P500 P500 Shifting Question

[Twangin]

I’ve had my new 2017 P500 for a week now and loving the heck out of it. Put about 50 miles on it. I’m curious about something with regard to shifting.. is it ok to shift (in manual mode) without letting off the gas?

Just wondering because I’ve read a ton about the P500 shifting hard and I’ve been really paying attention to its behavior when shifting. I don’t know if I’m just looking into it too hard but I feel like it’s actually starting to take a fraction longer to disengage the clutch AFTER a shift.

I wouldn’t considered it a “slipping” feeling but just an ever so slight delay in re-engaging power to the wheels after shifting. I notice it mostly going from 2nd to 3rd and a little going from 3rd to 4th. Just wondering if this is normal and wanting to make sure it’s ok that I’ve been shifting without letting off the gas pedal.


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[alloutdoors]

I’ve had my new 2017 P500 for a week now and loving the heck out of it. Put about 50 miles on it. I’m curious about something with regard to shifting.. is it ok to shift (in manual mode) without letting off the gas?

Just wondering because I’ve read a ton about the P500 shifting hard and I’ve been really paying attention to its behavior when shifting. I don’t know if I’m just looking into it too hard but I feel like it’s actually starting to take a fraction longer to disengage the clutch AFTER a shift.

I wouldn’t considered it a “slipping” feeling but just an ever so slight delay in re-engaging power to the wheels after shifting. I notice it mostly going from 2nd to 3rd and a little going from 3rd to 4th. Just wondering if this is normal and wanting to make sure it’s ok that I’ve been shifting without letting off the gas pedal.


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In my manual it is recommended that you let off the throttle while upshifting but not required. It does state let off the throttle to downshift. Keep in mind, the 2015 is paddle shift only no AT.

 

[qflyer]

I’ve had my new 2017 P500 for a week now and loving the heck out of it. Put about 50 miles on it. I’m curious about something with regard to shifting.. is it ok to shift (in manual mode) without letting off the gas?

Just wondering because I’ve read a ton about the P500 shifting hard and I’ve been really paying attention to its behavior when shifting. I don’t know if I’m just looking into it too hard but I feel like it’s actually starting to take a fraction longer to disengage the clutch AFTER a shift.

I wouldn’t considered it a “slipping” feeling but just an ever so slight delay in re-engaging power to the wheels after shifting. I notice it mostly going from 2nd to 3rd and a little going from 3rd to 4th. Just wondering if this is normal and wanting to make sure it’s ok that I’ve been shifting without letting off the gas pedal.


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Page 72 of my manual says that lifting off the throttle is recommended but not required. Seems like most people say the shifts improve with the first oil/fluids change, but I'm not quite there yet either. Also see people recommend a clutch adjustment for the slipping you describe. Mine does it, too.

 

[Smitty335]

Page 72 of my manual says that lifting off the throttle is recommended but not required. Seems like most people say the shifts improve with the first oil/fluids change, but I'm not quite there yet either. Also see people recommend a clutch adjustment for the slipping you describe. Mine does it, too.

Hey glad to have you on board, just drive it for a while and a lot of things will sort them selves out, went through the same thing. These are great rigs!

 

[Mudder]

Clutch adjustment very sensitive, but helped my hard shifting. On the delay, remember that the shift and trottle are electronically connected to retard engine power briefly on shift, so i let off. Also found AT shifts smoothest when hard on the gas. Get a couple hundred brak-in miles on it before tinkering in my opinion, like you said, get to know the quirks. 1st oil change did synthetic in motor and differentials, improved it.

 

[Twangin]

Ok, good to know this is all normal that I’m experiencing. And I think in manual mode I’ll start letting off the gas to shift just to be on the safe side


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[Mudslyder]

Just to chime in to support the other comments...I have a 17 as well. Run it thru the break in period, change the oil then adjust the clutch.
Shifts smooth as butter now.

 

[Twangin]

I’m most likely going to let my Honda dealership do the first service.. wonder if adjusting the clutch is part of that service or would I need to tell them to do it?


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[iowaguy]

I’m most likely going to let my Honda dealership do the first service.. wonder if adjusting the clutch is part of that service or would I need to tell them to do it?


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Adjusting the clutch is very easy to do yourself,I didn't need to adjust mine until 3000 miles, and over half of my up shifting is done under full throttle ,mine is a 2015

 

[trigger]

Adjusting the clutch is very easy to do yourself,I didn't need to adjust mine until 3000 miles, and over half of my up shifting is done under full throttle ,mine is a 2015

Letting off on a down shift isn't always necessary either. Climbed a sand hill that others couldn't make, @PistonHonda witnessed it. One was a Ranger and the other a P5. Hit the base of it in 3rd, half way up she just started to bog and hammered 2nd without ever letting off the throttle. Clunked hard and was high rpm's for a second or two, then powered its way to the top. You'll play hell to hurt this machine's drive train.
Never figured out why the other P5 didn't make it, could've been the tires, extra weight of lawn chairs he was carrying, or just the driver's capabilities.

