I suppose it would be nice to be able to choose IRS or Solid Rear Axle on the 420 Rancher. I at least hope they continue to offer a basic solid rear axle, since I think a lot of people looking at those are wanting as simple a machine as possible.

I was really hoping to see some upgrades to the Rincon, like more gears or a low range, and power steering... I don't know if Honda doesn't want to build a machine any heavier, or maybe they have plans to redesign the whole machine.

 

I love the 400EX, but I can't imagine how Honda thinks it is going to compete against the newly redesigned Z400?????

Looks line in the end, the only new things are the CRF450R and the Rancher 420AT....everything else seems to have returned virtually unchanged.

http://powersports.honda.com/index.asp?bhcp=1

 

What a middle weight 4x4 with IRS,PS,EFI from Honda say it aint so. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
http://powersports.honda.com/a...009&ModelId=TRX420FPA9

 

I don't know if anybody has noticed but the Big Red only has a three speed transmission and it is only automatic. Isn't this machine marketed towards farmers as a work machine? Why would they have put a three speed transmission in a machine that is made for work? Didn't they get enough complaints about the Rincon? I was really interested in one of these a few years down the road after all the bugs are worked out. Now I don't know if I want one or not. It would be nice to have one on the farm.

 

IRS,Difflock and disk brakes are old news not a 2009 break through idea. Its more like Honda is just catching up more than improving.

 

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

IRS,Difflock and disk brakes are old news not a 2009 break through idea. Its more like Honda is just catching up more than improving.</end quote></div>
True true but atleast they are finaly starting to catch up. As they say baby steps first.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

right again, recon! i dropped by the honda dealer today and the owner showed me the "official"
model line book. not a brochure. the 'regular' 4x4 and 4x2 ranchers will still be offered with SRA but still with the mechanical
drum in the back ( i wish they would have gotten the disc too).

the other version is the ESP/ AT with powersteering, IRS, rear disc, and all the bells and whistles.... white is added as a new color as well.
according to the book that the dealers have. he said the president of honda came there and asked allot of questions about
the ranchers and what to improve (im sure he went to more than 1 dealer) im pretty sure it was a consensus based on surveying many dealers,
but they are concerned with that AT choice.

so since the new 'regular' 09s like i want are pretty much the same as the 'regular' 08s, he is bringing me one from
his other store next week for me to check out and it may be sitting in the garage, if all goes well and i'll avoid the nice
price increase for newer model that is the same thing.

 

well i know this is a honda section but there were hints about honda waiting for yamaha to show its hand for 2009...

they did and the YFZ got EFI (yes this is tha canadian site; should pop up on ours later).
http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/pro...30&group=A#contentTop


2010 TRX should follow suit and have EFI. just a big difference to me in injectors though.
the YFZ uses a 42mm injector and the CRF uses a 50mm.... curious.

 

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sp...lhome/323/0/home.aspx


Yamaha just updated their web site, and the YFZ450 does not get EFI, but the YFZ450R does. The R appears to be an out of the box MX version with aluminum frame....nice going Yamaha!

This is good, because it now forces Honda's hand. Bet they are already wishing they had done EFI!

 

thats what i was thinking. i figured people would surf on the site and discover the 2 models of the yfz. i think its good move
but would like to see efi on both. yamaha has a tendency to overproduce engines so my guess is they will use them up in the
non R version, then slap in the EFI. They had to do that for the YFZ when they were at 439cc: they said they could not switch
it out yet even though it was ready for 449cc b/c they over produced their engines and were going to wait to the 2006 yr.
they said that in late 04 or early 05....after honda released the 450r at 450cc in 04. so, maybe they will get both vesions on efi in 2010 or 2011.

maybe honda will make 2 Rs in this format. its only inevitable that EFI is here to stay. im glad.