My girlfriend and I are avid campers and hikers. We spend a lot of time camping, but we have been saving up for a while and are ready to invest in a couple of ATV's. We live in a mountain area and plan to do some very remote ATV'ing, mostly on gravel roads and forest trails, with the odd mud/snow thrown in. We've both riden ATV's before but never owned them.

We aren't sure where to start, just that we know we want Honda's because that's what everyone tells us is the most reliable and we've seen that too, and also there is a honda dealer close to us. We've looked at a few of them and aren't sure what we need. The one thing is, we are going to be driving at high altitudes, possibly 5000 feet or higher. How do these ATV's do at that height? Would we want a liquid cooled at that height?

The ATV's will only be used for hiking. They won't be used for pulling stuff, plowing snow or sport/racing, just trails. The three most important things for us are: Reliable, Range and Carrying Capacity. It's just going to be my girlfriend and I on the trips, and we need to fit everything on two ATV's to last us for 5 days at a time. This includes auxilary fuel. Is there any type of auxilary fuel to mount onto the front of an ATV?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Overall, we are looking at the Foreman, but we notice it is not liquid cooled and also I wonder if the lower power will be an issue? Would the Rincon be the best bet?

Thanks,
Allen

 

A Fuel injected model might be a good choice if you want to use them in higher elevations (no messing with changing carb jets). Honda Ranchers are EFI and they are pretty versital and a good bang for the buck.

Kolpin makes ATV gas tanks that rack mount, they also make similar ones for water... http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas...3167a&_requestid=9789


Good luck.

 

I have the Rancher 420, which is fuel injected ,water cooled, and has a time tested manual transmission....snappy power right off the bottom. Does a superb job at high altitude (our rides START at 4,000'). Great trail quad! Medium size and agile with the solid planted feel of an SRA machine...not at all the hulking beast that most utilities have become! Ride all day on half a tank of gas.

My only complaint is that I wish it were a little lighter. A lot of folks would prefer more ground clearace, but everybody puts on aftermarket rims and tires anyway, and you can get an inch or two more of ground clearance that way.

We camp off our quads now and then. The racks on this Rancher are a little on the small side, but the secret is to pack like a backpacker, and not like it's a truck. Do that and there is always plenty of room....

As for the Foreman 500, it is really more of a work quad than a trail quad. One of the magazines had a Rancher along while they were testing a Foreman, and their conclusion was that the Rancher was just a lot more "fun".

The Rincon has cush suspension, but is IRS (has its advantages but also disadvantages). The killer for me with the Rincon is that I don't really like automatic transmissions, and it has no engine braking at slow speed. I only use a 4X4 for very technical terrain, where stop you dead engine braking is absolutely essential!

 

Best to avoid the ES (push button shifting system) on either the Rancher or Foreman! http://forums.atvconnection.co...atid/8/threadid/545517

 

The most fun I feel is when you diversify. Since you will almost always be riding in tandem, consider getting maybe a good solid 4x4 utility bike like a Rincon or Foreman, and them something a little sporty. You can take turns riding either and have the best of both worlds, Some of the best times we have riding are in mixed groups, and the guys on the sport bikes have a better time when they know there's 4x4's on hand to pull them out of the muck.

 

I would get a rancher or a Foreman my friend has a Foreman and it has lasted him a long time without breakn down on him

 

In answer to your question about elevation, I take my Foreman up above 5000 feet frequently and have no problems. If I were always riding at 7000 feet or something I might consider a jetting change, but they are not finiky. Cooling isn't an issue either. Air cooling actually seems less prone to getting caked with mud than radiators. If I'm slowly climbing up something in hot temps, the fan might kick on from time to time (like it is supposed to) but I've never had the high temp light come on.

As far as bringing extra fuel, if you google "koplin fuel pack" they make a flat, tough plastic fuel pack that is designed to fit ATV racks, and hold a bit over 3 gallons. The downside is that they are expensive. I've just strapped down a regular gas can (like 2.5 gal), but you want to make sure whatever you use is strapped tight so it won't chaffe on the racks. The Koplins are designed so you can strap gear on top of them. There are also rack extensions out there designed to carry regular gas cans.

Anyhow, if you are doing long trips over rough terrain, I'd recommend the Rincon. The IRS ride over rough terrain is night and day different. It also has more ground clearance, and EFI automatically compensates for altitude change. As ReconRanger said there is a tradeoff with IRS, in that it doesn't power slide the back end as easily, and there is some body lean in fast sweeping corners. It's not bad, but I do lean my body a bit more in fast corners. The Rincon has a 3 speed torque converter type transmission, which works pretty similar to a car's transmission.

Also, on super steep downhills, you have to use your brakes, which I feel is the biggest weakness of the machine. On something almost-flip-over-forward steep, the Foreman might do 2 mph in 1st on engine braking alone, where the Rincon would be doing 12. It's not a big deal, just use the brakes, but I wish it had a tractor low gear so you could focus only on picking your line... The Rincon has an excellent reputation for long term reliability.

The Foreman is well suited for work, but I also have a great amount of fun on it as a trail machine. Newer electric shift ones are supposed to be better than the old ones, but unless you really want those buttons I'd go foot shift. It is a stone axe simple machine, also known for relibility. Ride is not as nice as the Rincon, but is pretty good for a solid rear axle. It also doesn't have as much ground clearance. Electric power steering is optional, which might be nice when you smack that rock hidden in the grass at the edge of the trail.

The Rubicon is a hydrostat automatic transmission, with liquid cooling, carb, and 4 valve head. Riding experience is pretty similar to the Foreman, except for the automatic transmission.

The Rancher is a nice machine. EFI, liquid cooled, solid rear axle. They are sporty handling snappy machines. I'm one of those people who would want more ground clearance, but then I think if the machine were taller, it might ruin part of the snappy and stable handling... I'd also suggest sticking with foot shift.


Anyway, welcome to the forum. I think you would likely have a good time on any of the above machines. It would be good to test ride each, so you have a first hand feel for how they are. If 100+ mile days on rough terrain might be in the mix, the Rincon would be my choice. I'd also suggest not spending the money for the built in GPS. The built in system is pretty crude, and you would be better off putting the money towards a good Garmin, power cord, and handlebar mount. Then you can take it with you when you get off an hike.

 

wow how fast do you type man

 

Haven't tested in a while, but I can cruise pretty good... I spend quite a bit of time typing at work.

 

yes id have to agree...
a rancher 4x4 not es but manual!
so you can go SLOW DOWN THE HILLS!!
they are they best trail atv honda makes besides the sport ones!
if you need ground cleareance you can put a 2-8" lift on it.