I see no 520 Tech Talk so I assume '500 Tech Talk' is the place for 520 Tech Talk?
As a new side-by-side owner I wanted a place to ask questions and share from my 54 years of technical
and competition experience in mostly off-road motorcycles.
These days I don't publish like I used to, and limit myself to my trials bikes and now a Pioneer 520, which I hope I will come to appreciate and love and have for a very long time.
After working on the 520 for a week, I checked out another SXS forum and immediately observed a typical forum psychopath (insecure 'expert') mercilessly trolling an actual nice person. Not for me, so I fled.
WHY HONDA?
Build quality and reliability, and I tend to keep machines a long time. The second 'why Honda' was to avoid the typical belt-drive transmissions... like a plague. It's dumb to scream a big motor at higher rpms, especially when creeping around, which for me will be most of the time.
I went to several dealerships and found Honda SXSs are a small minority in a sea of other brands, all belt drive.
In general I find all SXSs to be clunky beasts that feel much less refined than motorcycles, but gosh they sell a lot better than motorcycles!
WHY UTILITY VERSUS SPORT?
My primary use is for working properties. For go-fast and severely difficult terrain motorcycles are superior.
And it will be nice to be able to explore in a relaxed was with a passenger without the need to stay razor focused on my line so I won't die
A smell-the-flowers and look around sort of experience.
WHY SMALLER VERSUS BIGGER?
I made the mistake of bigger long ago for a ranch work ATV. Screaming around doing stop-and-go ranch work on a 650 V-twin with belt-drive transmission was just stupid. That machine got immediately sold for a wonderful 1997 Honda 4-Trax 300 with auto clutch manual transmission. I still have that machine many years later. My wife complained, "You don't need a SXS, and I like my 4-Trax!"
WHY THE 520?
'Bigger is better' is very American, and that's I think why you can find all sorts of Honda 700s and 1000s in dealerships, but the 520 is a more rare beast to find new or used. I found ONE new 520 within a 5-hour drive radius. It happened to also be in Camo, which I like, so I snapped it up. And there's that fact that the 520 fits the inside the widths of the ramp trailer I already have. The track is quite narrow with tilt table test spec of 33 degrees so caution will be in order on cross slopes with interrupter rocks.
The Pioneer 1000 seemed just too much. I test drove a 700 and was not impressed with the increased big single vibration, a clumsy forward-reverse hand shifter, and having only three speeds. The 520 is simpler and so far I like it the best of the three Pioneers. I've added storage spaces, which I will detail later.
The foot brake and accel pedals being too far to the right are an ergonomics mistake. They could have crowded the pedals a little more left up against the left front wheel-well bulge, in my opinion. I drive two footed. Maybe I'll get used to the odd pedals placement? I suspect I'll end up modifying them to the left.
As a new side-by-side owner I wanted a place to ask questions and share from my 54 years of technical
and competition experience in mostly off-road motorcycles.
These days I don't publish like I used to, and limit myself to my trials bikes and now a Pioneer 520, which I hope I will come to appreciate and love and have for a very long time.
After working on the 520 for a week, I checked out another SXS forum and immediately observed a typical forum psychopath (insecure 'expert') mercilessly trolling an actual nice person. Not for me, so I fled.
WHY HONDA?
Build quality and reliability, and I tend to keep machines a long time. The second 'why Honda' was to avoid the typical belt-drive transmissions... like a plague. It's dumb to scream a big motor at higher rpms, especially when creeping around, which for me will be most of the time.
I went to several dealerships and found Honda SXSs are a small minority in a sea of other brands, all belt drive.
In general I find all SXSs to be clunky beasts that feel much less refined than motorcycles, but gosh they sell a lot better than motorcycles!
WHY UTILITY VERSUS SPORT?
My primary use is for working properties. For go-fast and severely difficult terrain motorcycles are superior.
And it will be nice to be able to explore in a relaxed was with a passenger without the need to stay razor focused on my line so I won't die
A smell-the-flowers and look around sort of experience.WHY SMALLER VERSUS BIGGER?
I made the mistake of bigger long ago for a ranch work ATV. Screaming around doing stop-and-go ranch work on a 650 V-twin with belt-drive transmission was just stupid. That machine got immediately sold for a wonderful 1997 Honda 4-Trax 300 with auto clutch manual transmission. I still have that machine many years later. My wife complained, "You don't need a SXS, and I like my 4-Trax!"
WHY THE 520?
'Bigger is better' is very American, and that's I think why you can find all sorts of Honda 700s and 1000s in dealerships, but the 520 is a more rare beast to find new or used. I found ONE new 520 within a 5-hour drive radius. It happened to also be in Camo, which I like, so I snapped it up. And there's that fact that the 520 fits the inside the widths of the ramp trailer I already have. The track is quite narrow with tilt table test spec of 33 degrees so caution will be in order on cross slopes with interrupter rocks.
The Pioneer 1000 seemed just too much. I test drove a 700 and was not impressed with the increased big single vibration, a clumsy forward-reverse hand shifter, and having only three speeds. The 520 is simpler and so far I like it the best of the three Pioneers. I've added storage spaces, which I will detail later.
The foot brake and accel pedals being too far to the right are an ergonomics mistake. They could have crowded the pedals a little more left up against the left front wheel-well bulge, in my opinion. I drive two footed. Maybe I'll get used to the odd pedals placement? I suspect I'll end up modifying them to the left.
