I am looking forward to getting to drive one and really seeing what the power is like. I personally don't need a rocket just want a 4 seater that will get out of its own way and be maneuverable!

 

IMO, if you want reliability and want the machine to last, you buy a Honda. Take a look at our 2005 Rubicon with almost 13,000 miles, no major trouble except for the timing chain needing replaced.

Yeah, Honda may not have the performance as the other brands but come 5 or 10 years down the road, tell me how well the other brands are holding up. For the weekend warrior, they are perfectly fine. I am talking about people that use them day in and day out.

Take my uncle for instance. He is a Polaris fan and currently just got a Ranger 570. He doesn't use it everyday, just mainly for deer hunting and trail riding. Me and him are always ragging on each other but the thing is he never keeps his long enough to see how well it will hold up. He is always trading up which I believe needs to be done in order to avoid problems. He used to have a Ranger 500 and just before he got rid of it, he said he was having trouble getting it to go into gear right.

Now granted, with his new Ranger 570, I think he would blow my doors off in a race. I could care less about that. I want something that will get the job done day in and day out.

If you want something that will last, you buy a Honda. If you want to have rip roaring fun, buy something else.

Back to the original topic, I don't care for the new Pioneer either nor did I care for the Big Red. Why are they only putting a 3 speed with no low in this thing? That is one thing turning me off from buying this, well that and money. We would be using it for work and need at least a low range.

 

When a 680cc only puts out 39hp it better be reliable. It,s not like its under any stress that's for sure.
That's what 550s put out.

 

Amazing all the trash talk when none of you have even sat in one.

 

That's the greatest thing about having a brain... You can figure out that by touching fire, you get burnt... By walking off a cliff, you die... and you dont have to "exprience" hondas new sxs to know it's junk when compared to its competition.

 

You also don't need a brain to know when your talking to internet commandos who don't have a clue.

 

and who would the "internet commandos" be who "don't have a clue?"

every person who's posted above (before you) has been buying, riding and repairing atv's, sxs's and dirt bikes for decades... some of us even used to make a living of it. just trying to figure out who the clueless internet commandos are...

 

Please stop the personal attacks. -Moderator

 

mhntr, does the Pioneer have a locking front differential? That's one of the things we need up here in New England where we often encounter deep mud, snow, and rocky hill climbs where you can't just blast up the hill because of the large rocks. Just curious.

I've had some seat time on Hondas and all but the Rincon. Was probably the worst riding experience I've ever had. The power wasn't as much a problem to me as the lack of low speed engine braking and how hard the steering was. I was in a valley out in Utah off the Paiute Trail and going down some two-tracks with ruts and large rocks. I've never been on a machine with such difficult steering and poor engine braking. I hope the Pioneer addresses those kinds of issues that perplexed me, like non-adjustable shocks on the Rincon and the Foreman I rode.... That left me scratching my head.

 

I have been plowing lots of snow with it this winter. It does have a front diff lock, and the fact that it does not have a "low" gear is a mute point. The trans in this machine does not need a "low range" at least that I have found. I plowed over a foot and a half of deep frozen snow behind my folks barn without a problem and dragged a 1300lb round bail about 600ft through the snow into a pasture. No problem at all with this trans/motor combo. It also has a very good engine brake slowing you down without much brake use.
I also just bought a new 2013 Rancher AT IRS and although I do not have a lot of seat time on it, I can say it has not disappointed yet.
We rode a few others in the same class but the Honda just felt better. The Artic Cat had a more comfy seat but nothing else. The Yamaha was exactly like my 05 Yamaha rode decent and decent power but it is not EFI. I will not buy a Polaris as everyone I know who has serious use on them has had issues. I have friends with Hondas that have over 10,000 miles without a problem.