P500 My thoughts on the P5 after two months.

[Russ989]

Hello everyone,

I thought I’d do a write up on my thoughts about my 2017 P5 now that I’ve put a few hours and miles on it. Here are a few things that I’ve noticed about the machine.

Cons:
1. Tire Size- while the stock tires are ok, I’d like to see the P5 have a touch bigger stock tire for ground clearance and to soak up some of the terrain the suspension can’t.

2. Headlights- they are good enough to drive in the dark but I would expect them to be brighter for a machine with this kind of price tag. My 2013 chuck wagon puts out just as much light and only cost me $4000.

3. Service- oil changes aren’t too awful, but adjusting the valves is a complete pain, I had to take a lot of the machine apart to perform this task.

4. Front diff- the machine gets around pretty good but I think a front locking diff would be awesome considering the tire size that it comes with doesn’t help much with lack of traction.

Pros:

1. Transmission- this was a big adjustment coming from a few CVT machines to having the Honda. At first I didn’t like it but the auto function is great for long hauling and road travel while the manual mode is what you want for climbing hills and traversing in the woods and trails.

2. Engine Performance- in auto mode the engine can seem sluggish on steep hills and uneven terrain due to shift points but in manual mode this thing is a beast.

3. Build Quality- it’s a Honda, not much else to say. When I was doing the first service I was impressed at how well this thing is built.

4. Size- this machine is hard to beat in the woods, I can take this thing all the places my buddies ranger can’t go due to size.

All in all I would buy the P5 again. If you are thinking about buying one I wouldn’t hesitate at all. Keep in mind that the cons I listed can all be fixed with aftermarket parts. Ill be updating as I build the P5.

Merry Christmas

 

[trigger]

Welcome to the club Russ.
Not all the cons can be fixed, there is currently no front differential locker available.
The headlights do suck, even with led bulbs, but a cheap bar or some pods are easy enough.
Oil change isn't terrible but I've never had the valves checked. Did it even need adjusting?
No machine comes with the tires we want, throw some nice 26's on it and it's another level of animal.

 

[Montecresto]

View attachment 60488
Hello everyone,

I thought I’d do a write up on my thoughts about my 2017 P5 now that I’ve put a few hours and miles on it. Here are a few things that I’ve noticed about the machine.

Cons:
1. Tire Size- while the stock tires are ok, I’d like to see the P5 have a touch bigger stock tire for ground clearance and to soak up some of the terrain the suspension can’t.

2. Headlights- they are good enough to drive in the dark but I would expect them to be brighter for a machine with this kind of price tag. My 2013 chuck wagon puts out just as much light and only cost me $4000.

3. Service- oil changes aren’t too awful, but adjusting the valves is a complete pain, I had to take a lot of the machine apart to perform this task.

4. Front diff- the machine gets around pretty good but I think a front locking diff would be awesome considering the tire size that it comes with doesn’t help much with lack of traction.

Pros:

1. Transmission- this was a big adjustment coming from a few CVT machines to having the Honda. At first I didn’t like it but the auto function is great for long hauling and road travel while the manual mode is what you want for climbing hills and traversing in the woods and trails.

2. Engine Performance- in auto mode the engine can seem sluggish on steep hills and uneven terrain due to shift points but in manual mode this thing is a beast.

3. Build Quality- it’s a Honda, not much else to say. When I was doing the first service I was impressed at how well this thing is built.

4. Size- this machine is hard to beat in the woods, I can take this thing all the places my buddies ranger can’t go due to size.

All in all I would buy the P5 again. If you are thinking about buying one I wouldn’t hesitate at all. Keep in mind that the cons I listed can all be fixed with aftermarket parts. Ill be updating as I build the P5.

Merry Christmas

Welcome to the forum @Russ989

P500 - Who wants a diff. Lock ?

 

[Neohio]

Welcome to the club from Cleveland.

 

[Russ989]

Welcome to the club Russ.
Not all the cons can be fixed, there is currently no front differential locker available.
The headlights do suck, even with led bulbs, but a cheap bar or some pods are easy enough.
Oil change isn't terrible but I've never had the valves checked. Did it even need adjusting?
No machine comes with the tires we want, throw some nice 26's on it and it's another level of animal.

