Rubicon owner get out your measuring tape please and tell me the clearance between the floor and bottom of rear differential skid plate.If it is 10 inches than I would have to agree and say that is incredible, than that means it's even higher under the motor skid plate.

 

The clearance on the Rubicon, what ever it is under the rear skid plate stays constant unlike the sportsman with its independent suspension. The Polaris will give with added weight causing the clearance to decrease. Measure your sportsman at its lowest point of clearance and a Rubicon at its lowest point and we will see what we come up with. I'm not talking about measuring under the middle of the rear end on the sportsman. I'm talking its lowest point of clearance. After we do this with no weight on the machine lets add some weight. Lets say, a 220lb. rider and 180 lbs. of cargo and see what happens. We'll use 180lbs. of cargo since, if I am not mistaking is the rear rack capacity on the sportsman. I think the rear weight capacity on the Rubicon is stated to be 133lbs. Using 180lbs. on the Rubicon should give an advantage to the sportsman. I am curious as to the outcome.
Remember, I did not say the clearance on the Rubicon is incredible I am saying it does not change with added weight. I use to own a SP500 and thought it was a good machine. I just think the Rubicon is a better machine for me.

 

Rubione,

Have you picked up your Rubicon yet? Beaverton Honda told me to check back in July, the salesman I talked with was clueless.

You make a good point about measuring the clearance with a rider & cargo.

 

Rubione,

Of course the ground clearance will change on the Rubicon with added weight. Is there no suspension on the Rubicon?

Yes, the rear axle will roughly remain in the same place. It will get slightly lower to the ground as weight is added due to the tires compressing a bit, but for arguement sake, we can say that rear axle ground clearance won't change,

The rest of the machine is another story. As the machine is loaded, the front and rear suspension drop and the frame/engine/skidplates etc etc, get closer to the ground, without a doubt.

Clearance is more than the measurement to the bottom of the solid rear axle.

Yes the Sportsman squats a bit with weight on it, every quad with suspension does. I can also tell you that every quad with a solid rear axle is a damn site rougher ride than a quad with IRS. "haywagon ride" is the term used by some who ride them, including me.

Suffice it to say the Rubicon and the Sportsman, and a few others, have excellent ground clearance. Let's not get down to measuring inches when they don't really matter. The Rubicon has excellent clearance, the Sportsman has excellent clearance. I have an '87 Honda Four-Trax that, with an experienced rider, will go damn near anywhere the Sportsman will. It may bump and bang a bit, but it'll get there.

DJ

 

The ground clearance will be about the same as a 450ES at the rear differential because the tire size is the same, both rigs have a solid rear axle. I think they measured the clearance from under the engine, or some place else. You just can't gain that much more without going to an independent rear suspension.

 

My Rubicon is at the dealers on display. The dealer is a friend of mine and ask if he could keep it on display for several days. I told him he could. Of course there is a sign on instructing people to keep off.
I took my wife by today to see the machine. She said she likes it. She has not ridden it yet, but said it sits better than the Polaris I had. Of course she can't wait to ride it.
I also measured the clearance from the bottom of the rear differential skid plate and it was right at 8 inches. I hope this answers some questions.
The machine was sitting on a concrete floor when I measured it.

The SP500 was also sitting on a concrete floor in my shop.

 

Deej
You mentioned haywagon ride. Go out and ride a Rubicon before you make this statement to often. You will probably change your mind. I have ridden both the SP500 and now the Rubicon and the ride is close. Of course the independent suspension is
still just a little better, but not by much. Don't form an opinion until you have ridden a Rubicon.
I beg to differ on the ground clearance changing on the Rubicon to any measurable amount. It may change a fraction. However, the clearance on the Polaris will change considerably.
You might want to remember this, Tim1 is the one who started this discussion and I was addressing his post concerning measurements from different points. I am also well aware that some smaller machines with less ground clearance can go just about anywhere larger machines can go. Only with a little more effort. I have ridden with some.
Deej, you sounded quite defensive when you mentioned "haywagon ride". Did something or someone strike a nerve?
Remember, its all about riding and having fun.

 

You are correct. If you sit on the rubicon the groung clearance unde the rear differential remains a constant 7.5 Inches. When I sit on mi sp500 , my groud clearance goes from 14.5 inches to 13.5 inches under the front end. If you ride where I ride, the only way you would follow me on most any Honda would be to hook up the tow strap ahead of time. I ride at Karnack Marshall and Longview. It is muddy and rutted. You can have the most awesome transmission in the world, and it won't help you if you are high centered. Just so you girls don't start crying, I have to say the hondas I have had in the past were most reliable with the exception of the 1970 brake set up. And in most trail riding situations the Honda Rubicon is probably a comparable machine. If I was looking purely for reliability, I would be riding a honda. I guess I chose capability over reliabilty.

Anonymous? Ha?

 

EIGHT INCHES!We do have a answer thanks Rubione.

PS The Rubicon does look like a very nice bike. I'm impressed!

 

Rubione,

No, no nerves struck here. Just participating in the discussion.

Of course a machine with a solid rear axle and suspension will squat with a load on it. It has to. And it will certainly squat more than a fraction or you'd best be prepared for that haywagon ride I was talking about! Put a 200 lb rider on a quad with 180 lb of gear and watch it go down. Heck, try it with your average car with a solid rear axle. Plunk mama in the passenger's seat and 18 gallons of water in the trunk. Tell me it drops a fraction, not likely. I am not saying it drops to the floor but it will move noticably, it has to. If it doesn't, then that is some stiff suspension on there, strap your a$$ on, she's gonna be a rough one.

Agreed I have not ridden a Rubicon. If I can find one I will. I would bet that the size and weight of the Rubicon, as well as brand new suspension components give a pretty darn good ride compared to some of the older, lighter models. What do we do to make our pickups ride better, add weight in the box or fill the saddle tanks. A solid axle quad with near as good a ride as the Sportsman, I seriously doubt it. Basic engineering says its impossible with a solid axle. I will however take your advice and reserve judgement until I strap my a$$ to one for a few hours.

My Four-trax is an excellent machine. It has been through hell and returned. It is however a haywagon to ride compared to the ultra-smooth Sportsman. Getting a few years on and having sore backs, there are two riders in this house who fight for the plush Sportsman. When I was younger I was willing to get beat around for hours on a quad. These days I want to put the same hours in with less pain. IRS does that.

Pick a plush riding car and you will find that it either has IRS or lots of weight. I'm not saying you can't get a very good ride with a solid rear axle, you can. It'll just never come close to IRS.

Based on the questions on this forum and Jack Shultz's forum, I am not the only one who feels the ride is damn hard on the body. The haywagon ride term came from a poster on Jack's forum who wanted a solution to his new Honda's "haywagon ride".

DJ