THE HILL!

 

[Deleted member 3748]

Letting off on a down shift isn't always necessary either. Climbed a sand hill that others couldn't make, @PistonHonda witnessed it. One was a Ranger and the other a P5. Hit the base of it in 3rd, half way up she just started to bog and hammered 2nd without ever letting off the throttle. Clunked hard and was high rpm's for a second or two, then powered its way to the top. You'll play hell to hurt this machine's drive train.
Never figured out why the other P5 didn't make it, could've been the tires, extra weight of lawn chairs he was carrying, or just the driver's capabilities.

View attachment 65650 THE HILL!

I saw the same thing... pretty sure it was the lawn chairs.

 

[Smitty335]

I saw the same thing... pretty sure it was the lawn chairs.

You 500 guys are animals! HA! In a good way! I wish I could find a 500 cheap!

 

[Arizona]

Ok, good to know this is all normal that I’m experiencing. And I think in manual mode I’ll start letting off the gas to shift just to be on the safe side


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My P-500 is a 2015. At first, I tried letting off the gas for up-shifts, got a bang-clunk every time. Then I learned about the shift paddle throttle retard. I've written it here before how to get a completely smooth up shift every time, no clunk or bang at all, completely smooth like a car automatic transmission... Do not let off the gas. For every up-shift, GIVE it, and KEEP quite a bit of gas on, then pull the shift paddle ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE STOP as this gives a momentary throttle retard, and KEEP HOLDING the paddle back firm all the way until AFTER it shifts, then let go of the paddle. This all takes about 2 seconds. It takes a little practice, and the only time I ever get a little clunk or bang is when I don't give it enough gas while shifting. Some operators don't know about the throttle retard with the shift paddle held all the way back, if you pull it back quick and let it go it doesn't give it enough time to give a proper throttle retard to help shift smooth. Worse is flipping the paddle like a playing card. When I went to test ride my P-500 at the Honda dealership, the sales guy drove, we took off and he flipped the paddle really quick like a playing card for each shift, he was trying to show off but made for a loud bang every shift, drove me nuts, and since I learned how to smooth shift, I still apologize to my P-500 when I remember the quick paddle flipping sales guy.
Give it good gas, pull & hold the paddle all the way back, keep it there until after it shifts, then let go. Sounds complicated, but with some practice it becomes natural, and is fun when you get perfect, or near perfect smooth shifts every time. On downshifting I learned to give it a touch of gas, just enough to take the 'load' off the trans, or make the engine & trans 'neutral' or not having one causing resistance to the other, that takes more practice and is harder to get right every time, just slow down quite a bit before down shifting, and a little blip of gas. If you practice and get it right, you'll be amazed at how completely smooth you can do your up shifts.

 

[Twangin]

My P-500 is a 2015. At first, I tried letting off the gas for up-shifts, got a bang-clunk every time. Then I learned about the shift paddle throttle retard. I've written it here before how to get a completely smooth up shift every time, no clunk or bang at all, completely smooth like a car automatic transmission... Do not let off the gas. For every up-shift, GIVE it, and KEEP quite a bit of gas on, then pull the shift paddle ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE STOP as this gives a momentary throttle retard, and KEEP HOLDING the paddle back firm all the way until AFTER it shifts, then let go of the paddle. This all takes about 2 seconds. It takes a little practice, and the only time I ever get a little clunk or bang is when I don't give it enough gas while shifting. Some operators don't know about the throttle retard with the shift paddle held all the way back, if you pull it back quick and let it go it doesn't give it enough time to give a proper throttle retard to help shift smooth. Worse is flipping the paddle like a playing card. When I went to test ride my P-500 at the Honda dealership, the sales guy drove, we took off and he flipped the paddle really quick like a playing card for each shift, he was trying to show off but made for a loud bang every shift, drove me nuts, and since I learned how to smooth shift, I still apologize to my P-500 when I remember the quick paddle flipping sales guy.
Give it good gas, pull & hold the paddle all the way back, keep it there until after it shifts, then let go. Sounds complicated, but with some practice it becomes natural, and is fun when you get perfect, or near perfect smooth shifts every time. On downshifting I learned to give it a touch of gas, just enough to take the 'load' off the trans, or make the engine & trans 'neutral' or not having one causing resistance to the other, that takes more practice and is harder to get right every time, just slow down quite a bit before down shifting, and a little blip of gas. If you practice and get it right, you'll be amazed at how completely smooth you can do your up shifts.