You couldn’t be mo

Welcome to the forum @Russ989

P500 - Who wants a diff. Lock ?

 

[Russ989]

You couldn’t be mo

I meant to say you couldn’t be more right. I fat fingered my phone lol.

 

[Russ989]

You couldn’t be mo

I didn’t get the valves adjusted, I got everything tore apart and out of my way only to find that I needed a millimeter Allen socket to get the inspection plug out to find TDC. With cold weather coming I decided to put it back together and wait for it to warm up and then check them.

 

[Buford]

I didn’t get the valves adjusted, I got everything tore apart and out of my way only to find that I needed a millimeter Allen socket to get the inspection plug out to find TDC. With cold weather coming I decided to put it back together and wait for it to warm up and then check them.

If the valves aren't noisy, or it's not starting hard, really not much need to worry about checking the valve clearance.

 

[Russ989]

If the valves aren't noisy, or it's not starting hard, really not much need to worry about checking the valve clearance.

That’s what I figured, it’s not noisy and starts like a dream. Thanks for the info.

 

[Buford]

I know Honda calls for it at the first service; 20 hours or 100 miles. Maybe it wouldn't hurt after 100 hours or 500 miles to check.

 

[100Acre]

More leg room for me left pegleg. They're just too damn long and purdy to cut, but after a long day of riding I feel like its a Pigleg ready to split at me knee. Sometimes I find meself hanging me leg out the door. One day it'll eat a rock or root and I'll really need a pegleg. I would buy a P5 again if'n it came stretched....One must remember its like a cool clown car to me being 6'9" tall.

 

[Russ989]

More leg room for me left pegleg. They're just too damn long and purdy to cut, but after a long day of riding I feel like its a Pigleg ready to split at me knee. Sometimes I find meself hanging me leg out the door. One day it'll eat a rock or root and I'll really need a pegleg. I would buy a P5 again if'n it came stretched....One must remember its like a cool clown car to me being 6'9" tall.

At 6’2” I’m pretty comfortable in mine, I consider it to be more of a four wheeler with a bench seat and steering wheel. I can’t imagine being 6’9” in this machine.

 

[100Acre]

At 6’2” I’m pretty comfortable in mine, I consider it to be more of a four wheeler with a bench seat and steering wheel. I can’t imagine being 6’9” in this machine.

like I said, Clown Car...

 

[Mlaz81]

I've owned nothing but Yamaha's. Every person with machines I know has owned nothing but Honda's. One guy I know has 10k + miles on his foreman. Honda has put out solid, durable, and reliable machines, but not much else comes with it, which explains why a certain unnamed junk manufacturer owns the lions share of the UTV market. There is a large subset of the population willing to sacrifice quality for performance. I'm not one of those people, but I do understand. I bought the 500 as a work machine as a replacement for my grizzly, which is just flat worn out. I would have bought another yamaha, but they don't make anything 50', which was the deciding factor. I plan on using the 500 for plowing, towing, and VERY light trail use, gathering wood and such. I'm under no illusion as to its trail capabilities. When you look at its competition, excluding width and build quality, there are much much better options out there. I hope as the market moves away from ATV's to UTV's Honda takes notice. There are a lot of people who want performance, (i.e. that other company) and quality, (i.e. Honda) I wouldn't mind given up a little reliability for performance, I'd expect to, but Honda's stubbornness seems to prevent this. The 500 COULD have been a fantastic all around work/trail machine, with just proven Honda parts like a front locker, an unlocking rear, power steering, and a little more suspension travel, and I would not have minded paying a substantial premium to get that, but alas no, 500 owners get none of this.

This really isn't about bashing Honda, They are high quality machines, just nothing I would ever get excited about.

