Off-road Atlas LogoOff-road Atlas Logo
  • Behind The Wheel
  • How-To
  • News
  • Stories

Honda Pioneer Top Speed Comparison: 500 vs. 700 vs. 1000

By Kavan Wright | Behind The Wheel on April 28, 2021
3M READ
Share
4

Your Honda Pioneer lives off-road most of the time. When you’re cruising around your property, it’ll chew through rough terrain no problem. But before you take it on the road, you need to know if you can actually go the speed limit. Otherwise, you’ll be the person leading a long line of angry motorists just waiting their turn to pass you with a few choice words.

We’re taking a quick look at the Honda Pioneer 1000’s top speed and seeing how it compares to the Pioneer 700 and 500. Even if the Honda Pioneer and all its iterations aren’t designed to be the fastest vehicles on four wheels, top speed is a valuable spec, and one we know you’re curious about.

Horsepower-to-Weight Ratio

The top speed of a side-by-side is limited by its performance, so you might be tempted to look at just the horsepower and declare that more horsepower equals more better.

While more horsepower is certainly an important performance indicator, it’s just one of several. The three features that work together to define any vehicle’s top speed are:

  • Drivetrain
  • Horsepower
  • Weight

The drivetrain plays a super important role in your UTV’s ability to get going, but it’s really tough to define. You’d have to look at every gear reduction, every inefficiency, and all the spinning weight to really understand how it affects your top speed.

So let’s look at the quick and dirty performance info we get from weight and horsepower specs. By looking at the horsepower-to-weight ratio, you get a decent sense of any vehicle’s performance—the lower the ratio, the better.

Here are the horsepower-to-weight ratios of the Honda Pioneer 1000, 700, and 500.

  • Honda Pioneer 1000—21.4 pounds per horsepower
  • Honda Pioneer 700—35.2 pounds per horsepower
  • Honda Pioneer 500—35.3 pounds per horsepower

So, just by looking at the horsepower-to-weight ratio, we should expect the 1000 to be the fastest. And even though the 500 has a lot less horsepower than the 700, they have a virtually identical ratio. Will they have the same top speed? Let’s find out.

2021 Honda Pioneer 1000 coming down mountain trail
Your top speed is determined by your horsepower, weight, and drivetrain. And you can get a good sense of your machine’s performance by looking at the horsepower-to-weight ratio. This Honda Pioneer 1000 has 21.4 pounds per horsepower—there’s plenty of “go” in its engine.
Photo by Honda

Honda Pioneer 1000 Top Speed—67 MPH

The Honda Pioneer 1000’s top speed is 67 MPH. That’s a pretty useful speed—it’s higher than the maximum speed limit in 9 states and just 3 MPH slower than the maximum speed (70 MPH) in another 22.

If your Pioneer 1000 is street legal where you live, you’ll likely have plenty of speed to get around on and off the trail.

That being said, running your Pioneer at highway speeds for a long period of time can wear it out quickly. It’s built for off-road action more than long-haul traveling.

Honda Pioneer 700 Top Speed—45 MPH

The Honda Pioneer 700’s top speed is 45 MPH. It won’t keep up on every road out there, but it’s no slouch either. It’s fast enough to make short work of chores and rip through trails if that’s your thing.

Plus, it’ll get you down most roads without causing a traffic jam.

Honda Pioneer 500 Top Speed—40 MPH

The Honda Pioneer 500’s top speed is 40 MPH. But wait a minute. Didn’t we say that the Pioneer 500 and 700 had the same horsepower-to-weight ratio? Does the difference in top speed come from the drivetrain?

In this case, the top speed of both the Pioneer 500 and 700 is limited by the speed limiter on the machine. Both machines are capable of going faster, but their speed is capped by the ECU—the onboard computer that controls every aspect of your UTV.

Even if they didn’t have a limiter, they wouldn’t reach the Pioneer 1000’s 67 MPH. They just don’t have the power to get there.

The Honda Pioneer 1000 is the Top Speed King

All the extra horsepower the Honda Pioneer 1000’s bigger engine puts out gives it the edge over the 500 and 700. Even though it weighs more, the Pioneer 1000’s top speed isn’t limited by the ECU and it has a better horsepower-to-weight ratio.

Put it all together and the Honda Pioneer 1000 wins on speed. If that’s all you need out of your Pioneer, then you’re good to go.

After you get the perfect Pioneer for you, check out our guide on how to get more out of your Honda Pioneer.

RELATED CONTENT: Honda Pioneer18 new riders25
Share
4

14 Comments

  1. Avatar for Mary J. Drinkard Mary J. Drinkard says:
    May 26, 2021 at 10:29 pm

    I would like to know the price for a 500 and a 700 unit. If I purchase one, what is the delivery time? How long to deliver one ?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Tyler Lichlyter Tyler Lichlyter says:
      May 27, 2021 at 11:59 am

      Hi Mary, we actually do not sell machines—only aftermarket parts and accessories for the machines. However, I have attached some links to Honda’s website showcasing each vehicle: https://powersports.honda.com/sxs/recutility/pioneer-500 & https://powersports.honda.com/sxs/recutility/pioneer-700. If you’re hoping to buy used, we have a guide on the best way to do that as well: https://www.superatv.com/offroad-atlas/what-to-look-for-when-buying-a-used-utv/ Thanks for tuning in!

