I'm in the market for a used 4x4 quad. I have an opportunity to purchase a 2003 Honda Rincon but I am leaning more and more away from it as a result of some of he feedback I'm hearing such as; bolts loosening, battery falling out, body panels dropping off, transmission never seems to be in right gear, inadequate enging braking system, transmission "creeping", axle problems, just to name a few.

I am a bit surprised to hear such things about a Honda product. Does anyone care to share their experiences with this machine (good or bad) to assist me in making a decision.

Thanks

 

Bolts loosening -- The only bolts that have loosened on a Rincon are the battery terminal bolts, usually because the minimum wage worker who assembled the bike didn't tighten them down enough.

Battery falling out -- Not sure where you heard that. The only way the battery can fall out is if the plastic battery case falls off for some reason and the rubber elastic breaks. This has never happened.

Body panels dropping off -- I don't know what to say about this. It has never happened.

Transmission never seems to be in the right gear -- The tranny sometimes hunts between second and thrid gear. It's not that big a deal, but you are free to shift the gears yourself if you find the hunting annoying.

Inadequate engine braking -- Yep. Under 8 mph, there isn't much engine braking. You have to use the brakes more than any other ATV.

Transmission creeping -- Again, not sure what to make of this. The Rincon has a "creep control" feature that eliminates the creeping typical of automotive tranmissions. There have been no problems with this system.

Axle problems -- Yet again, I have heard of no axle problems on Rincons.


Where in the world did you hear about these "problems"? Sounds like someone is feeding you false information in hopes that you will purchase a different machine. The Rincon has proven to be the most reliable big bore on the market.

I have close to 6000 miles on my Rincon with only routine maintenance and driver caused repairs. It is a very solid bike. It is also very trail oriented, don't buy it if you want to run big tires or pull a two-tonne trailer.

I'm just amazed that you have heard such information. Most of what you have posted is just plain false.

 

Here is where I heard this feedback...
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I've owned a 2002, 2003, and 2004 Grizzly 660, and a 2003 Rincon 650. The handling and suspension on the Rincon is better. But I really disliked that transmission, it just never seemed to be in the right gear, or to be able to get what power the Rincon has to the wheels like it should. Our Grizzlys also held up better than our Rincon. I think half the bolts on the Rincon vibrated loose at one time or another, the battery fell out, body panels fell off, you name it. And we ended up having to replace a rear axle CV joint and the rear driveshaft on the Rincon. The transmission had a serious creeping problem toward the end as well, and we just ended up selling it instead of taking it back into the dealer again, and paying for the diagnosis/repair. The Rincon just seemed to always need working on, which was a surprise for a Honda product. I'm sure some people will say you need to maintain anything to prevent problems, and it was my fault we had problems with the Rincon. The problem with that theory is that we did the same maintenance to the Grizzlys as we did the Rincon, and did not have the problems with the Grizzlys. And we had not had problems with other Honda ATVs/Motorcycles we have owned.

Ride them both, get the one you like the best, and get the best deal you can.

 

I cant beleive he had all those Grizzleys and never came accross the axle snapping problem from a few years ago!!!

With regards to the bolts comming loose, either he's full of it or had the worse lemon ever, same for the body plastic.

Overall its a great machine if your into trail riding. If you like technical stuff, a forman or rubicon may be better suited. As for the gear huning, that really depends on what yorur riding on and what speeds.

 

I think you're right. It looks like that particular board member just had some very bad luck with his Rincon. Thanks for all of the feedback.

 

Wow. I call total BS on that one. How in the world can body panels just fall off?

Do me a favor. Go to your local dealer and ask them to show you where the Rincon battery is located. Better yet, ask them to remove it for you. You'll see that it is IMPOSSIBLE for the battery to fall out of a Rincon.

The creeping problem may have been caused by a high idle setting. Hardly a serious problem. Please don't base your decision on this person's ridiculous post.

 

I just did a search of this board (I probaly should have done that in the first place) and it seems as though, with the exception of a few specific instances, most Rincon owners are pretty satisfied with their purchases. Especially those who are using the machine for what it was designed for, trail riding, which is what I'll be doing 95% of the time.

I'm going to move forward with my persuit of the Rincon that is for sale locally.

Thanks again guys (my faith in Honda has been restored!)

PNut

 

Wow. I call total BS on that one. How in the world can body panels just fall off?
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WELL, I found if you don't actually reattach them to the body they will do this LOL, almost lost my storage compartment lid by not tightening it down. I don't see how on earth the battery can fall out, mine is enclosed in a plastic case, maybe the 03 wasn't designed this way?? I did a LOT of research before I bought my Rincon and the only concerns I found were engine braking and no low gear. There are a lot of people who like to trash certain brands and quads. There's a guy on these forums that likes to trash the Rincon, say's he is protecting all of us. ROFL