This is starting to get fun..[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

ok the Prairie's ride isnt as good as the rincon, but for being a straight axle piggy back suspension... its not bad.. not bad at all.. at first i wanted the rincon loved the look and the feel, then i met the Prairie, it had everything i wanted, excwpt IRS, which isnt impotant to me... but i like everything about the Prairie wouldnt change a thing.. that and it cost about 1,000.00 less than the rincon... just another thought.....

 

So the Prairie costs about $6500?

 

Sp600towtruck wasn’t kidding about the mud run on the Rincon, I was there and I saw it too. The Arctic Cats were ruling the pit that night (there were more runs through the muck on Arctic Cats than any other brand, and not once did an Arctic Cat get stuck). I saw the 650 Prairie fly through one time and a Suzuki or two struggle to get through. The Prairie didn’t necessarily go through quickly, but I think he started with more forward momentum than anybody else did, and those tires were spinning wildly as he was hard on the gas. I even have a movie file (8.9MB in size) of the Rincon struggling in the mud (if you really want to see it PM me with your email address and I’ll send it to you if your mail server can handle an attachment that large).

Anyway in my opinion it’s all in what you want your ATV to do. I believe from what I’ve researched the Rincon has the most refined ride in ATVing to date if comfort is high on your priority list and casual trail riding is your thing. If you are into extreme conditions where a lot of pulling power is required (such as extreme mudding, towing, etc.), the Rincon is not the best choice. Its towing capacity is rated at around 850 lbs (a little more than half of what the other big bores are rated for). Perhaps this is because of it’s 3 speed transmission. In my opinion it should have at least a “4” or “5” speed so it could have a really low range when needed. The Rincon’s engine braking effect is not as efficient as either the Prairie or the Grizzly (you need to have the machines in 4WD to make the most of engine braking). However the all time engine braking champ (that I’ve experienced) is Honda’s own 500cc Rubicon (you need to apply throttle to go down steep hills on that machine!).

I choose my machines based upon features and suitability to my riding style and not by brand name. You really need to try out each machine you are considering to form your own opinion of what suits you best. Personally if I were going to buy a new utility machine right now the new Arctic Cat 650 would be one that I'd have to check out (I like the true IRS, good ground clearance, 26" stock tires, standard truck-like 2" tow hitch receiver, 6.5 gallon gas tank and the Kawasaki 650 V-twin engine).

 

The Rincon does have enough power. It may not use it as well as some of the others, but it works. I like mine. The suspensions is great, and I like the automatic with ESP. There is one downfall to the Rincon. No matter what anybody says, the engine braking IS NOT adequate for going down steep/slow/technical trails. Honda says the Rincon does not need a granny gear because it has the ESP and you can lock it in first gear. I strongly and respectfully disagree. It will not crawl down down those type of trails at all. You are continually all over the brakes, thus making it hard control and navigate down the trail. To me, it's a safety issue definately. Even if you are a experienced rider. If you do not go on those type of trails, then you don't need to worry about. It works great for riding logging roads and "normal" riding trails. Good Luck.

 

I have a Rincon about 9 months old with 1100 miles on it. I'm a pretty big guy, and between myself and everything I carry on the bike, it adds up to about 500 lb of weight on the bike.

I admit, I don't do a lot of serious mudding, but there has NEVER been an instance where I felt the bike was underpowered. I have never had any problems going through any normal mud encountered while trail riding, snow, hills, etc. I do often wish for a 5 speed tranny instead of the three speed though.

I can't imagine how a 150 lb rider with no other load could get on a Rincon and come to the conclusion that it is underpowered. Recently I added a K&N filter, jet kit, HMF pipe and Kenda Bearclaws, but before doing any of these mods I didn't have a problem with it being underpowered. I figured that the mods above are relatively cheap in comparison to the bike and make it more enjoyable when riding (love the sound of the HMF!) and so I went for it.

I don't know what it would be like if I was trying to go through thick mud with a lot of clay and such. One of these days when I try I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

Mike

 

"Overall Power & Performance:
It was the first 650cc engine. It’s still the only V-twin configured powerplant. And our test riders found it the best mill in the mix. The 650 four-stroke in the Kawasaki Prairie is the strongest, quickest, and fastest in this group of five. Plus, it sounds really cool — not too loud, just cool."

I'll save you the trouble of going to the article. The Prarie had the most power, easily. And that's not even the newer 700 the're talking about.

 

yea i know all atvs have great points about them, the guy was interested in the rincon and they said alot of good stuff in the article about it, as well as other atvs. just out of cuiriosity green700 did you read the whole article ?

 

To those that were at Hatfield.I was there and saw all makes of quads getting stuck in the mud pit not just Rincons.One Grizzly snapped his from differential,and an Artic cat locked up his tranny trying to get thru.But you must have missed the red Rincon with the Hmf exhaust and 589's and the stock Rincon in 2 wheel drive go thru with no problem!

I have ridden a lot of quads and it just what you like and the type of riding you will be doing.The main thing is to get one and enjoy the great outdoors with friends and family and have fun!

 

Honda4fun, to clarify my statement I only saw one Rincon attempt the mud pit (while I was watching), which amounted to about an hour after dark on the last evening of Trailfest. I was mainly interested in watching the tug of war event but it was either moved or took place elsewhere because I never saw it, so I watched the riders play in the mud for a bit. There was even a youngster on a small quad trying to go through. He of course didn’t get very far and ended up being towed through the pit via a rope that was tossed up to the spectators. The Rincon I saw appeared to have after market tires on it (larger than stock). I didn’t get a close look because I was on the other side of the pit from where he was parked. But once he got in the middle of the pit and bogged down, the Rinny just couldn’t turn those tires. They’d move a little as he attempted to go forward or backward, but not much. All of the riders that went thru (except for the Prairie that was moving faster) ended up rocking their machines, either side to side by putting a lot of force on the handlebars and the footrests, or back and forth (like a rocking horse) via handlebars and their feet on the back racks. I heard that one rider actually ended up breaking the handlebars off (broke the clamp) on the day before. I don’t recall what kind of quad that was though. This rocking motion obviously helped as most of the time the quads would lunge a little at each gyration.

This doesn’t necessarily make the Rincon a bad trail rider though, not too many people will deliberately run through mud like that on the trail. Every trail I’ve been on that had a serious mud section always had a less challenging route around it. Most riders will take the easier route through and at normal trail speeds the Rincon will do fine (while pampering the driver with a comfortable ride). It’s only the extreme rider who depends on the engine braking affect while descending very steep hills, farmers wanting to pull heavy loads or serious mud boggers that might be a little disappointed with Honda’s flagship model in it’s present form.

 

2tv I work my rincon pulling very heavy things around on the farm on a daily basis, I do not shy away from the mud, and have no problems. people who always are trying to beat down the rincon are just mad they didn't buy one