Choosing between 2 sport models

[toddvdh]

I hate to even ask this here. But I am looking at getting another utv. I already have a pioneer 1000-5 and love it. I have 5 kids so when me and my wife go on rides with the kids we need more room. I’m getting rid of my brute force 750.

I think I’m down to the talon x and Yamaha yfz 1000r ss. I don’t want a cvt transmission. I’m not looking for a crazy race machine, it will stay close to stock. I guess I’m just looking to get some opinions from people who have owned both.

I do like the idea of 2 Honda’s though.

I’m in WI, so trails in the woods. No real mud running or dune riding.

 

[Admin]

 

[JACKAL]

The YXZ while a very capable sport machine is pretty high strung for casual trail riding, especially if you expect to have a Pioneer 1000-5 keep up. That Yamaha engine love to be run.

With a Talon, both machines would share the same platform, and simplify maintenance using same oil filters, etc. The Talon X should make for an excellent trail machine.

 

[CID]

I did business at the same Yamaha/Kawasaki motorcycle dealer for 50 years and I desperately wanted to like the YXZ. But after watching a few Youtube videos of them in technical riding I realized it was completely wrong for my mountain and desert exploring, the 5 speed gearbox limits its capabilities a LOT. Yamaha has tried since its inception to make the 5 speed work, and however good they've made it, it can't hold a candle to Honda's dual range 6 speed Talon - it was an easy choice in spite of having to leave my lifelong dealer. Another fail on the Yamaha - the powerband is completely wrong for anything but racing and it shows in the videos, it comes up on the cam with a vengeance, lighting the tires up, not what you want when riding with the family.

Note that the Talon X suspension is tuned for high speed riding and will most likely need to be revalved and probably resprung. So will my R but it's softer than the X IMO.

 

[Elkhunter]

I have a 1000-5 and just bought a 2021 talon. I have no experience with a Yamaha. My Talon X was sprung way to stiff for me and my type of trail riding. I had to get new aftermarket springs and get the shocks revalved. The tires are 28x15 and they contribute to the harsh ride. Will probably end up putting 30-32x14 tires on it. I made the mistake of not test driving the machine before I purchased it. I would suggest you drive both before you buy.


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[toddvdh]

With a Talon, both machines would share the same platform, and simplify maintenance using same oil filters, etc. The Talon X should make for an excellent trail machine.

This was my thought also.

Note that the Talon X suspension is tuned for high speed riding and will most likely need to be revalved and probably resprung. So will my R but it's softer than the X IMO.

I have heard the same complaints about too stiff of suspension for both the talon and yfz. I'm not against buying new springs and having them revalved on either machine. I have been debating doing shocks on the pioneer 1000-5 also. I put stage 4 works shocks on my old raptor 660 and they were incredible.

I have driven 4 different f-250's as a daily driver for the past 12 years, and a c4 corvette for a fun car. I'm honestly feel like my idea of a rough ride is different than most. Lol.

And when i say stock, i mean i'm not going to mess with the engine or major suspension changes. only bolt on accesories.

I'm leaning towards the talon, it's just a lot of money to spend without getting a couple opinions if you know what i mean.

 

[toddvdh]

I made the mistake of not test driving the machine before I purchased it. I would suggest you drive both before you buy.

I can't find any dealers near me that will let me test drive. And everyone around here has RZR's.

I agree 100% though.

 

[Elkhunter]

Right now I am riding in the rocky hills of western AZ. To be honest it is probably the roughest terrain this talon will ever see. With the new shock upgrade I think it should be good on the trails back home. A couple of other small issues are the touchy gas pedal and the shifting. I think it should shift into the the next gear a little sooner but I just grab the paddle and shift it up. Not a big deal. Guess I’m used to my p-1000. Here’s my temporary fix for the gas pedal. A piece of pallet. It helps with my foot control. I’ll make a nicer one when I get home to my shop with my brake.
Another potential problem is the air intake. They say it sucks a lot of dirt with the stock setup. Mine is still stock and will check it when I get home from the desert. There are posts on how other members addressed this problem.


