P500 What's with all of the rollovers?

[popeye]

whos gonna be the first member to attempt in removing their wheels on their 500

 

[NitroxDiver]

You are correct NitroxDiver, there is a difference between rolling and tipping but people like to say, "Man, I rolled my P5" rather than "Man I tipped over my P5." and makes for a better story.

I was always the type of person who tried to minimize my screw ups. But I can see how some people would try to add a little drama. Lol

 

[NitroxDiver]

Ordered 1" spacers for the rear just to be safe. Hopefully the local Forest Service LEO for my district won't use a tape measure and bust me for being over 50"... He said he wouldn't at his bachelor party last week...

Not sure what size tires you are running but I’ll bet your not over 50” with 1” spacers just on the back. On my machine the 1” spacers just brought the edge of the tire even with the side of the machine.

 

[PNWGuy]

Not sure what size tires you are running but I’ll bet your not over 50” with 1” spacers just on the back. On my machine the 1” spacers just brought the edge of the tire even with the side of the machine.

I went with pretty wide 26x12-12s on the back. Not too worried about going over 50" as the Forest Service LEO for my region is a good friend of mine. As long as I fit through the gate bypass I'll be fine.

The trail in the following pic was one that I wanted to explore on my Polaris Sportsman 500 last month. The picture shows me on my way back down the trail. I went up about half a mile and the switchbacks were so tight that the ATV barely fit and I had to get off and study a couple of spots due to the angles.

I gave up because the belt on the Polaris was heating up and slipping. Pretty sure that if I tackled it on a P5, then I would end up flopping it.

Idaho ATV trails are serious...

 

[100Acre]

The big flipflop. T'were a bit scary but we landed fine and were up and running with a little help from @Kilo427 and friends at the takeover.

 

[Smitty335]

The big flipflop. T'were a bit scary but we landed fine and were up and running with a little help from @Kilo427 and friends at the takeover.
View attachment 81905

Who was that that floped?

 

[100Acre]

Who was that that floped?

me

 

[Smitty335]

me

I have flopped once, run off the road twice, all three requiring winch help, all caused by gawking at the stars, moon or mountains. and the top speed mishap was maybe 4mph, I stop and take my lawn chair out of the bed now to gawk!

 

[petek5090]

Almost went over one time, alone on a slight offset. Grabbed the passenger grab, bar turned a sharp left and gunned it, close save. Either a passenger or spacers would have prevented this. I ride alone so added 2" spacers the next week. What an improvement, if you ride alone on uneven trails go with the spacers or add weight to passenger side.

 

[msjfgrant]

As someone who recently rolled a P500 over, I admit that it could have been prevented.
I added 26 inch tires without going wider by utilizing wheel spacers and/or offset wheels. I also added Walker Evans shocks which allowed a higher level of "felt" confidence. Before the shock swap, I couldn't have done 17 mph in a rough section. I would have been going slower and would have less chance of tipping. Because I was able to carry a little more speed, I went into a turn a little quicker and hit a stump on the inside and a rut on the outside, I found the tipping point of my little 500.

The P500 is probably pretty stable in it's stock form. (24 inch tires and stock suspension.). But it makes it difficult to go where I wanted to go. So I went up in tire size for additional ground clearance and kept the same width so I could follow my buddies on ATV's. But I couldn't keep up because of the weak suspension so I changed that too. A series of decisions without thinking of possible reprocussions led to my tip over and total loss of my machine.






Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

This is the best description of the pros and cons of P5 modifications i have read. Well done.

 

[trigger]

This is the best description of the pros and cons of P5 modifications i have read. Well done.

It's the first desire every new P5 owner has, more ground clearance but maintain the 50" width. Almost certain that particular member was advised against doing it but chose to do it anyway. Some that didn't heed the advise suffered worse consequences. Common knowledge, if you want to stay at 50", leave the ride height alone.

 

[KyGal83]

Almost went over one time, alone on a slight offset. Grabbed the passenger grab, bar turned a sharp left and gunned it, close save. Either a passenger or spacers would have prevented this. I ride alone so added 2" spacers the next week. What an improvement, if you ride alone on uneven trails go with the spacers or add weight to passenger side.

