Multi Showroom touring

[DG Rider]

Well...if you can't be out on the trails, then maybe the next best place is at a dealer smelling the new tire smell.

I hit a Yamaha/Suzuki/Kawasaki dealer 1st and took a look at the new X4, then checked out the Wolverine X2 yet again.
It always amazes me how much smaller this machine looks in person than it sounds on paper. I'm always reminded that the bed is bigger than i remember as well. Just wish they all came with a tailgate. Definitely high on the list next time around.

Then the Viking. Nice gray color they have now...but this thing is just...kinda ugly despite looking like the wolvy, which I like the looks of. My buddy back in AZ bought one after riding with me in the Pioneer. He saw how much a SxS could improve his hunting and chose the Yam. Loud in the cab, vibey, durable, capable.

Then i peeked at the Teryx. I hear very little bad about this machine. Maybe the worst part is that its getting a little long in the tooth and has lost some of its WOW! factor.

The main thing here was ATV's.
The Bruteforce...kinda like a Teryx. Nothing wrong at all, and they seem popular out west.

Then the poor Kingquad 750. Suzuki needs to get off their ass and get this engine in a SxS...but where it is now is a such a great machine that seems to get overlooked. Maybe not enough "R's" in the name...or Monster graphics i guess. Between it and the Kodiak, toss a coin. I tried to buy one of these way back when they came out but didn't remember my kneepads when i went to the local s*** dealer.

Then the Yamaha's. Man...Yamaha is turning out some very well done ATV's these days. The fit and finish was...well...Honda-like, and maybe better. I'd probably get the Kodiak with the diff lock, since it is supposed to be clutched for lower cruising RPM's, so you get less of the constant RPM typical of CVT's. Sounds like exactly what I'd want, and since the Kingquad has a rep for similar clutching, its little wonder why these would be the list toppers if I were in the market.

Then on down to the Honda shop where i promptly had my retina's singed by new yellow 1000 being built in the parking lot. It was near closing, so I didn't get pics, so i will borrow Honda Pro Kevins:



Certainly...a very striking color, though not my thing. If you want one and are near central KY, Floyds in Danville has one. You can probably see it from where you are.

The 1000 was why i was here. I've never really looked at it due to prices and clutch things. Now that the updates should cure any ills, i have noticed the lower end 3 seaters being sold within sight, so it gets added to the list. Nice...but it just seems so much bigger than the 700, which already seemed big. Does the 1000 really have a plastic engine skid when the 700 has a metal (albeit, very flimsy) one? Seems like it should be the other way. We'll see if the updates work...but for the 1st time, I can say I might be in on the 1000.

And then, my old friend...the oft forgotten 700. The 1st, and still the best looking Pioneer. There are people who would be totally shocked to learn that one of the frontrunners for me...despite how much I've b****ed about it, is STILL the 700. Nearly 9000 miles of nearly no-cost riding does have some swaying power with me! I am no longer riding around at 9000', so its' one big issue doesn't exist here. It makes sense in many ways, since i already have a 1/2 windshield, a FSM, and several oil filters. Not to mention the knowledge of its quirks.

This time around, it will be a 2 seater, and I saw this color in the showroom last time, and became quite smitten with it:


I don't normally like "deluxe" things. PS is great...but fancy wheels have never been a big thing for me, but I must admit I really like this one in the showroom....BUT? Today it was out in the sun, and for some reason...i just didn't like it as much. A little purpleish...but again, 1st world issues!

When i was pulling up, i saw this color:

In the pics...not so much. But in person, I really like this color. Pics dont do it justice. Hmmm....
The orange (if it were available in 2 seat versions) might be my fav of all.

Didn't get time to check out the various ATV's Honda now makes. I've lost track of DCT's, IRS, and...whatever else. Interestingly, i didn't see a Rincon.

