Honda Pioneer 520 Initial Impressions

[1990F-150]

Hi, I thought that I should give my initial impressions of my new Honda Pioneer 520. I bought this machine to replace my aging 2011 Polaris Ranger, which was starting to wear out. I did not need something fast, because I already have a 950 cc pure sport unit, but I wanted something that would have a lot of low-end torque to pull trailers and go up steep hills at the hunting lease.

So far, this thing has had plenty of torque to get up very steep hills and back my 1500-pound trailer into its spot. This unit is also small enough to fit in the back of a truck bed, so no trailer is needed to go out to the lease. The four-wheel drive engages very smoothly, which is not something that the Polaris AWD system did very well. Where the Polaris was better though, is the smooth cvt transmission. This Honda automatic transmission is very jerky and it is not much smoother in manual. The transmission is supposed to smooth out after the break-in period, so hopefully that will smooth things out. The machine has a relatively smooth ride on trails on my property, and it seems to have plenty of power and traction for almost any trail that is not a mud hole or a rock-crawling obstacle. I already have a roof and bumper on the way, and some 26-inch tires to get over rocks.

Overall, I am enjoying this Honda so far, and I am going to put it to work next weekend putting 30 bags of corn in my deer feeders in the 103-degree Texas heat.

 

[ArlyA]

Thanks for posting. Please do more in the future.

 

[1990F-150]

Yep, I’m planning on doing a one year review on it when it’s been fully broken in.

 

[Rdrcr]

I’ve had my P520 for over a year now and it has been a rock solid, thoroughly enjoyable and an amazing machine! I recommend it now just as much as I did when it was new.

The transmission shifting does mellow out after the first service and some use. It’s certainly not a smooth shifting transmission but, I prefer it over any CVT. I love the size of the P520! As you mentioned, it fits in the bed of your pickup (no trailer required) and it is great for navigating narrow trails and tight places. The engine, with the help of the gearing, has plenty of low end torque.

I’ve installed a TON of upgrades on my P520 and it just keeps getting better!

Mike

 

[ArlyA]

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I’ve had my P520 for over a year now and it has been a rock solid, thoroughly enjoyable and an amazing machine! I recommend it now just as much as I did when it was new.

The transmission shifting does mellow out after the first service and some use. It’s certainly not a smooth shifting transmission but, I prefer it over any CVT. I love the size of the P520! As you mentioned, it fits in the bed of your pickup (no trailer required) and it is great for navigating narrow trails and tight places. The engine, with the help of the gearing, has plenty of low end torque.

I’ve installed a TON of upgrades on my P520 and it just keeps getting better!

Mike

Why do you love it over a cvt tranny?

 

[Darth_DMack]

My Brother has a 2018 Honda Pioneer 1000 (with single bench seat). He loves it! In fact, his love for it prompted me to buy my 2021 Honda Talon 1000R Live Valve. I had that until about six months ago. Found out it was an amazing machine, but I could not see out of it, and couldn't carry anything in its tiny bed. We sold the Talon, and I just bought the 2023 Yamaha RMax2 LE. Taking it out this weekend for its first real off road ride.

The Pioneer will serve you well!

 

[Rdrcr]

Why do you love it over a cvt tranny?

Personal preference. I prefer a mechanical geared transmission (especially one with a clutch like the P500/P520) over a belt/chain driven CVT transmission. Not saying the CVT is bad, its just a different design. I prefer manual transmissions to traditional automatic transmission too but, I own both.

 

[1990F-150]

Both transmission styles are good, but for pulling heavy trailers and daily use the Honda automatic transmission is better to me. I also have a CF Moto Zforce 950 high output that gets used once a month on tight trails, and to me the CVT transmission is better for tight trails where you need a very smooth transmission.

 

[ArlyA]

But some people do tow with there CVT's every day out.

 

[John_Mc]

I went with the Honda P520 because I wanted reliable/predictable engine braking in our hills, especially when towing a heavy load. Most of the CVT transmission ATV/UTVs I've driven release when the engine slows leaving you with no engine braking. It's a little counter-intuitive to step on the gas when you want to go slow. I also spoke with some locals who do rural/back-country rescue who feel the same way. They greatly prefer the more predictable response when operating in the hills.

I'm not claiming the gear transmission is superior in all situations. It just fits my needs and personal preferences better. We have a CVT transmission in our Subaru Forester and love it: smooth, even power, better gas mileage than a similar traditional automatic transmission, and probably the best & smoothest cruise control in any of our vehicles.

 

[ArlyA]

I went with the Honda P520 because I wanted reliable/predictable engine braking in our hills, especially when towing a heavy load. Most of the CVT transmission ATV/UTVs I've driven release when the engine slows leaving you with no engine braking. It's a little counter-intuitive to step on the gas when you want to go slow. I also spoke with some locals who do rural/back-country rescue who feel the same way. They greatly prefer the more predictable response when operating in the hills.

I'm not claiming the gear transmission is superior in all situations. It just fits my needs and personal preferences better. We have a CVT transmission in our Subaru Forester and love it: smooth, even power, better gas mileage than a similar traditional automatic transmission, and probably the best & smoothest cruise control in any of our vehicles.

All modern ATV's and UTV's have a separate wet clutch and will do full engine braking. The one I used for work back in the early 90's had one so I can't say when manufactures started to use them but its been for some time.

 

[John_Mc]

All modern ATV's and UTV's have a separate wet clutch and will do full engine braking.

Then I guess I must have been trying out a bunch of antiques that were being sold as new.

Larger SxS sometimes have some sort of system to improve engine braking. I was looking for smaller and lighter, since I wanted something light on the land. (when I have a bigger job to do, I use my tractor)

As one example:
The Polaris Ranger 570 does not include EBS, so it freewheels when you slow down - I'm just guessing that it let go around 10 MPH, but I was not paying attention to the exact speed. That (among other considerations) ruled it out for me.

In contrast, the Honda pioneer 520, which is similar in size to the Polaris, does not "let go" when slowing down.

That may make no difference at all to some people. It makes a significant difference to me.

I couldn't find a Kawasaki Mule SX 4x4 anywhere near me, so never bothered looking in to it further. The Yamaha Viking was bigger than I wanted

 

[DK35vince]

All modern ATV's and UTV's have a separate wet clutch and will do full engine braking.

News to me

 

[ArlyA]

Here is a CVT Kawa coming down a steep hill utilizing its engine brake.. I'm not much of a mechanic who can explain how they work.

 

[John_Mc]

There is no question that UTV manufacturers have the ability to add engine braking to their vehicles, even with a CVT transmission. They don;t always choose to do so, and what is available on their high end machines often is not available on their smaller, less expensive models. With a CVT transmission this usually involves one way bearings or some similar set up. I've seen god engine braking on higher end CVT machines (such as the Kawasaki Teryx KRX 1000 shown in that video). Unfortunately, it's not included on all models, and in particular not on the smaller, less expensive utility options. For example, here is an excerpt from the manual for a 2019 Kawasaki Mule SX (the most recent manual I found on a quick search):

When the throttle pedal is released completely and the engine speed drops near an idle, the vehicle has no engine braking.

Kawasaki at least maintains engine breaking on the Mule SX until you are somewhere near idle. That's better than some other brands. Had anyone anywhere near me had one available for test drive, I would have tried it out to see if it was acceptable to me.

Again, all of this may make no difference to some user. It makes a difference to me.