I'm looking at buyin a new rancher 420 but can't decide if i want the es or not. i really want a speedo and odometer but i've never rode a quad with the es. does it shift hard, is it like shifting the new allison auto in the pickups where u don't let off the gas u just hit the button or is it like riding the foot shift where u let off gas shift then get back on the gas? and also i've got a 99 fourtrax for sale in york ne it is in excellent condition let me know if your interested my email is gerkendave@hotmail.com

 

Hello, I bought a new 420 a year ago, and I opted for the electric shift, it has worked excellently so far, I;ve done everything from riding in very cold winter (-30 Celcius) to mudding in the summer, I have found the ES very reliable.

It's just plain simpler than a foot shift, and after about a week, you'll be shifting sub-conciously.

As for the jerkyness, there is some, and like you said it's better for the engine to slack off the gas a bet as you shift, however it's a lot easier to get used to doing it with your fingers than feet. Another thing I've noticed with the ES is if the engine is not warmed up she won't shift out of first very easily, however it only takes like five mins or so to bring her up to optimal temp.

Hope this helps

 

Lots of posts in here and every other forum about problems with the ES system, so it's buyer beware on that one.

The foot shift can be notchy when the engine is cold, but it's only a minor anoyance. I let off the accelerator when I shift, but some people don't (I think most ES riders do not). In my mind, that is like popping your clutch constantly...doesn't make any sense to me.

If you dislike shifting, perhaps take a look at the all new for 2009 Rancher 420AT. At this point, we know nothing about it, but it looks to have some kind of revolutionary automatic transmission (????).

 

Though there are posts about ES problems, I think they are much improved.

I prefer foot shift, but if I wanted ES I think that's what I'd have (or if I were to get a Rancher, I'd like the spedo/odo). I wonder if pulling all the connectors when everything is clean and new and hitting them with some diaelectric grease would help?

Anyway, I guess I'm the kind of guy where if I wanted the ES machine I'd have it, and if that meant sometime down the road I had to read a diagnostic trouble code and replace a sensor or something, so be it.

I also think it would be best to ease off the throttle a bit to shift the ES. It has a change clutch that disengages while it makes the shift, but why not ease off so it shift smoother and reduces the shock load on the drive train?

Waiting to see how the IRS, power steering 420 auto is might be worth considering, but it appears to me that it is going to be an expensive, and very heavy 400 class machine... On the other hand, it might turn out to be the best 400 utility... too early to tell...

 

Pulling apart all the electrical connectors and hitting them with dielectric great will defianantly help prevent problems.

I'm a fan of foot shift as its simpler and more durable over the long haul. There are some great aftermarket digital instrument clusters available for ATV's, a couple guys were talking about them here in the honda section last month.

 

Also I guess when it comes right down to it, I usually run a bar mounted GPS anyway, which could show you speed and miles traveled...

 

True enouth... the ES system is certainly better then it used to be, and dielectric grease goes a long way... but you rarely see people post here that their foot shifter didnt work, and I've personally had good success with foot shift.

 

I have had 2 ES Ranchers. A 2004 which I have have absolutely no problems with and all it see's is water and mud. An I have a 2007 Rancher 420. Had problems with the ES one time where it would not shift due to moisture in the connection.
The Honda shop cleaned and greesed it and I havent had any problems since.
I like my ES but it is always on my mind when I hit the mud and water. I will probably go back with a manual or AT my next purchase.

 

After reading all the negitive reports on here about the ES system and some disadvantages of the ES system from the dealer, I bought a manual shift 420.
Don't know what it was but my wife hated it. Whether she couldn't ever get the hang of it, and the fact she never could remember what gear she was in or quite get the idea of shifting with her foot, but she wouldn't hardly drive it. This year I was determined to get her an automatic of some kind. After visiting with the dealer on a hold-over '07 ES, I couldn't pass up the deal. She loves it. With the display she can see what gear she is in and needs to be in. Plus it is alot easier to shift. After several hundred miles of riding in the Rockies....NO PROBLEMS at all with the ES system..........wished I had got mine with ES.

 

I guess I do also like the display on the dash to show the gear position. The foot shift Foreman comes with the full dash.

I wonder why Honda didn't at least make that an option on the footshift Rancher...