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[ToddACimer]

I'm looking for a wife machine in Wi too. I'd like it to be similarly capable to the Pioneer. The market around here is slim

 

[CID]

This was my thought also.

I have heard the same complaints about too stiff of suspension for both the talon and yfz. I'm not against buying new springs and having them revalved on either machine. I have been debating doing shocks on the pioneer 1000-5 also. I put stage 4 works shocks on my old raptor 660 and they were incredible.

I have driven 4 different f-250's as a daily driver for the past 12 years, and a c4 corvette for a fun car. I'm honestly feel like my idea of a rough ride is different than most. Lol.

And when i say stock, i mean i'm not going to mess with the engine or major suspension changes. only bolt on accesories.

I'm leaning towards the talon, it's just a lot of money to spend without getting a couple opinions if you know what i mean.

I'm like you, I have a different idea of 'too stiff'. I just retired the dirt bike (before I got hurt again) and the Talon R suspension is 'good enough' for me. But having done suspension work on the bike, there's no way I'm not doing it on the Talon, there's too much improvement available to be left undone. This is the most effin' money I've EVER spent on a toy.

Right now I am riding in the rocky hills of western AZ. To be honest it is probably the roughest terrain this talon will ever see. With the new shock upgrade I think it should be good on the trails back home. A couple of other small issues are the touchy gas pedal and the shifting. I think it should shift into the the next gear a little sooner but I just grab the paddle and shift it up. Not a big deal. Guess I’m used to my p-1000. Here’s my temporary fix for the gas pedal. A piece of pallet. It helps with my foot control. I’ll make a nicer one when I get home to my shop with my brake. View attachment 251625
Another potential problem is the air intake. They say it sucks a lot of dirt with the stock setup. Mine is still stock and will check it when I get home from the desert. There are posts on how other members addressed this problem.

Having been raised a poor white boy in the 60's and 70's when big V8s were king, I learned to hang my foot against the tunnel to keep my ankle from rowing the throttle. I've found that lifelong habit has worked to tame the Talon's throttle too. You can hear that I'm not having any throttle control issues in this rocky video.

The link in my sig will take you to my copy of HondaBob's snorkel idea, including part numbers. Bob runs his snorkel up to the roof, I stopped right behind the passenger's seat, just above the body panel.

 

[Hometeam]

I hate to even ask this here. But I am looking at getting another utv. I already have a pioneer 1000-5 and love it. I have 5 kids so when me and my wife go on rides with the kids we need more room. I’m getting rid of my brute force 750.

I think I’m down to the talon x and Yamaha yfz 1000r ss. I don’t want a cvt transmission. I’m not looking for a crazy race machine, it will stay close to stock. I guess I’m just looking to get some opinions from people who have owned both.

I do like the idea of 2 Honda’s though.

I’m in WI, so trails in the woods. No real mud running or dune riding.

I have owned two Honda Pioneer 1000 and I currently have a Talon X (with my suspension completely done), and a YXZ1000R SS with the X2 suspension (can be set very plush), and the 70/30 gear reduction. I had a lot of fun in the pioneer but both of these machines are entirely so much more fun to drive! On the other hand I also daily drive an F-250 and owned many of sports cars..... So I agree when you say that my idea of rough might be different but both of my machines are not rough. My Talon flat rips through the trails and handles amazing for an off-road machine. The Talon gives me that sports car on the track feel. The YXZ with the 70/30 gear reduction is an extremely capable machine in technical trails. It is a step further into the pure sports feel of the machine. It handles through corners awesome but it always seems angry! You are always in race mode driving the YXZ, which is a lot of fun but that's one of the reasons I like the Talon better. I can choose when I want to drive that way or when I just want to push the pedal down and steer.They both have taken an extreme beating with minimal carnage! It looks like you are in Green Bay Wisconsin area. I am in Normal, Illinois and if you wanted to come test out both machines you are welcome to come check them out....And if you've got any specific questions I'll try to give you my honest opinion.

 

[DDDonkey]

Talon over the YXZ all day. Everyone has said the rest.

