Pre-Wedding cold feet???

[DG Rider]

Here in the next few weeks i will finally be getting my Pioneer. The deposit has been made, and there is no turning back at this point. My old 450S will be going to a new home...

This will mark the end of 24 years of quad riding, starting on a 1989 Suzuki LTF250J Quadrunner.

This whole SxS thing started out with my getting a newer, better riding QUAD. And then it progressed to, maybe, a 50" RzR. And then a Pioneer.

Lets face it: This Pioneer thing is huge compared to my Foreman. Not only did this necessitate infrastructure changes like a bigger trailer and expanded shed...but it also makes me worry about what i can...and can't do anymore. 50" trails aren't that common here, but i wonder if the extra size will limit where i can ride enough to be disappointing. You see...those tight and twisty trails are usually the most fun.

And then i notice a post over at ATV QuadSquad about a ride somewhere in BC. Tight, shelf roads on steep mountainsides, much like what you get in Colorado mining country. I know the Pion will fit on these trails...but what if they dead end? Does it take a 10 point turn? Is the hassle worth the (admitted) advantages of a SXS?

I sometimes wonder if maybe i should be looking at a Rincon/Grizzly/KingQuad instead. I'm just worried i won't like it as much.

 

[Admin]

 

[Yooper]

I am from the upper peninsula of Michigan and we ride tons of tight trails. Don't even try outside mirrors and accept the fact that the plastic will get a bit trashed, but trashed is a good look on a SXS. I carry a buck saw and a chain saw in case I get stuck between trees or need to open things up a bit. The Pioneer has the tightest turning radius of any SXS I have driven, turn-arounds are no sweat. I am a "dirt bike" guy so was also concerned about bigger wider vehicles but I sold my bike and have never regretted it.

 

[fishin2Dmax]

A few months ago, I was having some of the same anxiety as you are now (pre-delivery). Some of the best riding areas is on forest service trails ( 50" - 54" gate widths). What I have found since (post delivery) riding the Pioneer is the vast majority of the trails I can still access. Given the popularity of SxS and the huge increase in SxS over 50" in width ( RZR-S and Rangers) some of the natural width barriers are starting to be "overcome" . Also, for a four (full size) person capable machine, there is nothing on the market that has a tighter turning radius than the Pioneer. Yes, I still have some areas I can't access, but that still leaves 100's / 1000's of miles of trails that I can access.

I took the Pioneer out last weekend on a steep rocky trail with my wife, daughter and son in law. There is one highly difficult part of the trail I've come to know all to well (I've gotten a few bruises and had mishaps in this section before - really tough on riders and ATV). The trail crosses over huge rocks, very steep, and sloping hard to to one side. With the Pioneer, we just crawled up and over with no issues at all. At the end of the 30 miles ride, I wasn't worn out like I would have been trying to handle my ATV.

The Pioneer is really smooth as well. As I've gotten older, I can't take the sustained beating like I used to with my dirt bikes and ATV's. The Pioneer did bottom the suspension out (front) a few times, but I'm still learning how to set-up the shocks. I also owned a Polaris RzR that was setup for strickly for sand / racing! It was a blast !!! While the RzR had much more power and suspension travel than the Pioneer, it also had some major reliability issues ( broke down more than I could accept) and I simply didn't use it enough - reliability issues. I love the fact the Pioneer 4 can accomodate more passengers (without a super long wheelcase) and we love to explore new areas as a family.

For me, the Pioneer is almost perfect. It is definetly not a speed demon, but it is realiable and seems to meet the majority of our various (utility and exploring) requirements in a SxS. The most frustrating thing so far is the lack of Honda accessory availability and little or no aftermarket add-on's. Honda accessories are nice, but also very pricey; I'm sure the aftermarket will soon kick in given the sales and demand for the Pioneer.

 

[DG Rider]

As I've gotten older, I can't take the sustained beating like I used to with my dirt bikes and ATV's...

This is one of the reasons i was thinking about a SxS.

2 weeks ago i took my 450S and rode an area known as Perkinsville. Beautiful scenery (Google Sedona, AZ to see the type i am talking about) and several trails. All told about 40-50 miles, which isn't a lot for this part of the country. By the end i was absolutely DEAD, back and arms hurting. The next few weekends are tied up, so it is a bit ironic that what very well be my last ride on old red was a painful reminder of why i was thinking of a SxS to begin with. Nothing is as durable and reliable, but comfortable it isn't!

It usually takes more miles than that...but the point is that on my 450, my body is what limits the ride distance...Keeping in mind that the 450 doesn't even ride good for a solid axle machine. Certainly a Rincon or IFS machine would help, and power steering would help with the arms, but street bike experience has shown me that just the act of putting your hands on bars will eventually cause aches.

Then there is the brutal sun out here, where a roof would allow you to ride on hot days you maybe couldn't on a quad. Yes, i can take friends and family as well...but the other side of that is that i no longer have an excuse when someone wants to go with me. Sometimes, i just like to go by myself...even though i really shouldn't.

I know i will like the Pion...it's just that it has a lot of great times and memories to live up to. Big shoes to fill.