I will say I had a Foreman s and it was a lot of fun on the trails. Rubi should be no different. Think I am going to pull the trigger on the Rubicon. Thanks guys!

 

I bought mine for play not for work.

If I had to own a "value" Sportsman I would give up riding altogether.

 

I like your thinking, specta....

I've never owned a belt drive ATV, but I've heard good and bad. Cheaper to fix, but if you get the belt wet, forget it. I'd rather have gears....

 

To be fair, CVT belts have made great strides in recent years, to the point where most now won't cause problems unless you go out of your way to make it cause problems. Most quads these days seem to be pretty reliable unless you really abuse it or neglect servicing it.

Still, IMHO Hondas have a feeling of very highly refined engineering. I do wish they would put a low range on the Rincon and/or offer the Rubicon with independent rear suspension.

 

They USED to offer low range years ago on the ATC's, didn't they? I know the old ATC90's had a low range if I'm not mistaken---a 2 speed tranny in addition to 4 regular gears, right?

 

Yeah, the early ATC's had the same low range that the trail 70 through trail 110 had.

The Rubicon also has low range. The Foreman has a really low 1st gear, so on that one I don't see a reason for low range.

 

I just really don't care for the clutch that Polaris uses. When stopped the belt too stops but the clutch keeps spinning, that why they eat soo many belts.

Our camp host has an 04 500 HO with 5000 miles on the OE belt and tires. I knew there was one good one out there.

 

Jeffin says -- Still, IMHO Hondas have a feeling of very highly refined engineering--
.... In response I'm pulling Honda gears out regularly that need changing -- and these jobs should be warranty/recall , though Honda doesn't want to know.
In short, if your first or second gear on a 500 or 420 is 'kicking' or sticky getting into or out of gear, then you have another Honda lemon going to leave a bitter $$$ taste in the wallet.
I'm Honda through and through - but the quality IS GETTING WORSE. Try and read the VIN number on a modern, say 2007, atv ---usually its rusty -- then read the VIN on an old 300, and its paint is usually fresh.with the VIN legible.

 

$2000 more for a ATV that comes in dead last in a 500 4wd utility shootout 4x4 ATVs Comparison Test Report - What's the Best 500 Utility ATV?



The Sportsman has more power,ground clearance,is faster, has rear disc brakes, true AWD,pulls harder with its low and AWD and has a more comfortable ride. The polaris should be 2k more.

As for Honda reliability, $2000 can do alot of fixing,I may of spent $100 on my Sportsman in the last 5 years, not counting tires of course. I bought a belt for $70 after 2000 miles of hard riding even though the old belt looked and worked great.

I would buy the Sportsman take the $2000 I saved get a hotel suit,high end call girl ,and have room sevice bring everthing directly to the hot tub. or awsome rims,tires and a winch with a grand still in my pocket.

 

I went with the Honda Rubicon, I think it was the best choice for me. I do have a 08 Polaris 500EFI that I have had 0 problems with. I was drawn back to Honda and other due to the size and weight of the Polaris. I dont have a big need for IRS and I dont have much mud out here in W Montana. I do mosly hunting and fishing trips.