hey guys i just got a used 2003 honda rincon and i thought it wasa good deal b/c of the low miles [500] and hours [225].Its in good shape and very clean plus i knew the guy that owned it.Turns out i cant stand this thing,the gear ratio is not working out for me at all.i ride mostly steep grades and thick mud and the 1st just dont have any ***** imo.im looking to trade it in on a new rancher or foreman.I just wanted to see what you guys consider the best off road trail MAKER honda 4wheeler is.im looking at 2008-09 honda 4x4.

thanks for any info you can provide

 

Yeah, the Rincon handles well and has an excellent ride and reliability, but it is pretty high geared. It will climb anything, but you have to use the brakes on steep down hills if the terrian requires less than about 12 mph. Some people love them, some people don't. Myself, I find the lack of a low range annoying sometimes, but the machine's other strong points make it worth owning (just a personal preference).

Anyhow, the 420 Rancher is an excellent machine, as is the Foreman. Although the electric shift system is supposed to be improved, I think I'd stick whith foot shift. The Rancher is snappy and sportier handling, and I think the Foreman has a bit more low end torque and maybe a bit better suited to heavy pulling/plowing. I enjoy my Foreman as a woods trail machine, but it's solid rear axle doesn't ride anywhere near as nice as the Rincon, plus it doesn't have the Rincon's ground clearance.

The new 5 speed dual clutch auto IRS Rancher might turn out to be sweet, but it sounds like it's low gear is higher than the low gear of the other Ranchers. Hopefully they didn't make the same mistake they made on the Rincon.

Anyhow, sorry you don't like your machine. Try to get a real ride on the Foreman, Rancher, and the IRS Rancher to decide which one you like best.

 

wow i didnt even kno they still made foot shift,i thought they were all auto or es.i had a 03 rancher and loved it.i never had any problems and it went any where i wanted it to.the local dealers here dont have a track to test ride yet so i was just looking for some info on what the new trannys were like.there really isnt much price diff between the 08-09 so i may end up trading for an 09.what kinda of trade in value do you guys think i would get.it has custom shocks.4.0 warn,exhaust,camo kit,snorkle,and some motor work (not sure whats all done there ).i dont expect exact prices just an aroundabout figure if possible.
thanks for any replies

keith

 

The Foreman is pretty much a work quad, so I would pass it up as a trail ride. One of the magazines had a Rancher along when they were testing the Foreman, and their comment was that the Rancher was way more "fun"!

The Rancher 420's are great little machines! Big enough to do the job, but not a heavy hulking monster either. Sweet trail handling manners! Fuel injected, water cooled....rips right off the bottom. Great torque sensing front differential, that sends the power to the wheel with traction.

The manual tranny SRA model is solid and reliable, and handles more like a sport quad than a ute (avoid the ES shifting option if possible!). If you feel like you need IRS or an automatic, there is the all new 420AT, which has a totally unique "twin clutch" transmission!

My only complaint is that I wish they were lighter....

 

I don't know what you would get out of the Rinny, but you would get more if you were able to sell it yourself. They are really made to excel in fast riding over rough trails, so someone who rides like that would probably be happy with it.

If you had a Rancher in the past and loved it, I would also suggest the 420 Rancher. With EFI and liqquid cooling, it is a whole different machine than the 03 you had... Much snappier and better thottle response. The only thing I don't care for is (and I might be wrong) that you have to get the ES to get a dash with spedo and other insterments...

If you prefer push buttons instead of foot shift, though, I suppose I'd get an ES. I think you eliminate a lot of problems if you hit all the connectors with some diaelectric grease from the get-go.

Personally, I prefer my foot shift Foreman on the trail, but that's just a personal preference. They are also available in ES, and with power steering. Power steering could be kind of nice in some of the places I ride, not because they are hard to steer, but to tame kick back when you smack a big rock hidden in the grass or whatever.

The other option in the Honda line is the Rubicon. It is a 500 liquid cooled, 4 valve motor, with a hydrostatic automatic transmission. It has low range, excellent engine braking, no belt drive to worry about, and a solid rear axle. The hydrostat transmission is similar to that in some small tractors, and the quad is well suited for plowing, dragging and other high torque/low speed stuff. Personally I like the Foreman and the Rancher better on the trail, but then I kind of like shifting. The Rubicon can also be put into push button shift mode where the transmission emulates a geared transmission by letting you "shift" betweeen 5 preset ratios.

All that being said, if I were to buy another quad right now, it would probably be the big Griz. IRS, decent handling, good engine braking, power steering, low range, locker, good reputation for reliability... Actually, I'd have to get a ride on a Thundercat too, before I wrote the check.