Thanks for that detailed write-up. Ya know, I think I actually sorta stumbled across what you’re describing last night when riding around the property. I definitely noticed a very hard shift when trying to let off the throttle then shift.. did not like that at all. But it seemed to shift smoother and smoother when I was actually accelerating. I’ll be riding again tomorrow night so I will try the technique you’re talking about with holding in the shifter.


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[Arizona]

Thanks for that detailed write-up. Ya know, I think I actually sorta stumbled across what you’re describing last night when riding around the property. I definitely noticed a very hard shift when trying to let off the throttle then shift.. did not like that at all. But it seemed to shift smoother and smoother when I was actually accelerating. I’ll be riding again tomorrow night so I will try the technique you’re talking about with holding in the shifter.


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Thanks for the note. I'm glad my detailed write up helped you. Writing it out seems long & complicated, but doing that technique is pretty easy once you get used to it. Good to hear while accelerating it seemed to be getting smoother for you. It works best when you give it some good throttle just before you shift, probably more throttle than you'd think, keep that same throttle on until after it shifts, then you can back off throttle if you want to stay in that gear for a while, or you can just keep that throttle on for more up-shifts in a row. Just remember to hold that shift paddle all the way back to the stop until after it shifts. You might notice that while throttle is on, and when the paddle is all the way back and it does the quick throttle retard, it sounds like if you quickly held your hand over the carb intake and starved the carb of gas for a moment, the electronic quick throttle retard gives that same kind of bogging sound. The only time I blow it and get a bang is when I didn't give it enough throttle before shifting. Wow, I just realized why that technique works... The paddle shifter held back until AFTER it shifts acts similar to a motorcycle clutch. With the throttle on, then holding that paddle all the way back, it does a quick throttle retard which allows the clutch to ease it into the next gear instead of banging it, but it's takes quite a bit of throttle to make the clutch effective in easing it into the next gear. Letting off the throttle, or not much throttle, and the clutch isn't effective, that's why it bangs into the next gear like on a motorcycle, if you don't pull in the clutch hand lever and just use the foot shift, it bangs into gear. With throttle on, and keeping that paddle all the way back until after it shifts, it acts similar to a motorcycle hand lever clutch, but on a motorcycle you have to back off the throttle, pull the clutch lever, shift, then let the clutch lever out and throttle up again. Since on the Honda, you can't pull in a clutch lever, it's trickier, but using the paddle shifter in the right way, it acts somewhat like a motorcycle clutch, not as well, that's why it takes some practice for smooth shifting like a motorcycle.
I hope it gets better & easier for you. As your newer machine breaks in, it should get a little smoother as you put more miles on. Oh, forgot to say, 1st gear is so low it's hard to do the smooth shift from 1st to 2nd gear, but works well for 2nd through to 5th gears. Sometimes I just start out in 2nd gear, but starting in 1st probably helps clutch life a little, but Honda clutch & trans is a tank. Also, I run full synthetic motor oil, and full synthetic gear oil in the front & rear diffs, that helps it run & shift a little smoother too, not much, but a little.
I really didn't want to do another long write up, but here it is, I just like understanding exactly how things work, and writing this made me understand much better how this smooth shifting trick works. Report back if this helps, or if you get smoother shifts as you practice, happy riding !!

 

[Twangin]

