Okay Goblin! I finally got a chance to run my CTE through it's paces. On the weekend I went out with an 04 Grizz and an 03 500HO, no mudding but a lot of trail and road riding. We took turns riding each others quads too. All 3 of us agreed that the CTE was by far the best trail runner. The suspension was superior to either of the IRS's. On the trail it is the most agile, handles the best, rides the smoothest/quietest, and is probably the quickest because the Grizz can't open it up on the trails. It is amazing how the suspension is so much more plush than the other 2....they just couldn't believe it, but with the SRA it handles amazing too.
The only knock on the Honda is the seat (too hard). The grizz has a much nicer softer seat. On the trails the other 2 bikes actually seem like a chore to drive compared to a CTE. Now for the race! On a very wide gravel road we lined up three side by each and raced 3 times and the same thing happened everytime. My CTE jumped them immediately every time and I could even open up a full length and a half on the Grizz and hold it until about 60 kmh's, once the Grizz got into his mid range power he went by me hard and pulled about 10 lengths on me and then stayed there and by this time we were doing about 95kmh's. There wasn't much difference at all on the top end...it's just that mid range where his bigger bore, bigger carb, 5 valves really take over. Now his Grizz is fast, he has raced 2 other stock Grizzly's (his is stock too) and can beat them by 3 lengths everytime??? I did beat the 500 HO handily though. I think I faired real well against the Grizz considering it's a big bore.
On the trails though it's a different story, he just can't use all of his power, and the CTE has just as much bottem end but it is way more nimble! Just thought I would share this experience with you since you are always wondering if the CTE is near the top of the 500 class....I would say yes! Oh BTW we both were pulling a 1500lb trailer around his yard and the CTE seemed to have a lot less trouble pulling it than his Grizz. His suspension would really squat before he would move it, and it seemed like you had to give the Grizz more throttle to get it moving[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Pete,

Thanks for the great review. I wish I had the CTE's suspension on mine.

 

Your welcome!

 

Will the shocks on CTE fit on a regular 05 rubicon or 05 foreman? Do all three quad's have the same frame they all look the same to me?And yes PETE16 good review nice to here the other two lad's were impressed with the riding quality of the CTE...

 

The CTE shock will fit fit but you have to buy them in Canada. I had my buddy who is a parts manager at our local Honda shop try to get me a set and he said the only way would be to order them through a Canadian Honda dealer. I still might go that route b/c I think it would be worth it.

 

I always find it very interesting how people have different takes when comparing quads........... I have an 05 500 HO and a good friend of mine bought an 05 Rubicon CTE. We also went riding and swapped quads for comparrison.

We both agreed that the Sportsman has a WAYYYYY better ride then the Rubi. I simply can't understand the outcome of your "race" because my buddy and I also raced on a straight gravel road and I SMOKED him !! ....... I mean not even close, I litterally smoked him off the start and mid-range.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not questioning your integrety, but the fact of the matter is that our experience was totally different then yours.

With that said, you'll never hear this guy bash a Honda because I truly believe that they are awesome machines !! ...... I was (still am) a die-hard Honda guy for well over 20 years. Regardless what anyone says on the Polaris forum, I'm a firm believer that the Rubi has the very best ATV tranny on the planet, HANDS DOWN !!

We do allot of serious riding consisting of over 60 miles per run, and for me personally the Rubi simply didn't cut it because of the stiff ride and also the 3x4 vrs. 4x4, therefore I traded her on a Polaris with absolutely no regrets.

When Honda offers me what I get elsewhere, I'll be back !!!

Safe riding to all.

 

What did your buddy have his suspension set on in the CTE??? In my opinion there is no way anyone could say that a CTE has a stiff ride.....unless you are comparing it to a Lincoln town car! As far as the race goes, I'll race any 500 HO any day of the week. They weigh 150 lbs. more, have a less responsive transmission, and do not have the difference in horsepower to make up for those shortfalls....although there is no point in getting in a debate over which one is faster. I know what I saw, and that's two different 500HO's that I've raced and beat now.

 

Hey Pete,

I'm not gonna lie to you bud, I haven't freakin' clue what "setting" his CTE suspension was on, however we both concluded at the time that my Polaris had a much plushier ride. Regarding the race, honest to God Pete, it wasn't even close. We tried it a few times and I won without question every time !!

I am NOT saying in any way, shape or form that the CTE has a rough ride, my point was simply that we both agreed that the ride on my Polaris was smoother.

What I did say however is that the ride on my 03 Rubicon (new at the time) was worse then a tank, specially when compared to other Polaris' and that my friend is a fact !!

My personal experience is that the ride on the CTE is somewhat better then the previous Rubi, but CERTAINLY not comparable to Polaris' IRS, or any other IRS for that matter.

Again bud, if Honda's 500 Rubicon would have discs all around, better GC, 4x4 and most importantly for me an IRS, I would trade my 05 500 HO for it in a heartbeat !!!

For the record, I would like to reinterate that I am NOT bashing Honda. These are simply my personal experiences and they probably mean SQWAT to most Honda lovers. Remember, I am one of those Honda lovers but I just couldn't bring myself to buying another Rubi simply because of it's increadible tranny. Being a man who buys a new quad every 2 or 3 years, I'm convinced that I will probably buy another new Honda again, but not until they play "catch-up" to the competition.

 

I understand that you are not bashing Honda and you seem like a good guy, but if his suspension is set on #5 (the stiffest setting) then no it will not ride all that plush....probably no better then the former Rubicon model. I set mine on 2 and it does rival any IRS I've ever ridden, and better then most. Everyone who rides mine say the same thing and they are all Quad owners with IRS. I'm not trying to bash other quads either! I understand you like your machine the best and that's good, you should take pride in your posessions. I respect your opinion and I have a lot of relatives from up in your neck of the woods so hey enjoy your ride! I still can't figure out your race though, because I know what happened on Saturday when I raced one. Power to weight ratio the CTE has you beat hands down!

 

Fair enough Pete............ Make sure to let me know if you guys are ever in this area. Good times, ATV heaven, then colds brews !! Great bunch of guys, we're out just about every weekend.

Take care bud