Posts
1957
Joined
7/21/2011
Location
Galesburg, IL
US
In the market for a new side by side to take the family on some trips to the bigger OHV parks in the country. We would really like to start exploring the trail systems in Colorado as well as Tennessee/West Virginia areas.
I have never owned a side-by-side before (always bikes) so feel a little overwhelemed with all the different makes & models.
Needs to be a 4 seater, do not want a turbo engine. Most likely 4WD, but could be convinced 2WD is sufficient if 4WD is rarely used on "family-friendly" type terrain.
I really have my eye on the Honda Talon 1000X-4, but seeking some advice on ownership from anyone that has other brands or a Talon.
Is the Fox LiveValve setup worth the extra coin?
Which brand has the best creature comforts in the cockpit (nice radio/speakers, phone charger ports, storage space, etc) to make longer trips more enjoyable?
New vs used? New prices are significant and similar to a car payment!!
Seems to be hard to find a good used unit in my area that hasn't been used for mudding/river riding, etc. Occasionally a nice clean unit will pop up, but the asking prices are high enough I would almost rather spend the extra couple thousand and buy new at that point.
I have never owned a side-by-side before (always bikes) so feel a little overwhelemed with all the different makes & models.
Needs to be a 4 seater, do not want a turbo engine. Most likely 4WD, but could be convinced 2WD is sufficient if 4WD is rarely used on "family-friendly" type terrain.
I really have my eye on the Honda Talon 1000X-4, but seeking some advice on ownership from anyone that has other brands or a Talon.
Is the Fox LiveValve setup worth the extra coin?
Which brand has the best creature comforts in the cockpit (nice radio/speakers, phone charger ports, storage space, etc) to make longer trips more enjoyable?
New vs used? New prices are significant and similar to a car payment!!
Seems to be hard to find a good used unit in my area that hasn't been used for mudding/river riding, etc. Occasionally a nice clean unit will pop up, but the asking prices are high enough I would almost rather spend the extra couple thousand and buy new at that point.
Hondas and Yamahas have gear-drive transmissions instead of belts, so that's a plus. I understand the Can-Ams are pretty bulletproof, also.
Sport: Honda Talon
Creature Comforts: CanAm Commander Limited
If I was buying it would probably be the Honda Pioneer 1000-5 Deluxe, that seems the best fit for me. No CVT trans, hauls 5 people yet still keeps the short wheelbase, rear seats fold down for when the kids aren’t with us, dump bed for work around the house, and Honda’s are bulletproof. Your needs may differ.
Like lostboy said, you can get a nice Jeep, not need the trailer and drive it whenever. The SxS filled a niche in the beginning. It was somewhere between a quad and a Jeep, which allowed you to go on smaller trails than a Jeep and they only cost like $10-$12k. Most don’t fill that niche anymore, they’re just as big as Jeep and just as expensive.
The Shop
Except for some Kawi mules they all have some type of four wheel drive should you need it.
Find what you want then check out some custom builds.
I see people asking more for used machines than new. They think if they throw doors, windshield and a roof on all of a sudden these things are worth more. I would rather spend around $15,000 on a new Teryx and purchase the aftermarket stuff for another $1500 then pay $16,000 for a used machine with stuff already on it. I really hope people aren’t paying these inflated prices for used machines just because a lot of dealers don’t have new ones right now.
IMO, The Teryx4 LE is the hands down best bang for buck side by side on the market when it comes to 4 seaters. Its nearly 2 feet shorter than the Maverick Sport Max(Non-Turbo 4 seater) So its much more maneuverable. Its got way more leg room too. The drawbacks are the power, its slower than the Can-Am and Polaris, and the mid engine design makes for a noisy cab. Kawi also has a 3 year factory warranty which is really nice to have
The Maverick Sport Max has great power and suspension but its a BUS(so are most 4 seat side by sides)
The Wolverine X4 is supposed to be pretty good, better power than the Kawi but the back seats suck.
Polaris works good performance wise, fit and finish leaves much to be desired.
Honda is fine as long as you don't buy anything with that god awful DCT. I wouldnt drive a Pioneer 1000 across the road after testing one.
DONT buy a Can-Am Commander of any kind. They are outdated, noisy as hell and the clutching absolutely sucks, super jerky.
For me, the order I would consider them, is Honda Pioneer, then Kawi Teryx close second. Bigger gap to Can-Am. Yami would likely be in there if I had a dealer closer (closest is an hour+ away).
