I currently own 07 500 Sportsman. I want a good trail machine, not real happy with Polaris service. How is the transmission on the 680? I am intrigued by the ESP and auto shift. Do they have good power, I know you can't read anything into to this but a 500 can-am is suppossedly quicker. Any feedback would be helpful. I don't know if I am sold on the belt drive of the other manufacturer's.

 

Go to rinconriders.com

You will get all the info you will ever need. I love my 650 over my Sp600. It handles awsome. Almost sport quad like. The only complaints that some have is no front locker or low gear but it has 3 speeds with 1st being plenty low enough to do anything. The 680 is improved with its efi, different shift points and disk brakes all around. I love this machine. Not sure about the can am 500 being faster but can am is an awsome quad. Just wayyyy overpriced. The esp tranny is awsome. You never have to worry about it getting wet or slipping. It shifts smooth like a car. I would say that 95% of the people that own it love it. The other 5% either has never had one or just dont plain like it. It is not a mudder but a superior trail machine. It will run circles around any polaris anyday in the woods. I have 26" Mudlite xl's on mine and it still lifts the front up with no problem and mine is a 650 not the 680. It will hang right with a sp700 and about 4-5 quads behind an 800.

 

Well, I'm really happy with mine. It handles really well, and the ride and suspension are great.

Compared to my buddy's 650, my 680 is a bit punchier with better throttle response and the front brakes have a better feel. The biggest improvement in my mind is in the change to the transmission shift points.

It still doesn't have a low enough gear to have downhill engine braking below about 8, but I've never been able to overheat the brakes. It will go anywhere my Foreman will go, but if having to use the brakes in really steep technical decents is an issue for you, you probably wouldn't like the Rincon.

One of the advantages of Honda over BPR is their dealer network. On our last riding trip one of the guys with an outlander started loosing brake fluid out of the back caliper. We found one BPR dealer in Bend, but they had no BPR quads in stock and no parts. Eventually we blocked off the brake line to the rear brake. (Personally, linked brakes would drive me nuts).

Anyway, I would recommend you try to get a ride on one. Most folks who actually have one love them. I'm not sure if it is faster than the can-am 500, as I've never ridden one, but then I bought the machine to ride trails.

 

No engine braking at low speed. Decide if that is something you can live without!

 

If your used to the Polaris belt system then the Rincon's transmission will take some getting used to. When you let off the gas it will basically freewheel or coast. But if you downshift you can get some engine braking. I personally love the trans on the Rincon and don't understand why anyone would want a rubberband quad. I don't like the engine braking. It annoys the crap out of me. I do ride a good bit of technical trails and 2 fingers on the brakes are all I ever need. Alot of people wouldn't have a quad that didn't have engine braking. I'm not going to bash but to each their own. The ESP is fun to play with when riding aggressively. Then when you just want to ride put it in auto and go. It will shift just like a car. Then if you need more power it will downshift. People will bash what they don't have or what their buddies say. Look at the responses and all OWN a Rincon. I now am on my second and really like the 680.
If you want a trail machine then you will love the Rincon. You can ride it fast or slow and it will make you very confident. It will just soak up the rocky off camber stuff like it wasn't even there.
As far as mudding? It will hold its own in stock for stock trim. I'm not a big mudder but won't go around a mudhole either. The only time it gets stuck is when it gets high centered. Also theres no belt to get wet. I know alot of people will say theirs never gets wet. Maybe so but its not even a thought on a Honda. Go try to ride one and see what you think.

 

Actually, the engine braking is one of the things I like about the improved transmission. If you chop off the throttle, it will downshift sooner and more firmly, which slows the machine pretty good. If you don't want the downshift or that much engine braking in a particular situation, just don't close the throttle fully. With the 650 I found I liked to use the push button shift mode, but the 680 seems to pick the gear I would want and shift when I want in auto mode.

I also thought it would bug me that it will get up to 8 MPH in compession braking in situations where my foreman would hold 2 with just engine braking, but sometimes the Foreman setup can be a pain. Often there is a smoother but still super steep section, and 1st is too slow on the Foreman. I find I ride the Rincon faster, even in the technical downhill sections. The IRS gives more control, and better ground clearance. The thing seems to be designed to be ridden fast, but if you want to crawl down something it only takes two fingers on the brakes.

As far as mudding, stock for stock it seems to do as well as any comparable machine. I understand that if you go bigger than 28 you will want one of the regearing kits, and probably a locker. Much of my riding includes super steep rocky sections, so for me going taller would be a drawback.

 

Thanks for your feedback everyone, very informative, keep it comin. I like what I hear, I mainly ride trails, fire and logging trail's loggin road's, little snow, some mud but no bog's. Thank's. I think that the 680 would be great for what I ride.

 

The Rincon IS the best handling 4x4 on the market period! Excluding the renegade

 

There are no Con's.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]