hello

to start a have an 02 scrambler 500 4x4 and hate it . also ride my inlaws 98 450es and like it but it is slow and rides like a dump truck . i have narrowed it down to three quads ( not looking to turn this into one of those bs my dad is bigger and better than yours things ) all 2004's . suzuki vinsion 500 auto limited edition black , honda rincon , and rancher 400 at . i do ride with a lot of sport quads on our club rides but i like to ride last in line , dont need to ride like i am a cross country racer , like to play in the mud ( not nearly mud nationals deep ), snow and normal trail rides , also do chores around the house , plow snow , fire wood , trail breaking and clean up . i have a bad back so ride and comfort is important so far i like the seating position and feel of all 3 machines . as far as the transmissions belt drive is ok ( dont like the airplane sounds ) but am leary of the ranchers trans because of the lack of being able to fix it if it went bad , and i work in a car dealership so i see car trannys go bad all the time and wounder about the rincon a little . the tires on all three i think stink and would run 26 inch mud lites and 25 inch bighorns or hole shot atrs ,the suzuki has the best looking wheels of all and why did they put different size wheels on the rancher ( stupid ) . a lot of people dont like honda's drum brakes but i newer have had them freeze up like the disks on my polaris in the snow . dont really feel the need for a engine larger that 500cc but i still look at the rincon because or the irs . i will get the extended warrenty on what ever i get . yes i have looked at other brands but i am set on these three machines and i dont feel like i will be making a bad mistake like i did on my last purchase ( i like to ride more than working on them and i do take very good care of my things and probably do matainance and oil changes too often but dont want to have anything this many problems again ). help what do i do i dont have a three sided coin to flip to decide .... thanks [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Sounds like the Rincon is for you.
It can do some mud, but nothing too thick they say. It is very sporty and the suspension is very smooth for your bad back. It also does some pretty good working around the house and stuff for being so sport-tuned. It can't pull the most out of all the big bores, but it sure does hold it's own even without the low range. It's an awesome bike.

 

i am not an expert but from what i heard and seen the prairie not that i like kawasaki but my neighbors prairie is plush powerful and fin fast just look at one and ride one or is maybe there is a reason it isnt on your list

 

I've had my 04 Camo Vinson for a week. I traded up from a 2000 Kodiak 400. I put 25" BearClaws on the Vinson. In the short time I've had it, I haven't found anything I dislike about it. It seems to have twice the power the Kodiak did. It sits higher, but feels less tippy. The Kodiak was comfortable, but the Vinson is extremely comfortable. I read everything I could find about it in my vast collection of ATV mags. I never found a negative word printed about it. I can't say the same for the Rincon. In fact, in most of my reading, the Rincon seems to get bashed more than it gets praised.

 

the vinson will ride almost the same as the 450es and the 400AT will ride almost the same but i think that you should go with the rincon, that is a sharp machine, watched some videos and seems like it has some power! and the IRS is an added feature

 

I have a Rincon. Of the 3 you listed, Rincon hands down. With the IRS, It rides like a Cadillac. It does great on trails, roads, and just about everything else. Plenty of power, etc. My wife also rides a Foreman 450, after riding the Rinny and then jumping on the Foreman I don't know how she does it. The only downfall to the Rincon is that it does not have low (granny) gearing. If you will ride any steep trails or anywhere where you need to literally crawl along, DON"T get the Rincon. You constantly have to be on the brakes in those situations and it's not safe, trust me. When I'm going to those kind of trails, I take the Foreman. That is the only reason I would like to get rid of mine. If you don't really need low (granny) gearing, go for the Rinny. If you want the low gearing, I would honestly look at the Rubicon over the Rancher. The Vinson is also a really good quad, you would be happy with.
Check out the ATV Television website www.atvtv.com, and read through there ratings. They do a great job of rating the machines they ride and give you a good all around picture.

Good Luck and let us know what you get.