I went to look at a used 04 Recon yesterday. The battery was too weak to crank it so I pulled it. The compression was really high. I could pull it if I didn't start the pull when it was at TDC on the compression stroke. Then it pulled ok but it didn't start. Turned out that the gas was old. The guy called me back later and said it was started and running good. Is the compression on those motors supposed to be that high? I'm wondering if there's a carbon build up on the piston. He wants $1300 for it. It was very dirty and I could tell it had been used hard. The front tires were bald and the rears were just ok. But the bearings were good. Should I buy it?

 

My 2007 Recon is very hard to pull and will yank back and hurt your hand if you are not ready for it. So I doubt that is an issue. I'd be more concerned with the overall condition of it, as it sounds like it was well used.

 

Yeah, I just went to a Honda dealer and pulled a new Recon. It is the same way. Loads of compression.

 

Hey Pat, what you think of that Recon? Im looking for a bike for my wife, and I was looking in the direction of those. The new ones look like a Rubicon minus about 20% of its mass. How does it handle/turn/get over and through obstacles?

Do you ever ride with folks with bigger bikes? Do you keep up with them?

btw, sorry to hijack your post bud.

 

Because the Recon is a smaller engine it doesnt have a decompression valve. Compression measured at the top of the cylinder is about 185# in rotation.

 

I will let you know what I think about the Recon as I had one and my g/f just sold hers.

Dont worry about keeping up unless your talking about a wide open area. It has great take off speed, handles the curves good, and its geared to travel above 45 mph. However if the trail is a bit rough, with its smaller stature, it might seem a bit more challenging to keep it steady. Great reliability, but if she rides a another larger atv like a 2 wheel driv 350 rancher, she will likely be ready to move up, as the 350 Rancher has all the strong points the Recon has, but more stable, and only at the expense of a bit more mass.

 

Trailbuzzer covered the Recon pretty well. It's my first quad and I am quite happy with it. I do a lot of trail riding and like the smaller size / manuverability. I ride with guys with bigger bikes and do not have problems keeping up with them on trails. It is pretty good off the line and doesn't have any problem pulling the front wheel off the ground. The only frustration I have is that it not real popular for aftermarket stuff.

 

Blue book value for an 04 Recon is $1930. Of course that price is for one that is in excellent condition. I think at $1300 it sounds like it is priced right according to the condition you described.

 

thanks guys for the input on the recon. Took the wife down to look at it. In general she liked it. Thinks its almost cute considering it looks just like my Rubicon, only smaller. I might end up getting her one. Although we are still looking at a Rancher with an auto transmission too.