The rubicon is better in every way....You won't be dissapointed I guarantee that...As far as the shocks being too stiff, i've never heard or noticed this on my rubicon...All i know is that the ride on the rubicon is much smoother, while at the same time there is almost no body roll in the corners...They dialed in the suspension perfectly as far as i'm concerned....and when your looking through the archives, look for posts by TxDoc2.....not Texdoc2...

 

I own a Rancher & the ride is very good. The ride on the Rubicon is BETTER. Also, has more power, better tranny, 3 headlights, dual shocks on rear, more ground clearance. The Rubicon is an excellent machine, you will not be disappointed if you get one. First you need to try a test ride & check it out!!

 

Honda just sent me the 2001 Utility quad brochure. The Ruby is not in it. The ground clearance for the rancher says 9.7", and the foreman says 7.7". Is the Ruby also 7.7"? If not, then what is it's Honda rated clearance since no mention of the Ruby is in my brochure? Thanks.

 

JEFF- the Rubicon has it's own brochure. The listed ground clearance is 10.0". They also have not raised the overall height of the machine over the Foreman 450 to achieve this. The combination of the new valvetrain system and dry sump lubrication allowed them to lower the engine height. They applied the lowering of the engine to raise the ground clearance while maintaining the same overall height and center of gravity.

 

Great. Thanks. I'll try to get one from Honda. 10" is super.

 

shumdit, what is the ground clearance of the Rubicon under the rear gearcase? This is where it would be the lowest. With a solid axle and 25" tires, I can't see how it can be much more than about7-8".

 

The clearance under the axle is not listed and I have not measured it. In my experience the rear axle clearance will not cause you to get stuck on a 4x4. The floorboard area is where you will get hung up. On a 2wd machine it is my experience that the rear axle clearance is very important to overall traction ability of a machine.

 

anyone tried different tires on the rubicon, and
what about steering, can that be improved with a tire change?

 

A buddy of mine stopped by last night as I was about to go out for a ride. He is a non-ATVer as are most of my friends. So I asked if he wanted to go along thinking that I would just put around in the woods and enjoy the scenery.

I'm 230 and he is 220. With 450 pounds on the machine I was able to pull away from a Foreman S and an ES. This was on the flats and through some tight twisty wooded trails.

I know this sounds like bragging but that isn't how I meant it. I was simply amazed at the power and composure it showed on the trails. I am more and more impressed with this thing every time I take it out.

 

I noticed a big difference in steering effort when I put on my Mudrunners. It definitely improved. Mudrunners are designed to do that though.