I agree completely with MUDDY4LIFE,

The question isn't about "cutting edge technoloby" as you put it, but rather about keeping up with the competition not only with features but also on the price tag. I truly believe that many people who purchase a Honda, simply do so BECAUSE of the name brand, again due to it's reliability history. I was one of those customers.

I have been a die-hard Honda guy for well over 20 years, but I recently purchased a new Polaris simply because I got WAY more for my money then what Honda can offer me. I'm certainly not the only one.

Who knows........when Honda offers me the same features on a ute that is found elsewhere for the same price, I may go back.Text

 

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ArcticBrat, after looking over your old Arctic Cat ATV and your current Honda ATV, I am curious to see what your thoughts are on the build quality of both.

I have nothing against Arctic Cat, but if a more cheaply built ATV exists, I haven't seen it. Everything about Arctic Cat ATV's is cheap, flimsy and hopelessly underbuilt. There is no way that an Arctic Cat ATV driven the same way as a Honda ATV will last as long as the Honda. Not even if more preventative maintenance is performed on the Arctic Cat. I have seen it first hand WORKING AT AN ACTUAL ATV DEALERSHIP. If people want to kid themselves and think that all ATV's are created equal and have the same build quality and the same durability, that's fine, but those are not the facts as they exist. Honda's yearly position as the overall sales leader proves that. Especially since other OEM's have been building ATV's with more features on paper for a lot less money for years. Yes years. Don't you think that people would have wised up by now? I mean, this has been going on for YEARS, and still people buy Honda's more than anything else. There is a very good reason for that people.

 

12/15/04 best deals in Southern New England states

Rubicon 5574 otd
Vinson 6150 otd
Outlander 5999+CT TAX
Kodiak 450 6100 otd
AC 500 manual 6500+CT TAX

who paid retail? doesn't cater to whose desires?

 

Muddy4Life, me either other than brand loyalty for the other vendors not stepping up for so long. Now that everyone seems to be focused on producing quality products, you wouldn't catch me in line for any of Honda's ATV product offerings except the new 450r with electric start unless huge rebate checks were getting passed out.

On paper, I like the Polaris Outlaw and the new Raptor too. I sat on the Raptor at the dealership and it is the most comfortable feeling quad I have been on. I am 6'5" and 215 lbs and it felt right to me. I really don't like "big" feeling quads even though I am tall. I would love to ride the Outlaw at Hatfield McCoy with that added ground clearance and the lower unsprung weight of the rear suspension setup. The rear brake setup has to be the next best thing to the oil-bathe type that Kawi uses. This could truthfully be the best all round quad for me as long as I kept the 400ex as a spare until I felt comfortable that the Polaris was reliable.

I may be a little too "old school" for EFI though on a sport quad. Given I was burnt on the 1st Raptor, I would definitely have to take a long wait and see approach on another 1st year-type Raptor model. My only experience with EFI is knowing how much trouble Cannondale had.

/Jon

 

Somewhere about 2002 or so,our ATV club started to notice a remarkable decline in the amount of breakdowns on the trail vs that of the past 15 yrs or so..I think this can be attributed to the ATV manufactures realizing that quality can make or break a company,thus,they raised the bar for reliability..

Polaris and Artic Cat used to have the industries WORST reputation for reliability and breakdowns..But within the last few years,with a versatile bunch of differant brand ATVs in our club,we rarely see a breakdown anymore from any brand of ATV,and this includes AC..

 

I know AC is doing very well in the mud pit competitions.

 

propnut, I give Honda all the credit they deserve for building their customer/fan base. However, it is pretty obvious they do not cater to the "enthusiast" rider looking for a powerful utility quad with on-demand locking differential. Honda is marketing to the masses but certainly not to the guy who wants state-of-the-art equipment.

/Jon

 

Not really addressing the question, but just a comment, or maybe a hopeful wish. If Honda ever produces the "rumored 650 sport quad". That would be cutting edge enough for me.

 

Quad2X, I agree that Honda is in no rush to load up their machines with all kinds of gadgets. This was a weak point of the Honda for me too. However, I did not pass up some of the features like a locker that make it easier to go through some extreme terrain lightly, and certainly not on reliability alone. For example, the Kodiak had everything, but it was not enough to sway me from certain advantages of the Rubicon for the riding I do, 10% lower price for the Honda didn't really have that much influence either. I rode the Kodiak (and all the others) and didn't like it. It didn't have the side hill stability, physical size, handling with loaded racks, smooth but direct tranny with auto or manual, and yes - the extra power was nice - just right. I'll rely on my riding experience to get me through the tuff (I spelled it wrong for a reason LOL) stuff.

But I disagree that Honda's categorically do not appeal to enthusiasts. Maybe not every feature can be admired, but can you tell me how the Rubicon tranny pump and motor 'locks up' at 1 to 1, I haven't found anyone that can explain to me how that happens yet. Someone must be able to tell me, but not many. I can tell you how to tune your belt drive. Very technologically advanced, particularly for a RV. They do not take the easy way out on the big issues. If they did they would have a belt like everyone else. And that's just one and the obvious example.

the question of reliability aside, not every 'enthusiast' is foaming at the mouth for part time gadgets to off-set what may be an undesireable platform to them...........or stroke their ego