I bet the 300ex is gone totally next year. My local dealer hasnt carried them in several years and i bet he isnt the only one. The 450's have kinda taken the place were the 400's used to be, knocking the 400 class ones down more to a entry level sport. That kinda leaves the 300 out, that is probally why they didnt change the stying to match the 450 when the 400 and 250 changed. I think yamaha will come out with a 250 but it be sporty in looks only. Some kinda auto or semi auto type thing.

 

With the Rancher absent from that list, I suspect it's going to be updated. My personal guess is that it will see disc brakes and Trax-Loc to compete with other bikes...

 

The Rancher is on the list with no changes[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] I wish honda would come out with a hybrid like the Renagade I would be waiting out side the dealer when they opened. But I guess they need a big bore engine first.

 

The 06's are listed, but not the 07's [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

I've ALWAYS enjoyed Honda's. Yes, you can see im a Polaris man for the most part, but i've grown up on Honda's and still ride with those same Honda's! I continue to ride with my cousins on their '99 300 ex, '98 Foreman ES, ;04 Foreman S, and i just love them, and i am in the market for another ATV and i must say, im in love with the CAMO RUBiCON!, it looks beautiful, i may definatly check it out...
----------------------------
2004 Polaris Sportsman 700 (Green)
'27 ITP 589 M/S Tires
on ITP Type 5 Wheels
3000 lb. Warn Winch
3-Way Headlight Mod
High Lifter Lift Kit

2004 Polaris Sportsman 500 Mossy Oak - STOLEN
2001 Honda Rancher ES 350
Sold

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. 450s are the ticket right now for most and 400's have seemed to fill the spot where the 300ex was...the 300EX has been around for so long; it started in '87 as a 250x (which i still like better;seemed peppier) went away by 1989 or '90. came back as a '92 model in blu/white form; in '93 was changed to the 300ex(all red) and came with e-start and more displacement. of course most of you know the history of it. but i guess in honda's eyes and if it isnt selling as good as it used to then i think they are going to let it fade away. pretty much 19yrs in production except for the few absent ones. Thats prob as old as some of you on here!

another clue is when they added the "sport clutch" to the 250EX - i had a feeling the 300 would disappear if that worked out. notice they kept it win the lineup for a model year along side the newly redesigned 250ex with sport clutch... i will miss the 300EX: to me its a better buy that a 250ex, but to each his own. i know the styling seems old to some but at least it doesnt look like every other model in their lineup. look at yamaha - everything looks like a raptor...they even call everything a raptor exept for a few models like yfz girzz, etc!

as far as them making a renegade type machine im for it...if they keep the weight down. dont need another heavy @ss bike on the market. c'mon honda, lightweight hp sport 4x4!

2007 looks like it will be a sad but happy time in the atv world; some familiars going away and new models coming out form all the OEMs....i know this is about hondas but i give credit where it is due-the kawasaki 450 maybe worth looking into- aluminum frame, efi, e-start AND reverse! it will be a huge seller for them and quench some of the hype that the LTR450 stirred up.

i think the yamaha blaster replacement will likely NOT be as tame as the others. yamaha is more aggressive, there's no denying that. how crazy (and smart) was it for them to take the RZ350 engine and stick it in a quad: result-banshee, result- instant thrill ride hit and cult following and 18-19yrs in their lineup.

2007 will be a great year!

 

I would like to see the Rancher 350 engine replaced with the 400 engine. Add trax lok and a manual transmission, and that's the best utility I can imagine.

And, then a light weight, stripped down Rancher, to compete with the Wolverine.

 

Honda will NOT announce or put anything on its website about new models or even updated models until the dealer show in September. If they come out w/ a side-by-side or anything else new, you won't hear about it until then. Anything else at this time is just a rumor. So yes, anything unchanged or BNG is on the website, but that is not the complete line-up for '07.

 

Like I said on the first post and 250R just said, these are the models that are "unchanged". They release the all new and significantly changed models in September at the dealer show. Hope is still there for everyone that is looking for more new models, but you will have to wait till September. If you go through the website and look at the price sheets for '07 in each catagory, the models that are missing are either gone or significantly changed. I will get everyone detailed pics of any new models when I go to the show in September.