>What'so bad about drum brakes? Anyone out there have concrete proof they don't work as well on a quad as discs? Or is everyone caught up in some marketing hype that says discs are the best because they look good, etc? My own experience with Honda's drums is that they work damn good.


In a respond to your post pete drum brakes are not bad I have rode honda's with them on but they just don't stop as good as disk brakes and disc brakes are a lot easier to take care of, I always here the stories or complaints about all the grease zerks are such a time consuming problem but I never hear anyone say how it took them a half a day to clean out there drum brakes. Honda does have one of the best drums on the market as far as sealing but some seal good and some don't, but all disc brakes just have to be brought back from the ride sprayed off and your done. It is true I have heard that some people have trouble with the disc brakes wearing out fast but a set of EBC pads will cure this problem my Sportsman has 400 miles on the disc and still running strong so I guess this is a lot of what the driver prefers but you would think for $7000 plus you would get disc brakes.

>Same goes for the 2WD/4WD option - if Honda's full-time 4WD works just as good as everyone elses 4WD in 2WD mode, what difference does it make? Sounds like that new front differential on the Ranchers and Rubicons makes steering the 4WD a breeze - one magazine I read said they had to look under the front to make sure the Rancher they were riding had a front diff!

I am like Tim1 on this one there is no 4wd that is stuck in 4wd that will steer like a 4wd machine in 2wd. Plus you can't add lockers to the Honda to make it a true 4 wheel pulling machine unless you want to become the next Mr Universe, The Honda Rancher and Rubicon I would say will have one of the best limited slip front ends on the market but nobody will convince me it will pull like the 4 wd setup on the Polaris also it is not as fun running the Honda like you can the Polaris when it comes to sliding the rear end around and other things that you can do on a machine you can put into 2wd. I really like the Honda machine it is truly the most reliable machine on the market and I could probably live without the IRS and the disc brakes of the Polaris but there is no way where I ride that I would have a machine with limited slip, I have an AC 500 with this and it has got me in trouble a few times places like leaves or water on steep climbs that the Polaris handle with less trouble...again this is just my opinion but Honda won't get my money till they at least add a 2 to 4 wd switch and drop there price about a $1000 bucks.

 

2wd/4wd option= 80's suzuki

 

I'm gonna give some experiences of my own about the disc vs. drum brakes and 2wd/4wd vs. full time/limited slip 4x4 systems.

I really don't know why everyone makes such a big deal about the Rubicon having drum brakes. I would think the biggest reason Honda put them on the Rubicon has to deal with the price of both systems. Look at the Yamaha Blaster, why do you suppose it has drum brakes in the front? To keep the cost down! Same here, I bet if the Rubicon had disc the price would be somewhere around $7500 or so. In the real world, there's not a whole lot of difference in performance between the two. In a direct comparison between our Sportsman 500 and Honda Foreman ES, the Honda will stop on a dime, whereas the Sportsman needs, say, a quarter. Going the same speed and stomping on the brakes on both machines shows the Foreman will bring the back end up and tear some grass out of the ground with the front wheels. What does the Sportsman do? It takes a little longer to stop, and it does so more loudly (squeaking). Now I'm sure having more weight and single lever brakes doesn't help the Sportsman at all, but hey, that's why it has disc brakes, right? The Honda being lighter, as is the Rubicon, doesn't really need the best brakes ever invented. Plus, on our Honda, the brakes are rarely used. I think the parking brake gets used more than the front brakes. So if the Rubicon has engine compression braking like the recent reviews state, you won't even have to worry about the brakes.

My opinion of the 2wd/4wd option is just that it is nice, but in my opinion it's not needed on a machine used more for utility than sport. Now on a Scrambler it is a very good option, one that I bet a lot of Wolverine owners wish they had. But one thing is for sure, the Sportsman 500 was not built for powerslides. Yes, both front wheels on the Polaris pulling is nice, but there is a price you have to pay for that, and that is a greater chance of failure. I've had many experiences with 2wd only Sportsman/Xplorer 500's, and our Sportsman currently has a mind of it's own, trying to go in 4wd when in 2wd mode. How does the Honda's front end work? Flawlessly! One thing I've noticed with the limited slip is make sure you have equal air pressure in both front tires, otherwise the machine won't track as straight at high speeds. About atving's comment that there is no full time 4wd machine that will steer as easily as a 4wd in 2wd mode, I beg to differ! Our Honda is pretty much identical to the Sportsman as far as steering effort goes, and that new front diff in the Ranchers and Rubicon is a lot better than the 450 Foremans.

