Can anyone tell me why none of the hondas have differential locks?

Ryan

 

Honda probably feels it's not needed since their utility atvs are designed for work purposes.

I would also think that Honda feels that folks that use their atvs for work will never see really deep mud to require a locking differential. I use my Rubicon for work and never ever see really deep mud where I would need one. But that's me.
They finally wised up and added the feature to where you can take the atv out of 4wd, which is a great for normal riding where 2wd will suffice. A full time 4wd atv is "work" after a while, especially when a lot of turning is involved.

I really have no idea......only Honda knows.

 

be thankful honda finally gave you fuel injection in 2007!
They still use drum brakes!
Honda is a little behind the curve in regards to offering options like a twin cylinder, locking diff, disk brakes and power steering on their atv's- which would only make a work horse atv that much better IMO.


The Honda Rincon 650 / 680 are recreation / trail performance atv's with an IRS specifically designed for the trails with a sport tuned aluminum suspension.

one of these days Honda will put out a fire breathing twin cylinder monster that'll take the atv market by surprise- Just don't know when!

 

Their torque sensing auto locking differential actually seems to work pretty well. It could react a little faster, but I don't think there are many situations where having a manual locker would make the difference between getting stuck and getting through.

Trying to push too much with the plow, or trying to drag something that really resists (like another machine stuck in the mud) my quads will generally spin all 4 tires immediately.

In really loose or sloppy stuff, it can take just a split second for one or the other of the front wheels to engage.

 

I realize the Rincon is a trail machine and in my opinion, any atv with an IRS is a trail machine.
My Rubicon is a work horse however as most any of the atvs Honda builds with a SRA.

When I had my 05 Rancher 4wd, I used it once to try and pull my F 150 that had got stuck in the yard after I unloaded a desk. It had rained all day and night before so the back wheels of the truck broke free....stuck!

I hooked the Rancher to the front, pulled the truck about a foot before all 4 wheels of the Rancher broke loose and started spinning. Diff lock would have made no difference. I'm sure had I kept on the throttle, that Rancher would have dug 4 deep holes.
So I say the torque sensing differential works as intended. Did in my case.

 

Yeah, there was one time though when I was going up a real steep and loose volcanic rock strewn grade on my Foreman. It spun three wheels briefly before spinning the 4th.

It's loose mud and other really low traction situations like that I see the delay.

When dragging or plowing, on either the Foreman or the Rincon, it seems to spin all 4 tires immediately if it breaks traction.

 

I've had experiences where a diff lock made all the difference in the world- pulling through mud and plowing. Diff lock really shines when crawling over wet logs square on (like on errosion control up a mountain)- I've been bone stuck in a mud hole with my KQ700 in 4x4 just spinning tires trying to get over the berm at the end of the mud hole- hit the diff lock and it pulled me right out. So, saying that having a diff lock wouldn't make a difference over a 3x4, I totally disagree... you never know what you're missing when you don't have it. Honda's 4x4 never has equal power behind all 4 tires- and only has at any given time power behind 3 tires when in 4x4 mode-

My rincon 650 was pretty good at getting through situations- but I found I was always avoiding obstacles that i would normally hit on my other front locking atv's.

 

Not knocking the Honda here and we all know rider skill goes a long way on how you get through technical terrain but here is a video showing the difference between having diff lock and not.
YouTube - Grizzly 700 on a technical, rutted, snowy climb...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEtpY...layer_embedded

 

wow, that's a great video on how a locker pulls you through- having that front diff locker saved his ***!

I was in a similar situation only it was mud with deep ruts- the front locker got me out- and the lack of a front locker on my honda rincon is the reason why I sold it two days ago and bought another outlander 800

 

A front locking differential affects the steering and Honda believes it's a liability.

You need to weigh out whats important to you. A couple times a year I really wish my front diff would lock up but it doesn't.

Would I trade what I do like about my atv for a different one with a locking front differential?? Nope.