I am thinking about trading my 04 AC 650 V2 for a Rincon 680. I like the idea of the Honda's shaft drive and no belt to worry about but I have read that they are underpowered and I love the power and ground clearance of my Arctic Cat. Is there that much difference?? Pros / Cons???

 

hondas drivetrain is the best imo. but cat will stomp a honda on the trail or in the mud

 

The H1s have a better belt system then the V2s did. The clutch is always engaged on the H1s and therefore not creating weak points in the belt like the old V2s did. The honda's are still better for towing and work, but the AC are much more fun. Don't let the belt alter your decision, both are good bikes

 

Rincon's are nice but they have a 3spd Automatic like a old honda civic. Engine braking is weak on the Rincon and the low gear is not always low enough.

I like the Honda for durability and build. I like the H1 for performance and strength.

 

The rincon has some major flaws , there is no low range and 1st gear is not low enoph to do any heavy hauling, the shock spring preload is not adjustable so if you are heavy you will have to change the springs., and the top speed is low compaired to the others in its class. Honda has been resting on there reputation form the last 3 years and has not changed with the times.
Rapidrobert137

 

The AC would be a better choice than the Honda but there are better choices out there? Can Am or Polaris would be a smarter choice.

 

I have a 680 Rincon and a Tc, for comfort stabilty and general quality the honda wins, but for ground clearnance the AC wins. The rincon is a good trail machine, the AC is a good mud machince and work machine.

As to the power question, the Rincon and the 650 H1 are both at the bottom of 600-700 class with I beleive less than 1 hp seperation between the 2. The honda is much, much lighter, so the honda should be the quicker machine with out a doubt.

If I were to pic a machine in this price range it would have to be the Outlander 500 v-twin. The outlander 500 has more hp than either the honda or the 650 h1.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: RickCJ7

The AC would be a better choice than the Honda but there are better choices out there? Can Am or Polaris would be a smarter choice.</end quote></div>

Polaris? I hope that was a joke. AC is at the top of the charts for durability.

 

Yea Im down with what v2 says. I race GNCC and there is NO way a Honda or Polaris can keep up with my Arctic Cat. An experienced racer could keep up with me in the tightest trails on a Honda rincon because the Honda is simply smaller. In the open field though, that Rincon 680 is too slow. The Polaris is about as big as my Arctic Cat H1 650 but that sway bar slows that machine down when tackling DEEP ruts and hills because the wheels pick up therefore traction for the Polaris is an issue. I believe this is the reason you hardly see any Polaris Utilities racing GNCC. Now, the Polaris is a faster machine in the open field and it doesnt get squirrely when you have it maxed out. I would go with the Arctic Cat because I can vouch that it is the most capable machine ive ever ridden.

 

Travis do you know how easy it would be to unhook the rear sway bar and crank the preload up?
I would choose a Can Am Renegade for GNCC racing.