'25 Honda Pioneer 520

[nisaacs]

Long time riders of 4-wheelers. '03 Honda Rancher and '04 Forman. First time for a SxS. We never left the property with them but decided to make this one street legal. Can anyone share an affordable insurance for them? My agent is stupid expensive, about the same as my new Ram.

We decided on the smallest Honda, 50" wide. It can go on 4-wheeler trails that the larger SxS can't. I have a hard top on order (oem) and an aftermarket winch kit. I think we will want a windshield next. We built a bed rack for a safer ride for the puppy dog.

Open for all knowledge, experience and tips of ownership/riding and maintenance.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I have a Pioneer 500, the older version of the Pioneer 520. I needed the smaller size for the same reasons as you, i.e. to traverse narrow bridges and trails.

I've had zero breakdowns and/or repairs. Mine came with 24" tires which made the speedo read high. Changing to 27" tires corrects that problem.

My complaint I have is the difficulty of changing the oil. That's a tedious process that requires careful effort. You don NOT want to drop a screw or nut due to the tight compartment. Although it is doeable, next time I'll probably just let the dealer change the oil & filter if/when I take it in for service.

The battery location is weird, i.e. difficult to access. I switched out the cover bolts for studs and added and added a extension wire/plug for easy charger/maintainer connection. That extension is also handy for plugging in my 8 gallon spray tank that I use for distributing insecticide, etc..

I also added some additonal insulation in the engine compartment to reduce the heat coming up to the interior.

I bought mine several years ago adding items like canopy, bed box, and winch. My P500 is not street-legal, but then, I don't have a need for that. OTOH, it will certainly run a street speeds to keep up with traffic.

 

[nisaacs]

Thank you Gem, good info. I read the book on the oil change and yes, seems like a pain. Both seat cushions and right bottom seat panel has to come off.

My battery has easy access however, two bolts and the side panel comes off.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Thank you Gem, good info. I read the book on the oil change and yes, seems like a pain. Both seat cushions and right bottom seat panel has to come off.

My battery has easy access however, two bolts and the side panel comes off.

View attachment 3830363

ah Ha! Great info on accessing the battery. I've been trying to scrunch up in pretzel style to access it. Thank you for that info. You surely saved me from a lot of future aggrevation. Dang those printed instructions - I guess one has to actually read them

Here's a great Honda SxS forum you'll want to visit and/or join: https://hondasxs.com/

 

[nisaacs]

Couple of con's I found so far. It needs a glove box and power outlet. I want to use my extra Garmin GPS, so I will need to install a power outlet. Dang, my 20 year old quads have them...

We won't be driving at night but it only has one beam for headlights. Again, my quads have low and high.

What's up Honda, you are going backwards

 

[deserteagle71]

Just make sure those trails you plan to go on don't have any off-camber sections. Those narrow side by sides have a much higher center of gravity than a quad and roll pretty darn easily.

 

[Rdrcr]

Couple of con's I found so far. It needs a glove box and power outlet. I want to use my extra Garmin GPS, so I will need to install a power outlet. Dang, my 20 year old quads have them...

We won't be driving at night but it only has one beam for headlights. Again, my quads have low and high.

What's up Honda, you are going backwards

There are a couple aftermarket gloveboxes available and you can easily add a new power outlet. But, yes, it would have been nice if Honda included these options from the factory.

Mike

 

[nisaacs]

Oops, sorry Honda, I spoke too soon. I had my head under the dash looking for a spot to drill a hole for the winch switch wire loom and dang, there was a power outlet staring me in the face.

The Warn winch mount was an exact fit for the 520. At 25% of the cost from Honda.

 

[nisaacs]

Installed the hard top today and dropped the mirrors down to a natural level. The dealer had them too high. I started to mount the GPS but it looks like if I am not careful, the glove box might interfere, so I will wait until the glove box gets here. Thank you Rd, for that info.