I realized long ago that i need to surround myself with bikes, ATV's, and SxS's. Now all i have to do is convince some of these guys to give ame a job, but no dice yet. Even though i may have sold a 700 while I was looking around...
Not bad for somebody not even on the payroll!!

 

[Admin]

 

[DG Rider]

Another trip to both the Yamaha dealer...and Floyd's Honda. Both with specific purposes...to test drive a Wolverine X2 and a P1K.

Both of these were on all pavement, so no suspension impressions, but did get some ideal of both.

Wolverine: Felt strong enough for me, but the biggest surprise was how quiet it was (R-spec with roof). Much quieter and less vibey than a Viking. Not that it is the quietest thing in the world, but more so than i expected, and not bad at all. Keep in mind that i didn't have room to really run it, so i didn't get the belt whistle at full volume.
The EPS had less assist at a standstill than I expected as well, but is clearly there.
The one i drove had the slightest sputter/tip in sag right off idle. The low fuel light was flashing, so it could have been on fumes.

Maybe the biggest buzzkill here is the dealer. These guys are car salesman, plain and simple. One of the lowest forms of life is a BSing car salesman, and i can't stand the type. They had an "awesome" deal on a leftover R spec at $13,999, or about $4K more than some dealers are selling them for. They also told that the incentives end today. A few months back i had looked over the wolvy, and was told that "those" incentives also ended....today. Go figure. I tend to not debate prices until I am sure I'm going to pull the trigger...so they could drop it way down, but i suspect they wont. And honestly, i wont give them the chance. If i ever get a wolvy, I'll likely go elsewhere.

Pioneer 1000-5: Before i talk about the machine, i want to talk about the dealer. Floyds Honda in Danville, KY. I've never bought anything there (but have sold them a 700-4 with 8700 miles or so...), but they strike me as good people to deal with. As i walked in the door, an older gentleman (perhaps the owner) was talking with the salesman about increased oiling to the 1st or second clutch and some other things i couldn't make out. We all know what they were talking about...
I ask if i could drive a 1000, and he said sure and grabbed the keys to a red 2018 5 seater. As we were walking, i mentioned that it sounded like they were talking about the 1000, and he chuckled.
He then proceeded to explain the update, and admitted freely that they had replaced a few clutches, and that this was supposed to be the cure. No BS. No denial. Good on them.

Anyway...the machine. Fired it up. Quiet...with that slight whistle you 1000 guys are no doubt familiar with. Put it in R and immediately chirped the tires backing up. This must be the abruptness some have complained of, since it also did it forward the 1st few times i gave it gas...but after that i adapted, and could do it quite smoothly. Clutch seems to engauge really quickly.

OK...i know it has twice the power of a 700...but DAMN!...this thing has twice the power of a 700! And i didn't even get on it hard. It feels like one could do a hemi-cuda-esq burnout for several feet from a dead stop. And then the shifting. Dull clink sound, then quick shift, followed by another dull clink sound. Snick, snick, snick...
Keeping in mind that it had no roof...and i had said the 700 was pretty quiet until i put a roof on it...but the thing wasn't the clang/bang tranny that some have described...at all.

And the EPS...it was really good. 1 finger at a stop. A bit better, IMO, than the Wolverine.

In a word: Smoooooth...
And more "Honda-like" than i ever got from the 700. Much more so than i expected...and honestly...if those clutches are truly fixed, the other machines out there are suddenly a much harder sell to me now. These test drives get expensive...

 

[CumminsPusher]

Another trip to both the Yamaha dealer...and Floyd's Honda. Both with specific purposes...to test drive a Wolverine X2 and a P1K.

Both of these were on all pavement, so no suspension impressions, but did get some ideal of both.

Wolverine: Felt strong enough for me, but the biggest surprise was how quiet it was (R-spec with roof). Much quieter and less vibey than a Viking. Not that it is the quietest thing in the world, but more so than i expected, and not bad at all. Keep in mind that i didn't have room to really run it, so i didn't get the belt whistle at full volume.
The EPS had less assist at a standstill than I expected as well, but is clearly there.
The one i drove had the slightest sputter/tip in sag right off idle. The low fuel light was flashing, so it could have been on fumes.

