P500 Tell me about the Honda 500 pioneer.

[Wallace]

I got myself buried in the mud once without the locker and had to use my winch to get out. Always wondered if I had the locker would I have needed to use the winch? 🤔

Never really been stuck. I've got high centered a couple of times. What I wonder is if you had the Nerf bars would you even need a locker or winch?

 

[Bcraig]

Yes fit on OEM rims

Width : Wider floats better.

Has to be at least 100 different tread designs that ALL claim to be the best & several times that number
( guys & ladies on this forum claim they have the best ) Donot claim to be the best but -- ITP-XTR's work for riding in the ever changing Adirondack' Mts. of Upstate N.Y.

Think of the P500 as a little 1000 pound Tractor & set it up to your Needs.
Heigth: CAREFUL to much UP puts strain on axles.
Some run 28-29-30's sure can be done - BUT - Bigger you go the More the Drive Train is Strained ! ( in gumbo ?? )
Many will say if you go Up need to go Out ( wider ) your flat terrain may not apply.
Whole MOD thing finding what works Best for your situation becomes trial & error.
Shock spacers will push it up - BUT - you lose ride quality ( trial & error )

FYI: Didn't take long for you to find out ( "as Mothers say" ) SOME are More FULL of THEMSELVES than Others

No I don't want to put excessive strain on the drive train as durability and reliability are the Most important traits to me.
If I am stuck I can get a tractor and pull it out,if it is broke that is not only downtime but Big money to get it fixed.
Thank you much for the information

 

[Bcraig]

Be aware, the P5 is like a little boy in a mud puddle. The tires throw mud everywhere. I have 26” takeoffs from a Foreman on mine, and with 1.5” spacers on all 4 corners I get it on the sides of my windshield.

I posted in the Accessories and Mods section how I made front flaps from some repurposed plastic. It helps on the doors, but it still throws mud everywhere.

I hunted rice and know rice farmers in northern Cali, that can be tough, stick stuff. The worst was goose hunting in a ‘dry’ field a tomato processing plant used to pump out their wash water.

I got so stuck in my waders a friend had to kick way the muck from my boots and help me lift my legs out of it. Nasty stuff. Any only a couple geese shot.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes been there done that !

 

[Bcraig]

Never really been stuck. I've got high centered a couple of times. What I wonder is if you had the Nerf bars would you even need a locker or winch?

yes been high centered and stuck,I used to really like the Honda 300 4 wheel drive four wheeler because if you got it high centered on a rice levee it was so lightweight that it was easy to manhandle it off

 

[Bcraig]

I have Interco Reptile Radial 6 plys and have no trouble in rice fields. If you have gumbo mud than you know that water is your friend. Power steering is a good thing. I have never needed a locker YET. Winch yes. If you want to stay reasonably clean I would suggest some kind of mud flaps.

yep water willhelp keep the tire from being just a big ball of mud.

 

[PioneerPapaw]

I have a 2017 500 only thing I've done is change oil...They all shift hard, but you will get used to it...Mine has 320 miles, so I don't use like some, but If its a Honda, it'll last! I bought every accessory but back bumper, I bought top windshield, winch, brush guard, bed, and its camo.....I hunt out of mine in bad weather...I put a vinyl back glass in so its fairly rainproof! Love mine, the Foreman engine is a good one....Hondas accessories are high dollar...I even bought the tray that allows storage under the front hood.

 

[alloutdoors]

I haven't experienced a P520, but would guess the "clunky" you are referring to is similar in terms of shifting. I know a P500 will smooth out some overtime and with quality oil, but these units are known for hard shifting. I avoid the hard shifting by switching to manual paddle shift and simply left off the gas, upshift, and so on and so forth.

If I were buying today, I would get the 520 simply for the bed option, a very nice feature, but otherwise, you are looking at very similar machines otherwise.

 

[Bomersteve35]

Will the tires you mentioned fit on the Factory stock rims ?
Which width goes best in the Gumbo ?


