I am thinking of buying a 2001 recon. I was wondering if owners like them, and if they are reliable. I will be using it for pleasure and farm work.

 

Fun and reliable. If you search the archives, you will find very few negative comments. Unless you are a physically large person, it is a good choice.

 

Recon is great. I am 13 years old, 170 pounds. Just great with me on it. Slides easy, climbs good, terrific bottom to middle end.

 

There the blast. The go anywhere and are very easy to control. I have about 4000 miles on mine. I had to put a new clutch in it, but that is because I ride it too hard. Other than that I have no problems. They pull wheelies very well.
That is why the clutch went though.

 

I had a 99 Recon and it was a very good machine. I was going to get a second one a few weeks ago But a friend road up with a new 325 Polaris Trail Boss. After riding his and talking to other owners I was sold. Same price as Recon but way better ride and power. You will immediately hear people slam them after I write this, but don't listen to them. I have owned both and the T-Boss is way more machine for the money. If you want more info just E-mail me or ask on the Polaris board. Good luck in your hunt. Like I said, the Recon is a good machine and will not let you down, it just isn't quite in the same class for the money.

 

I am seriusly thinking of trading my 300ex for one because I want a machine that can take beating better than my 300ex did, and my father didnt want me to get a 300ex in the first place sowhenever iit breaks he oges on and on about what a piece of junk they are.

 

The T Boss is a good bike, I considered one before getting my Recons. My reasons for not getting one were
1 It wouldn't fit in my truck bed, too wide!
2 No engine EBS
3 This is a personal preference, I don't want an automatic. I like to shift, all my vehicles are sticks. I am sure that an auto will help you in many situations.
4 Too heavy, weighs about 100 pounds more than Recon.
5 I read reviews complaining of low end power. A spring change in the drive system will help this.
6 I really don't think the Tboss has much of a power advantage, but it does ride much better.
7 The styling is a bit dated, the more recent Polaris plastic is much better looking.

Having said all this, the Tboss is a great value, and if you are considering bikes in this price range, you should consider it. It will outperform some more expensive machines.
Ride them all, and make your own choice. What is right for one, may not be right for you.

 

You are right the Trail Boss is a wide machine and hard to get into a small pickup. But that makes it very stable on off-cambers. I go across stuff that use to make me cringe on my Recon without batting an eye. I read those same articles about the low end being weak and was worried about it until I rode one that was broken in. It had all the power you needed. I can start up a hill slow and then accelerate hard whenever I need to. Like I said before though the Recon IS a good machine and totally dependable. I'm just more comfortable and faster on the Trail Boss.

 

When I was in The Black Hills, I had my Recon with me and rented a Trail Boss. It rode fine. They had very comparable power and exactly the same top speed. We rode on hardtop quite a bit. The Trail Boss did break down on us and we had to double out to the rental place. We took the guy back in and he fixed the broken oil line and he rode it back out. My son rode out the one he rode in. I like the Recon better because of the manual shifting and engine braking. I also like the low first gear for particularly steep hillclimbs. One thing about a Recon, if you don't weigh over 200 lbs like I do, I would put some weight on the front rack to hold the front end down on steep inclines. My friend has trouble getting up some of the hills I climb, but he only weighs 145 lbs.
Recon98, where did you buy your skidplate? I rode The Hatfield-McCoy over the weekend and sure would have been nice to have it.

 

How did you like the Hatfield McCoy? We've been thinking about going down but haven't talked to anyone yet that has rode it to find out how they liked it. Was it very challenging? Was it worth the drive? How long did it take you to get there?