I'm a newbie looking to get into ATVing. I've never been on one, but I love the outdoors and have looked at the trails in Texas and Arkansas. I bought some jet skis this summer, and with it getting cooler out, I want to transition to something fun on land.

I'm looking at the Honda FourTrax Recon, the base model. All I am looking to do is simple trail riding. No crazy stuff, no mudding, no steep hill climbing, just keeping it simple and enjoying a ride. My question is, is 229cc good enough for trail riding with maybe a 200-220 pound guy on it, or will it strain?

Thanks!

 

I think you would like it till u rode somthing bigger I would at least go with the 300
that thing has plenty of power ...I ride a 300ex sport style quad for trail riding and its loads of fun if u dont mind a clucth and oiling a chain ...the ride is a lot softer on the sport quad as well.....but if u want simple crank n go the rencons are nice ive ridden a couple but none smaller than 300cc
I feel that at 220 your a big guy and the larger quad will be more stable
and even doubled up with a passenger my weight it made the 300 seem a little slower but no strain

 

I agree with Y2daT..... a Recon will do the job, but if you ever ride anything larger you will definitely get hooked...

If you're looking to buy a new Honda, I would just splurge and spend the extra $800 and get a Rancher..... the extra 191cc is really worth it and Ranchers are pretty nice bikes

 

I'm 200 pounds and I can sure have fun on the Recon! But, as a permanent ride, it would get old eventually. Find a 2wd Rancher 350. They are almost as sporty as the lower end sport quads....

 

i can agree with the above posts. after having a recon for 3 years for my daughter i will say this, yes it is a fun little machine, very easuy to manuever around but after riding it for a while you will realize its not enough. it is very stiff in the ride dept. look around for a 2wd rancher, that is a much better choice

 

Thanks for the feedback.

By "stiff", you mean the Ranchers are a little different ride than the Recons, they arn't just a bigger engine?

 

Welcome to the forums Patssle.

My wife has a 250 (two actually) and she's never wanted anything bigger. She doesn't try to jump anything, she's not going through a mud bog (puddles yes) and she's not climbing mountains. Her favorite riding spot is in Ardmore, OK just north of the Texas/Oklahoma border. Mostly sandy trails, a few rocky spots and if it ever rains some mud.

I've offered to buy her a bigger quad, but every time she says she happy with the 250.

Now if you have noticed when you're on the jetskis wanting to go faster and faster the more experience you got, then it might be a good idea to think about something a little larger.

If you're going to be content cruising (not flying) around the trails, the smaller quad should be fine.

 

Utes are sprung stiffer, because they assume you will be putting a load on the racks at some point. If they were sprung to soft, you would be bottoming out the suspension the whole ride.

But...this isn't so great when you are just out trail riding....

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Now if you have noticed when you're on the jetskis wanting to go faster and faster the more experience you got, then it might be a good idea to think about something a little larger. </end quote></div>

See, the jet skis I bought are more than enough. They are mid 90s (I got a GREAT deal on 2 well maintained jet skis). 1 is a 2 cycle 55 HP and the other is 2 cycle 85 HP. Wide open on the 55 hp is PLENTY fast, and I've never done wide open on the 85 HP because that's just FAST. I can't imagine doing wide open on a modern jet ski.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>If you're going to be content cruising (not flying) around the trails, the smaller quad should be fine.</end quote></div>

And that's what I'm looking for - just keeping it simple and enjoying a cruise.

 

You looking for new or used??? There is an older Rancher 350. I had one of these in 2wd, and it was surprisingly sporty. (The 2wd's are more fun to ride, because they don't have an extra 30 pounds over the front axle, where it does the most harm!)

The new Rancher 420 rips! One of these in 2wd, and that is all the power most folks would ever care to have....