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Hello everyone. I just got a Honda Pioneer 500 today and I'm totally stoked. This is the first UTV I've owned, though I've had a fair amount of experience using a couple of other brands while practicing as a GP at a remote Indian Health Service clinic and at home on my dad's farm in north GA. I used a Kawasaki Mule 4x4 with IHS to make house calls, as an ambulance, and for hauling injured or sun-stroked tourists to our clinic. I thought it was a great vehicle for the purpose, and it would climb nearly anything. On my dad's farm, I used a rear wheel drive John Deere Gator, and it is also a very good machine (even more so because it's kept my dad fairly active in his garden well into his 90's despite a bum knee).
Anyway, I'm in North Idaho now decided that it was time to get my own. I decided that I wanted a 50" machine to stay legal on more trails, and my choices were limited to Polaris, Arctic Cat, and Honda (plus some Chinese model, I can't remember the name). Polaris and Honda seem to be the most popular around here, and lots of folks steered me toward Polaris. However, I also heard tremendous numbers of complaints about Polaris machines breaking and and resulting in costly repairs. So, I chose Honda. And I'm really happy I listened to my instinct. It might not be the fastest, but it's plenty fast enough for me. A friend and I took an evening trip and it performed flawlessly on some pretty rough terrain. I'll try to post some photos in the "500" section. I think this will be a great tool around the house, for fly fishing, and perhaps even for hauling my whitewater boat on to access difficult-to-reach creeks.
Anyway, I'm in North Idaho now decided that it was time to get my own. I decided that I wanted a 50" machine to stay legal on more trails, and my choices were limited to Polaris, Arctic Cat, and Honda (plus some Chinese model, I can't remember the name). Polaris and Honda seem to be the most popular around here, and lots of folks steered me toward Polaris. However, I also heard tremendous numbers of complaints about Polaris machines breaking and and resulting in costly repairs. So, I chose Honda. And I'm really happy I listened to my instinct. It might not be the fastest, but it's plenty fast enough for me. A friend and I took an evening trip and it performed flawlessly on some pretty rough terrain. I'll try to post some photos in the "500" section. I think this will be a great tool around the house, for fly fishing, and perhaps even for hauling my whitewater boat on to access difficult-to-reach creeks.
