To be perfectly honest the 250 is my wifes Quad. It is nice , handles well but it lacks a little on the low end power, you need to get the Revs up to really enjoy throwing it around. I do feel it was a good buy however at under $4100.00.

 

The Green ones are coming off the line now. Another nieghbor who has worked there for over a year has aquired one through Hondas employee purchase program, only problem is ,HE WON'T LET ME OR ANYONE ELSE RIDE IT!!!!! DANG IT. So look for the green anytime. You are correct on the Red however, the first run of Rubys were all Red.

 

While I don't own a Rubicon, Andy, drum brakes certainly wouldn't disqualify the machine in my eyes, because Honda knows how to seal brake drums.

Appropriately-sized, properly-sealed, properly-adjusted drum brakes appear fully adequate for a utility quad, in my view. A major feature of disc brakes is fade-resistance; however, this characteristic is significant only in severe, extended braking situations (e.g., heavily-loaded vehicle descending a long grade, racing brake stresses).

Disc brakes have other advantages, like freedom from adjustment and lighter weight; neither decisive factors in a utility quad as far as I'm concerned.

If any Rubicon owner wishes to discard his machine because of its drum brakes, please contact me and I'll be glad to remove the quad from your premises for you!

Tree Farmer

 

I hear you, SP500inNS; however, the disc brake discussion on this topic isn't entirely unprovoked. An earlier poster abstractly said drum brakes were a negative on the Rubicon; thus, drum-vs.-disc discussion may be considered somewhat germane.

Tree Farmer

 

I just go with the flow. If you wanna talk about something else, go ahead, I'm listening.

 

ATV MAN had posted[yesterday I think] in the Honda Forums about how pooly his drum style brakes funtion.Go to any manufacturers forum,complaints all the time on drum style brakes.I've had both,my experiences have been that they are poorly sealed and allow water and debree to enter.My disks have never ever failed me and I ride alot of water and mud.They are so much easier to clean to.Disk brakes disapate heat better and fade less when hot.Thats one of the reasons why you see them on the front of every new truck and car made today.Most engines made for todays vehicles are located in the front of the car/truck and therefore the added weight make it neccessary to have the best possible brakes located in the front of the vehicle.Alot of the weight shifts forward when braking.More percentage of a car/trucks braking comes from the front disk brakes ,not the rear drums.Ask any brake garage that question?

Now many of us will agree or disagree with whats better or worse.I think if you like whats on your quad,GREAT.Thats all that really matters anyways.===Bill

 

The only advantages discs have are self-adjustment, ease of maintainence, weight savings, self cleaning, and heat dissapation. Have a safe holiday!

Is that all... isn't that enough to want disc brakes...let alone having to clean drum brakes.
Bill C. is right your front brakeing is done with about 70% of the force, just ask some of the guys who work on our police cruiser. As far as the theory on the fancy drum brakes saying that they stop 7 times 70% better would have a lot to do with the size of the rotor and disc brake setup. Just look around they sell oversize rotors and brakes all the time. But it is whatever you like, what floats your boat, turns your crank, well you get the idea...I must say though Honda probably saved about a couple hundred bucks on each rubicon. You can't beat Polaris for market strategy just think Honda could be selling brakes like Polaris does hehehehe....

 

Your right bill
I'd rather have disk brakes over drum brakes any day.
Can you convert drum brakes to disk brakes on a quad??....if you can I might think of doing that.

 

ATV MAN,
It would be a very costly modification to do if it were possible.And im sure that it is not a modification that is possible on every quad.Because of the problems that I've experienced with drum brakes,I dont see me ever buying a quad with this style brakes,however,if I ever decide to quit mudding,it could be a possibility.Some of the guys that dont care to mud with their quads dont have the normal difficulities with their drums that occur from a heavy day in the mud.===Bill

 

If drums were better than disks Honda would have the on there XRs,CRs and Exs and street bikes where stopping power counts even more than utility quads and so would everyone else.People will say utilitiy bikes do not need perfomance brakes and drums are good enough but it's not like Honda sells there drum quads for any less than the other makers and passes on the savings anyways.