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Pioneer 1000 Vs Yamaha Viking

19K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Hunter Allan 
#1 ·
I did this write up on the Yamaha Viking Forum as well. Hope this helps others trying to make a decisions.

I recently sold my Yamaha Viking and purchased the Honda Pioneer 1000-5. I will post my thoughts and comparisons on this thread.

Preliminary thoughts on the Pioneer vs the Viking. Again, I don't have much experience on the Pioneer but I have played with it enough to get an idea of fit and finish etc...

Cockpit:
DASH: The Digital dash is nice for Honda, but I did like the Viking's better. The pioneer has one button to do everything and the Viking had the three that allowed easier adjustments. (IE. setting the clock) The Viking also had the battery voltage where the Pioneer does not.

LEGROOM: The Viking had a little more legroom, but not enough to really speak of.

SEATS: The Viking seats were more individual seats rather than the bench of the Pioneer. However, I find the Pioneer to be more comfortable. The seating position is more what I like. But this is more of preference. The material on the seats seems to be a little tougher though.

Grab Handle: I miss this from the Viking. The Pioneer has it on the roll cage like in my F250 but you have to lean forward to grab it. We will see what my passengers say when we get into some of the rougher stuff.

Visibility: I LOVE the design of the Honda. The hood is short and there is a lot of visibility of what is in front of you. The visibility while backing is also better than that of the Viking. But... the middle passenger doesn't have a headrest on the Honda where the middle passenger space on the Viking Does. I rarely will ride someone in the middle so I prefer the visibility over head-rest.

Driver Controls : Both are simple and straight forward. The Honda has more drive options. (Turf Mode, 2wd lock, 4wd, 4wd lock, high auto, low Auto, Sport Auto, manual.)

Exterior Design:

Front: With the shorter front end of the Honda and it's stock ride height, the front wheels seems like they will hit the obstacle way before the front end will. Even more so than the Viking. This will be helpful in rocks and other areas.

Protection: The Viking has more protection from the factory. Although plastic, the A-Arm guards on the VIking were much larger and kept more stuff away from the Axle boots. This upgrade is a must on the Pioneer. (IMO of course) The Viking also had more protection underneath. There are more open areas on the Pioneer which I will eventually take care of.

Plastics: I had the camo Viking so I can't really compare the two as I have the Honda in Red. The plastics are going to scratch... But they seem well made. And for the price of wrapping it, I can just get all new plastics.

Roll Bar and Stock Bumpers: They are shiny black on the Pioneer. They look pretty but I'm not sure how they are going to look after a few tree branches. The Viking had the rough texture matte finish that I found to be quite durable.

Rider Experience:

Suspension: Although I have not had it on anything too rough, it already feels as if it has a better ride than the stock Viking. By a long shot actually. It seems to take turns and bumps quite a bit better. The load leveling shocks in the rear actually work too. I loaded it up with a couple of heavy eaters in the back seat and the suspension leveled out pretty quick. I also don't feel as if I will be bottoming out on the front any time soon.

Ground Clearance: The ground clearance on the Pioneer is as advertised. (12.XX inches.) The viking never did sit at that height unless I had just lowered it from the jack. Because of the wheelbase and it's ability to clear my 28 inch tires, I don't think I will be adding a lift to this one.

Turning Radius: Pioneer has a smaller turning radius. But, this was only tried in turf mode as I didn't want to chew up my lawn or tires. When the rear axle is locked, it is very possible that it will be similar to the Viking.

Noise: Pioneer is MUCH quieter and smoother sounding. There is gear whine but I'm okay with that over having to sound proof the thing.

Turf Mode: With 28 inch blackwaters, I can turn my wheel all the way to the right or left and give it some gas without tearing the lawn.

Power: It's awesome... Really... The shifting is a different feeling, but I like it. After the clutching on the Viking, I had a lot of low end power but at higher cruising speeds, it would rev high. The Pioneer allows you to have a lot of low end power, but then the opportunity for some quiet, relaxing, cruising. I haven't tested it in any climbing situations yet, but with the ability to manually shift if needed, it should be fine. I also hooked up my flatbed trailer with my lawn tractor on it. Probably 1500 lbs. I started pulling in automatic low but had to switch to high as it shifted through the gears too quick and still had high RPM. The Pioneer will tow better than my viking did.

