Honda Pioneer 1000-5 Deluxe my first impressions / review

Doc

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I've had my 2018 Pioneer 1000-5 deluxe for a little over a month now. And during that month we have over two straight weeks of below freezing temps, many days way below freezing. And now for the last week I've had the flu. I should call it nightmare flu cause it is the worst I've ever had.

So, I've had limited opportunities to use the Honda considering Christmas and New Years holidays were also during this time period. But, I did manage to put 52 miles on her. From the start in automatic and manual it would overly shift. It took some getting used to. Especially on my trails where the average speed is 8mph. Even in manual shift I would try to get to 2nd for easy cruising without high rpm but the honda would downshift on it's own to 1st. This is in manual where I should be able to pick the gear. My Honda ATV 450ES can be put in 2nd and will stay there no matter what until I shift out of 2nd. I sure prefer the ATV way.

To get 52 miles on the Pioneer I had to ride some back roads. I was able to get the speed up to 38 and she had plenty more to give if I wanted. The ride is comfortable. I had 5 of us in it on multiple occasions (2 of the 5 being young kiddos) and we had plenty of room and power. I've also had 4 full size adults in it on our trails to the river. Again, it performed exactly as I hoped it would. It will climb hills that (due to rocks protruding up on the hill) my RTV 900, RTV 1140 and my Kubota L3020 tractor (with industrial tires) could not climb. AG tires on the tractor would probably fix that, but that is cost prohibitive at this juncture. I have some trails I have not been on in years, I have high hopes that the Pioneer will help me tame those trails.

The Pioneer has what appears to be standard shift configuration: P (Park) R (Reverse) N (Neutral) D (Drive) L (Low). But Honda did things a little different. L is not just a Low gear, but a complete set of Low gears that will go up to 33mph. It is for use on trails like mine where you are going slow all the time. Better gearing for the hills and better shift points. As I have put more miles on the Pioneer the shifting seems to be settling in to smoother operation, which is what I was told at the dealership.

The one flaw, in my opinion, is there is no emergency brake. So if you have to stop on a steep hill, you have to set it in Park. We all know when you then want to take off on the steep hill you will hear a big clunk when you shift from Park to Drive.

3 things I see many new owners do are:
1. Buy bigger more aggressive tires right from the get go.
2. Add a snorkel
3. Extend the vent lines.

I have not figured out if any of this is truly needed for the kind of riding I plan to do, or if this is just boys upgrading their toys.

Honda engineers are pretty capable, and they know these UTV's will be taken on rough ground, through small creeks and in lots of mud. Extreme UTV'ing is a whole other ball game. I've already read of numerous guys tearing up their machine jumping rock piles, going into water that is 4ft deep etc etc. These machines are expensive. I have no problem turning around if I encounter extreme obstacles.

These are not the fastest UTV out there. Pioneers will go 50+mph and have good acceleration, but don't expect to be the fastest UTV on the trail. As I understand it Polaris is faster, and more comfortable. But Polaris is belt drive. Belts work, but can cause more down time and maintenance. I've had such good luck with Honda products that other UTV's were not really in the running. I do not care to be the fastest, I'm not in a hurry, I'm out there for fun. It appears Honda is coming out with a 'sport' UTV more direct competition with Polaris. I'm more for the utility / work machine that I can also have fun in. I do think I've found that with the Pioneer.

I will add to this review as I get more seat time over the coming months.
 

DK35vince

Active member
I doubt you need any of the three things on the list for the trail riding you will be doing.
Snorkels and higher vent tubes are only needed for those that sink them in deep water or mud (1 1/2' deep or more).
I have never snorkeled any ATV/UTV I have ever owned. I don't sink mine in mud/water, I go around it.
As far a CVT belt drive. Personally I like them. They shift nice and always in the right gear. And if there is an issue I can fix it myself vs needing to take it to a dealer for repair
I've owned multiple snowmobiles, ATV, UTV with the belt drive over the years.
Rarely have any issues.
My last ATV (Kawasaki Brute Force 750) was belt drive. I would change the drive belt every 3000-3500 miles just to feel better about having a new belt on there.
But I never had a drive belt failure in 7300+ miles that was on it when I sold it last year.
I have owned my Polaris RZR 900s for just over a year now. 3100+ miles so far, no issues.
I replaced the original drive belt at around 2600 or 2700 miles just for piece of mind (I carry the original for a spare), but have had no belt issues.
 
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Lee1935

Active member
I mounted a Kubota snorkel kit on a 2016 X900, not because I'm playing in deep water but because Kubota stuck their air cleaner under the hood where it soaks up almost as much dust as when Kubota put the air cleaner under the bed. The intake pipe is about four feet shorter than stock and the replacement filter is twice the size of the little filter that was under the hood. Now it even sounds like a diesel ☺
 

DK35vince

Active member
I didn't add a snorkel, but I did add an S&B particle separator.
The particle separator spits out most of the dust before it ever reaches the air filter.
I've been running one for a year now and they work very well.
My air filter stays clean.
Here is a video of the S&B separator.
https://www.sbfilters.com/particle-separator
 
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DK35vince

Active member
I have owned half a dozen or so snowmobiles over the years. (CVT belt driven). I still have one of them.
A Kawasaki Brute Force 750 (CVT belt driven.)
And my current Polaris RZR 900s ( CVT belt driven).
Like I said earlier, I like the CVT's for trail riding.
The first belt driven ATV I ever owned was a 1978 Honda FL 250 Odyssey
Here is a picture of a red one. The 78-79 models were yellow.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?...30116907516269&selectedIndex=39&ajaxhist=0the
 
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Doc

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I loved the Odyssey. I was at a big party picnic near Morgantown WV. Owner had a couple of Odyssey's for us to play with. I had a ball on those things.

I probably read the worst of the worst for belt drive problems. The belts would slip or burn up when stuck underwater. Like you said DK, for the type of riding you and I do, I would guess the belt drive would perform just fine.
 

DK35vince

Active member
I probably read the worst of the worst for belt drive problems. The belts would slip or burn up when stuck underwater. Like you said DK, for the type of riding you and I do, I would guess the belt drive would perform just fine.
Most ATV and side by side drive belts and clutch's are in a sealed cover.
The air intake for the belt/clutch cover is up near the intake for the engine . (just above the top of the engine)
If the water is deep enough to get the belt wet (Into the intake tube) it is also deep enough to be sucked into the engine. Which is bad news by then if you go that deep without snorkeling the belt cover and the engine intake.
Anything over 2' of water would be risking getting the belt wet and drowning the engine without snorkels.
 
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Doc

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Awesome. That train track bridge....whoa. Neat but scary for sure. LOL Thanks Vince.
 

ovrszd

Well-known member
Please attach some pics of your machine when you get a chance Doc.

I know nothing about these machines so will appreciate any dialogue you want to add.

I'm mostly interested in durability and workability compared to the RTV.

Thanks!!!
 
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