P500 QUESTION: IS MY AUTO TRANS SHIFTING BAD??

[AlR]

Guys:
I got the 2017 P500 back from the initial service afew days ago, so it has about 90 miles on it. I took it out today for a 25 mile ride on some flat trails. For the first time, I pushed it alittle. I think the auto transmission shifts alittle odd and maybe other 2017 P500 owners could advise me here.

When it shifts up (eg: from 2nd to 3rd), the thing seems to switch out of gear, the engine revs up abit, then within 0.5 or 0.75 seconds, it shifts into the gear and the revs go back down. It's more pronounced when I'm 'flooring' it or going up a hill. If I were shifting with a manual clutch, I'd say I was on the gas too early. It's definitely not the way I'd shift a machine.

When I put it in 'manual', and am shifting up, if I take my foot off the gas, shift up, then step on the gas again, it shifts well. If I leave the gas on, and shift up (in manual), it goes out of gear, revs up, then pops into gear within 0.5 seconds, slowing the revs back down abit...

Hard to explain. QUESTION: is this what you're experiencing? Maybe I could do a quick video with sound and see if it captures the shifting. I'm tempted to take it in to the dealer and have him adjust the thing if it's not normal.

Thanx
Al

 

[iowaguy]

Guys:
I got the 2017 P500 back from the initial service afew days ago, so it has about 90 miles on it. I took it out today for a 25 mile ride on some flat trails. For the first time, I pushed it alittle. I think the auto transmission shifts alittle odd and maybe other 2017 P500 owners could advise me here.

When it shifts up (eg: from 2nd to 3rd), the thing seems to switch out of gear, the engine revs up abit, then within 0.5 or 0.75 seconds, it shifts into the gear and the revs go back down. It's more pronounced when I'm 'flooring' it or going up a hill. If I were shifting with a manual clutch, I'd say I was on the gas too early. It's definitely not the way I'd shift a machine.

When I put it in 'manual', and am shifting up, if I take my foot off the gas, shift up, then step on the gas again, it shifts well. If I leave the gas on, and shift up (in manual), it goes out of gear, revs up, then pops into gear within 0.5 seconds, slowing the revs back down abit...

Hard to explain. QUESTION: is this what you're experiencing? Maybe I could do a quick video with sound and see if it captures the shifting. I'm tempted to take it in to the dealer and have him adjust the thing if it's not normal.

Thanx
Al

Don't know about how it should shift in auto mode, but when shifting manually are you doing it fast or slow? You shouldn't have any problem's if you are pulling on the lever fast and hard.I shift mine a lot with out leaving up on the gas hardly at all, don't be afraid to leave it rev in the gears before shifting.my shift points are about 4-5 mph faster than what the owners manual recommends.It may also mean you need to adjust your clutch,I don't know for sure I've never had the need to on mine,I can tell you also extreme cold weather does funky things to it when starting out when the engine is cold.

 

[AlR]

Don't know about how it should shift in auto mode, but when shifting manually are you doing it fast or slow? You shouldn't have any problem's if you are pulling on the lever fast and hard.I shift mine a lot with out leaving up on the gas hardly at all, don't be afraid to leave it rev in the gears before shifting.my shift points are about 4-5 mph faster than what the owners manual recommends.It may also mean you need to adjust your clutch,I don't know for sure I've never had the need to on mine,I can tell you also extreme cold weather does funky things to it when starting out when the engine is cold.

I'm tapping the levers in manual. Not doing it slow. Auto is the main concern :/

 

[JTW]

Sounds like the clutch adjustment needs adjusting.. I think there is a post on here about that.

 

[AlR]

PANIC OVER, PROBLEM RESOLVED. I adjusted the clutch. It was easy to do. Take the seat off. Remove the driver's side dust flap, or the storage bin; whatever you have. Use a flashlight and you'll see this:
As noted in the P500 thread "Ist Clutch Adjustment", take note of the position of the adjustment screw (centre screw). Even a 1/8th turn makes a difference to the clutch. Use a 14 mm box-end wrench and loose the lock nut. The 'manual' says to 'turn clockwise until resistance is met'. As soon as I turned clockwise, I met resistance. This P5 arrived from the dealer not adjusted to Honda specs. Anyways, I met the resistance then turned back clockwise just a tad over 1/4 turn. I no longer have a shifting problem. Adjusting the clutch makes it shift WAY better. Super simple to do. Happy happy.

