Dont forget the quality of your Honda.

Here is the real deal, ask your self if you want to deal with belts, adjusting them replacing them etc.

Do your self a favor and look at another Honda, unless you are into mudding and all that kind of stuff.

The 500 Honda Rubicon is the only quad made with a hydrolic transmission. Water cooled 4x4. I just read in Dirt Wheels magazine a owners survey it was rated at 99% total satifaction. Foreman 500 another bullet proof 4x4 (NO IRS) On either. IRS is a softer ride going over logs etc, but if you dont have it you wont miss it either. Both units have great low end power with the first GEAR.

I bought a new Honda Rincon 680 with IRS. This machine is like driving a cadillac down any trail and plenty fast enough & powerful enough to climb just about anything. No belts to mess with either. Honda refuses to build a quad with that type of system. Read Nycross forums it's loaded with articles about belt issues.

Honda's have a very high resale value. You need to ask your self what you are trying to do with your quad, snow plow, trails, ride in show, etc.

There is plenty of quads faster than the Honda's, (SO-What) Trust me pal my Rincon will blaze down any trail at 50 plus and that is pretty scarry fast on a tight trail here in MIch.

Honda also offers 3.9% fixed rate financing with out all the low ball crap deals other Companys are offering right now. (Wow) only $39 a month for a $7,000 machine good luck there in a year and a half when your interrest rate goes up to 25% and heaven for bid if you make a late payment, your interesat rate will really soar.

To all you other guys with your other brands thats cool, it all comes down to what you like and the type of riding you do. I like Fords you like Chevy. In the real world I could careless if your big bad 750 Brute Force will destroy my Rincon in a drag race or beat it throught the mud. After a hard work week I like good gas Mph driving on trails all day and no belts to worry about with slippage problems, adjustments and crappy Mpg because you have to run in low gear up to a ceratin speed so you wont glaze the belt. Or belt problems getting the belt wet etc.

Honda "Best on Earth" Yes sir that is right.
I have owned and drove many quads through the years and my Friend rode my new Rincon we traded for an afternoon I drove his Bombadier 650 Max Xt I was glad to give it back to Joe. Joe told me that Honda will spoil you and asked me if I wanted to trade for his quad I laughed until I noticed he was serious.

Garman

 

Honda is lacking on the Utility ATV market ,They have the least power for there size. The Rubicon came it last in the above link and the Foreman 500 only has 26 HP while every other 500 even the 450 KQ has 30+hp,plus drum brakes on a expensive 500 Machine is just odd.

Name the last Utilty ATV that was not belt drive that won a Shootout of anykind,Mud run,acceratation,top end or Horsepower Contest.

90% of all Utitiy ATVs made are Belt drive and not because they give you trouble.

 

Noone in their right mind would trade a Can Am for a Honda.

 

You didn't say much about your riding conditions???? If you are getting around fine on a 2wd Rancher right now, things can't be all that severe. My old 2wd Rancher was more like a sport quad, than any utility!

I too am not interested in anything that does not have a manual transmission...leave the autos for beginners and little kids. This limits my choices to just a few machines...and that is just fine with me! It is true that Honda has taken a conservative line, but the Rancher is the best selling quad of all time....so that tells you what the REAL quad buyer out there really needs and wants. For me, a utility quad is just a sport quad with 4wd.

Riders here in the forum tend to be enthusiasts who want the latest baddest thing out there, so you will often get bad advice in here for that very reason!!! I have seen guys who were desert riders ask what they needed, and by the time they get done some idiots have convinced them that they need some monster mud bogger utility.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: reconranger

You didn't say much about your riding conditions???? If you are getting around fine on a 2wd Rancher right now, things can't be all that severe. My old 2wd Rancher was more like a sport quad, than any utility!



I too am not interested in anything that does not have a manual transmission...leave the autos for beginners and little kids. This limits my choices to just a few machines...and that is just fine with me! It is true that Honda has taken a conservative line, but the Rancher is the best selling quad of all time....so that tells you what the REAL quad buyer out there really needs and wants. For me, a utility quad is just a sport quad with 4wd.



Riders here in the forum tend to be enthusiasts who want the latest baddest thing out there, so you will often get bad advice in here for that very reason!!! I have seen guys who were desert riders ask what they needed, and by the time they get done some idiots have convinced them that they need some monster mud bogger utility.</end quote></div>


C'mon you need to try something besides a Honda.
Honda Rancher best selling?!? maybe to newbies that heard that Honda was more dependable and don't have a clue about atvs.
Autos for beginners and little kids!?! All the women and kids I know ride Hondas because they are small and easy to ride! Those little EX250-300 all over and cheap!. The big boys ride the big toys!
Manual trans? might as well put leaf springs and drum brakes on the Honda too. OH Honda does still use brakes drums. That keeps them cheap and easy to ride, great for beginners. When they get experiance they usually buy another brand.

 

Most of us don't need (or even want!!!) a monster utility with rubber band drive. But, I guess it does free up your left hand so rednecks can hold a beer while riding.....

I want the LEAST machine that will do the job, and that mean a Honda 450R and 400EX on the sport quad side, and a Rancher on the utility side. There are not any other quads on the planet that I would even care to own! It's nice to own exactly what I want and not have to sit around longing for something else...although I would take a 450R or 400EX with fuel injection.....

 

It's nice to own exactly what I want and not have to sit around longing for something else...although I would take a 450R or 400EX with fuel injection.....


Sounds like you're longing for something else. Other brands do offer EFI!

 

That rubber band on every other big bore atv will still produce more power then the honda rubicon.. rubber band isn't so bad is it?

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>I guess it does free up your left hand so rednecks can hold a beer while riding..... </end quote></div>

LLLLOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLL good one .[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

i rode my friends kq700 today.very nice fast and smooth riding quad. it is a little out of my price range so still looking at the kq450 and honda rancher. i dont mind buying a diff lock for the honda so thats not a selling point for me. i tried the auto transmission on the 700kq and i like the manual better.
the terrain i ride in is alot of mud(and cow crap) i live on a farm in south so we do not have snow. as someone said if im getting around on 2wd must not be that bad. i have to avoid all the very muddy spots