what's wrong with the ES? Honda's been using this for at least 5 years on the Foreman, and 3 years on their Recon. is it only the recon, or is it ES in general??

 

the ES models tend to have problems, mostly electrical, where as the simple foot shifter remains honda strong.

 

yea just more to go wrong IMO

 

Yeah it so true my friend has a Foreman 450ES and he has many electrical problems with his quad. I'd have to say that the recon would probably be better in the mud and in all areas than ozark, i heard that ozark frames dont hold up good too. Off topic a little but Bayou's are crazy in the mud they never get stuck, we had my brothers up to the headlights in a pond and he got through no problem got some pic of it too. Also like coyotechaser said it depend a lot on the rider and his/her weight, the tire also play a big role in this too.

 

i got news for you, they both suck in the mud. get a 4x4 quad

 

Recon = "The little ATV that could"

I always hear people talking down the Recons because "their only a 250...blah..blah..blah" and so on but let me tell you I am a pretty hefty guy but my '00 Recon has taken me through some serious mud and steep hills without any problem. I too once doubted the Recon until I got on one. Then even I shut my mouth.

 

im looking to get a 2005 Kodiak 450 and another. im wondering would the 05 recon be the same speed as a 250ex/z250 or a Rancher 350 2wd. Which would be the fastest?

 

That is true for the 2002 model but after that nothing has really been a problem

 

the rancher for sure. ive raced all 3 of those quads and have won. and mines a 4x4 so i would assume the 2x4 would be a little quicker because it has less wieght.

 

Fastest where? Going straight- My 2001 Recon had a top speed of 47 mph. The Rancher would probably be in the low 50's. The newer Recons are supposed to be faster than the older ones by a little bit. The 250ex would be a little faster if only because of a lower weight with no racks.