I ride alone mostly as well… and have done this many times in “iffy” places, where weight on the passenger side would be helpful.

 

[Splorin]

I’m alone just about all the time. The confidence that Evans’ will give you can bite you in the rear. A ‘stump flare’ will roll ya when you least expect it, even at 59”!

 

[educ8tedguess]

It's the first desire every new P5 owner has, more ground clearance but maintain the 50" width. Almost certain that particular member was advised against doing it but chose to do it anyway. Some that didn't heed the advise suffered worse consequences. Common knowledge, if you want to stay at 50", leave the ride height alone.

Nope, I typically listen when it comes to stuff like that. I built it up without thinking and learned the hard way which is why I shared my experience with others as often as I could. Stay safe and enjoy the ride.

 

[Idahotruckman]

I never laid mine over but have had to open door stand and lean out and gas it but thats the type of trails I chose to ride the machine is great.

Hey Backwoods: I know this is an old post and not even close to the subject matter, and I usually don't comment on the pictures folks put above their name, but when I see that picture on top of your name, I loose all sense of what is being discussed. Wow is all I can say!

 

[Smitty335]

Hey Backwoods: I know this is an old post and not even close to the subject matter, and I usually don't comment on the pictures folks put above their name, but when I see that picture on top of your name, I loose all sense of what is being discussed. Wow is all I can say!

Lets just say some of us ride difficult trails and a flop is pretty easy to do, if your not watching closely.

 

[Backwoods]

Hey Backwoods: I know this is an old post and not even close to the subject matter, and I usually don't comment on the pictures folks put above their name, but when I see that picture on top of your name, I loose all sense of what is being discussed. Wow is all I can say!

Thanks I like it too.

 

[crewcabrob]

OK guys, reviving an older discussion.

I'm searching for a new machine for my (adult) kids. They enjoy riding the P520 after I did all of the work to it. I'm going to say, that while the P520 is the best compromise for me, it obviously isn't for everyone. My kids don't have to haul wood, rock, mulch or a bunch of camping gear... they just want to go ride and have fun.

In the 50" market, we have the Honda, Maverick and RZR trail. While all of them are 50" wide, the other two are about a full foot longer. In stock form, the P500/520 has 8.5" of ground clearance and of course only 5.9" of suspension travel. The Pioneer tires are 24" tall.

Both the Maverick and the RZR have taller tires (26"), more ground clearance (roughly 10") and more suspension travel (roughly 10"). Seems that these machines would be more tippy based on the physics of more travel and sitting higher?

I read on this forum that the Honda Pioneers have a higher center of gravity. That can't be the case for the 500/520s... They sit lower to the ground, have both the engine and gas tank mounted low on the frame and can really only roll/pitch to the side so much because of the suspension travel. There is very little weight carried high.

Do the other machines flop over just as easy or often? Anyone witness or have experience seeing the tip over of the other machines I mentioned?

I love the P520, but it took a lot of work for me to get it to where I wanted it to be. The other brands offer power steering, more power, better ride and more amenities. Granted it costs more, and I give up the Honda reliability/build quality, but I don't have to do a bunch of work to make sure they have fun.

I know, given the right set of circumstances, any machine can end up with the wheels not all on the ground. I'm just trying to figure out what the right compromise is between width, clearance and capability...

Rob

 

[futzin]

🤔🍿

 

[lee]

New vehicles have a green hang tag that lists a tip over angle.
The number is like the gas mileage, use for comparison your results may vary.

There was a list started here:

Multi - Tilt Ratings on all new models?

I believe they add 450 lbs for the test. For riders.. I’m talking about an additional 1000lbs of weight in the bed. The fact that the 500 and the 1000 are within 3* of one another goes to show how full of s*** these numbers are! I’ve had and ridden both. There’s no comparison in off camber stability!

hondasxs.com

But the list dose not include any other 50" machines (apparently we got distracted discussing the merits of the government saving us from ourselves).
Some one needs to run out to a Popo and Caned Ham dealer and check out the hang tags - oh wait a minute, that's pre-pandemic thinking.
I tried to google it but didn't get any results.