While waiting for my red 4 to come in hopefully next week... I decided to stroll down to the Yamaha dealership and take a look at Honda's direct competitor, the Viking. I will try to submit a real life test ride and be as least biased as I can.. Here are some of the Pro's:
IT IS ON DEALERSHIP FLOORS....lol
I am not sure of the actual top speed, but in a straight paved parking lot I was able to reach 50mph.
The fit and finish were good. Everything seemed to have its place.
The cab felt very big. I personally did not like this extra space feeling, but larger people may enjoy the roominess.
The suspension felt o.k. But not nearly as plush as the Honda...I didnt get any measurements, but the frame looked much wider than the Pioneer almost like that of a big red.
Comes stock with a plastic roof
The door latched very nicely and had a car like pull out handle.
The knob to switch it from 2 to 4 to no locking front diff was nice and easy to turn left and right.
(pro)Thin lightweight plastic was everywhere around the wheelwells in order to keep out mud... (con) but once mud gets inside, good luck getting it out. and also it is so thin, I would think a quick stick poke or slap and you now have a rattling crack and mud entry way.
Here are some of the con's:
It is a wide machine. The extra 1.8 inches truly does make it look and feel much larger of a vehicle.
The bed shell outer sides are made of thin plastic, unlike that of the heavy duty honda plastic.
The bottom and sides of the bed were painted sheet metal. Yes, this one makes no sense. One rock or load of dirt and it will surely scratch immediately and rust over time. Yamaha must have hired a polaris engineer for that one. jk..kinda.
3 seats upfront. We packed 3 grown men in the cab. Yes, the seats are staggered, but I was in the middle and I felt claustrophobic.
Plastic roof: I believe I would feel less smashed in the middle and have a more open if this machine did not have a roof.
Heavy steering.. Something about it made my steering feel heavy. The steering wheel is smaller than the honda's and it the machine wider so maybe that was it. I have not driven the Pioneer yet, but I have sat behind the wheel after my dealer drove for my test ride and the Honda's steering wheel just feels more user friendly and has better ergonomics.
Belt drive...though it did not have that clutch engagement jerking feel like polaris, it is still belt driven and water water will still stop you in your tracks (or the river)
The radiator was set back farther and lower than the hondas and it did not have any type of shrouding.
Like the Pioneer's no-sit tailgate, there is a warning stamp saying not to sit on the plastic tailgate.
OH yeah! I almost forgot the vibration.. This was the FIRST thing I noticed when I turned the key. The dash and everything around it shook up and down and I could feel the vibration on the entire vehicle. It was crazy. Its like they rubber mounted the dash rather than the engine itself.
I know every machine is not perfect. But some are more perfect than others.
IT IS ON DEALERSHIP FLOORS....lol
I am not sure of the actual top speed, but in a straight paved parking lot I was able to reach 50mph.
The fit and finish were good. Everything seemed to have its place.
The cab felt very big. I personally did not like this extra space feeling, but larger people may enjoy the roominess.
The suspension felt o.k. But not nearly as plush as the Honda...I didnt get any measurements, but the frame looked much wider than the Pioneer almost like that of a big red.
Comes stock with a plastic roof
The door latched very nicely and had a car like pull out handle.
The knob to switch it from 2 to 4 to no locking front diff was nice and easy to turn left and right.
(pro)Thin lightweight plastic was everywhere around the wheelwells in order to keep out mud... (con) but once mud gets inside, good luck getting it out. and also it is so thin, I would think a quick stick poke or slap and you now have a rattling crack and mud entry way.
Here are some of the con's:
It is a wide machine. The extra 1.8 inches truly does make it look and feel much larger of a vehicle.
The bed shell outer sides are made of thin plastic, unlike that of the heavy duty honda plastic.
The bottom and sides of the bed were painted sheet metal. Yes, this one makes no sense. One rock or load of dirt and it will surely scratch immediately and rust over time. Yamaha must have hired a polaris engineer for that one. jk..kinda.
3 seats upfront. We packed 3 grown men in the cab. Yes, the seats are staggered, but I was in the middle and I felt claustrophobic.
Plastic roof: I believe I would feel less smashed in the middle and have a more open if this machine did not have a roof.
Heavy steering.. Something about it made my steering feel heavy. The steering wheel is smaller than the honda's and it the machine wider so maybe that was it. I have not driven the Pioneer yet, but I have sat behind the wheel after my dealer drove for my test ride and the Honda's steering wheel just feels more user friendly and has better ergonomics.
Belt drive...though it did not have that clutch engagement jerking feel like polaris, it is still belt driven and water water will still stop you in your tracks (or the river)
The radiator was set back farther and lower than the hondas and it did not have any type of shrouding.
Like the Pioneer's no-sit tailgate, there is a warning stamp saying not to sit on the plastic tailgate.
OH yeah! I almost forgot the vibration.. This was the FIRST thing I noticed when I turned the key. The dash and everything around it shook up and down and I could feel the vibration on the entire vehicle. It was crazy. Its like they rubber mounted the dash rather than the engine itself.
I know every machine is not perfect. But some are more perfect than others.
