Hi Guys, I am newbie to the forum and to ATV's In general. Here begin my problems
I am NOT in the US. I am living in BOTSWANA, Africa. I would like to purchase a Quad suitable for a dry dusty Environment , where i will be traveling on the ATV for long distance to reach fishing spots along the dam closest to home.. During the rainy season i will be getting wet!!! I have been looking at the Honda Rincon TRX680Fa. I am currently tracking dealers for Yamaha and Kawasaki. These models are represented in Botswana and South Africa. Polaris does have a dealer in south Africa but it will be impossible to travel to South Africa for parts or service. Therefore I would like feedback as which make and model ( must be [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]4X4) out of the three i should be looking at. Any help and comments will be appreciated.
The Jackal

 

I would say keep it simple and stay with a time proven manual transmission. The Rincon automatic seems to have a good reputation for reliability, but if you have a problem with it, it is going to be harder to fix than simple little manual. There are plenty of posts in here all the time from Honda automatics that throw an error code, and somebody wanting to know what it means. The less electronics, the better.

I limit myself to manuals, so all I have to pick from in the Honda lineup of the Rancher and Foreman 500....and that's just fine with me. Both of these have a reputation for being dead solid reliable (but I would avoid the ES versions)!

The Foreman is more of a work quad, but I am a recreational rider so the choice is easy...the Rancher. Mine is a real peach! There isn't any other utility on the planet that I would rather own...and trust to get me back home!

 

Reconranger Thanks for the reply my problem would be that I don't think we can get the foreman and the rancher in South Africa. Please have a look at the following link to Honda South Africa and let me know any recommendations.
www.Honda.co.za, navigate to motocycles then ATVs. I am limited by the models on offer on this website !!

 

I got the information i needed from Honda and I see that the foreman is actually the trx500fm and the rancher is the trx350fm. I have question about the drivetrain is it better for a belt drive or an enclosed belt less drive?
The Jackal

 

That site may not be up to date (???). Sounds like maybe you want an automatic, and aren't open to a manual trans????

For the record, the (Rancher) 350 has been replaced in 08 by a sweet new fuel injected water cooled selectable 2wd/4wd 420 cc machine...that can get out an run. The old 350 is the world wide all time best selling quad, and an economical basic solid reliable nice handling full time 4wd machine...but down on power. The (Foreman) 500 is a solid reliable machine as well. It is more of a work quad, but can do trail riding as well. All three of these have time tested reliable gear-on-gear manual transmissions, with no transfer case. Honda puts on a very low "granny" first gear, so no transfer case needed.

The (Rincon) 680 is fuel injected automatic with a torque converter type trans much like what is found in a car. It has a reputation for having a nice cush ride, but not much low end grunt.

The other manufacturers have some manuals trans models, but mostly belt drive autos. Some are well sealed, but others aren't and will slip when wet. I ride with some medium and big bore belt drive machines, and they always seem to need to stop and put it in low case...on some hill I can charge up in 3rd gear....no thanks!

 

All biases aside, I don't think the transmission selection is going to mean much to you. Just about anything will do. The big knock against belt-driven transmissions is that they slip when water enters the belt housing. That was more prone to happen on bikes sold 10 yrs ago but they have vastly improved since then. Since you'll be riding in dry/dusty conditions primarily, using a belt-driven ATV should work just fine. Oh, parts are cheap for them too.

 

Originally posted by reconranger: I ride with some medium and big bore belt drive machines, and they always seem to need to stop and put it in low case...on some hill I can charge up in 3rd gear....no thanks!


I don't buy it. I ride with guy thats have both auto (like mine) and manual, and I have never seen a case where a manual can just run up a hill while an auto had to stop and downshift. The only time I have even used my lower case was when towing a very heavy load.

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