There is no problems with the transmission on the Foreman. It is a sturdy, dependable Honda transmission. There have been reports of the ES not wanting to shift. In that case you can put it in gear manually and continue to ride. Honda has thoughtfully provided the manual shift lever in the tool kit, and you can slip it on the transmission without tools. Stranded on a Honda... I don't think so.

 

Wolverine,
Sounds like you are in the same boat as I am in right now. I have it narrowed it down to the Rubicon and the Rincon. Hadn't considered the 450 S Foreman until I read this post. Although I am slightly considering it now. You said you would go with the Rincon over the Rubicon...why would you do that? (if you don't mind me asking). I am really impressed with the tranny on the Rubicon. Seems you can do a lot more with it over the Rincon. The Rincon does have a better ride and better looks and selectable 2wd/4wd. But I can't seem to get over the versatility of the Rubicon's tranny. I was pretty well convinced the Rincon was the right one for me until I road both on the same day and now I'm confused. I can see me using the low range of the Rubicon when I'm hunting but I can also see myself benefiting from the ride of the Rincon on some long trail rides. From some of the posts I have read in this forum people are tending to steer away from the Rincon if you do any kind of mountain riding. Which I do when I am hunting. I only hunt one or two times a year so would the Rubicon be the right choice seeing as I would do some mountain riding? Very tough decision that I can't seem to make very easily. This will be my first ATV so maybe that is why the decision is so hard for me...

If the Rincon had an ultra low gear, I would not hesitate buying it. But come to think about it would I ever really need to use an ultra low gear that the Rubicon has? What does everyone use an ultra low gear for? I invision myself using such a low gear going down a steep revine and that is about all. The Rincon will do this too but I will need to use the brakes and I am a little concerned about that.

What to do? What to do? Seems one could go with any of the three in question and be happy......

 

03, the reason the Rubicon isn't in the mix its too much like the Forman and its $750 more. The dealer I talked today said that the Rincon had 5 gears and had a super low first when you have it in ESP mode. He said the low gear had as much power as Foreman 450. I think I'm going to go with the Rincon. My 400 EX buyer never showed (dang tire kickers)

Anyways a local dealer priced me a new 03 Rincon for $6199 and was going to give me $2500 trade on for my 400EX which I thought was good. Abernathys has them for $5899, but they will only give me $2000 on trade (plus they are almost 6 hours away)!

Those green Rincons with black rims are SWEET! Would you bite on the deal?

 

Hey Wolveriner;
They have a new 03 Rincon that I was VERY interested in at the Honda dealer in my town it is green with black rims and also has ITP MudLites on it,looks AWSOME !!! It was priced $6500 but that included the ITP's.
That 's alot more than the $5000 I paid for my new 04 Foreman ES!!
For what I do, hunting and fishing, the Foreman just seemed a better choice with all the low end torque it has, speed I don't care about, but I need the pulling power. The $1500 I saved helped in my decision BUT if I would have thought the Rincon would have fit my bill better than a Foreman than I would have bought the Rincon no matter the extra I saved. My friends that ride Honda's in a club said the Rincon "Did not like the mud very well" but rides like a Cadillac on the trails they go to. I needed a machine that would get me in and out without worrying about getting stuck, it's just something about the Foreman that it seems to go anywhere you want it to with no problems, it makes you feel confident and safe.
HilBilly

 

450 Foreman = mud and work capabilities
650 Rincon = some mud and some work capabilities, lots of sport/trail capabilities

that simple

 

I hadn't heard that the Rincon has a super low gear in ESP nor that it has 5 gears. I didn't notice that when I test drove it any way. I'll have to look into that when I test drive again. Going to go out again this Friday or Saturday and do some test driving.

If the Rincon does in fact have a super low gear comparable to the Foreman which it sounds like it does, then I may have my decision made. The Rincon is the way to go for me.

Wolveriner.....Sounds like you have a pretty good deal going. I think I would jump all over it if it were up to me. There's a dealer here in Utah that is offering a $3000 rebate on '03 Rincon's, the only catch is you have to wait 4 years to get it. They want $7100 for a '03 Rincon. But it the rebate is legitimate, I've done some checking in to it and everything seems on the up and up. A third party company pays the rebate. You do have to follow some pretty basic rules but nothing too hard.

Can anyone tell me what they use (or would use) the ultra low gear of the Rubicon for??? How does this compare to the low gear of the Rincon?

 

I have an 03 Foreman ES and a 03 Rubicon.
The comparison.....Foreman ES is pretty much bullet proof. Very low first gear, GREAT for climbing,pulling,mudding. Not the fastest but I can pretty much stay with any machine out there in the woods (you can only go so fast in the woods) I have submerged it 2 feet under water and it survived without a hitch. Did have to change oil and check but its fine. I love the push button shifting!!!! It only took a few minutes to tell me that. It handles the rough stuff great and the 4x4 system seems to work extremely well. Also no radiator to worry about getting clogged with mud and that is a problem with water cooled machines.
Rubicon......Very quick response, unbeatable transmission especially in versatillity automatic or manual shift high and low range strong engine. It is very comparable to the foreman in ride and size but does not offer factory 2 or 4 wheel drive. That does make it a little tired of steering on a long day of riding but you can get an after market driveshaft to fix that problem. It has overheated after heavy mudriding and you need to know when not to use automatic (during hill climbs use manual) great engine braking.

There is definately more to both of these machines but that is why I own both. Hope this gives you a little info and if you want to know any specifics just ask. Also I dont own one but have ridden several times is the Rincon. ONLY IN MY OPINION I think that the Rincon is underpowered in the low end department. Could really use a low range. Independent suspension also feels a little more wobbly on tight turns and side of hills. (That might be better for some people)
Well it ultimately ends up on you but I think many on here will agree that if you go HONDA you wont go wrong!!!! Ride and have fun!!!

 

No, no,no. Someone informed you VERY wrong. The Rincon has no super low gear. It's first gear is 2.0:1
That's not very low. Your probably thinking of either the 450 or Rubicon. The Rincon has the exact same gears in auto as it does in ESP also.

If you want to mud, get something other than the Rincon. Please don't buy a Rinny and bastardize it buy trying to mud it and stuff, it just isn't made for that. The gearing is just not low enough. The Rincon is a GREAT tail machine though if that's what your looking for.

 

I do need to agree with yellow 650 rincon. The Rincon is probaly the most versatile trail blazer of them all and definately the smoothest ride. Thats why you need to buy the machine that fits YOU'RE needs. Thats Honda great versatility and dependability! Oh yeah the low range on the Rubicon is great for the tight trails. mud,hills. I have found that the high range is basically for getting there.

 

I have NO problem in the mud YellowRincon, it pulls through the muck with minimal effort. There is a guy on the other forum by the name of Mudcon, go talk to him about the mud capabilities of his Rincon which goes through mud like it was designed for it. He also has vidoes on his site I will try and get the URL so you can see for yourself. I am not disputing your claim that the Rincon is a great trail machine, but don't under estimate the mudding abilities of this machine...it may not be the best machine for mudding but it can move through some stuff.