Though I don't know off hand what speed it hits the limiter, I wouldn't call the Rincon's 1st super-low.

If it's power for climbs you are worried about, don't. The Rincon has the power it needs. If it's a technical hill that you need to crawl up, that's no problem either.

If you want it to crawl down a steep hill at less than a walking pace, though, expect to use the brakes. In compression braking situations on steep downhills my quad seems to hold a slower speed in 2nd than the Rincon will in 1st. I don't consider it a problem (the Rincon has good brakes).

The Rincon's advantage over a CVT belt is that the transmission is sealed and part of the engine case, so there aren't any issues of water/mud/dirt getting in and causing belt slippage, shreading, pulley glazing, or other issues CVT belts can have. Basically the Rincon transmission appears to be built to last the life of the ATV under reasonable use and care.

IMHO Honda is still the leader in reliability. As to when will Honda come out with a new machine, that's anyone's guess. I, for one, would like to see a machine with low range, manual locker, and 800 class power with Honda's reputation for quality, durablitiy and outstanding engineering.

Cfwilkins, If you go buy a Rincon, I do not believe you will be disappointed. I've gotten to ride a variety of different machines, and a Rincon will probably be what I buy this spring for a 2nd quad. The only way I could see being disappointed is if Honda comes out with an 800 twin just after I buy... (in which case I'd probably keep the Rincon, sell the Foreman, and buy the 800 Honda twin too
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]).

 

No, its not a ultra low gear. My 450 Foreman has a ultra low 1st, but its practically a tractor.

 

cfwilkins,

Another HUGE vote for rinconriders.com. This site and that one are the two I view the most but there you will find much better Rincon info because they OWN one vs a lot of folks here that are on the "bash bandwagon". I once bought into that too but quickly found out what a great machine the Rincon truly is.

I believe that you do need to become a member to view the posts but it takes 30 seconds and it is free. Well worth it. You'll see a lot of posts from about 100 guys but they have thousands of members, a ton of viewers, and folks that chime in every once and a while. It is a very active site with VERY GOOD information. Check out one guy called atv-guru and his front and back bumpers that he custom makes for the Rincon's!!

 

Yeah, there is something about the Rincon that makes people who've never even ridden one come out and bash them...

I suppose it's because they are different.

 

I have no mountains to climb. That being said...my 06 Rincon with a 2" lift and 28" mudlites seems to have all the power I need. It does not have the low range that the 500 foreman has in first and second gear... But so far I have never needed it. It has ***** to spare even in the thickest mud.

 

I wont speak to much on behalf of the new Rincons, but I will say that I bought a new 2003 Rincon and rode it for two years before I sold it and bought a 2005 700cc EFI King Quad,and there is NOTHING I miss about the Rincon.

The front brakes were drum style and filled up with mud/debree after 6 months time on several occasions. Very poor downhill engine braking, no locker, and a very tall first gear, made for a poor pulling machine.FORGET the TRAXLOCK thing, it is nothing more than a marketing scheme from Honda and means NOTHING more than 3WD in the thick stuff and the brake trick only works for a SPLIT second, if at all.--Trust me here!

I did'nt mind these shortcomings until I bought my King Quad. Even today, with the improvements Honda has made to the Rincon with EFI, 680CC, Disk Brakes, I still would not choose it over the Suzuki King Quad, Yamaha Grizz or a host of other brand name big bores because the Rincon still does not have a low range, downhill engine braking sucks, its still a 3wd ATV,and costs more $ than its counter brand cousins of similier engine size.

I dont buy into the HONDA reliabilty BS anymore either. I belong to the largest ATV club in the State of Michigan and there are very FEW Honda's in it. Those that bought Honda for a first ATV, dont go back to them again after riding with fellow club members that have the OTHER brand ATVs that come FACTORY with all the EXTRA features as STOCK equipment. Our ATVs just do so many things MUCH easier than the Honda 4x4s do--

The intent of my post is not to hurt any feelings-- but---these are my TRUE feelings.

 

I think you need to ride one, cf. Its the only way you're going to find out if you like it or not. As much as I like my 400 for what we use it for, there are times I'd like to have low range for slow going in the trees, usually hauling something.
It's not so much an issue of power, it'll bury itself quite easily, it's a case of when the clutch engages. Say the clutch engages at 1800 rpm, if the gearing delivers 2 mph at 1800 rpm, that's how fast you're going to be going. If it can deliver 1 mph at 1800 rpm, then you can move half as fast with the same torque going to the wheels. A nice feature if you ask me, and why Honda has chosen not to include a dual range transmission is a mystery to me.
I'd not trade my Honda for any other brand, but it does have its limitations. Also, I agree that a manual locking front differential is a VERY GOOD THING. Mine supposedly has the limited slip front end, which seems to have reached the "limits" of it's life span. Maybe mine is pre limited slip, I'm not sure, I do know that having only three wheels pulling is a pain in the ***, not a problem every day, but every noiw and then it is an annoyance.
Another 2 cents worth..

 

Muddy,

I think you were being fair for the most part. Two things though... I think it depends on what he will do with it and the KQ has had many issues, (you had mentioned that it is bs about Honda's reliability) Blue smoke, engines fried, bent tie rods, steering quirks and handles bars violently hitting hard right/left. I think the KQ is fine and better for work but let's be fair on the issues if you are going to talk about what's fair with the Rincon.

The '03 Rincon and '06/'07's are different, I know you mentioned that but why bring up drum brakes when they have been gone for two yrs? If he wants a GREAT trail bike then I'd go with the Rincon. If he wants to do a little work with it (you mentioned towing) then I'd still consider a Rincon, along with a few other choices.....if he will be doing a lot of work..then I wouldn't buy a Rincon as they are meant to be the best on the trails not work.

 

Yeah, there were those threads about the broken cases/reverse issue with the first king quads, too, and I'm not a big fan of the shim-and-bucket valve adjustment. Still, I really like the KingQaud. It's nice looking, makes good power, has nice suspension, and it has a locker and a low range. The storage compartment is also a nice touch.

The point about the older Rincons having drum brakes is valid, as is the point about not having a low gear and not having a locker. Still, the Rincon is a nice handling machine, and the newer ones are punchier, less cold blooded, and have disk brakes. I have to wonder, though, what Honda's thinking is in not giving it a low range, and in refusing to put lockers on any of their 4x4's...

 

I will not argue for a second that the design and improvements on the new Rincons make it a nicer ATV than my 2003 Rinny, however, I still would not purchase one today. Especially concidering what the OTHER manufactures are offering as standard equipment on their model 4x4 ATVs. Sure--how often is a locker or downhill engine braking needed? Not very often, but when you need these features, its sure nice to know its a feature you have available.

Now,I also agree that not everyone has the exact same use for their 4x4s. If your looking for a great trail handling ATV, than I agree, the Rincon is a pretty tough cookie to beat. But with that said, there are STILL many other manufactures that offer a pretty competant ATV that also have pleasant trail manners close to that of the Rincon, AND with the extra features that is missing on the Rincon.

I dont ride the King Quad anymore [my neighbor bought it] because my wife wanted to start riding WITH ME instead of riding her own ATV. So Oct 28th of 2005, I bought the new Can-Am 800 Two Seater Max.

Now this thing is a WHOLE new animal.