I am planning on selling my Rancher and upgrading. What would be better a 500 Rubicon or the Rincon. I've heard bad things about IRS bikes for trail riding. I've heard that they tip over easier in off camber spots and that the rear axles tend to break.

I've also heard bad things about the Rubicon. I've heard that they lack the power to go through any good mud. Of course this was coming from a Yamaha owner. I asked him how a 500 can lack power when my 400 seems to do good in all but the nasty stuff and he said just because the bike is heavier it bogs down. I don't see how 50 pounds heavier would make that much of a difference when you have an extra 100cc.

I mostly ride trails, play in some mud but most of it around here is rutted out pretty good. What do you recommend?

 

I was in your situation last fall, but I was looking to replace my 300 4x4. Since I tend to keep something like an ATV for a long time, I wanted to make the correct decision. My first reaction was to get the Rincon because it was at the top of Honda's utility lineup - it's tempting to get the biggest and "best"...

I read a lot of forums like these and asked a lot of questions. Here's my take:

The Rincon might have the smoothest ride of any ATV. The two things that killed it for me are the lack of a low range and the lack of engine braking. I could probably live with the lack of a low range, but the engine braking issue killed it for me. The Rincon has next to zero engine braking under 8mph. I go down some pretty steep hills, so this was unacceptable.

The Rubicon has a decent ride, but it has the sweetest tranny I have ever seen. I have gone down some hills that are so steep, you would not believe it - and I never hit the brakes. Phenomenal engine braking. You just have so many options with the hondamatic. Do you want to shift? OK, flip the **** to ESP. Want auto? put er in D1 and forget about it. Want to keep the RPMs down some for low traction situations? D2. Need to pull a hay wagon? Low. Want to creep down a nearly vertical hill? ESP 1 in Low. Want to change a belt? Can't help ya there.

I wouldn't be concerned about power, it has had more than enough for any situation I have been in. However, the Rube is not a speed demon, I've had mine to 55. It would probably go a bit faster if I had more blacktop, but how fast do you really want to go on a 600lb utility?

 

Just seems to me that the Rincon sales would really skyrocket if Honda changed the transmission.

 

Hey, I will buy that rancher AT maybe. How many miles and stuff you got on it? The only bad thing is that i am in North Dakota and it would have to be shipped probably. What don't you like about it. I have heard real good things about the Rubicon. I've heard that while going through mud a Rubicons all 4 tires will spin instead of 3. The Rincon i heard has the best ride all around since it has the lightest shocks and springs. Thanks

 

I'm selling it for $5000 with a 4x7 gated trailer. ~35 hours ~250 miles. It's a fine bike but the foreman has more accessories available and I'm a gadget freak. If you want to pay shipping that's no problem but I don't have any idea what it would cost. On the ranchers all 4 tires will spin too, you just have to apply a little pressure to the front brake to get it to engage right. Same for the foreman.

 

Hey Midsouth,

I'm new to the forum. I'm really not too sure about what is an acceptable post, and what is not. I don't want to be looked at as a troublemaker, but I do have some interesting information about the Rubicon as I have owned one.

Look guys, I'm not here to bash Honda in any way, shape or form. You asked about wich quad, the Rubicon or the Rincon. ............. I bought a new Rubicon in 2003, thought I had the cat's meow until I went out riding with the guys and started swaping quads. I quickly realized that the Rubi rides like a TANK in comparisson to the others (Polaris, Kawasaki and a Griz). I found myself being constantly winched out of mudholes that the Polaris would cross without effort (4x4 vrs. 4x3). I know EXACTLY what you mean when you speak of "lack of power". Some of you may or may not believe me but, I have been bogged down to the point where I "floor" the throttle and the wheels do not even spin. "buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh".

One of the guys has a Rincon. It has a decent "ride", but it does NOT have a low gear. He recently told me that he's trading it in because of it.

In my opinion, the Rubi has it's place in the market. It has the absolute very BEST tranny of any ATV in the world !!! It's a Honda, so dependibility is paramount. It's very well built and will probably outlast any other brand. It has increadible resale value and always will. It's an awesome quad if you don't plan on riding very far (I mean for hours at a time), or real muddy terrain. Probably a good ATV for farm work but then again, it is outpulled by just about anything out there (I have witnessed that time and time again).

I have owned Honda's for well over 20 years (ATV's motorcycles) and I have always been a die hard Honda nut, and I still am to some degree however, after comparing it to the Polaris 500 HO, side by side, it doesn't even come close. Take it from a guy's who's been there !!

Last September I traded the Rubi on a 2004.5 500 HO and due to all of the upgrades on the 2005 Polaris, I traded the 2004.5 on a 2005 500 HO "LE" and I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever.

Look bud, I'm certainly not trying to tell you what to buy, but before you spend your money have a long hard look and all of your options.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Well, here's what I'm looking for and you tell me what my option are. I've always shopped Honda because of their rep so I'm not sure what else is out there.

I want:
at least 500CC
Low Range
Automatic Tranny
Something I can go through decently deep water without a belt slipping or other bad things
Good GC but I do more trail riding (including severe camber situations) than pure mudding (I hear IRS is bad for off-camber)
4/110 bolt pattern (already have aftermarket wheels and tires)
Headlights/Taillights
I'm not to hot about a water cooled engine but I guess you need one for the bigger engines
I plan to spend around $6000
RELIABILITY I will gladly trade power or GC for reliability. Haveing a bad **** bike is no good if it's always in the shop

What would you recommend?

 

Hello again,

I have NEVER had a problem with belt slippage and the IRS makes all the difference in the world. I truly believe that "dependability" is a must, but let's face it, all ATV's nowadays are VERY dependable.

If the Rubi had all of the above, I would have traded my 2003 for a 2005 but it doesn't. This is just one man's opinion, but I would recommend the 2005 Polaris 500 HO.

It's your money, your quad. Perhaps what you should do is go to your local dealers and try them all before you buy. Being a die hard "Honda man", it was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that Honda desperately needs to pull up their socks in order to get back in the competition. My dealer sells both, Honda and Polaris. He told me that they compared their own stats, and so far this year they sold over 300 ATV's. The stats also show that they sold 18 Polaris for every 1 Honda.

 

Corection:------- Over the last 3 years, they sold over 300 ATV's. So far this year they sold 18 Polaris for every 1 Honda.