The 500 foreman rides like a cement truck in compassion to any IRS. Just like my grizzly does, its awful.

 

Yea well the foreman was definitely made to be a work first bike with trails in mind. It still handles better than the IRS atvs but I agree that the ride can be a bit rough. The 2012 and up foremans still have the SRA but people who own them say it rides a lot smoother now. You can't beat it as a work bike but it certainly is not winning any drags. Still, first and second gear are so low that it will out work just about any bike out there in its class.

BTW, when I said that about Hondas handling characteristics/suspension setup, I was referring to the rincon. Best handling irs atv on the market.

 

Just looked at those reviews, I have to say, they both talk very good about the rincon. I've heard much worse come from Can Am and Polaris reviews. I especially like the part about 10,000 trouble free miles. As someone who owns a rincon, I'd say both of those articles are pretty fair.

 

I can find many 4x4 shootouts where Honda comes last or close to. But not one where they are top.
Here is two of many.

Reviews of Motorcycle, ATV, Snowmobile and Watercraft vehicles

and
ATV Comparison - Budget 4x4 ATVs Reviewed.

4x4 ATVs Comparison Test Report - What's the Best 500 Utility ATV?

and
ATV Comparisons - Report on the Top Utility ATVs in a 24 Hour Endurance Test.

 

Ok, 3 of those reviews are from the same cheap source that I've never heard of. Please TLC, you try too hard. That could be your site for all we know. "24 hour endurance test"??? Really man? They didn't even have any pictures to prove that they actually tested the bikes. I'm thinking they did what you do, gather numbers on the computer and judge the bikes based on that.

You've never actually driven a rincon, your opinion really doesn't matter. The guy in that field and stream article sure liked it a lot and he had one of his own in his stable. Dirt wheels has always loved it as has most real atv enthusiasts who have driven one for a little while . But your really a snowmobile guy so I can see why you wouldn't like the transmission or focus of the rincon. It's a trail bike and the best trail bike in the industry. We should just be able to simply leave it at that.

 

How about arctic cat? I dont have many yamaha's for sale in my area but i found a 07 arctic cat 400 4x4 for $2300.

 

One could say that any atv is great but once its used and possibly abused by one,theres no telling what exactly you may be buying if that makes sense. With that said,ive had 3 arctic cats and all have been great atvs,(all bought new) if it has factory tires then id recommend a new 6 ply tire of some sort. The stiffer side wall and tire in general will make the cat more responsive when cornering. Alot will say they feel tippy and its because it has 12" of ground clearance and the seat sits a bit higher than the others,thats not necessarily the case,although it may seem so. they stand at 50" wide so it equals out the stability. For example majority of atvs are around 46-48" wide in the same class (400),but only have around 8-10" of ground clearance. So if one is expected to have 12" of ground clearance it only makes since that it would have to be built wider to help lower center of gravity,or in other words make it much more stable. Like i said though, a minimum of a 6 ply tire will change the machines capability much more. The 400 in that year was a suzuki engine(400 and 500 were suzuki) and was a proven engine. I do believe diff lock was offered in 2007 as well. They are not fast,top out around 50 mph but they are considered utility atvs not sport utility. They have gearing meant for work/pulling but out on the trails,they are still fun to ride. i have 5 friends that have the 400 and not one has had an issue,unless its something they did.

 

when it comes to reliability you really can't beat Honda, granted a lot of their models are missing some features that are now considered pretty standard such as a diff lock and IRS but they are real work horses and rarely break down

back in 05 i bought a new 350 Honda and it has never had a single issue that wasn't user error but last spring i bought a new Suzuki 500 which i love but it's less then a year old and has only 40 hours on it and i've had a few issues with it, mainly small stuff but still annoying