Product Review: Honda EU2000i Gasoline Electric Generator

Have you ever not even realized you had something that was terribly antiquated until you replaced with a modern version? Case in point- generators. Your ATV Connection editors have been using a gas generator circa 1986 these past many years. Then suddenly we had an opportunity to put the Honda EU2000i through its paces and marveled at what’s been going on in the world of gas-powered generators these past 3 decades in our absence. Here’s what we discovered.

Hard Facts

The sleek body shell houses a pair of AC outlets and one DC plug and is good for up to 120 AC volts/ 2000 watts and 12 DC volts/ 96 watts. Both circuits are surge protected (as well as inverter equipped) in the event that you’re using your generator to power fragile electronics like TVs or computers. It has a built-in hour meter as well as oil alert and overload indicators. And, in typical Honda fashion, it even comes equipped with an “Eco-Throttle” setting, which, not unlike your modern fuel efficient automobile, reduces the engine speed based on how much electricity you’re using so as to maximize your fuel economy. Sweet!

Speaking of engines, what powers this little piece of tech is a recoil (pull) start 98.5cc 4-stroke engine that, despite being nearly fully shrouded in body work, never seems to run hot. All told, the EU2000i weighs in at 46-pounds (about 53 with all of the fluids inside) so moving the machine is no longer the domain of 3 men, a boy and a forklift.

In Action

Maybe we’re a bit gushy on account of the fact that what EU2000i replaced was heavy enough to rupture discs, hard enough to start to tear rotator cuffs and loud enough to rattle windows 2 blocks away, but wow the Honda makes getting up and running a snap. There is a choke lever should you need it on those cold mornings but more often than not, a single good tug of the recoil starter was all it took to get the EU humming. And it’s surprisingly quiet in action too (maybe thanks to said body shrouds); to the point where this is a fantastic choice for camping/ RV needs if you come from the school of reasoning that waking up to find your neighboring campers gathered at your door with tire irons isn’t a good thing.

Then there’s fuel economy to consider. Clearly Honda knows a thing or two about making engines that get good gas mileage. We were netting close to 10-hours of run-time on shy of a gallon of gasoline. Fill up a 5-gallon gas can and expect to have enough juice to last you a good week of intense usage.

Conclusion

The Honda EU2000i was a lot like stepping out of a time machine for us. It were as if suddenly we had been transported to a strange new futuristic world where the technology was light years ahead of the place we left behind. Even if you’ve been more current on your gas-powered generator needs than we have, there is still a lot to like about the little Honda; it’s relatively light, very quiet and gets excellent fuel economy.

For the ATV racer, generators are a part of life in the pits; powering everything from our pressure washers to compressors, to laptops, to power tools. For the outdoor enthusiast in general with camping on the agenda, a sturdy, bucket-of-nails reliable power-source is always a welcome thing. At $1150, we can’t say it’s exactly pocket change territory, but like most things in life, you do seem to get what you pay for in this instance.

And in keeping with tradition, we can’t wait to see how far generators have advanced when we replace the EU2000 sometime around 2045.

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