Hello, I'm looking into buying my first atv. I came across the rubicon with the dct and wanted to know how the dct conpared to a cvt? Is there any concerns with the dct? Does the 500 have any trouble keeping up with other 500 out there? The rubicon looks nice, has a nice grill gaurd, and and most importantly to me, has diff lock. What are yalls thoughts on it? I'd be using it almost exclusively for trail riding.

 

All I can compare to is my 2 Arctic Cats with manual transmissions vs CVT. I think you'll like it, my experience, having owned 1 Polaris with CVT, manual loses less power tru the driveline, you can always find a gear and they are excellent for engine braking descending a steep hill. I only have slight experience with the Hondas, but they seem well made it's manual not auto, no belt to slip,or wear out. 10 Speeds fwd and 2 reverse is not a bad thing. I wouldn't trade my Arctic Cats for automatics, bet you'll like the dual clutch.

 

Hydex obviously hasn't tried one, I have, and would not buy a new Honda auto if it was the only one on the market. The old hydraulic Hondamatic Auto was a great bike. The transmission system was over complex but it worked, the new DCT one is also over complex, and doesn't. As well as being horrible to use, word in the trade is that they are giving trouble, I don't know what the problem is. If you want a Honda, get the ES, cheaper and pretty reliable. If you want an Auto go for Suzuki 500 or Yam 550.

 

For what the Rubicon with dct costs you can buy something else that has a lot more power. A Yamaha Grizzly or Kawasaki Brute Force 750 both have diff-lock, a better ride and a lot more power than the Rubicon for about the same price, the Brute getting a slight edge over the Grizzly in power. The Can-Am Outlander 570 L has a lot more power than the Rubicon and costs less. Even the Outlander 450L has more power and the base model is one of the least expensive 4x4 utility quads you can buy. In my opinion, the Rubicon is overpriced for what it is.

 

My cousin just bought a new 500 Rubicon E.S with EPS. I rode it lots and it's a nice tranny that can be full auto ,thumb shift 5 speed and has a dedicated low range.

He is not happy with it because my 2001 500H.O easily has more power and his best friend bought a new 570 Sportsman with EPS for the same out the door price and that ATV is in another league in power.

The 28hp Honda 475cc ohv motor is just a dog in the 500 class. Most 500 have 35hp or more in comparison.
The 570 DOHC sportsman has 45hp and is the same price.

If you want Japanese only, I would get the 36hp 500 Suzuki King Quad.
I like Yamaha but they only make a big bore 700 4x4 for the last few years. It was crazy for yamaha to drop the 450 and 550 Grizzly.

 

You'd have to get a pretty good deal on a Rubicon to get it to be the same price as a Sportsman 570. The Rubicon is usually much more expensive, closer in price to the 850. A Sportsman 570 does have a lot more power than the Rubicon. The Rubicon or Foreman 500 are the only 4x4 quads in the 500cc class left that aren't fully auto though. If that's something you want, they're your only option. They're not slow by any means but yes every other machine in their class is going to be quicker. And a few smaller displacement machines too like the Outlander 450L and probably the Kymco 450 that also has a pretty peppy engine for its displacement. The Sportsman 450HO would probably be quicker too and its pretty good bargain as well. The name is a bit misleading, it actually has the same engine thats in the 570 but its tuned to make more low end power and less on top end so its top speed isn't as great.

 

The 570 ESP standard has a MSRP of $1000 less http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/en...2=433775&go=Go
But his friend did get a winch added (I do not think it's stock on a 570) by the dealer where as the Honda had none.

Our Honda dealer never has sales while our Polaris dealer has them all the time. Both paid about $11000 Canadian OTD in the end.

 

"I like Yamaha but they only make a big bore 700 4x4 for the last few yeas. It was crazy for yamaha to drop the 450 and 550 Grizzly."
Yamaha are still listing the 550 in Europe, nothing much over 550cc sells here as fuel costs are so high. Farmers don't want any more power than the circa 500s produce anyway, anything that will tow the sheep trailer is OK, and heavy, lower power, machines grip better on slippery terrain. Honda know their markets, but the Autos, are simply not as nice to ride in Auto as the Yam or Suzuki.

 

I was talking to my Yamaha dealer here in Canada and he does not like the fact that Yamaha only sells a 700 4x4.
He told me he lost more then a few customers who came in looking for a mid size ATV and did not want or need a expensive full size big bore.
He said he used to sell more 350 Bruins ,400 Big bears and 400 Kodiaks then 700 and 660 Grizzlies years back.

 

I think a lot of people liked the fact that the 450 was smaller than the Grizzly 660 and 700 models too, along with being less expensive. You could get the 450 with irs and I think even eps toward the end of its run. Even the Big Bear 400 eventually was offered with irs, the first semi-auto machine to have it. Honda in my opinion ruined the Rancher 420 by making it the same size as the Foreman and Rubicon. I think it was better when it was a smaller and lighter mid-size machine. It was sportier then. The people that bought it didn't care if the racks couldn't handle as much weight or tow as much as the Foreman, they liked the nimbler handling over the larger quads.