 

[toddvdh]

Thanks everyone. The advice really helps. I like to go fast, but most times I like to just cruise.

I’ve driven my buddies can am x3 that had 172 hp stock, he has the boost turned up and exhaust work done to it. That thing is an animal and fun to ride, but it’s really way too fast to ride anywhere but wide open trails.

Now I just have to find a talon that isn’t over msrp, has a ton of fees/setup, or a used one at a decent price.

 

[906UP]

I was in the same position, it was down to the T1KX or YXZ, the terrain you're riding is most likely very similar to what we have UP here. If I went with the YXZ I was planning to have the Yamaha IGR & heavy flywheel installed immediately. In the end it came down to seating position & comfort for me, the YXZ seating was low and made it hard to see the front end, I felt I had a better field of view in the T1KX.

 

[906UP]

Thanks everyone. The advice really helps. I like to go fast, but most times I like to just cruise.

I’ve driven my buddies can am x3 that had 172 hp stock, he has the boost turned up and exhaust work done to it. That thing is an animal and fun to ride, but it’s really way too fast to ride anywhere but wide open trails.

Now I just have to find a talon that isn’t over msrp, has a ton of fees/setup, or a used one at a decent price.

Check with Cycle City in Escanaba, that's only a couple hr drive North for you. Aprils_fool got his there.

 

[Someguy]

I hate to even ask this here. But I am looking at getting another utv. I already have a pioneer 1000-5 and love it. I have 5 kids so when me and my wife go on rides with the kids we need more room. I’m getting rid of my brute force 750.

I think I’m down to the talon x and Yamaha yfz 1000r ss. I don’t want a cvt transmission. I’m not looking for a crazy race machine, it will stay close to stock. I guess I’m just looking to get some opinions from people who have owned both.

I do like the idea of 2 Honda’s though.

I’m in WI, so trails in the woods. No real mud running or dune riding.

I had a pioneer 16 1000-3. I have 4500 mi. Zero issues. Rode Dusty Trails system. When talon came out I traded it at team in GB. 2600 mi. on the Talon. Zero issues. Very happy with it. Same drive train as the Pioneer.but about 30 hp more. It's the best out there in my opinion. The Talon is a better trail machine than the Pioneer. I never rode, or driven a yfz, or know anyone who has one. So I can't sperm about one. A buddy of mine just bought a Talon x 4 from Team. It appears to have more leg room, and better seats in the rear than a Pioneer-5. He had his name on a list, and had to wait for one. They are hard to find.

 

[TripleB]

So I can't sperm about one.

Lol

 

[toddvdh]

Ya. Team has only has 1 live valve 2 seater x. No other models. I was in there last week and they said they are only guaranteed to get 3 more talons in in fall. That is all they think they are going to get in 2021 according to Honda.

Or that’s just salesman bs to get me to buy the live valve one right now. I’m not sure at this point in the plandemic.

 

[bjniceguy]

Having had a YXZ SS SE with 70/30 reduction and now a Talon R, I can say if you want a machine to rip and handle like on rails, the YXZ is better. If you want more of an all around unit, the Honda Hands down. With the YXZ, you have no option but to paddle shift even if you are with a group running 20 MPH, gets boring. With the Talon, can throw it in Automatic and just follow along. I got rid of mine cause wife could not shift by tone. She either over reved it or lugged it.

Can also say that working on Honda (oil changes etc) is WAY easier than YXZ. Seemed like everything you did to it, you took it half apart. On the Honda, only getting to air filter is a pain (removing storage box) and I fixed that with snorkel so it lasts & lasts. The YXZ had better shocks stock with more adjustment, but once I went to different tender springs, seldom adjust Talon.

YXZ motor revs way higher most of time, doesn't hurt anything but gets old when not riding hard. The 6-speed 2-speed of Honda is more versitale than the Yamaha 5-speed too

Other than Plushness, both are hands down better than Polaris in quality and dependability.

 

[Someguy]

Lol

speak, Damm auto correct. HaHa.

 

[toddvdh]

speak, Damm auto correct. HaHa.

Or fraudien slip. No homo