After I bought it, It was running rough. So I did all the usual stuff to it. Gear oil, new battery, drain the tank, drain the carb, lube here & there, adjust the brakes, adjust the carb, etc. After that, it ran perfect. Then it sat in the shed for 3 weeks and the temps here have been in the teens at night and 30 daytime. I went to the shed yesterday, turned the key, no choke, pressed the start button and wham, she idled without any help. Unbelievable. And every Honda I have ever had is always so cold blooded. This thing is different. Now I know why they say the Recon is bulletproof. I am extremely pleased.

 

Great little quad.

 

We have an 06 TRX 90 that seemed really cold blooded until I had my neighbor work on it. It got where it wouldn't even start and I blame that on the crappy fuel they call gasoline.

He tore the carb apart, cleaned it and the darn thing will fire up without the choke unless it's extremely cold. Even with the choke on, it runs better than it did brand new!

Now this 09 Recon he got for Christmas? You have to "nurse" the throttle and choke for at least 5 minutes before it will idle on it's on. After the warranty expires, it's going to pay a visit to my neighbor!

Dang EPA!

 

I hand a 89 350 Big Bear I used to park in the back with no cover for a mouth and it was buried in snow, I shoveled off the snow on a cold day and it started on the second pull of the rope and idled like a kitten,it was just amazing.LOL

Does your Recon have efi? I keep hearing you can,t start a ATV in the cold without efi around here.LOL

 

No efi on my recon. Regular carb.

 

It is harder to just get up and go with a non-EFI machine here in the cold climate. I have the Polaris ATP and the Polaris X2. One EFI, one not. The ATP does start up pretty fast but you have to nurse it to get it to the point where it will idle. And, if you try to get going before it's warmed up it will stall. The X2 fires right up and keeps running. Love EFI. The Recon I rode wasn't bad starting. It took a little coaxing but did okay.

 

Even though on a cold day a ATV can start right up and run down the road its not good for any motor to be under load until the motor oil warms up to a certain point,efi or carb let the jello oil warm up some.

 

Here in dark cold Ottawa, -25 is the rule for much of January. My Recon always starts with full choke on. It will not idle on its own for about 2-3 minutes - full choke or not. This is where EFI would be a benefit - running from cold. Once warmed up my Recon idles nicely in sub-zero temps.

The Recon battery capacity is low in the cold. You will only have a handful of tries (like 2 or 3) to get started. So far never a problem.

I use 0W30 oil which probably helps cold starts. I always use fuel stabilizer cuz I can never predict when one of my machines will stand for a few weeks. A very real concern for engines with carbs.

ESP shifting can also be a bit slow in -30 and below - particularly coming out of reverse. But I have never been stuck due to ESP problems.

All things considered, Winter has become my preferred riding season.

 

So true....

 

I have a 450 foreman and when its cold I can pump the primer 3 times and it will start right up and idle fine . But with the choke on it wont start up right away if its been sitting for a while