Shifting: Its right on. I don't think I could do a better job in manual. Actually, I'm pretty sure I couldn't. (Unless I needed to just hold a gear for plowing)

Low Speed driving: In high gear, you can cruise along very slowly without much jerking motion. In low gear, it is a little more jerky. It's probably me still getting used to it, but it should be noted.

Those are my honest impressions so far. I will say, I absolutely love this machine. The functionality of it is everything that I wanted. There are the little things like the shiny roll cage etc... but that doesn't impact how it works for me. I'm a person who wants function. I drive a diesel truck with cloth interior. I don't care about bells and whistles. I want capability and reliability. You get this with both the Pioneer and the Viking. The Pioneer is just more suited for me; a mid 30's father of two who doesn't have time to wrench on and modify his toys. The Pioneer meets all my needs in stock form and will hopefully do that for quite some time.

I will update more after I get some riding under my belt to talk about reliability and more about how it rides.
 
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#2 ·
Second review after a full day of riding.
Took the Pioneer out to the Cliffs Insane Terrain Off-road park this weekend. It proved to be a great testing ground for the new machine. Here are a few things I noticed and my thoughts on the Pioneer Vs. the Viking in these types of conditions.



Stock Ground Clearance: I bottomed out a lot less with the Pioneer than I did with the viking. The wheelbase and the ride height made it possible to take on rocks, rutted out trails, and downed trees.



4wd System: Flawless in regular 4wd and in Diff Lock. I would say that the viking and the Pioneer have very similar systems that work equally well.



Roll Cage: This machine is taller than the Viking. I hit the roll cage on more trees when off camber in ruts or over rocks. I still like the viking cage more because of the rough texture. The pioneer cage now looks scuffed in those areas.



Turning Radius and Powersteering: The pioneer turns easier and tighter than the viking; Even in 4wd. I found the Pioneer easier (Not leaps and bounds, but noticable) to navigate through some of the "tighter" spots. This was especially helpful when pinned in a tight spot. I was able to turn uphill and power out without having to reverse and risk tipping.



Transmission: In high, the Pioneer felt a little like the viking in that you could utilize wheelspeed to climb the hills. You could certainly feel a lot more power with the pioneer. In Low, there is no comparison. Felt like I could climb up a wall with the Pioneer. I got into some precarious situations yesterday that I got out of with no issues due to the Pioneer's ability to slow speed crawl up hills. Again, the shifting was perfect. Even on the steep climbs, the trans was always in the right gear.



Power: I had a lot more confidence on steep climbs with this machine than I did with the viking. I was also able to tow a friends can am maverick 4 seater out on a two place snowmobile trailer. (Broken tie rod) Low gear in this machine is quite amazing. With four people in the pioneer, it felt a lot more capable than the viking did when I had three people in it.



Durability: Both Machines are built like a tank. I don't think you can go wrong with either of them. However, the viking was lighter which I think is a nice benefit in offroad situations. The pioneer has the ability to power out but it's just heavy. I dented the tube that runs under the drivers door and rear passenger step. I came down on a rock and it just had it's way with that metal. It's easily replaceable; for $389. I never had an issue like this with the viking and I had it in similar spots. Not sure if it is the added weight, lack of metal strength, or both. It doesn't impact my riding, just more of an annoyance.



Throttle: I mentioned, previously, that the throttle was a little jerky in low. After getting used to it, it wasn't that way during riding. I spent a lot of time in low yesterday and it worked great. It's touchy, but manageable The pioneer and the viking have a similar feel in this area.



All Day Riding: I like the Pioneer riding position better than the viking. It is more straight up. The seats are harder but are actually quite comfortable. I was just fine riding all day in both machines though. This area is just preference.



Water Crossing: I went to the bottom of the headlights on the Pioneer yesterday. Was not a problem at all. I would not have attempted this with the Viking due to the CVT intake/exhaust. The honda air box is high under the hood.



Annoyances: After a total of 40 miles, the mechanism to select 2wd, 4wd, diff lock became unattached. It appears that the screw came out and the entire mechanism came off under the dash. I was able to slide it back on and just baby it when I needed to change drive mode, but it still irritated me.



Bending the bottom tube was a surprise. I didn't hit the rock that hard so I'm rather surprised it dented that easy.



Rattles: There is quite a bit of rattling that comes from the back of the machine. I can't tell exactly where but I think it might be the rear seats.



Clunking: There is a clunking noise coming from the gears when I'm in low. It's as if the gears are trying to reengage or fill a gap. Not sure if this is normal or not so I will be talking to the dealer about that.





Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and decision to switch. This machine meets ALL of my needs and surpassed most of my expectations. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.



And yes, I know, pictures or it didn't happen. I'm working on getting them off my go-pro.
 
#9 ·
Second review after a full day of riding.
Took the Pioneer out to the Cliffs Insane Terrain Off-road park this weekend. It proved to be a great testing ground for the new machine. Here are a few things I noticed and my thoughts on the Pioneer Vs. the Viking in these types of conditions.

Stock Ground Clearance: I bottomed out a lot less with the Pioneer than I did with the viking. The wheelbase and the ride height made it possible to take on rocks, rutted out trails, and downed trees.

4wd System: Flawless in regular 4wd and in Diff Lock. I would say that the viking and the Pioneer have very similar systems that work equally well.

Roll Cage: This machine is taller than the Viking. I hit the roll cage on more trees when off camber in ruts or over rocks. I still like the viking cage more because of the rough texture. The pioneer cage now looks scuffed in those areas.

Turning Radius and Powersteering: The pioneer turns easier and tighter than the viking; Even in 4wd. I found the Pioneer easier (Not leaps and bounds, but noticable) to navigate through some of the "tighter" spots. This was especially helpful when pinned in a tight spot. I was able to turn uphill and power out without having to reverse and risk tipping.

Transmission: In high, the Pioneer felt a little like the viking in that you could utilize wheelspeed to climb the hills. You could certainly feel a lot more power with the pioneer. In Low, there is no comparison. Felt like I could climb up a wall with the Pioneer. I got into some precarious situations yesterday that I got out of with no issues due to the Pioneer's ability to slow speed crawl up hills. Again, the shifting was perfect. Even on the steep climbs, the trans was always in the right gear.

Power: I had a lot more confidence on steep climbs with this machine than I did with the viking. I was also able to tow a friends can am maverick 4 seater out on a two place snowmobile trailer. (Broken tie rod) Low gear in this machine is quite amazing. With four people in the pioneer, it felt a lot more capable than the viking did when I had three people in it.

Durability: Both Machines are built like a tank. I don't think you can go wrong with either of them. However, the viking was lighter which I think is a nice benefit in offroad situations. The pioneer has the ability to power out but it's just heavy. I dented the tube that runs under the drivers door and rear passenger step. I came down on a rock and it just had it's way with that metal. It's easily replaceable; for $389. I never had an issue like this with the viking and I had it in similar spots. Not sure if it is the added weight, lack of metal strength, or both. It doesn't impact my riding, just more of an annoyance.

Throttle: I mentioned, previously, that the throttle was a little jerky in low. After getting used to it, it wasn't that way during riding. I spent a lot of time in low yesterday and it worked great. It's touchy, but manageable The pioneer and the viking have a similar feel in this area.

All Day Riding: I like the Pioneer riding position better than the viking. It is more straight up. The seats are harder but are actually quite comfortable. I was just fine riding all day in both machines though. This area is just preference.

Water Crossing: I went to the bottom of the headlights on the Pioneer yesterday. Was not a problem at all. I would not have attempted this with the Viking due to the CVT intake/exhaust. The honda air box is high under the hood.

Annoyances: After a total of 40 miles, the mechanism to select 2wd, 4wd, diff lock became unattached. It appears that the screw came out and the entire mechanism came off under the dash. I was able to slide it back on and just baby it when I needed to change drive mode, but it still irritated me.

Bending the bottom tube was a surprise. I didn't hit the rock that hard so I'm rather surprised it dented that easy.

Rattles: There is quite a bit of rattling that comes from the back of the machine. I can't tell exactly where but I think it might be the rear seats.

Clunking: There is a clunking noise coming from the gears when I'm in low. It's as if the gears are trying to reengage or fill a gap. Not sure if this is normal or not so I will be talking to the dealer about that.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and decision to switch. This machine meets ALL of my needs and surpassed most of my expectations. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

And yes, I know, pictures or it didn't happen. I'm working on getting them off my go-pro.
I was with you and I seen what you went thru and your ride was awesome .. I made it thru most of the stuff you did with my p700 .. but your ride made it look easy .. thanks for all the fun I broke a left cv shaft ,, didnt know it untell I got home and washed it up .. prolly why I got stuck in a rut .. thanks for the wheels too I got my summer tires on them now and gonna ride them untell the first snow ...
 
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