Fastest stock quad made today? Who knows. There hasn't been an unbiased test done that I've seen. Just a lot of people claiming theirs in the fastest with no proof.

Including quads that aren't still made, my money is still on this:




392 lbs dry. 51~52 rwhp from the factory. Using an '87 model (geared slower than '88-90 models from the factory) with some aftermarket weight hanging on it (nerfbars, and some other stuff), Dirtwheels did a high speed test back in '88. All other bikes were brand new except the zilla. It had been used as their test bike for other shootouts the previous year. Being a two stroke, it probably needed to be freshened up back to OEM factory standards. Still, the zilla was radared at over 79mph. For comparison, my bone stock '88 zilla was clocked at 81 several years ago with about 80% of its original compression. BONE stock. Engine never opened up. Original tires, exhaust. Even has the weight of the factory tool kit under the seat slowing it down for those so stuck on power to weight ratios.

And that's in the incredibly detuned state the zilla's came in from the factory. To illustrate this, 5 or 6 years ago, a guy named Fred from Florida who went by the name Allcool on the old Dr. Q quadracer website took a bone stock, slightly tired zilla and added a Dr Q handconed exhaust pipe (in frame, not even a drag pipe), jetted the carb to account for the new exhaust, trimmed the plastic, geared it up, strapped on a GPS and proceeded to go over 100mph (103~105 was the top speed IIRC). And his clutch was slipping a little on the top end! He posted several photos over a couple day period during the experiment after various adjustments were made. Try to do that with your (enter name of your new large bore 4 stroke ATV here). Think you can with no real motor work? You're probably wrong.

Does anyone on this site even remember that thread? If anyone saved that thread or has it cached somewhere, post it up here.

My $.02

 

No denying that the quadzilla was a beast and it may very well be the fastest ATV ever made in stock form but I think the 52HP was the crank number. It was obviously in a extreme state of detuned though like you said. Mod for mod, no atv will touch the Zilla.

From my own experience, the 700xx has been the fastest atv from the factory that I have owned or ridden, especially in terms of top end pulling power. Just about every high performance atv comes from the factory running extremly lean to meet emissions so often a full exhaust and a re-jet/re-program is in order to truly see the output of these machines

Btw, with stock gearing and a pipe/programmer the 700xx reaches 87-88 mph. Not sure how much higher it would go with taller gearing but I feel it's the fastest 4stroke atv ever made and 2nd overall to the 500 Zilla.

 

On the Honda forums is the only place where the above statement would be true.
Everywhere else, that statement qualifies as one of my top three most laughable quotes ever seen on an atv forum---even this one!

I'm sorry, I wasn't going to get into this pointless thread arguing about irrelevant topics, but saying that the Rincon is the best trail machine ever just needs rebuttal at any cost. I've ridden just about every type of utility atv on the market in every situation from Moab, to the Paiute, to dunes, to 11,000 foot peaks in the dead of winter, and there is no other ATV out there that disappointed me more than the Rincon. In fact, I just about lost my life once due to the terrible design of that machine. It rates as one of the biggest trail machine failures, and the fact that it's "supposed" to be Honda's flagship just adds insult to injury. The Ruby is their best machine hands down, but even that machine wouldn't come anywhere near the top of the best trail machine list.

Around here, a trail machine must have some power for the snow, the mud, the high elevations, and possibly for towing and hauling pack gear. It's no secret that Honda's don't do well in this category.

Secondly, a trail machine around here needs good brakes and good engine braking. The Rinny's brakes are pathetic. They fade quick, and once they're gone, you have nothing but that 3 speed nightmare to keep you slowed down. It has no low range, and has a hard time figuring out what gear it's supposed to be in--up or down hill. Yeah, you can go into manual mode and just keep it in a lower gear for braking, but that takes more time than what you may have. And why do that, when other machines do it automatically.

Thirdly, around here, a locking front diff is a must for the steep, loose rock situations, the mud, and the snow. The Rinny's previous limited slip diff doesn't cut the mustard. A trail machine needs to be a 4x4, not a 3x4.

Until the Rinny receives these major three upgrades, it will never be the best trail machine, nor will it even be Honda's best trail machine. Period.

