Review: Honda Pioneer 1000-3

Honda has long been held in high esteem for its ability to handle tough Kiwi conditions. In this month's bike feature, we get to work with the Pioneer 1000 to see for ourselves.

As Honda’s flagship model, the Pioneer 1000-3 is a well-thought-out, next-gen bike that takes all the best features from ATVs and side-by-sides to deliver a super-strong contender in the market.

The model numbers (1000-3) indicate the engine capacity, rounded up from 999cc, and the number 3 to show three seats, as opposed to the 1000-5, which is a five-seat machine. Now while I’m by no means new to the world of side by sides in the farming scene, having driven and tested a wide variety of brands and models, I’ve still always had a personal preference for quad bikes and considered them the best fit for our situation, but the latest Pioneer 1000-3 has certainly challenged that thinking!

Test time

With the opportunity to test drive the new Honda Pioneer 1000-3 organised with Nick Price, manager of The Honda Shop in Matamata, due to a few things happening that affected our schedule, the side-by-side arrived in the thick of calving, mud and rain. A perfect opportunity to put it to work under pressure straight away.

As one of the busiest times on farm, it was straight to work and the Pioneer 1000-3 became the go-to machine for the week it was here. Thankfully, it was optioned with luxuries like a roof, front windscreen and wiper, as well as a rear window, which gave some welcome respite from the realities of winter.

Half and half doors are standard on the Pioneer range of side-by-sides, with mesh at the top to keeps arms and bodies inside the vehicle, and the lower solid plastic doors doing a good job at keeping the mud outside where it belongs, without significantly costing time when getting on or off the machine doing gates, for example.

The 1000cc Pioneer models are full-size machines, meaning you get seating for three full-size adults, if needed. I didn’t actually put this to the test, with just the old dog riding shotgun in the passenger footwell, as the deck is a bit out of her league jumping wise nowadays. The Pioneer 1000-3 does provide the option to safely carry up to three adults, without requiring three individual machines to get everyone from A to B.

I found the seating firm, which is good because you don’t want it wearing out anytime soon – this inevitably results in a wet behind after rain. The steering column is tilt adjustable to give a comfortable driving position for a range of operators. Initially, I was skeptical of how practical a side-by-side would be in our dairy farming situation. With some of the races not overly wide, we have opted for quad bikes and two-wheel bikes over the popular Rav-type vehicles used by many.

With the Pioneer 1000-3 sitting between a quad bike and small 4×4 SUV in size, I thought it may still require Austin Powers-like 100-point turns every time you wanted to change direction on the race. I was wrong – it was far nimbler and more capable than I had given it credit for (prejudging it!), with a great steering lock, completing turns in the same space as the quad bike pretty well.

Ride comfort

This is where the Pioneer shines in my opinion, with independent suspension front and rear, and some of the best ground clearance and travel of comparable machines. With 267mm and 254mm of travel respectively, the ride quality is A+. Pointing it across a rough paddock to head the calved cows off to turn them in a gate can be pretty rough on the farm ATV, but the Pioneer just soaked up all the bumps and rough like they’re not even there, which put a smile on my face, and almost had the machine sold at the same time! The individual shock absorbers are also preload adjustable, so if you know you’re going to make full use of the rear tray’s 454kg carrying capacity, you can adjust the shocks to suit.

Carrying capacity

With a tow rating of 1134kg, the Pioneer is obviously capable of towing the heaviest loads, whether a load of fencing gear, a full trailer load of calves or firewood. We put both the mag spreader and calf trailer behind the Pioneer to test drive each. If anything, you actually need to remember you have the trailer on as you don’t feel the bumps, but the trailer still does. The rear deck easily tilts, with gas struts to help, and two quick-release catches allow you to open the tailgate of the tray easily. With a 454kg capacity, you can load up the rear with tools, a spray tank, electric fence standards and reels, like I did on a daily basis and without worrying about it falling off with secure sides. The rear tray also works well for carting a team of dogs (or two in the sheep and beef world). Within the cabin you have a couple of small storage areas and the all-essential cup holders, so you can grab your coffee to go and get back to work!

Transmission

Unlike most of the other players in the side-by-side market who predominately fit belt drive auto transmissions to their machines, Honda has bucked the trend and gone with a gearbox-type system. With six forward gears and a single reverse, the transmission on the 24 model Pioneer 1000 is a dual clutch system. This speeds up the changes between gears, which is especially noticeable if you select sport mode and give it a bit of jandal. You do get a bit of racecar feel with the Pioneer models using paddles behind the steering wheel on either side for changing up and down gears. Alternatively, you have the option for selecting auto and the Pioneer will sort out the gear shifts for you up or down, although it will still allow you to paddle shift in auto mode also, giving you the best of both worlds.

Honda has used two levers for operating the transmission: the main one, which includes the park brake, has reverse, neutral, high and low. For daily farm tasks I found low range was plenty fast enough. If you had larger distances to cover, obviously high range would be more appropriate for getting from A to B. The second smaller lever controls the four drive modes, 2wd/4wd/turf/differential lock. I never got close to stuck in 4WD to fully test the differential lock (despite all the mud and rain), but I did see how handy the turf mode is at not tearing up the lawn while helping out with the gardening on the weekend. If you wanted to head into the bush or hit the trails with the family in tow, the ability to go to sport mode at the flick of a switch certainly adds to the fun, and this is where the Pioneer 1000-3 really goes into beast mode.

Brakes

Automotive-type, single pedal-controlled brakes are fitted to the Pioneer 1000-3. Using 210mm hydraulic discs front and rear, stopping power is assured. Like most brands now, Honda has incorporated the park brake for this model into the transmission lever functions, so there’s no chance of the park brake being left on, which could happen with a separate lever.

Engine

As mentioned earlier, the Pioneer 1000 is fitted with a 999cc Honda engine. This is a liquid cooled inline twin petrol engine. Honda has taken some of the design ideas (the Unicam cylinder head design) for this engine from its range of motocross bikes, so it’s compact in size while still providing the horsepower and torque you would expect from a top-of-the-line model. If anything, I thought the engine was pretty quiet, which is good, so you can talk to a passenger or work dogs without having to yell or shut the machine off. That being said, it still had nice sound to it from the twin cylinder power plant when you give it a bit of encouragement. At 1000cc it is the largest in the range of Honda’s Pioneer side-by-sides, with plenty of grunt to tackle any task thrown at it. Another great feature is the easy access for servicing the engine. Simply tilt the deck and everything is right there. The front ‘bonnet’ has a removable cover for checking and filling the radiator when needed. A large 30-litre fuel tank, which includes a 6.4-litre reserve, provides plenty of fuel to get through the day.

Summary

Whether it’s work or play you have in mind, the Honda Pioneer 1000-3 is more than up for the task. I know it’s the biggest and best of the Honda lineup so there are some expectations that come with this tag, but there’s no denying that it offers an excellent ride in the often-rough conditions found in farming. If, like me, you haven’t really considered a side-by-side in the past, this particular model could well have you seriously considering them as an option.

Honda Pioneer 1000-3 specifications