Does the new 420 rancher have a high/low range? If it does can you select low in reverse?
How does it compare racing other 4-wheelers of the same class?
Does it still have plenty of power with 25" tires instead of the 24" stock ones?

 

Dont think it has hi low range, most hondas with the auto clutch tranny (S or ES) have a very low first gear...its worked very well on my Foreman like that over the last 10 years. The Rancher should turn 25's (even an agressive tire) with ease. I went from factory 25" tires to 27" very agressive tires on my foreman 450 and have been running this size for over 8 years with no troubles, the new 420 is not alot smaller (power wise) then my 450.

 

Does yours hav ES and if it does have you had any problems with it? I see a lot of posts about ES problems.

 

25" tires are far from considered large in fact its odd that a 420 Utility even has small 24" wheels. My old 89 350 Yamaha Big Bear had 25" wheels stock and the smaller motored Kawi 360 Utility ATV has 25" wheels stock. I think the 24" tires on the 420 is some kind of cost saving thing on Hondas part,even Honda's old 350 FourTrax 4x4s used to have 25" tires.

 

The 420 Rancher does not have low range, but 1st and Reverse are quite low. In my mind it serves the same purpose in a simpler way.

Compared to most other 400 class machines, the Rancher is very snappy, sporty, and manuverable. The Eiger, for example, is not nearly as powerful, physically a bit larger, but the Eiger does have a bit softer ride.

Regarding ES, newer electric shift models seem to be much more reliable than the older ones. If it doesn't matter to you if you shift with buttons or your foot, I'd for sure get a foot shift to keep it simple. If on the other hand a person really prefers the push buttons, I wouldn't hesitate to say to go out and buy one.

Lastly 25" tires would be no problem at all. If you go to some of the mud oriented forums, you will find people running 27's. Personally I wouldn't go too large on the tires, in that I wouldn't want to mess up the Rancher's low center of gravity that contributes to it's sporty, planted and stable feel...

I wouldn't hesitate recommending the Rancher to someone who's looking for something smaller and sporty for anything from fun trail riding to technical stuff...

Welcome to the forum, and let us know what you pick and how you like it.