Before Polaris, Can-Am, and Kawasaki started building side-by-sides with horsepower levels similar to sports cars, Honda made the Pilot. I’m not talking about the SUV, either. Instead, Honda built a single-seater all-terrain buggy that was sort of like a hyped-up go-kart. Originally sporting a 397cc two-stroke, these rigs became a favorite for off-road speed freaks, and the one you’re looking at now has a radical 800cc engine out of a Skidoo snowmobile.Corey Kruse—owner of CK Powersports in Lincoln, Nebraska—built it. And actually, this is his second Skidoo-powered Pilot. The first one was a personal project running a 670cc engine, which was enough to nab the attention of beloved car guy comedian Dax Shepard. This machine was built for him, and as you can tell from the various burnout and wheelie videos posted to Kruse’s YouTube, it rips.@ck.powersportswheelies with ease on the 800 skidoo swapped honda pilot #skidoo #honda #hondapilot #wheelie #2stroke♬ original sound – CK Powersports“I actually just posted a compilation video, where it was kind of wet out and I was drifting through the parking lot at the shop, and then there was another video of it popping a wheelie on the pavement,” Kruse told me on the phone. “He [Shepard] just commented on my Instagram page and was like, ‘Build me one.’ So, I messaged him. I was just like, ‘Well, I have to follow up. I don’t know if you’re just being funny or if you’re being serious about it.'”AdvertisementAdvertisementAs it turns out, Shepard was indeed serious, and Kruse got to work around October 2025. It’s been in running and driving shape for about three weeks now, meaning it took around seven months to put together—mainly due to wait times on parts. See, the snowmobile-swapped Honda Pilot industry is pretty niche, and while there are people who have done it before, it’s not like they run some big operation to keep inventory stocked at all times.Kruse was able to source this Pilot with the 800cc engine already in it. The only problem was that it had been cobbled together. “It had the snowmobile pipe on it that was just welded horribly, and then it had, like, a Flowmaster muffler welded to the tip of it,” he said. That’s why he started by redoing a lot of the existing work, as well as replacing the gas tank, radiator, and exhaust pipe. A kit from Farr Off-Road ensured everything fit together nicely.Even though the new engine features twice the displacement of the old one, Kruse says it’s barely any heavier—maybe about 20 pounds more than the stock unit. Toss in the larger tank and radiator, and he still estimates the Pilot to weigh around 700 pounds. That’s practically nothing when you have 140 horsepower to play with.The original Pilot two-stroke made roughly 40 hp, for reference. A 100-hp increase is certifiably sick, and Kruse made sure that the rest of the rig was upgraded to handle it. Long-travel suspension up front with Elka shocks helps it land nicely, as these things love to jump. It also has beefier Nissin brakes that bring it to a stop. Amazingly, the continuously variable transmission is stock.AdvertisementAdvertisement“Everybody’s just like, ‘How’s it going to hold up to the power?’ They just kind of do,” Kruse explained. He told me that the CVT in his 670cc Pilot is stock and he’s never had an issue with it. “If you’re jumping something and you’re hitting the throttle still and coming down, landing hard with the tires spinning at full speed, you’ll break axles. But I mean, yeah. They seem to hold.”And as for the overall feel, Kruse said sitting in it is just like stock. He installed a Polaris RZR seat for comfort, but it still runs the factory electronics, and the hand controls haven’t changed either. I bet it’s a hoot to push the thumb throttle and watch the front wheels point skyward.All in all, you’re getting crazy performance in a machine like this for way less money than a RZR Pro R. Those two obviously aren’t competitors when it comes to luxury, but if you value speed above everything else, it’s hard to beat the fun-per-dollar figure of a Skidoo-swapped Pilot. Kruse told me this build cost roughly $30,000 all-in, whereas a two-seat RZR Pro R starts at $43,999.“I would say it’s a little bit more like driving a sand car or something [instead of a side-by-side],” Kruse said. “This thing is 60 inches wide. It’s probably eight feet, bumper to bumper. So, it’s not drastically bigger than a four-wheeler. “AdvertisementAdvertisement“You just sit down super low,” he continued. “I mean, it feels like you’re riding in a sports car, where I feel like all the side-by-sides, you sit up a lot higher in them.”AdvertisementAdvertisementI doubt the same people are cross-shopping factory RZR Pro R builds with hot-rod Honda Pilots. Still, that’s no reason to take this thing any less seriously. You just know it’s a blast to dart around in, and if you have the gumption, you could very well build one yourself.Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
+79 others
