HEY EVERYONE.

I FINALLY TALKED MY BROTHER TO BUY A 4X4 QUAD. HE HAS A TRX 450, BUT MOST RIDINNG WE DO IS AT A NERBY PARK "THE CLIFFS", AND IT IS A VERY CHALANGING, AND TECHNICAL PARK WITH NASTY HILLS, MUD ETC. A LITTLE RAIN OR SNOW AND THE SPORTS QUADS JUST CAN'T GO.

ANYWAY TO MAKE THE STORY SHORT, HIS FIRST PREFFERENCE IS OF COURSE A HONDA. I HAVE A KAWI BF, AND IN THE LOW RANGE IT TACKLES IT ALL.

BESIDES STOCK SIZE TIRES HE WON'T BE MODIFING IT AT ALL.

I KNOW THAT THE RINCON DOESN'T HAVE A LOW RANGE. SO HERE ARE THE QUESTIONS:

HOW LOW IS THE 1ST EAR?

WILL THE MOTOR OVERHEAT WITH MORE LOAD ON IT THEN ON YOUR EVERYDAY TRAIL RIDING DAY?

WILL IT LACK ANY TORQUE?

I KNOW THE HONDAS ARE GREAT OVERALL MACHINES, BUT WILL THE TRANNY TAKE IT???

 

I ride with a guy with a Rincon,sure it does not have the super low like the Rubicon but its low enough for any type of trail riding you can imagine. Kinda slow for a big bore though, 62mph on long stretches from what we see,but it is a torque monster he pulls a fully loaded ATV trailer with all his camping gear through brutal trails without noticing he has no low range.

 

I have one and do a fair bit of technical riding. 1st is not very low, but it is fairly easy to modulate the throttle to climb up something slowly. Power wise what it can climb is limited by traction and/or flipping over.

Mainly the lack of low is an annoyance to me on the super-steep decents. On my Foreman I can put it in 1st and it will crawl at 1-2 mph and all I have to do is focus on my line. On the Rincon you would hit 12 in those situations w/o using the brakes, so you have to pay attention to modulation of front and rear brakes. I know the brakes get warm on really long downgrades, but they've never caused me a problem.

It's ride and handling on really rough rock and root strewn stuff is where the machine shines. There are a lot of miles of those kinds of trails where I ride to get to the technical sections. I think the trade-off is worth it, but it is really too bad Honda doesn't offer an IRS machine with the Foreman or Rubicon transmission.

Rumor has it Honda may be about to announce something with IRS, low gears and a locker, but those rumors have been around for a long time.

The other machine in its class I'd encourage your buddy to look at is the 700 Griz. Locker, low range, EFI, power steering, and they are said to have decent ride and handling and good reliability.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: JeffinTDOn the Rincon you would hit 12 in those situations w/o using the brakes, so you have to pay attention to modulation of front and rear brakes. I know the brakes get warm on really long downgrades, but they've never caused me a problem.<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>

What he is saying is that there is no engine compression braking at low speed (it freewheels), so you have to use the brakes. That would be the killer for me on any even semi-technical downhill....no matter he comfy the ride might be.

 

I have a 650 Rincon, and I hate to say it, but I'm done with Honda's if this is the best they have. Your not supposed to tow, plow, or work them, and I personally think that it's an old man's bike, - slow, comfy and steady, but don't work it or bog it in the mud or snow, it will overheat For rock climbing and rough treatment, he's better of with an old 450 Foreman- terrible ride, but tough as heck. Better yet, try a yamaha or Suzuki

 

Mine's never overheated, and I've flogged it pretty hard, but unfortunately I'd have to say that if you want Honda's level of engineering with power to all 4 wheels, and the ride and ground clearance of IRS, the closest thing out there is a Yamaha.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Rumor has it Honda may be about to announce something with IRS, low gears and a locker, but those rumors have been around for a long time. </end quote></div>

Although I enjoy my Rincon, if the above turns out to be true, it would be for sale...

 

Thanks for the info, from what I read, I'll have to get some reading on the different models.

 

Well, other models in the Honda line:

Rancher 420. Physically smaller, SRA, snappy, 5 speed, efi. Comes in foot or electric push button shift.

Foreman 500. Air/oil cooled, SRA, handles well, 5 speed, carb, foot or electric shift, power steering optional.

Rubicon 500. Liquid cooled, hydrostatic auto w/low range, or can emulate gears with shift buttons.

 

I love my Rincon. It is no sport model. But if you want to have fun and not get drowned w/ mud and water it is hard to beat. It has plenty of power for the technical stuff w/o low. I sometimes have to put it in first gear manually to keep it from shifing up a gear while climing steep rough hills. Most of the time I leave it in drive. Put a good set of tires on it Nail it and hang on. I have ran the crap out of mine and had no problems but flat tires and a temp sensor going bad. Some engine braking is there but you have to use the brakes if you need to creep down a rough section.