this was a location to save weight but in my opinion a tailgate should, at minimum, be rigid enough to sit on. Other than that I think the machine is awesome and I can't wait to get it out on the trails!
1st start - instant as it should be with EFI. The engine sound is nice and is typical of a honda atv. Sound is fairly quiet for the driver and passengers especially compared to some other sxs's I've ridden. Felt vibration is minimal.
Seating comfort and ergonomics is very nice front and rear and looking back over to the rear passengers provides a jeep-like feeling. Although the course we rode was very short and limited, I was very impressed with the ride quality and suspension and it felt almost unchanged with 300 lbs of rear passengers vs solo.
Steering effort is fairly light as advertised but power steering would be a nice addition in the future. We stayed mostly below 20 mph due to the small space available so I'm sure at higher speeds the steering would be much lighter.
Available power and acceleration was very adequate for my use. I floored it a couple times and it revs to the limiter between shifts with pretty good pep. Not a racer but by no means was I disappointed. Shifting was nice and smooth and the early shifting while riding casually was very comfortable and keeps the engine at a lower rpm compared to the cvt transmission machines I've ridden. Low end torque while crawling around parking curves, a few tree roots, and hills was very strong. No need for a low range on this machine. Turning radius was impressive as well.
While waiting for my turn to sign paperwork I had time to take a good look at all the fit and finish details. Its obvious honda did a very thorough quality inspection during assembly as all the critical fasteners have paint stick marks. Doors are very stout and I was pleased with the quality of the latches. I shook them to check for rattles and the passenger door had a tad bit of slack. Upon inspection I noticed the rubber door stops at the latches have a spiral groove like a screw thread that makes them adjustable. A quick turn of the rubber stop and the slack was gone- brilliant!
Overall I left very impressed with the machine and the feeling of riding comfortably with 4 people on board is really was sold me initially. The only thing that I was disappointed with was the tailgate. This is the first vehicle I have ever seen that does not have a tailgate stout enough to sit on. Yes that's right- the tailgate is all plastic and although it will be very durable, it is not rigid enough for heavy loads. I will definitely be adding a stiffener plate of some sort in the future. I imagine this was a location to save weight but in my opinion a tailgate should, at minimum, be rigid enough to sit on. Other than that I think the machine is awesome and I can't wait to get it out on the trails!
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Congratulations on your new baby.. I would send you a gift but I got to save money to get my own.. lol...
That does kinda suck about the tail gate! It would be nice to be chilling around the fire and be able to sit on the gate. Just another way to shave cost. Thats good they put adjusters in the doors to keep them tight. I hate a raddle.
Well, Im sure you are excited to get it on the trail.
Have fun and post a picture when you get one.
Thanks for sharing.
I hope mine comes in this week.
That does kinda suck about the tail gate! It would be nice to be chilling around the fire and be able to sit on the gate. Just another way to shave cost. Thats good they put adjusters in the doors to keep them tight. I hate a raddle.
Well, Im sure you are excited to get it on the trail.
Have fun and post a picture when you get one.
Thanks for sharing.
I hope mine comes in this week.
rode one at heritage honda in maysville ky saturday. very impressed about how quiet it was, can actually have a coversation when driving unlike my buddys rhino and rzr. cant wait till i get my own (soon as wife gives ok)
We thought the same thing about the tailgate but tested it anyway. It didn't break with 2 full size guys around 200 lb a piece. The flex is unnerving but it held.
Thanks thats great to hear. After bringing it home I feel better about the gate now. I guess I wasn't used to the flex. If it maintains its shape then I'm cool with it. I know it's super light weight so maybe Honda has more into the design than I realized.
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