I’m wrestling with the same decisions. I still have my jeep, but I’ve reached the age where it makes sense to get rid of my bigger motorcycles. My balance and reaction speed just aren’t what they used to be.
I recently spent some time running side-by-sides on a buddy’s ranch. They have come a LONG way since the days of my old Kawasaki Mule and, more recently, Polaris Ranger 900. They are incredibly capable. I’m leaning hard toward Honda because 1) It’s a Honda, and I have owned Honda motorcycles, outboards, generators, and cars since the early 70s, and they have ALL been bulletproof, and 2) They have actual gear-on-gear transmissions and a time-tested engine. My struggle is deciding between the amazing suspension of the Honda Talon and the hunting/utility capability of the Honda Pioneer 1000-5. (The Talon is ridiculous fun to drive. It runs over stuff at 10-15 mph that I have to crawl through in the jeep, and it’s doesn’t kick your ass. It’s also much harder to get stuck, but there’s nowhere for my dog to ride, there’s no trailer hitch, it won’t carry an elk, and it’s hard to rig to plow snow. Pioneer will probably win out — and then I’ll have to spend money on suspension, tires, plow, and 100 other things.
I don’t have any intention of doing this, but this video shows some of the water antics people do with Talons.
Talon snorkeling