 

[Buford]

I've owned nothing but Yamaha's. Every person with machines I know has owned nothing but Honda's. One guy I know has 10k + miles on his foreman. Honda has put out solid, durable, and reliable machines, but not much else comes with it, which explains why a certain unnamed junk manufacturer owns the lions share of the UTV market. There is a large subset of the population willing to sacrifice quality for performance. I'm not one of those people, but I do understand. I bought the 500 as a work machine as a replacement for my grizzly, which is just flat worn out. I would have bought another yamaha, but they don't make anything 50', which was the deciding factor. I plan on using the 500 for plowing, towing, and VERY light trail use, gathering wood and such. I'm under no illusion as to its trail capabilities. When you look at its competition, excluding width and build quality, there are much much better options out there. I hope as the market moves away from ATV's to UTV's Honda takes notice. There are a lot of people who want performance, (i.e. that other company) and quality, (i.e. Honda) I wouldn't mind given up a little reliability for performance, I'd expect to, but Honda's stubbornness seems to prevent this. The 500 COULD have been a fantastic all around work/trail machine, with just proven Honda parts like a front locker, an unlocking rear, power steering, and a little more suspension travel, and I would not have minded paying a substantial premium to get that, but alas no, 500 owners get none of this.

This really isn't about bashing Honda, They are high quality machines, just nothing I would ever get excited about.

Some of the issues the P500 has can be remedied, although not cheaply. Easy to add power steering, Walker Evans shocks, much better tires, and hopefully very soon a front locker.
I actually can't think of a single complaint with my P500. But then again, it's been sitting in the storage building for over 3 years and still has less than 1 mile on it .

 

[trigger]

But then again, it's been sitting in the storage building for over 3 years and still has less than 1 mile on it .

That's kinda sad Buford. Why don't you ride it?

 

[HUCK]

That's kinda sad Buford. Why don't you ride it?

That's not sad . There will be a very low mileage p5 for sale in the future . 1 mile every 3 years !

 

[rocmar]

Hope the critters...
haven't made a home...in
it...

 

[HondaTech]

I've owned nothing but Yamaha's. Every person with machines I know has owned nothing but Honda's. One guy I know has 10k + miles on his foreman. Honda has put out solid, durable, and reliable machines, but not much else comes with it, which explains why a certain unnamed junk manufacturer owns the lions share of the UTV market. There is a large subset of the population willing to sacrifice quality for performance. I'm not one of those people, but I do understand. I bought the 500 as a work machine as a replacement for my grizzly, which is just flat worn out. I would have bought another yamaha, but they don't make anything 50', which was the deciding factor. I plan on using the 500 for plowing, towing, and VERY light trail use, gathering wood and such. I'm under no illusion as to its trail capabilities. When you look at its competition, excluding width and build quality, there are much much better options out there. I hope as the market moves away from ATV's to UTV's Honda takes notice. There are a lot of people who want performance, (i.e. that other company) and quality, (i.e. Honda) I wouldn't mind given up a little reliability for performance, I'd expect to, but Honda's stubbornness seems to prevent this. The 500 COULD have been a fantastic all around work/trail machine, with just proven Honda parts like a front locker, an unlocking rear, power steering, and a little more suspension travel, and I would not have minded paying a substantial premium to get that, but alas no, 500 owners get none of this.

This really isn't about bashing Honda, They are high quality machines, just nothing I would ever get excited about.

It was meant to be a cheap smaller alternative. This is the same reason Honda's 450 quads didn't have the fancy stuff factory. Everybody was just going to mod them anyway, so why factory mod it? If all that's stuff came standard, the P500 would an over $10k then everybody would complain it's too expensive. I think they balanced the price for amenities.

 

[Garbageman]

I've had my 2017 about 4 months and have almost 600 miles on it. I've driven past some people who stopped their quads to contemplate going up that hill, and when we all got to the top had people ask about my 500, and with the bench seat, getting over to counterbalance is easier than with a couple of buckets. Lighting has been ok for driving at night, but I don't want much to look like a small star driving down roads on my way hunting, either. I'm not burying mine in mud, but an occasional creek crossing hasn't been a problem yet, even with the stock tires.I put a 3500 lb winch on the front, I've only used it to extract a fourwheeler from the wrong side of a log. One of the things I get commented on most is the ability to make the back rack whatever I want, right now a harbor freight basket resides there, held in place by hose clamps. All in all, with a little bit of google research, I knew what I was buying, and it's the best machine for my needs that I've seen on the market. I don't have to drive everywhere hunting, or just goofing off in the outdoors, but being able to drive another 5 miles without putting more sagebrush pinstripes on my pickup is fantastic and, running around on some of the 50" trails here in Idaho is a good time. I know I can add a bunch more stuff to it if I want, but simplicty seems to be the p500's strong suit, and I'll just keep it that way. For now.