thinking of getting a new machine?? (honda of course).
I've owned a 93' TRX300FW, 02' Rancher 350FM, and 04' 450ES. ( electic shift ).
my friend has a 87' Foreman 350D 4x4 manual shift. and my girlfriend has a 96' TRX300FW...
"NONE OF THEM EVER HAD A PROBLEM" I came to think about, "That's reliablity!"
Everything is Auto now. Should I go for the Cadillac: (Rincon)or the Foreman 500-S manual.
How many years or miles on your machines?
please pitch in......

 

foreman S. You still get the speedo/odometer, etc. and the reliability of a foot-shifter.

 

00 Rancher with lots of miles on it, not a single problem.

Are you aware that the Rancher is all new for 07??? 420cc, EFI, disc brakes, selectable 2wd/4wd, and the good old time tested manual trans!

 

2 years, 1800 plus miles on an 05 Rincon. What have I had to replace? A front rim. From where a rock jumped out in front of me. You won't be disappointed with either one.

 

Id stick with the manual foot shift. It is stone ax reliable and nothing ever will go wrong.

 

I like my 500 Foreman, and I don't think I've ever spoken to someone who owns one who was unhappy. It's suspension is quite a bit nicer than the older ones, too.

The guy I ride with runs a Rincon, and it has also been bullet proof. (Both our machines are mostly stock, and well maintained).

The Rincon's suspension makes it both smoother and faster in the rough stuff, and it has more ground clearance.

My machine feels more stable on fast sweepers, though it's not a big difference. I just feel the need to lean more on the Rincon.

On a steep downhill, my quad will hold 1 or 2 mph in 1st gear, where the Rincon would be doing 7 or 8 in the same situation (w/o brakes), so it does have compression braking, just not enough to not have to use the brakes on really steep, sketchy and technical downhills.

I think you would be happy with either machine. Just don't expect the Rincon to provide the engine braking of your Foreman.

 

I would go with the manual. They don't break. If you like your forman you have now you'll love the 500.