At the same time I adjusted the pre-load on the shocks. Using this tool:
I dialed each shock only one-click higher. I bounced the shocks & pushed down abit to make sure the suspension wasn't sitting artificially high. That resulted in a 1/2" rise in clearance in the back and just under 1/2" rise in the front; now I have 10 1/2" clearance fore and aft.
Al

 

[JTW]

PANIC OVER, PROBLEM RESOLVED. I adjusted the clutch. It was easy to do. Take the seat off. Remove the driver's side dust flap, or the storage bin; whatever you have. Use a flashlight and you'll see this:
View attachment 31937 As noted in the P500 thread "Ist Clutch Adjustment", take note of the position of the adjustment screw (centre screw). Even a 1/8th turn makes a difference to the clutch. Use a 14 mm box-end wrench and loose the lock nut. The 'manual' says to 'turn clockwise until resistance is met'. As soon as I turned clockwise, I met resistance. This P5 arrived from the dealer not adjusted to Honda specs. Anyways, I met the resistance then turned back clockwise just a tad over 1/4 turn. I no longer have a shifting problem. Adjusting the clutch makes it shift WAY better. Super simple to do. Happy happy.

At the same time I adjusted the pre-load on the shocks. Using this tool:
View attachment 31938 I dialed each shock only one-click higher. I bounced the shocks & pushed down abit to make sure the suspension wasn't sitting artificially high. That resulted in a 1/2" rise in clearance in the back and just under 1/2" rise in the front; now I have 10 1/2" clearance fore and aft.
Al

Just FYI.. a monkey wrench works fine for adjusting the shocks.

 

[RobbieS]

PANIC OVER, PROBLEM RESOLVED. I adjusted the clutch. It was easy to do. Take the seat off. Remove the driver's side dust flap, or the storage bin; whatever you have. Use a flashlight and you'll see this:
View attachment 31937 As noted in the P500 thread "Ist Clutch Adjustment", take note of the position of the adjustment screw (centre screw). Even a 1/8th turn makes a difference to the clutch. Use a 14 mm box-end wrench and loose the lock nut. The 'manual' says to 'turn clockwise until resistance is met'. As soon as I turned clockwise, I met resistance. This P5 arrived from the dealer not adjusted to Honda specs. Anyways, I met the resistance then turned back clockwise just a tad over 1/4 turn. I no longer have a shifting problem. Adjusting the clutch makes it shift WAY better. Super simple to do. Happy happy.

At the same time I adjusted the pre-load on the shocks. Using this tool:
View attachment 31938 I dialed each shock only one-click higher. I bounced the shocks & pushed down abit to make sure the suspension wasn't sitting artificially high. That resulted in a 1/2" rise in clearance in the back and just under 1/2" rise in the front; now I have 10 1/2" clearance fore and aft.
Al

"As soon as I turned clockwise, I met resistance. This P5 arrived from the dealer not adjusted to Honda specs. Anyways, I met the resistance then turned back clockwise just a tad over 1/4 turn"

Did you mean you turned it back counter-clockwise? I'm confused.

 

[lonewolf]

"As soon as I turned clockwise, I met resistance. This P5 arrived from the dealer not adjusted to Honda specs. Anyways, I met the resistance then turned back clockwise just a tad over 1/4 turn"

Did you mean you turned it back counter-clockwise? I'm confused.

I don't own a Pioneer 500,(yet) so it could be different than the Foreman 500. For the foreman 500, it calls for :

-loosen locknut
-turn 1 revolution clockwise
-slowly turn counter-clockwise until resistance is met
-turn clockwise 1/4 turn, and lock the locknut down while holding the clutch adjustment position with a screwdriver.

 

[AKRider]

Here's the link to the post @AlR referenced for the adjustment procedure...

P500 - 1st Clutch Adjustment

 

[AlR]

"As soon as I turned clockwise, I met resistance. This P5 arrived from the dealer not adjusted to Honda specs. Anyways, I met the resistance then turned back clockwise just a tad over 1/4 turn"

Did you mean you turned it back counter-clockwise? I'm confused.

Ugh. Sorry for the confusion. It's an easy adjustment. Listen to the other more clear-headed posters!
Al