So there you have it, some real world testing and experiences. Hopefully nobody takes this post as bashing, because it is just my experiences. Hope this helps.

 

Well atving, considering that the sp 500 has a suggested price of $6,999. You would think that Polaris would have put good tie rods,an actuator that doesn't come out of adjustment and the correct brake pads on their machine in the first place. Here it is four years after the sp500 was introduced,and Polaris still hasn't fixed all the **** that should have been fixed after the first model year.

 

The main reason I didn't consider a new Honda was the lack of 2/4x4 switch, otherwise I would have definitly considered one. I rode a friends foreman 400 98 model last weekend and you couldn't hardly kick the rear end out on a trail. It was also harder to steer. The rods connecting the 4x4 have already been pulled out and had to fixed. Don't get me wrong Honda makes a fine product having owned 2 machines but Yamaha gives me the reliability and features I personally look for.

y2k kodiak 4x4
yamaha mx 175
yamaha tw 200
honda recon
JHAM in West "BY GOD" Virginia

 

I do not get your drum brakes as cost cutting on the rubicon point,I was told this bike will cost more than a Sportsman not less.The 2wd drive mode is not put on the Yamahas and Polaris 4x4s for sport riding it is on there because a 2wd handle better just for general riding period.I think people who by the Rubicon will not be just using it for work all the time they may want to use it for gerneral riding and want to have the option of power siding once in a while without running back home to get there sport bike for play time.
About your polaris 4x4 having a mind of it's own why not just get it fixed who would want to put up with that?

 

First off,let me say that the biggest advantage to Hondas new differential, is ease of steering. Bottom line, they steer as good as a 2x4. If you haven't ridden the Rancher you won't know what I mean, so to me the 2or4 wheel drive switch is not needed. And for you guys who like to power slide your sp500s and such, buy a sport quad. All utility quads are lousey sliders anyway, with their high center of gravity and high profile tires. On the drum brake issue, Hondas drums work as well as almost any brakeing system you will find on a utility machine. Isn't that what counts?

 

I read a Rancher review in ATVmagazine the one with the Kodiak as Atv of the year.In the maganize the compare the 2wd Rancher to a 4x4 Rancher and they said this quote"There are noticeable differences,of course,between the handling feel of the 2wd and the 4wd Rancher.With no differential,the 2wd model has the steering ease of a bicycle."

That does not sound like they handle the same to me but I do not believe these magazines all the time.

 

HEAVEY You make some good points but need to refine some other ones the 10inches are not from the bottom of case but the frame.Honda has been lying to you,they measure from frame just to make it look better same as POLARIS and the rest of them.I just bought my 00 500SP for $6000.00.I feel with the ride quality fit and finish,AWD IRS EBS power,and dependability that I got a he$# of a buy.That rascal took a beating in MOAB and never let me down once now what more could you want,I'm sure for another $1000.00 you wont be able to say any more than that.CM

 

HEAVEY You make some good points but need to refine some other ones the 10inches are not from the bottom of case but the frame.Honda has been lying to you,they measure from frame just to make it look better same as POLARIS and the rest of them.I just bought my 00 500SP for $6000.00.I feel with the ride quality fit and finish,AWD IRS EBS power,and dependability that I got a he$# of a buy.That rascal took a beating in MOAB and never let me down once now what more could you want,I'm sure for another $1000.00 you wont be able to say any more than that.What is wrong with belts and grease fittings,a couple years ago when POLARIS had the only belt,in ATV pulls they sometimes had to pull in thier own class as they out pulled every thing else.Belts are bad I think not,My snowmobile is pushing 140 horses and it has a belt,it'll set you back on the seat and do close to 100mph.Grease fittings?if your to lazy to shoot some grease once in awhile,maybe the couch with remote would be more fitting.Not trying to pick fight but just wanted to set facts straight.Only replying not bashing. CM