Are these the tallest gumbo tires that can be used on the Pioneer 500?
My driving style is very slow and steady and most of my ground is flat as a pancake.
The only exception would be when I need to cross a rice levee which is why I am wanting as much ground clearance as I can reasonably get for the Pioneer 500

Hi we have a 520 for the wife and it works for what we wanted. It fits in the truck bed and goes down the atv trails in oregon. Most important it hauls the old dog in the back. You have to ask yourself what do you need.and we needed what it does good at. But it is not good at some things. Most people put about 2 or 3 thousand into them to make it do what it needs to. Tires shocks power steering and front locker. You can find that stuff in other models for close to the same price. But not in a smaller trail rated model with the dependability of honda. Comfort is a big key. If I was getting a farm utv I may lead twords one of the medium size ones that can handle alot more weight like a Kubota. One that is a little bigger and easyer to get in and out of many times a day. Not knocking honda we love ours and it will goe anywere you point it.

 

[GreatNorth]

Just hit 150 km on a 2021 P520 and agree with others that the shifting does feel clunky, but you can finesse it a lot in manual mode. Auto mode shifts alright driving gently on relatively flat terrain, but seems to pick bad times to shift on hills so I've been trying auto mode less and less. I haven't driven it long enough to speak for smoothing out with miles.

Manual mode with paddle shifters and appropriate use of gas pedal for upshifting and brake for down shifting works well for me. If I downshift going down a steep hill without braking, it sits in neutral long enough to give a really good jerk when it engages into the lower gear. Holding the brake while it downshifts keeps it smooth.

 

[NPN]

After my first month of using my new 2017 P500 I thought, “Oh crap! What did I buy? The ride was bad, it’s louder than any Honda I have owned and it shifts harshly.“. But as time and miles go, The more I ride it, the less hearing I have left so it just isnt as noisy as it was. Seriously, I experimented with different diff oils and found that only time helped quiet it a bit. The ride is what it is and taking off the rear sway bar helped and adding a thick gel cushion to sit on even better. The clunky shifting went away after about 1000km’s and learning to fine tune the clutch adjustment. For a little 475cc engine, it does amazingly well turning my tracks in winter but just don’t be in a hurry. The alternative of some belt driven machine is not an option for me and this will outlast any cvt system. It grows on you. I wouldn’t pay extra for a 520…maybe if they upped it to a 600, the extra ponies old be nice. I wish they had a way to defeat the speed limiter and let me decide how fast I think is safe!

 

[Bmurray]

I found out today about finally getting one .
Called several big dealers and one of them told me that it would probably be late September before he got any 2021 machines in.

so it will be close to 2022 before the 2021 machines come in and had none coming in before then that was not presold. So I will have an essentially a machine that is a year old model before I can even get a New one.

Hope that they get started making them again faster but sort of doubt it as a large part of the problem is that President OBiden is Paying able bodied Men and Woman Much More than they can make working, to sit at home.

So I rather doubt that they are near as many being put together even if a lot of parts were getting here from China.

Shipping cost have gone through the ceiling here in the states what with more and more staying home from work.

And the business practices of some Dealers in the states are non existent.
I had one dealer tell me that a Pioneer would cost me more If I wrote a Farm Check for it to buy it outright than if I financed it.

I asked him why and he said that Honda encouraged the to finance instead of sell outright.
I told him that was a load of bull and hung up on him.

That is simply not true as what he was actually doing was telling all that load of bull and taking a small cut of the finance charge that was resulting from such criminal behavior.

But absolutely nothing surprises me these days

Stay away from that dealer in Jonesboro. They’re known to be very dishonest along with the big st.Charles motorsports dealerships up in the STL area.

 

[Bcraig]

Stay away from that dealer in Jonesboro. They’re known to be very dishonest along with the big st.Charles motorsports dealerships up in the STL area.

Thats a Fact,I Had called them and was told that I had to finance,the that the Factory said that it had to be financed. What a bunch of crap.
I told them to get lost.

 

[Bmurray]

Thats a Fact,I Had called them and was told that I had to finance,the that the Factory said that it had to be financed. What a bunch of crap.
I told them to get lost.

I know the former sales manager there and he said it was a scam business. They get a kickback from "their" local lender. Has absolutely nothing to do with Honda.

Big St. Charles motorsports (and family) are the ones that adjust daily pricing depending on the demand. Like gold and silver. They have a horrible reputation in the ST. Louis area amoung customers and other dealers. Quoted me a new barebones 2020 P500 at $13,899 last fall. The finance/sales manager at their sister dealership in IL actually yelled at me and hung up for asking about a deposit and pricing.

 

[hondabob64]

If the added freight costs bother you, thank a Democrat.

 

[LilRedDonkey]

If the added freight costs bother you, thank a Democrat.

thank a new world order communist. there are no democrats anymore and they do not deserve that title ever again!!!!