Hi all,

I was curious as to the ride of the '05 Rubicon? How are people liking it? I know there are not a lot of you with a new Rubicon yet. I ran into a problem last year and I want to make sure that I make the right choice before I purchase a new quad. I have always been a Honda guy! Motorcycle x 2, trike x 2, Quad x 1, snowblower x 1 Last summer a friend offered to give me a lift to my cabin on his Polaris Sportsman 500 HO. He bragged how cumfy it was and how much power it had. I am not doubting the comfort of his quad when you are alone, but let me tell you with two grown men and a lot of gear on that quad, ground clearence becomes an issue. I had to walk more than I rode. The trail we use to get there is not really a trail. It's an old prospecting trail made by a Nodwell tracked vechile some time ago. Since then, water has used that trail as a spill way and all thats left in places are larger round boulders. Not what this Sportsman wanted to ride over with two people on. Now on my Honda, this was not an issue. Sure the ride in the rear was not as nice as the newer quads today, but regardless of the load, you had ground clearence. I also noticed when he would ease into a low spot or ditch, that the belt drive was not the best option for low speed/high torgue demand riding. Seemed to strain a little, unlike first gear in most any Honda I have driven. My question is this. Are the new Rubicons still able to carry a heavy load over slow bumpy trails while still offering a good smooth ride? Also, would the Rincon leave me in the same position as a Sportsman? A bit too soft for heavy work load on rough trails. I know all quads are built for a purpose. And I am not saying that the Sportsman was a bad quad. Just not for my type of riding. It seemed to me that if there were some way to lock the rear suspension in to a stiffer setting or limit its range of travel then it may have worked. Does the Rincon offer anything along this line. From what I observed of the '04 Rubicons, this type of riding would have been a breeze. My primary use would be trail riding but once in a while I want to be able to load it up and go to the cabin where most non-atv riders would say I'm crazy. Wait til winter and go by Ski-Doo. Any thoughts would be great. I have mentioned the Rincon a few times as I have considered that quad but feel the Rubicon may suit me best.

I am new here and this is a great site for this sort of thing!!

Thanks

 

Is the Rubicon any strong

 

No takers???

 

The 05 Rubys have the same motor and great Hondamatic trany as previous ones. So yes, IMO I think it would do what you descrive very well.

 

hey oledad i was wondering how you like that perfex suspension kit?was it worth the money thanks

 

i got the perfex in mine to and i realy like it.
but i was out on sunday and i was going through the mud and one tire came off the groung and started to spin and i herd this grinding noise like a rock was stuck in somthing and was binding.
after i got it home i had a look at it and it looks like the axel overextended itself and poped out then back in.
so i took it in to the dealer to see if it coverd under warrenty if it is then i will let them fix it but if its not then im fixing it.
eather way its making noises so it got to be fixed.
im thinking about removing it because its is when all 4 tires are on the ground but when one is off the ground and its at its full reach the lift kit pushes the axel a bit ferther causing it to overextend and pop out of place wrecking the cv joint.
i was told by alot people on the forum and other forums that the lift kit would do damage and it took over 2800 kilometers to do it but it did.
i dident think it would do that but i had to find out the hard way.

 

Follow the thread at atv nation for the Rubicon Perfex kit, go to the more recent posts. More good than bad, but........

Interesting about your front axle. That sucks.

I did not like the front brackets at all. Never got to the point about really looking at the drop out because I took the fronts off after a few short rides.

I probably would have only followed this thread if the PERFEX guy just responded to some questions I had.

Sorry if I got off the subject of an 05. I love my 04, the 05 must be just about perfect. I doubt Honda would have made the ride soft at the expense of all stability with a rack-full.

http://atvnation.infopop.cc/eve/ubb....121#8531015121

 

I thought I saw pre load adjustable rear shocks on the 04 rubicon, but the 05 doesnt have them, did I remember wrong or did the 04 have the preload adjustment?