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Old 02-02-2014, 03:18 PM
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Default Honda Pioneer 700 Review

Honda Big Red 700 MUV Review






If you didn't know it, it was Honda who gave us our buggy hobby that we love so much that you are on BuggyMasters. It was them who came up with the most awesome Honda Odyssey and the even more awesome Honda Pilot. Many people hear those names and think of the minivan and the SUV but, no, they were actually originally designated to Honda's two stroke fun machines. Super fun...so much so that people eventually got crazy on them...then the lawyers got involved...and after just a few short years they just quit making them.

That didn't stop other companies from seeing the potential...and the profits. The only downsides to those Honda bad boys was that they were single seaters. Other companies decided to take it another step further, and gave them two seats, a dump bed, and made them utility machines and thus the side by sides were born.

Honda stayed out of the game for quite a long time and finally they saw the light, so to speak, and the Big Red was born. Or should we say re-born. The name was originally married to Honda's 3-wheelers of the 80's (which were great machines as well...but again..crazy people...lawyers...you get the picture) but Honda felt their new side by side was worthy of name. Plus it was Big...and it was Red...so why not.

And big it is! This is one of the biggest side by sides on the market, period. And in fact, when it came out it was the biggest on the market coming in at a whopping 64" wide and over 1400 lbs!! But these facts have some pros and some cons. For example, it has a ton of cabin space! And it is really a comfortable ride. In fact, the only machine that rides as good as this is the John Deere gator 825 that we reviewed above. An no other machine has this much room on the inside from a drivers perspective. Now, as to the cons, it's big and heavy so you are not going to be winning any drag races with it. It's not "slow" per se (guessing a top speed of about 40mph) but other than the baby mule 610, it is one of the slowest of the bunch. In addition, at 64 inches wide, this could cause you problems in public riding areas as many places design their trails for 60" machines. With the new big Polaris machines coming in equally as wide, this should be less and less of a problem as time goes on.

It is quite capable in the utility department. It will take 1000lbs in the bed and you can tow 1500 lbs. I would have liked to have seen a little more clearance out of it. It's just over 10 inches and most other machines have around 12. The drivetrain is borrowed from the Rincon ATV and carries it's 3-speed car like transmission. So ya...it shifts just like a car! So much like a car that it even has a torque converter. There are a couple things to consider about this type of transmission. Most of our other side by sides are belt driven. So if the belt breaks, you simply pull the cover, put on your new belt, put the cover back on and go on your merry way. The Honda...well.. no belt. So maybe since you don't have a belt to worry about that's just one less thing to worry about. BUT...If the transmission goes on this Big Red, it's not going to be as easy as swapping out a belt. How well it will hold up we just don't know. We have had a few of these and all of them have been fine. Maybe Honda has the right idea. I'd like to tell you how many hours and miles we have trouble free with it but that leads me to our other con: There is no hour meter and there is no Speedometer/Odometer! Not sure what they were thinking on this one! None the less, any one that we have had with this configuration was still running strong without issue. We like these!

Pros: Big and comfortable! Lots of room and fantastic ride. If you are looking for mostly utility, this might be the machine for you.
Cons: Big and heavy. You are not going to win any races with these. If you are looking for mostly sport, this is not the ATV for you.
BuggyMasters Overall Rating: 7 out of 10.

Honda Pioneer 700 Review






After Honda's 1st attempt into the side by side market with the bohemoth Big Red, Honda decided the needed to make some refinments and try to come up with something that people would love. This is where the Pioneer was born. The Big Red was huge and frankly it was ugly. They shrank the machine down to 60 inches, and put in some rather nice styling cues which many believe they stoled from the Polaris Ranger. Seems what they really did is put together many side by sides into one and came up with the Polaris. This has pros and cons.

For example the machine looks very similar to a Polaris Ranger in the front end and it really is a pretty good looking machine. On the bad side, driving the machine feels like driving the Kawasaki Mule 610. Despite being a 60in wide machine, the interior space feels very small from the drivers perspective. In addition, the machine rides like the mule too. This is not a good thing at all. In fact this machine is near the top of the worst ride list. It is very bouncy and my wife hated riding in it after owning machines with excellent ride characteristics like the Polaris Ranger or the Can Am Commander. Even the Rhino without the Fox suspension rode better.

The powerplant in these is the same 680 (+/-) cc that was in the Big Red and their Rincon ATV. What makes the Honda unique among all side by sides is they actually have a car style 3-spd automatic transmission using a torque converter as well! This, like many other aspects of this machine, has pros and cons. On the good side is the fact that without the belts driven transmission like the other side by sides, you don't have the belt noise! The Kawasaki Teryx for example makes you feel like you are sitting on top of a jet engine. The Pioneer has no transmission noise. Quite impressive. BUT...and there's that but again, I would hate to be at the losing end of the wallet when this thing breaks. Who knows, maybe in won't but I'd hate to have to pay for it if it does break. I've talked to people in ATV land that talked about the transmissin breaking and just listening to what it cost them to fix it will make your wallet scream bloody murder.

