My 2006 sportsman 450 has a towing CAP. of 1225 lbs. And yes it has IRS......How is the sealed brakes on the Honda .....My buddy told me to stay away from them (not just Honda)..they trap water and need alot of looking after..........He told me to try and get a Quad with rotors ................Did Honda fix this problem......I don,t know maybe they did....................caper......................

 

Well i have been in LOTS and LOST of rivers and water tanks and have yet to have anything get into my breaks. now i'm not a "mud bogger" but it's seen it's fair share of the mud.

i'm not realy looking for to much more power. as it has enough for most of what i do. maybe in the dirt plowing but a low range would sufice. heck my grandpa has an AC 250 2wd with high and low and in low his will push almost as much dirt as mine will. kinda odd huh. heck i can save lots of money if i just keep my rancher. it is sporty and does 53 uphill or down. but rids like crap on realy rocky roads. almost to where i don't like taking it there. we avrage 2mph on these roads. but it is better than a chevy or jeep that i have. ..
i guess im just ranting that they didn't go with IRS on more quads. i was looking forward to upgrading to a rancher or foreman with IRS.. guess i'll give yamaha a shot.
HR

 

Honda is usually OVER PRICED and UNDER EQUIPPED when compared to the other manufactures ATVs of comparable size IMO.

I bought my 2003 Rincon cause it was a HONDA. I drove it for 2 yrs and bought a 700cc King Quad. There was very little I liked about the Honda once I put some miles on the KQ. The KQ,

*Had Disk brakes, the Honda front drums LEAKED in water/debree BADLY after 6 months
*Had EXCELLANT downhill braking--the Rincon absolutley SUCKED!
*Had a GREAT low range-the Rincon could'nt compare!
*Had adjustable pre-load for the shocks-you cant adjust the Rincon!
*Had EFI,the Rincon did'nt
*Had a 4x4 LOCKER mode,the Rincon was 3wd!
*Had a LOWER MSRP.

I like Honda but wont buy one again until they catch-up to what the OTHER manufactures offer as standard equipement on their models.Most first time ATV buyers will purchase a HONDA because of its name,and TODAY, thats a TERRIBLE mistake IMO. I been riding 3-4 wheelers since 1983.

 

Where do you keep getting this "Over priced" idea? Have you looked around and checked? Have you looked at the price of the big bores lately? And apparently most people dont think they have to catch up to anyone. They do have over 30% of the market. Far more than Suzuki.

 

Dan,
cant say for sure about NOW, but back in 2003 when I purchased my new Rincon, MSRP was 7599.-----The new 2005 KQ [in 2005] had a MSRP of 7199 and come with a TON more features as standard equipment vs the Rincon I owned.

Now as for marketshare?Yah, Honda owns the majority of that, but it wont be long and I predict that Polaris will be ahead of Honda. Honda will keep losing marketshare until they offer the extra goodies as standard equipment like the OTHER manufactures do IMO.

I dont have my KQ anymore either.I drove it a year and my wife decide that she would rather start riding WITH me instead of riding her own ATV so I bought the new BRP MAX 800 last October.

Talk about EXPENSIVE!

 

Honda losing marketshare? Have you even looked at my post? Honda's marketshare is exactly the same today as it was back in 1996.

Polaris is the one who is losing marketshare. Their marketshare is 4% LOWER than it was in 1996. Care to explain that one?

Honda IS NOT losing marketshare, Polaris is.

 

my kingquad 300 outpulls a racher 350 and i cant even come close to a sporstman 400...

try not spreddin the BS. it gets old...

 

I think the fact that Honda keeps a hold on its 30% marketshare of the ATV units sold only indicates that most riders are not die-hard ehthusiasists like we are in here.

Now about 80% of all ATVs sold in the USA are of the Utility type. Very few [if any?] first time Honda Utility buyer that turns into more than just a casual ATV trail rider and became a REAL ATV enthusiasist,will return back to buy another Utility Honda ATV after riding with their buddies who own the OTHER brand of Utility ATVs with far more standard features and a lower MSRP.

My Rincon could do most of what the OTHER brand ATVs did,however,it was very appearant that it STRUGGLED in many incidences,while the OTHER brand 4x4s did everything with EASE! I knew thru many years of riding ATVs that I was taking a chance by going back to a Honda brand ATV in 2003,but I actually worked for a Honda dealership back in 2003 and thought I'd take a gamble.After buying the 2005 KQ, there was very LITTLE I missed about the Rincon, and I hold that same feeling today!

 

Brand loyalty ..to anything for no good reason just doesn't make sense..

 

I would be curious to see the actual margin Honda sees on the sale of a Rincon compared to its other utes. I still can't figure out why that thing costs as much as it does. Of all the utes on the market today, I think the Rincon would be my last choice to buy. It just seems like a very watered-down quad (even for a Honda).