I think we (my dad and I) are going to go with a Foreman 500 4X4 S. He doesn't really want fuel injection, I think he wants to be able to work on it himself if anything goes wrong. It also has about an inch more ground clearance than the Rancher, due in part to the 25" tires.

thanks for all the information

 

I use to own a Foreman 400 (the old green one) and a Polaris Sportsman 400. If you want a nice reliable quad that has more power in its class than any other quad go with the Can Am Outlander 400. Right now a lot of shops are trying to get rid of the 2006 models and are seriously discounting them. I was once a die hard Honda fan until I rode my friends Outlander. It is like driving a new Chevy Duramax as to the old Chevy diesel. It is day and night difference. Go test ride one and you will see for yourself.

 

Hey ya'll, I just wanted to chime in. I just bought two new Honda's,a ReconES for the wife and a 420 4x4ES for me. I had the dealer put on a set of 26" mud-lites on the Rancher and a set of 24" bear claws on the Recon. Wetookthe new bikes out on their maden voyageyesterday, andI found bothbikes still handle quite well. I putmine through some pretty sloppy muck, and although I did get stuck once, the 4wd worked great. I am very happy with the Recon and the Rancher and can't wait to take them to some nice trails, although there I'd probably bolt on the original tire/wheel sets.

 

On the selectable 4wd system on the 2007 Rancher 420, from what I find in the service manual it looks like the Final Clutch Mechanism is the component that would determine whether or not this system is designed to be shifted on the fly, or if it could be done safely. There is a diagram of the Final Clutch Mechanism on page 2-3, and on the next page there is a little more information that seems pertinent:

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>"In case the spline between the pinion joint and the pinion gear is not engaged, this system needs a stand-by position. For this purpose this system has a lost motion mechanism to engage the pinion joint."</end quote></div>

Now I'm not a mechanical engineer nor even a bona fide mechanic for that matter, so I'd be very interested in hearing what a person with more knowledge in this area has to say.

 

Well, the main problem with Can-Am's is that if it breaks on us somehow, I don't know where we'd take it to get it fixed. I've never seen a Can-Am dealer anywhere remotely near here. The closest I'd expect to find one is three hours away, up in Little Rock or that general area. I'm going to get on their website and try a dealer locator though, and if I can find one somewhat near me, I'll try to get my dad to give the Can-Am's a chance lol.

 

ive got a rancher 420 its dual snorkled (due to one 11/2 pipe didnt draw enough air) has a k&n from a 300ex and its on 26-10-12 mud lites it handles very well and will power through alot of stuff i take mine out every weekend and take it through mud and water and it doesnt even blink!!! its very impressive on the power and size, im about to go bigger and run 27-9.5-12 outlaws, with a 2" lift, im upgrading to a pipe prolly HMF and i have the jet performance power commander on the way as well to help tune the snorkles and pipe, just for some info the lift is a xtreme products lift, and there isnt a pipe availble for this bike yet BUT 450 forman and i hear the 400at rancher pipes are a close match!! ill update again soon with my progress!