Also to consider is that just like in a car, an automatic transmission costs you in the rear wheel horsepower department. The Pioneer comes in at the bottom area of the power department of all side by sides we have owned. If being the fastest machine out there is not on your important list and that auto trans is appealing, this is a non issue. If you want fast, look elsewhere. In addition, I was very disappointed in the camming on this machine. The machine seems to run out of umphh at the top of 2nd gear and you can actually feel it seat of the pants.

Had to come back and add this paragraph. In fact, I can't believe I forgot because this was THE deal breaker for me in not keeping this machine. We have one patch on one of our trails that is essentially two ruts from trucks running through it in the past. Any side by side that goes down this trails gets in these ruts. The Pioneer drug its belly the whole way through it!!! This was the first full size machine that made be think about ground clearance! I think they have it listed at 10" and after research, of all the full size machines, that's the lowest of the bunch and the fact that I noticed it makes it worth noting. Curing this would take some bigger tires (or something else along those lines...maybe a lift kit) so it just added to my disappointment in the machine.

This machine does have one factor about it that shines quite brightly and that is the price. In an age where a side by side costs as much as a nice car I can't believe I am complimenting a manufacturer on having a price of $9999 but compared to others, that is hard to beat. Just remember, you get what you pay for. Not that this is a bad machine, but when you've owned just about every one made, you have something to compare it too and the Pioneer falls short in many ways, simply in comparison to what else is out there. The machine as a whole is not bad. Just not top of the line. Look towards a Can Am Commander or Polaris but be prepared to pay for it if you go into Can Am land. Also, the dealers are claiming that these things are selling before they even hit their floors so they are commanding full price for them. I found no dealer willing to come off that sticker price at the time of this writing.

There are two other things that I would like to give kudos to Honda for. One is their accessories are very well done. In the one pic you see the machine in stock form, and the other after we put a full cab on it. The prices of the accessories were typical but they fit rather well and installs required only moderate mechanical skills. This machine is the best of all of them when it comes to owning a machine that leans well to heater installation. They had a perfect spot for it under the hood and install was not too painful.

The 2nd thing is that they were very smart in coming up with a 4-seater model (called the 4P) that uses the bed for rear seats...from the factory! Very clever Honda.

Lastly, I will say this: It's a Honda!!! Those words have brought security to many in the area of reliability. Will it be as reliable as the reputation perceives it to be? Only time will tell.

Pros: Excellent price point compared to others. Quiet drivetrain compliments of the auto trans.
Cons: Lower ground clearance! Ride and power are both at the lower end of the bunch. I was hoping for more from Honda but you get what you pay for.
BuggyMasters Overall Rating: 6.5 out of 10


2008 Yamaha Rhino 700




The number one pick for BuggyMasters after adding the big boy machines:

About now, some of you may be saying "Hey, you already reviewed this machine". So why am I mentioning it again? Because this is STILL our machine of choice. So much though that it actually made me do something I have never done before and that I am not very likely to do again: It got me to buy it twice! Yep. We sold it about two months ago and I told the guy if he ever sold it, hit me up first. He did and I bought it back. It is currently in our Man Room and will remain there until something else is put out that I feel I will like better. Yep, despite the fact that I rated the RZR-S higher, that's only because for it's purpose, the RZR-S does a spectacular job. What it does't do is everything that I need it to do. We found out real quick just how much we enjoyed the ability for a machine to double as both a Sport machine and a Utility machine. The RZR can't do it. I would have rated the Rhino a 9 as well had Yamaha stepped up their game by now and got that new Rhino released. It is only because the Rhino is under powererd compared to all of the other modern machines that I took a point off. Otherwise, you just can't beat it. Not if you are looking for all sport, go the route of the RZR but shop wisely. Those things are commonly abused. If you need one that does a little bit of everything, the Rhino is our first choice. The Polaris Ranger would be next in line but the reason I like the Rhino better is because I don't like that CVT system that Polaris uses on the Ranger. Granted, my friend that got me hooked on Side by Sides rides his XP800 as a sport and utility machine all the time. That is just his flavor. I like the bucket seats. That's my flavor. To Arctic Cat: You guys really need to work on the reliability factor. To Kawasaki on the Teryx, not a bad machine. Put some dynomat in that thing to quiet it down. The Mule...well it's just too much like a golf cart.

If speed and power were my number one concerns, the Can Am would be the machine of choice. Loved the big Arctic Cat but reliability is way low on it. In it just for fun with minimal or no utility? Then look to the land of Polaris. Granted the new Can Am Maverick is out now with a whopping 101 HP but it will have a whopping price tag on it too. My Polaris was very reliable for me. The Maverick is so new at the time of this writing I'd have to give it time to prove itself.

I hope this thread shedded some light on these things for somebody.
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