I bought my daughter a Rancher ES 4x4 and my wife a Forman ES 4x4 because of there size and light weight compared to the Polaris atv's. Neither my wife or daughter are very big, so I thought that Polaris atv,s would be to big for them. Yesterday we took them on there first ride, 2 1/2 hrs and 20 miles worth. My brother led the way with his Scram 400 X 4x4 with his girl friend on the back and I was in the back with my 500 HO. From the rear, my wife and daughter were bouncing every where while the Scram and the HO were smooth. I know they won't ride like the HO, but it looked like they were getting beat to death. My wife now wishes that I bought a Sportsman instead of the Forman. She had a back ache all day today because of the ride. So before I think about selling it or trading it, will it get better, or will she have a back ache after each ride. I want her to enjoy riding.

 

As It gets used the shocks will become alittle softer, but the ATV's you bought are meant to have weight on them and have heavy riders on them. Next ride try putting some stuff on the racks and see if that helps.

 

My wife rides a Rancher es 4X4 and I ride a Foreman es 4X4. The wife has ridden a lot of different ATV's and believes the Rancher is about the best and the most comfortable. I love the Foreman and belive it rides pretty soft compared to my Yamaha big bear. Getting ready to buy the wife a new Rancher. Hers has 3500 miles on it so we will keep it for guests to ride. Tell your wife that the Foreman is also a lot easier to steer when she uses it in 2/4 rather than 4/4.

 

I hate to say this, no I don't mind saying that the ride does not get better. This is a complaint I have and many others have about Honda. I have two Honda's, my wife's is a 4x4 Rancher and mine a 99' 300 4x4. The fact is they are very reliable but ride like a ten ton truck. A.D. Boivon makes a kit for the 450 which will help out the ride, please look through the Honda postings for a fella with a ride review on this system, but no the ride will not improve no matter what they tell you. Honda is losing out to a large market of people who want comfort in their ride and they are way too slow to respond. There is the IRS Rincon which is supposed to be coming out someday. If I sound a little bitter, I am and so are a lot of other present and former Honda owners. Good quading.

 

I am used to riding a 400EX with aftermarket suspension, so I know what you mean!! The rebound on Honda utilities is very fast. My utility riding is mostly technical trails (big rocks and slow speed) so this isn't a major issue for me. Works Performance makes aftermarket shocks for utilities (but I have no experience with them). Give them a call and see what they have to offer. New shocks will be cheaper than eating the depreciation on a new bike!! Also, if you run your tire pressure at the minimum, that may help somewhat.

Also, are your wife and daughter new riders?? A lot of new riders get sore, simply because they are not used to it. This is a lesson I have had to learn with beginners I take riding. They may toughen up later, and it won't bother them.

 

My wife has been riding for a couple of years. She used to ride a Magnum 325 4x4, but sold it to build a house. So she has some time under the seat and my daughter rode a Honda 200sx for a year before I got the Rancher. So she is used to a ruff ride, I just thought buying a atv that is 14 years newer would give a better ride, I guess not.
I run 5psi in the tires, I can't see going any lower then that.
I also can't see spending 500-600 dollars on new shocks either. If it comes to that, I will sell it for $5500 and buy a Sportsman.

 

Check the plackard on the bike for tire pressure. 5psi sounds kind of high??? I would try running at the low end of what they recomend. It is amazing how much tires can add to the suspension. On the 2X4 Rancher, I can bust out some pretty big air (similar to a 300EX). Now, you would think the landing from a 40 ft jump on a 500 lb utility with tight suspension would be suicide. But, as long as you land back tires first, the big balooney tires really cushion the fall. Anyway, that's what I told them to say at my funeral.

 

My 250EX beat me to death when I got it. I got fed up pretty quick and started checking into aftermarket shocks. I couldn't see spending that much money, though, so I started looking at other ways to improve the ride. I went to a suspension shop that handled springs for all types of racing vehicles and got my springs tested. Once I had a spring rate I could start looking for softer springs about the right size. I found what I needed and it really helped the ride. It also cost under $150 for all 3 springs. If you have the time to do a little searching, you could probably come up with what you need for your machines.

 

The extra weight of the Polaris makes it feel much softer on bumps. It's much harder to quickly jar something quickly that weighs more. My old Scrambler 400 felt much smoother than the other ATV's I have ridden even though it had the worst suspension. That extra weight does have it's advantages some times.

Good luck,
Lorrin

 

You can't have it both ways! In the sport/utility equation, the Hondas favor the utility side, at least as far as suspension is concerned. There is probably some Polaris owner (and some Prarie owners for sure) in this forum who are complaining that they can't put a plow on their machine because the suspension is to cush and it sags.

I checked the tire pressure for the Rancher. It is 3.6 +/- 0.4. Try running 3.2 which is the lower limit. It won't be dramatic, but might help some.