This is my first post and thanks to a member of another forum who guided me to this site. I'm about to purchase my first ATV and have decided to go with the Honda Rubicon. I only looked at the Kawasaki, as a friend of mine has their top of the line Prairie model. A nice machine also. I like the Honda, awesome power and handling, plus the honda quality. Prior to closing the deal and picking it up, are there any details/fixes I should have the dealer do prior to closing the sale. I noticed there was one question regarding the set screws on a part, can't remember now exactly what. I would appreciate any feedback prior to getting the ATV. I do wish it did have the option of switching from 4 to 2 wheel drive. That would be nice. Also, what accessories would you recommend to go with. I talked with one of the mechanics at the dealership about larger tires and he stated you can put them on, however, the Honda is engineered to run at maximum efficiency with the tires it come with. I like the looks of the mud tires and may switch to them later on. Any recommendation on tires would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your feedback. Jim

 

Not much I can say, but the Rubicon is a VERY technologically advanced quad.

 

The set screws you referred to are the two screws in the shifter handle. Mine have not come loose, but I am keeping an eye on them. The best thing to do would be to put some loc-tite on the threads and then you can ignore it. Highlifter is introducing a device called an Un-locker which will allow you to switch between 2WD and 4WD. Mud tires are used often on ATV's as most stock tires are not designed with mud riding in mind. I agree you will lose a little power if you increase the size of the tires, but 26 or even 27 inch tires would be fine. You could go with a mud tire in the stock size and eliminate the power loss ( as long as the tires were of comparable weight to the stock dirthooks). There are many accessories available for the Rubicon. What are your intended uses for the quad? Maybe by posting that we may be able to better suggest accessories that would interest you.

 

Go pick that thing up and hit the trails! Bought mine 4 days ago and LOVE it! Absolutely by far the best 4wheeler out there except for the in/out option of 4x4. Generaly speaking your quad will be assembled properly by the dealer just ride it and keep an eye on things if anything fails you have 6 months to get it fixed.

Good luck.

 

Bought mine a few months ago this is the best Honda I've owned yet and the list is very long
if you want to put some good mud tires on it go
with Titan 589's I have the stock size and it
doesen't sap any power off the big ruby.You might
want to run bigger though depends what you need.
You will never regret this purchase.


01'Honda Rubicon
01'Honda 400EX

 

Thanks to all for the input. One other question. Is purchasing the extended warranty something to consider or a waste of $$? thanks again

 

My dealer wasn't very flexible with the purchase price when I bought mine in August. However, I got him to throw in service manual (strongly suggested) and 4 !/2 year extended warranty for $200. Not really thrown in was it?
The book does cost over $50 dollars.

 

Don't mean to be a smart a$$ but why didn't you ride a Polaris

 

There aren't any recalls or repair campaigns on the Rubi, so don't worry about that. Just check out the fit and finish for anything that looks out of the ordinary. Most dealers are pretty good about setting up their machines. If you have any questions at all about it's operation, ask before you leave.