The "little dude" in the picture looks like he's getting ready to ride! Pictures look great by the way.

Good luck with the Rancher! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Ccwboy, I just took a big bear back to the dealer to trade for a Honda. The Big Bear was a real pain to shift out of reverse.. so hard in fact that I had to shift it with my arm and not the foot!. The dealer was pretty good about it.. after taking it in twice for "adjustment." We finally test road another Big Bear and same thing. The dealer called Yamaha and told him that was a problem with the new Big Bears and they were going to modify the transmission for future Big Bears.

After the adjustments, it would shift out of reverse but you had to time it just right and rock the snot out of it. On a hill even worse. I could have dealt with it over the long term I guess but my wife rides it occasionally and no way could she shift it without turning it off, make the shift, then turn it back on. I think when you buy something new, it should at least shift moderately easy between gears.

I have had a Honda Rancher 2 wheel drive since 2000 and am very happy with it. The electronic shift is great and just change the oil frequently and no problems. With regard to 4 wheel drive, it is a good feature, but I have had that Rancher of mine in lots of tough places with no problems. Lots of fun at the dunes in 2 wheel drive.

 

a couple other things I noticed between the big Bear and the rancher. The Big Bear has a much wider turning radius than the Rancher. The other thing is that the Big Bear is a bit top heavy because of the narrower wheelbase and higher clearance. I actually think my old 2000 Rancher 350 has much more power than the big Bear 400. Side by side my old rancher would beat the Big Bear 400.

 

I love my 2WD Rancher and now I love it even more. Just got done putting on a new set of 25" ITP TerraCross R/T radial tires mounted on ITP Delta steel wheels.

 

Wow the tires look great. How do they handle?I wouldn't mind getting a better set on my Rancher

 

I'm a big guy, 290lbs and where I ride is mostly rock and conglomerate lava. (Mt Lassen area, northern calif) Tough riding for monoshocks and a straight axle. I needed a tire that offered a smoother ride and better handling hence the ITP radials.

Update: Wow! What a difference a set of tires makes. Sunday I gave the new ITP radials a real workout on some nasty creekbed roads at a considerable rate of speed and I can only say I am impressed! As expected they provided a vast improvement in handling, stability and ride comfort.

Here's a photo of some of the typical countryside we ride in. The roads are a tad bit better but most of the area is broken lava rock. This photo shows my buddy winding his wolverine around some jagged rocks

http://farm3.static.flickr.com...3092_c9555ba961_b.jpg

 

How far are you from Susanville?

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: lefty1

How far are you from Susanville?</end quote></div>

Redding

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: sac7000

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: lefty1



How far are you from Susanville?</end quote></div>



Redding</end quote></div>

Gotcha..I know that area pretty well. Grew up there as a kid....lots of fun riding up near Antelope lookout above Eagle Lake....

 

Glad I found this thread!!! I just picked up a 2008 Rancher 420 4x2 last Friday for working on the race courses here in the So. Cali. desert...

...looks like I made the right choice!!! WOO-HOO!!!!

A friend said I couldn't go wrong with Honda's reliability.

Had to go with the Yellow plastic...now it's time to work this baby!!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]