Maybe the biggest buzzkill here is the dealer. These guys are car salesman, plain and simple. One of the lowest forms of life is a BSing car salesman, and i can't stand the type. They had an "awesome" deal on a leftover R spec at $13,999, or about $4K more than some dealers are selling them for. They also told that the incentives end today. A few months back i had looked over the wolvy, and was told that "those" incentives also ended....today. Go figure. I tend to not debate prices until I am sure I'm going to pull the trigger...so they could drop it way down, but i suspect they wont. And honestly, i wont give them the chance. If i ever get a wolvy, I'll likely go elsewhere.

Pioneer 1000-5: Before i talk about the machine, i want to talk about the dealer. Floyds Honda in Danville, KY. I've never bought anything there (but have sold them a 700-4 with 8700 miles or so...), but they strike me as good people to deal with. As i walked in the door, an older gentleman (perhaps the owner) was talking with the salesman about increased oiling to the 1st or second clutch and some other things i couldn't make out. We all know what they were talking about...
I ask if i could drive a 1000, and he said sure and grabbed the keys to a red 2018 5 seater. As we were walking, i mentioned that it sounded like they were talking about the 1000, and he chuckled.
He then proceeded to explain the update, and admitted freely that they had replaced a few clutches, and that his was the cure. No BS. No denial. Good on them.

Anyway...the machine. Fired it up. Quiet...with that slight whistle you 1000 guys are no doubt familiar with. Put it in R and immediately chirped the tires backing up. This must be the abruptness some have complained of, since it also did it forward the 1st few times i gave it gas...but after that i adapted, and could do it quite smoothly. Clutch seems to engauge really quickly.

OK...i know it has twice the power of a 700...but DAMN!...this thing has twice the power of a 700! And i didn't even get on it hard. It feels like one could do a hemi-cuda-esq burnout for several feet from a dead stop. And then the shifting. Dull clink sound, then quick shift, followed by another dull clink sound. Snick, snick, snick...
Keeping in mind that it had no roof...and i had said the 700 was pretty quiet until i put a roof on it...but the thing wasn't the clang/bang tranny that some have described...at all.

And the EPS...it was really good. 1 finger at a stop. A bit better, IMO, than the Wolverine.

In a word: Smoooooth...
And more "Honda-like" than i ever got from the 700. Much more so than i expected...and honestly...if those clutches are truly fixed, the other machines out there are suddenly a much harder sell to me now. These test drives get expensive...

I've always said the step is a test drive! Good review

 

[DG Rider]

I've always said the step is a test drive! Good review

Yep.
I have to admit...i really didn't expect the 1000 to be as impressive as it was in my quick drive.

 

[CumminsPusher]

Yep.
I have to admit...i really didn't expect the 1000 to be as impressive as it was in my quick drive.

The 1000 has a lot of power and I think the dct adds a feeling of even more. It resembles a manual so It's a more positive power but also you feel it more because because of the actual gear changes.

 

[jinx]

Great feedback.
We did quite a bit of shopping around and test drives ourselves. Even drove the neighbors '17 1000 LE quite a bit, but ended up choosing a silver '17 700-4 deluxe in the end for our purposes. It didn't hurt that it was about half the price of the neighbors LE. Almost chose a '18 700-4 for that orange color you spoke of, but couldn't convince myself it was worth the extra $800 or so.

 

[JTW]

If you buy a 1000 you’ll be satisfied given the research you’ve done and your knowledge of the “issues”. Nobody ever wants less power!!

 

[gullyjumper]

Sounds like your taking you time and not jumping into one to fast. I have a 2016 1000 3 seater and love it and no problems with over 1100 miles, I never been in the 700 but have always liked the looks of it. If you do get the 1000 I think youll be very happy with it.