Thanks for the note. I'm glad my detailed write up helped you. Writing it out seems long & complicated, but doing that technique is pretty easy once you get used to it. Good to hear while accelerating it seemed to be getting smoother for you. It works best when you give it some good throttle just before you shift, probably more throttle than you'd think, keep that same throttle on until after it shifts, then you can back off throttle if you want to stay in that gear for a while, or you can just keep that throttle on for more up-shifts in a row. Just remember to hold that shift paddle all the way back to the stop until after it shifts. You might notice that while throttle is on, and when the paddle is all the way back and it does the quick throttle retard, it sounds like if you quickly held your hand over the carb intake and starved the carb of gas for a moment, the electronic quick throttle retard gives that same kind of bogging sound. The only time I blow it and get a bang is when I didn't give it enough throttle before shifting. Wow, I just realized why that technique works... The paddle shifter held back until AFTER it shifts acts similar to a motorcycle clutch. With the throttle on, then holding that paddle all the way back, it does a quick throttle retard which allows the clutch to ease it into the next gear instead of banging it, but it's takes quite a bit of throttle to make the clutch effective in easing it into the next gear. Letting off the throttle, or not much throttle, and the clutch isn't effective, that's why it bangs into the next gear like on a motorcycle, if you don't pull in the clutch hand lever and just use the foot shift, it bangs into gear. With throttle on, and keeping that paddle all the way back until after it shifts, it acts similar to a motorcycle hand lever clutch, but on a motorcycle you have to back off the throttle, pull the clutch lever, shift, then let the clutch lever out and throttle up again. Since on the Honda, you can't pull in a clutch lever, it's trickier, but using the paddle shifter in the right way, it acts somewhat like a motorcycle clutch, not as well, that's why it takes some practice for smooth shifting like a motorcycle.
I hope it gets better & easier for you. As your newer machine breaks in, it should get a little smoother as you put more miles on. Oh, forgot to say, 1st gear is so low it's hard to do the smooth shift from 1st to 2nd gear, but works well for 2nd through to 5th gears. Sometimes I just start out in 2nd gear, but starting in 1st probably helps clutch life a little, but Honda clutch & trans is a tank. Also, I run full synthetic motor oil, and full synthetic gear oil in the front & rear diffs, that helps it run & shift a little smoother too, not much, but a little.
I really didn't want to do another long write up, but here it is, I just like understanding exactly how things work, and writing this made me understand much better how this smooth shifting trick works. Report back if this helps, or if you get smoother shifts as you practice, happy riding !!

Well I’d say you’ve darn near reverse engineered the entire P500 tranny electronic system! Makes total sense though, what you’re explaining. Will report back after some riding this weekend in manual mode. Stayed in automatic for the most part tonight with the area I was riding.. so not much manual shifting tonight. Thanks for the write up @Arizona !


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[Arizona]

Well I’d say you’ve darn near reverse engineered the entire P500 tranny electronic system! Makes total sense though, what you’re explaining. Will report back after some riding this weekend in manual mode. Stayed in automatic for the most part tonight with the area I was riding.. so not much manual shifting tonight. Thanks for the write up @Arizona !


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Your welcome, glad to help, giving my write up's a 'like' would be nice too.

 

[Bubba6969]

Thanks for the note. I'm glad my detailed write up helped you. Writing it out seems long & complicated, but doing that technique is pretty easy once you get used to it. Good to hear while accelerating it seemed to be getting smoother for you. It works best when you give it some good throttle just before you shift, probably more throttle than you'd think, keep that same throttle on until after it shifts, then you can back off throttle if you want to stay in that gear for a while, or you can just keep that throttle on for more up-shifts in a row. Just remember to hold that shift paddle all the way back to the stop until after it shifts. You might notice that while throttle is on, and when the paddle is all the way back and it does the quick throttle retard, it sounds like if you quickly held your hand over the carb intake and starved the carb of gas for a moment, the electronic quick throttle retard gives that same kind of bogging sound. The only time I blow it and get a bang is when I didn't give it enough throttle before shifting. Wow, I just realized why that technique works... The paddle shifter held back until AFTER it shifts acts similar to a motorcycle clutch. With the throttle on, then holding that paddle all the way back, it does a quick throttle retard which allows the clutch to ease it into the next gear instead of banging it, but it's takes quite a bit of throttle to make the clutch effective in easing it into the next gear. Letting off the throttle, or not much throttle, and the clutch isn't effective, that's why it bangs into the next gear like on a motorcycle, if you don't pull in the clutch hand lever and just use the foot shift, it bangs into gear. With throttle on, and keeping that paddle all the way back until after it shifts, it acts similar to a motorcycle hand lever clutch, but on a motorcycle you have to back off the throttle, pull the clutch lever, shift, then let the clutch lever out and throttle up again. Since on the Honda, you can't pull in a clutch lever, it's trickier, but using the paddle shifter in the right way, it acts somewhat like a motorcycle clutch, not as well, that's why it takes some practice for smooth shifting like a motorcycle.
I hope it gets better & easier for you. As your newer machine breaks in, it should get a little smoother as you put more miles on. Oh, forgot to say, 1st gear is so low it's hard to do the smooth shift from 1st to 2nd gear, but works well for 2nd through to 5th gears. Sometimes I just start out in 2nd gear, but starting in 1st probably helps clutch life a little, but Honda clutch & trans is a tank. Also, I run full synthetic motor oil, and full synthetic gear oil in the front & rear diffs, that helps it run & shift a little smoother too, not much, but a little.
I really didn't want to do another long write up, but here it is, I just like understanding exactly how things work, and writing this made me understand much better how this smooth shifting trick works. Report back if this helps, or if you get smoother shifts as you practice, happy riding !!

Great write up. Thank you makes sense to me