Hello to everyone that has replied to my 1st post about what I should buy....I have read all the above replies and I do agree that the Rancher AT is a bit to small and the Outlander 800 is a bit to much $$$$$.

So now its down to the Outlander 400 and the Rubicon....I really like the Trany in the Honda and I really like the Versolok in the Outlander...but once again I still love the Reliability of the Honda's!

So I am down to 1month before I got out and buy!

Keep shooting me info and facts about the Outlander 400 and the Rubicon...Like power, towing, reliability, and other such stuff.

I am leaning to the Rubicon for now!!

Thanks

 

i don't have one but the arctic cat 650 looks good

 

BB,

Ok, I will ask again. (I am persistant) You are down to 2 quads....the Outty 400 and the Rubicon, the Ruby's msrp is the same as the '06 KQ.....again, I really am curious as to why that is not in the running?

 

BigBowler, I too used to be a die-hard Red Rider. I would never have even CONSIDERED anything besides a Honda. As you can see, things have changed. For the same msrp as the Rubicon, I don't see why you wouldn't treat yourself to a locker, extra 200cc(HUGE difference, trust me, I had a Rubicon), disc brakes all around, independent rear suspension and most of all, EFI. Wow.....it just doesn't make sense to me when you look at the features list. But do what you want, the Rubicon is a great machine.

 

 

Hello Bowler- I own an 04 Ruby and personally I am not happy with it as a trail machine. I think Honda fell behind the market with this one. It does not handle or ride well in the woods if you are traveling fast. It is ok as a work machine and I like the idea of the hondamatic but I know several people how have had trouble with them and they are not cheap to fix. I have never had any trouble with mine though. I am going to sell mine and look into better ride. I have always been a die hard Honda rider, I have had Hondas since I was a child. Most recent Ruby 500-Foreman 450-Rancher-350.

Most people I have riden with in the last 10 years have had Honda's but now only 3 of us do. Most have Kawi's and I must admit they handle much better. Honda has also fell behind in the power end of things. When I bought my Ruba Chicken, as it is now know, I test drove the Rincon 650 and to my suprise I was not impressed at all. My dealer actually told me that they were having some trouble with them and recommended the Ruby.

I have ridden many machines and all have different qualities. It really depends on what you want to do with it and what kind of riding you will be doing. Most people in my area buy sport utility machines and the ride just as good as any sport bike out there.

I have rode the Bom-800 and you would not be sorry that u bought it. It is very fun to ride.The price is up but you get what you pay for and I have owned several Ski-doo snowmobiles and when they get in the market they make things happen- ride, quality, and performance. Good Luck and go test ride some

 

while I think it is unfair to compare the 04 Rubicon to an 05, I do agree that it is not a sporty machine. Its a utility and a chore to ride fast.

I would never buy a Rubicon if fast was a priority.

MSRP is for the foolish or impatient buyer. Shop around.

 

prop,

I agree that msrp is def for the foolish but was just stating that the Ruby has the same "starting point" as the KQ. The funny thing is that I just re-read everything BigBowler has said and not once has he told us what kind of riding he will be doing and what %, if any, will be work. (hence the Rubicon)

 

Hello to everyone again...

After thinking some more and reading alot more on other forms both Outlander and Honda....I am about 65% Honda Rubicon 35% Outlander 400.

What I will be doing with my ATV:
1st - Hauling Very Very Large loads of dry wood with a lite 4x6 wagon with high side walls. Snow Plowing our entire private 1/2 mile road. Hauling deer and other hunters "about 4 deer and 6 hunters" out of the woods with the same wagon as we use for wood.
2nd - Trail Riding thru normal woods not wide open trails. Creeks, Muddy spots, Weeds, Clear Trails.
3rd - Were we live it is very hilly so the engine braking is important.
4th - Mabey invest in a small ATV brush hawg for step banks around out yard.

The reason I am not looking at any other Brand other than Honda or Bombardier is because I currently ride my uncles 1998 Honda Foreman 433cc ES and LOVE IT...he is the only one out of our group of ATV owners that have not had to get pulled out of trouble...we have allways been the ones to pull all the other ATV's out of trouble...

Get this......1 time my buddies polaris got stuck and broke down during hunting season, we took my uncles 433cc 98 Honda ES Foreman that was 4yrs old at the time, and pulled the polaris behind us and hooked our wagon to the hitch on the polaris and the wagon was full with 3 large deer with 4 full size men, plus 3 riders rode on our Foreman - the driver, a rider hanging on the front rack, and a rider behind the driver. Our 4yr 433cc Honda Foreman ES pulled all the out of the woods in 1st gear...and it was very hilly about a 40 degree hill. I am not lying in anyway because this is the story we tell all the time to other polaris owners. Its still very hard to beat that in my opinion. But this is why I am interested in the Outlander b/c it is suposed to be better than any 500cc or lower. Now my uncle also has Vampire Tires with very heavy tread almost 2"

I am really thinking about the Rubicon but I still have until mid november to keep talking about it and thinking about both brands.

keep shooting ideas and stories..

 

Go for the 2005 (or later) Rubicon. I have one and LOVE it. It is much sportier than the older Rubicon's, and the ride has improved between the 04 and 05 models. One of the guys I ride with in Arkansas used to have an 02 Rubicon, and he rides alot of trails. It beat him up real bad, so he traded it in on a Rincon for a much smoother ride. The last time I was down there, he rode my Ruby (and I got to drive his Rincon [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ) on some trails, and he commented on how much better it was this time around. And, it has 2wd/4wd (Traxlok) that the older ones didn't have

You will love the Hondamatic. I used to be a die-hard manual-shifting guy who would never own an automatic, but I find myself using D1 (auto) more than I do ESP (manual) when I ride. The electronics package/display is ahead of everyone else, too (IMHO).

Good luck...but personally, I would NEVER own a Bomb (just my opinion...no flame please)

Rob