New toy; side by side.

[Idaho45guy]

I posted a couple of threads a while ago regarding agonizing over deciding what off-road vehicle to get. I had an `89 Jeep Wrangler and a 2001 Polaris Sportsman 500 ATV. Both had their strengths and weaknesses.

It came down to that the Jeep was too big to go around the Forest Service gates in order to explore where I really wanted to go and the ATV was too small to bring a passenger and gear. I really wanted something that my 100lb great dane/lab mix could ride on. He loved the Jeep, but refused to ride in an ATV trailer.

So I bought the 50" wide Honda Pioneer 500. It's a 2018.

I've had it for about 2 weeks and put 80 miles on it in the back country going places I've never been able to go before. It is only 50" wide so it is legal on all Forest Service roads. It has enough room for two big guys to ride in it and a generous cargo rack.

Negatives is that it is a bit underpowered, a little cramped, and the suspension has limited travel. It also came with small 24" tires and NO storage space.

I've already done quite a few mods to it. Dealer also included a 3500 lb. winch, Honda roof, and street legal kit which consists of a rear view mirror and horn.

I added:

- 26" tall and wider aggressive tires.

- Expanded size cargo rack.

- Storage bag

- Dome light.

- LED lights with funny "Sasquatch Lights" switch.

I took it into the woods for a ride bone stock the day after I got it and it was a blast!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-WeWcLl6A

It started out looking pretty mild mannered...

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It's now a bit beefier...

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[Idaho45guy]

Forgot to include a picture of the Sasquatch switch... I ordered two other rocker switches to match it for the horn and winch.

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[osteodoc08]

Looks awesome. I’ve been looking at some of the SxS but the price of the higher end ones are ridiculous. Yours is a good combination of size, ability, reliability.

[Idaho45guy]

I paid $9500 for it with $800 worth of accessories.

[samari46]

It's amazing when someone such as you get an atv and then customize it the way they want or simply better to fit their needs. Kudos. Frank

[1margarette]

That is such a cool toy, nice modification that you've made there.

[Idaho45guy]

It's amazing when someone such as you get an atv and then customize it the way they want or simply better to fit their needs. Kudos. Frank

These things are like Jeeps; endless opportunities for customization and personalization. That's mostly why I haven't been here much lately; seems the forum I found for it is chock full of older folks that seem to be very conservative. Good people.

It is definitely not a performance machine, LOL! Top speed is 40mph and seating position is like a golf cart. But the two other contenders I came down to had some serious shortcomings.

The Can Am Maverick was just downright sexy; sitting in it felt like you were in a Corvette. Loads of power, too. But, it is nearly two feet longer and was $4k more. I discovered that on the trails I wanted to explore, the Can Am was simply too long to go a lot of places. But it is a good looking ride...

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The Polaris RZR 570 was a close contender; perfect size, seating position, room, power, etc. The best feeling one to sit in and drive. But, I had just sold a Polaris ATV due to reliability issues. My local motorsports shop told me that if it wasn't for Polaris, he'd be broke. Probably 70% of his shop income was due to Polaris.

Ironically, on my first trail ride, I came across two guys in a newer RZR 570. I told them that I loved their machine and nearly bought one. The owner told me I made a good decision; said his has been in the shop a few times and the rear cargo area was warped due to excessive heat and Polaris won't do a thing about it.

Still, it's a good looking machine...

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[Tom W.]

And I thought the thread was about a shotgun.....

[lightman]

I've been looking at side by side some lately. My 4 wheeler is getting old and its getting more difficult for me to ride it. But dang, those suckers are expensive! I'll probably have to have a different trailer too!

[Chad5005]

hard to beat a honda,we just got the wife a new honda 4 wheeler and its a great little machine 420 4x4,our side by side is a ranger 800 4 seater if it wasn't for needing a vehicle this big to do the job it was bought for we would have went with the pioneer,i feel they are much better machines

[2wheelDuke]

Nice toy.

I'm really wanting to get something like that for my parents. They're on a little bit of land in the mountains of Georgia. A side by side would be great for utility stuff around the property and the surrounding area. I've had my King Quad up there but never went far from the property.

We have Polaris Rangers for beach patrol at work. Those **** things seem to always be breaking.

[snowwolfe]

Nice ride, good job outfitting it the way you like. My wife has been bugging me to get one but the tractor with FEL and backhoe is coming first.