Thank you for all your input. D-day....Decision Day that is, is Saturday March 31st. I will give both of them a test ride first. I wonder why the 420 seems to have more snort to it....EFI, lighter weight, different gearing?

I know the question is irrelevant, but I wonder what the Foreman top speed is, and how that compares to the Rancher. It's not that I plan on pinning the speedo, but if the Foreman was faster, but the Rancher quicker, it would suggest that the gearing was the difference. I have read that the Rancher tops out around anywhere from 50-55. I have to believe the Foreman is probably the about the same...or is it?

I'll let you guys know what I do!!!

Thanks Again!!

 

hey i have a 420 rancher 4x4,dont get elcectric shift on whatever you get because they brake easy.the guy i ride with has a forman 4x4 drive.i go through the same stuff with mine(now that we both have them same tires)because with the fuel ejection its mostly just the same except the suspension its better on the 420,atleast i think.

I would say RANCHER [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

EFI does not give you more power. If that was the case Honda would but EFI on there CR moto cross race bikes but the 07 CRF 250/450 for example both uses a Keihin 40 mm flat-slide carb.

I ride with a guy with a SP500 EFI and if anything I notice his bike does not have the snap that the carb model has. The 500 Foreman has dual rear shocks and more suspension travel than the 420,so how can the 420 have better suspension?

 

I looked at both machines. I went with the 420 because of the efi, not because of altitude but because of starting. The efi will start in any weather without messing with warm ups and chokes. Honda's are finicky in the cold. I've got carbed hondas and I've had carbed honda's. This is a nice advantage. The suspension is nice on the 420. It's not cozy like some IRS models I have had but it's not bad. Disk brakes on the front is another nice option the 500 does not have along with liquid cooling. It definetely has it's advantages over the 500 for me. I also spend plenty of time in tight trails and the smaller frame was a selling point. But look closely, we are only talking a couple inches less in length, and an inch in width. When you look at the 2 the biggest difference is tire size. Put the same tires on the 420 and size difference goes away.

 

Cool. Enjoy the new machine. The 500 foreman does have front disk brakes, though. My Foreman starts better than my buddy's 650 Rincon, but it doesn't start nearly as effortlessly as my EFI 680 Rincon. EFI is nice.

I learned today that it does make valve adjustment a bit more of a pain, though, due to no fuel shutoff valve...

 

I disagree with TLC! FI is very well known to increase power right off idle.......

The 420 has a lot of snap right off the bottom, with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever. It is very easily going to beat anything in its class off the line. And, top speed is as fast as I care to ever go on any utility........

 

In theory if everything else is the same, EFI shouldn't make much of a difference in power output.

I suspect, though, that the more accurate mixture of EFI gives engine designers more leeway with cam profiles, timing and stuff to still meet emissions... Also the better throttle response, especially at low end, will make things feel much more snappy.

I agree with Reconranger, in that I wouldn't judge a machine by it's top speed... I very rarely ride anywhere open enough to run speeds anywhere close to what my machines will do. Suspension, handling, power in the speed range it will see on trails, reliability, and just plain fun to ride are much more important to me.

Anyway, I think the new Rancher was a wise choice.

 

The 06 500 Foreman I ride with defiantly has disk brakes on the front, not sure how the liquid cooled motor is a advantage,because the Foreman has two oil coolers which is a more reliable system than worrying about a mud clogged rad,coolant levels,rad fans and water pumps.

I know some oil coolers have fans also,but unlike Rad fans they are only there to help "assist" the oil coolers while the rad fans are require to work when needed, or the rad will boil over.

I like the 420 also for less money but at the start of the post the guy said both bike would cost the same and he was 6" 256LB! In that case the Foreman's 55cc advantage,roomer frame and larger wheels are a advantage.

The Foreman 500 I ride with can cruise at 50-55 easily on the long wide logging roads but my old 450 foreman would top out at the high 40s and buzz and rev like it needed a sixth gear. I think the gearing was change on the newer foremans for more general riding.

 

Yeah, I think of liquid cooling as kind of a mixed bag, too. It's another fluid to get changed, and a pump and a bunch of rubber hoses that could someday cause problems. On the other hand modern systems are quite reliable if taken care of, and the more stable temp allows designers to run tighter tolerances, so there is generally less mechanical noise.

The fan on the 500 Foreman does come on from time to time in slow technical up hill runs on hot days, but mud clogging isn't an issue.

EFI has it's downside, too, in that some of them won't start with a dead battery. Hopefully they set the Rancher up like the Rincon with an external fuel pump (as opposed to putting it inside the tank where it takes up volume).

I do really like the disk brakes on my 05 Foreman (and on the Rincon). There's no tradeoff for the better brakes.

 

One negative I failed to mention about my 420 that Jeffin reminded me off is that the 420 does not have a recoil starter. It's beyond me why this is not a standard option on an ATV. Apparently Honda has all the faith in the world in it's batteries. They do make it available as an optional bolt on accessory. They do not ship them with them on. I will be getting one as I understand that the fuel pump will work with the recoil even if the battery is dead. Just something to consider.