I'd take a Ruby or a 420 Rancher A/T over the Rinny any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Now I'm sure you're going to come back and argue with facts like you so eloquently do, but I won't be around to read it. There is absolutely nothing to be gained by arguing with a blind man about what color the frog is.

 

I'd agree. I owned one for awhile. It scared me how fast it was. Especially in the corners. I've had an 800R Outty and a 1000 Outtie full out, and they didn't feel faster even if they may have been. Perhaps it was the huge weight difference. IN fact, the 2011 Outtie 800 XXc felt faster to me than the 1000XT on the trail.

In any event, top speed on an atv is pretty pointless unless it's a race machine, and even then, you can't get WOT too often on a track. Handling and acceleration are far more important.

 

Don't you think the name calling is a bit childish? Let's keep it civil. We can discuss our likes and dislikes without the name calling. -Moderator

 

I owned 2 rincons- when compared to the xp or the outty & rene or even the bf, grizz & kq they are simply just lacking in every aspect.
many people who've owned many 4x4 atv's eventually end up owning either a polaris or can-am in the end, especially if they are looking for cutting edge features and comfort. I've spent time researching this honda crap a while back; there's not a single document out there that supports they are any more reliable than any of the other big brand models.
honda owners make some big deal about not having a cvt clutch- they think an engine that shares its oil with the tranny is good try getting a rincon to shift right withing the first 10 minutes of riding in the dead of winter. I love the cvt- the fastest, most powerful sleds are running cvt's!

I think the quickest atv you're gonna find off the dealer floor right now is the renegade 1000 - even though the rene & outty are 90% similar, the rene has the smaller tires and is a bit lighter- which gives it a bit more pop off the line.
but I agree- speed is really a moot point with these 4x4 atv's- once you get past the 50mph mark, these things get a bit squirrelly- and I honestly very rarely rode my outty 1000 over 35 - 40 mph.

 

Name calling is childish Moose. What I said was a figure of speech. It simply meant there is no point in trying to talk sense with someone who's mind is already made up and won't listen. Like you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink....
If a blind man believes the frog is pink, what can you say to describe the color it really is?

If you want to see real name calling, just wait and see......
I can almost guarantee you our Honda guy will be back with some form of childish retort. It's just the kind of guy he is...
But as my pappy always said, "You're doing something right if you're making those kind of people mad".

 

do you honestly believe that if you made a few minor mods (like fred did to his zilla) to a renegade 1000, you won't get it to 100+ mph?
can-am has their rotax engines so detuned (producing 50% of what the are designed to do) it's ridiculous.
not saying a zilla 500 isn't a mind boggling fast machine- but anyone who's ever ridden a rene 1000 would laugh at your statement above. punching a rene 1000 on the blacktop (or where ever you can get 100hp to stick to the ground) results with the rene instantly flipping over backwards. you don't have to like the big bore 4-stroke atv's- but you have to respect what they've morphed into.

 

I agree.
My buddy's business shares a back lot with an ATV dealer. We get to see all the bikes the service dept works on because they store them in the lot. Hondas are over there just as much as anything else. In fact, most of the time we see a red machine, it's a Rinny with transmission failures. Instead of a $100 belt and a "use low range more often" warning like you get with all the CVT bikes, you see the Rinny's being totaled out. That awful 3 speed torque converter is more expensive to fix than it was to build. Trust me, the HOnda owners are begging for a CVT after they see what the bill is to fix their Hondamatic.

As for belts being on the most powerful sleds, my neighbor owns a custom Yamaha sled with boost. At 20 lbs of boost, he's cranking out over 320 HP and the belts handle it fine. So much for saying CVT's are weak!

 

I'm sorry kickstart but you just seem like a loser to me. It's not name calling if it's true right?

Like I've told you before, I have plenty of machines - not just a rincon. I don't have to claim to ride other people's machines to form a opinion or make a comparison. It's convenient to claim that you've rode everything while in a discussion but the fact is you own a 10 year old discontinued atv that was riddled with issues yet you try and claim that it's the best thing this industry has seen since the 250r.
I acknowledge that the Rincon is underpowered and under featured but that doesn't take away from its reliability aspect or handling capabilities. That's all for now, I'm trying to enjoy the game.