Are they as heavy duty as the 450es or did honda lighten them up like the rincon and do they pull good?
Do they have a reliable engine like the 450. how do thy start in the winter?

 

This is a Honda my friend. It's just as reliable as a Foreman 450 ES or any other "red" machine. The transmission is the absolute best in the business and the engine is strong and sturdy as they come. I consider both bulletproof. There are going to be people coming out of the woodwork that tell you that they have tranny problems all the time and that the motors are unreliable. These cases are few and far between. I currently have over 5450 miles on mine and not a single problem yet, just routine maintenance. They pull GREAT and the throttle response is instant. Starting in the cold is just as good or usually better than many other machines because it has a carb heater. You won't win many races, but you will get where you want to go. Can't go wrong with a Rubi, I don't care what anyone else says.

 

[quote]
Originally posted by: RedGoblin
The transmission is the absolute best in the business and the engine is strong and sturdy as they come. I consider both bulletproof. There are going to be people coming out of the woodwork that tell you that they have tranny problems all the time and that the motors are unreliable. These cases are few and far between.

 

1 vote for me. I'm coming out of the woodwork on the transmission. Bulletproof? Not in my opinion.

 

I would have to agree with DustDevil

 

Based on the posts I have seen in here over the years, the transmission itself is mechanically sound. There have however been a lot of posts on problems with the ELECTRONICS that control the transmission.

 

It's funny you mentioned that. I wasn't gonna say anything, but what the heck. I recently experienced the same symptoms as many others on here have detailed. Flashing LCD between DI, D2 & ESP and automatically put into low gear. The general idea around here has been either angle or speed sensor. I was prepared to drive to my Honda dealership on this particular weekend because I was wanting to ride badly. I did the diagnostic problem code retrieval process and it told me it was the angle sensor. Here we go, I thought[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]Just for kicks and grins, I checked the actual ECM itself. The inside was completely soaked thanks to my ignoring everyone telling me not to get real aggressive with the pressure washer. Took the air compressor and some dielectric spray to the ECM, plugged it back in and good as new! I was that close to jumping in the truck and driving an hour to get an $80.00 part I didn't even need. I guess the point I'm trying to make here is, the electronics may not be as horrible as many people on here sometimes portray them to be.

 

The rubi sounds like it is built good.

THanks for all the imput[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Are you looking to buy one or are you just curious?

 

Our has been very good to us. We don't use a pressure washer but do wash it every time we use it. We were riding this weekend and my wife asked how many miles were on it, I checked and it read 4178 miles, flipped over to check the hours, 500.0 even.

We bought our Rubicon over others (2001 Grizz 600 and the SP) because I liked the way the transmission shifted and worked, VERY impressive piece of equipment. Low range and in ESP is just plain fun in the high country. Its capabilities in high range are actually quite impressive. Our friends with belt driven ATV's are in low range long before us. The combination of engine braking and being able to downshift to any "gear" at any speed in unparalled by any ATV.

As of today, we have replaced one floorboard for $22 and need to put a new gasket in the instrument cluster because some dust is getting on the inside of the display, gasket, $2.50. Not bad for 4000 miles.

To answer your question, yes.