      Reply
  2. Avatar for Liz Liz says:
    June 2, 2021 at 10:42 am

    We own a pioneer 1000. It has had many recalls. Recently, we bought the Pioneer 700 Deluxe brand new, one week later while driving 10 mph the drive shaft disconnected. We have been waiting 2 months for the part and are being told that the earliest we can expect is have it fixed is another 1 and 1/2 months from now. We own many other Honda ATVs and have never had a problem, but after this one I don’t think we will ever buy one again. If it takes a minimum of 3 1/2 months to get it fixed when their is a warranty issue, then I would advise against buying

    Reply
    • Avatar for Tyler Lichlyter Tyler Lichlyter says:
      June 2, 2021 at 1:53 pm

      Hey Liz. We’re sorry to hear about the troubles. It could be an issue with part shortages. Check out this article we wrote this week giving the lowdown on what a lot of companies are facing right now: https://www.superatv.com/offroad-atlas/supply-pain-whats-causing-the-off-road-vehicle-shortage/ Hopefully they’re able to get you taken care of soon!

      Reply
  3. Avatar for Chris Chris says:
    June 21, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    I have a 2018 pioneer 700 and the top speed is only 35 mph

    Reply
  4. Avatar for Jeff Jeff says:
    September 14, 2021 at 3:38 am

    My 2o2o 700 pioneer has been a life saver. Plowing snow, pulling away downed trees, dumping debris. My top speed is 42 mph. It’s not speedy, but has plenty of power and torque for the utility I need. I

    Reply
    • Avatar for Tyler Lichlyter Tyler Lichlyter says:
      September 14, 2021 at 11:39 am

      Thanks for sharing, Jeff! The Honda Pioneer is definitely the ultimate workhorse!

      Reply
  5. Avatar for James Reynolds James Reynolds says:
    March 1, 2022 at 9:16 am

    My 2018 Honda pioneer 700 deluxe I’ve got 28 in tires top speed is 44 mph it is a beast on trails in east Tennessee love it

    Reply
    • Tyler Mingione says:
      March 1, 2022 at 2:43 pm

      That’s awesome to hear, James! Thanks for tuning in with us.

      Reply
  6. Avatar for Steve daniels Steve daniels says:
    March 19, 2022 at 2:41 am

    Is there any way to bypass the ECU in computer that regulates the speed on Honda pioneer 700?

    Reply
    • Tyler Mingione says:
      March 22, 2022 at 1:19 pm

      Hey Steve! An ECU tuner would do the trick. Unfortunately, We don’t currently have any tunes for this machine. But we’ll likely have them in the near future. Stay tuned (no pun intended). 😉 https://www.superatv.com/categories/ecutuners

      Reply
  7. Avatar for joe joe says:
    April 14, 2022 at 1:03 pm

    top speed has notheing to do with wieght

    Reply
  8. Avatar for Michael c johnson Michael c johnson says:
    December 3, 2022 at 7:39 pm

    The one thing I don’t like is that the 500 has a five speed n the 1000 has a six speed tranny why in hell would they give the 700 a threes speed , I want a five or six speed for my 700 cc pioneer

    Reply
    • Avatar for Kavan Wright Kavan Wright says:
      December 5, 2022 at 10:24 am

      That is bizarre. I can’t wrap my head around it either. Obviously, it’s geared the way they want it to be, but it’s still so weird to only give you 3 gears when they have much more versatile options available. Oh well. Maybe they’ll update the 700 eventually.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *



Related

  • 33 Must-Have Aftermarket Upgrades for Every UTV Owner

    Behind The Wheel | 14 MIN READ
  • UTV Trailers: Choosing the Right One for You

    Behind The Wheel | 7 MIN READ
  • Looking Back at 2021 with Off-Road Atlas—Here's a Year of Highlights

    News | 5 MIN READ
  • Side-by-Side or Jeep—Which One's Right For You?

    Behind The Wheel | 7 MIN READ
  • The Best UTVs for Farm Use

    Behind The Wheel | 11 MIN READ
  • Homemade UTV/ATV Lift Kits—Good Idea or Not?

    Behind The Wheel | 8 MIN READ
  • How to Adjust the Camber, Toe, and Caster on a Side-by-Side

    How-To | 9 MIN READ
  • How to Install the RIDE System Rear Steering Kit on a Polaris Ranger XP 1000

    How-To | 12 MIN READ
  • The Best Side-by-Side UTVs for the Whole Family

    Behind The Wheel | 7 MIN READ
Copyright © 2021 SuperATV. All rights reserved.
SHOP NOW