I’m not going the Jeep right....they just aren’t my thing.
In terms of dealership support, that shouldn’t be a big issue. I have all brands available in my area within reasonable driving distance and I have enough experience to know most of the dealers are pretty reasonable to work with.
I was not considering something like the Honda Pioneer as I was initially drawn to the “pure sport” machines. I still want a high performance machine for when I take it out without the family. How does the Honda Pioneer accelerate? Is it noticeably softer when compared to the pure sport machines?
Why is everyone afraid of CVT belt drives? Are there lots of issues with belts breaking, slipping, or wear or is it more of an issue where it’s seen as inferior technology to the gear drive machines?
I would really like to know more about the different levels of shock packages? How does the Fox live valve work in comparison to just the standard Fox podium shocks?
I've owned the Viking and have close friends that had a Teryx. We both have the Pioneer now and neither of us regret it.
None of them come with a radio. I would look at sound bars and just bluetooth from your phone. JBL4100 is a great choice and Swamp Donkey makes some nice units. Be ready to spend a little $$ though. They all come with a little storage and cigarette plug-ins for charging. A lot of people but in extra switch plates for extra lights and such and most of them come with USB ports.
4WD is a must. You will use 2WD 95% of the time but when you need it you need it.
edit after your post.
the Pioneer has very good acceleration. it won't out run the sport machines but it's no slouch either. I broke down and put a Hess tune in mine and it wakes it up a bit more. The biggest complaint I had with mine was the under seat heat. A good auto noise damping/reflective mat will cure a lot of it. A bilge fan blowing air out really takes most of it away.
I don't know anyone with the newer Fox on the fly shocks. The Elka are night and day better than the stockers and better than the Fox that come on the Pioneer Deluxe though.
Pit Row
I rented a Honda Pioneer a few years ago and had 2 major complaints, after 45 miles and being 5’11” I was over riding in that thing and could never really get comfortable. My other complain with the Pioneer we used is to make it a four seater it puts the second row of seats in the bed so you lose all your cargo space.
With a Ranger Crew i can put my kids’ car seats in the second row, everyone has ample room and we still have the bed (plus my cargo rack) for a cooler, spare tire, small set of tools, shovel, handyman, and room for more. I’ve got 1700 miles on mine since may and absolutely love it!
I was thinking that the reason is there's about a 70/30 ratio of suckers to educated buyers in the SxS market.
J/K. Mostly. Polaris does have some great-looking units. Great financing, good deals, and a strong dealer network make for a good market share. Kudos to them.
The Polaris was delivered with 0 miles, literally brand spankin new. It was fun and ran well, the suspension was great. It rattled, squeaked and kind of sounded like it was falling apart. The seats were pretty uncomfortable after about 40 miles or so.
The Can Am had 800 miles on it when we started, it ran well and the suspension was great also. It did NOT rattle, squeak or sound like it was falling apart, we rode in it for about 45 miles before our first stop and didn't have any discomfort whatsoever. We bought a Can Am Maverick Sport Max 1000R DPS.
I have over 3k miles on is since April. We have done San Rafael Swell, Moab and the St George area and the thing is incredible. The only place I feel like I am giving anything up is in the sand dunes. I don't ride in the dunes that often so no big deal to me, but on gnarly technical rock strewn climbs......this thing is a freakin Billy Goat! It is way more competent than I have confidence. I come up to a rock wall 8ft tall about 70 degree angle and just grunt up over it.
If you can go rent for a day and check a few out, they are a pretty expensive item to just plunk 20k down on to find out you wanted something else. I check the used stuff out to see what people are replacing, Polaris was clutches, seats and a few complete engines. The Can Am's were just adding stuff on not replacing things.
Good luck, and I know tldr, but putting over 3k miles on mine in 8 mos I know what I have and while I have added things (bigger tires, street legal, roof, windshield) all I have done is routine maintenance and after a 1000 miles changed the belt, and carry the original belt as a spare.
I have owned several Polaris snowmobiles also and they do stupid things like the glued jack shafts and then they abandoned their watercraft customers all together and stopped making and selling their watercraft parts so if you paid good money on a watercraft you are shit outta luck, and then add poor fit and finish on most everything they make.
The Polaris Rzrs run very well and have great performance but down the road you will be SOL on parts and fit and finish is the normal Polaris and compared to other brands its not on the same level. The positive is they are less money when you buy and they run great...................... when they run.
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