I don't think anyone's missing anything.
EFI's are better. We all know that.
What it's about is a certain machine that may have options that you like and it not be EFI. So still consider buying it.
Isn't that really nuff said on that fellas?

 

Yep. Nuff said. I'm going out and buying an ATV with pedals on it.

 

My two cents says stay away from the 2012 Rancher. Great power but doesn't handle or steer well- pushes the front end like crazy even when its not slick. spent the first month in the shop and at just over a year got a recall for bad welds in the front end. Been a Honda fan my whole life but I'm done with their ATV's.

 

Best test but I would not recommend it in a confined space. Let a blind man ride a EFI ATV and Carb ATV and tell you which is which.
Like me he will not know the differance.

If its cold use the choke it only takes a few minutes and you do not need it for the rest of the day.
My snowmobiles and snowblower have carbs and they run in the cold all the time.LOL

If you just want to start up and ride you can always just take off on half choke and warm things up on the fly but its not the best idea to run any motor (EfI or Carb) with cold oil.

Currently it -30 C (-22F) but the ATVs are parked anyways because they can go anywhere with the deep snow we have this year.
I,m sure I could snowbmobile out to the back and uncover one of them and start it up but is not going 2 inches before it stuck.

 

Back to the Topic .
My vote is the Honda 500 Foreman, its the only Full Size 3wd ATV Honda has with a transmission that makes sense.

Not a real Honda fan,because the two most important features I like ,True 4wd and a low range sub tranny are not on top of Hondas list.

 

What about the Rubicon? Best transmission ever in an atv.

 

I love fuel injection, if I could put it on my 400ex I would. Carbs are so temperamental with altitudes, weather, etc. It is proven that fuel injected engines last longer because they burn cleaner and so carbon and all that other crud does not build up in the engine as bad. Plus in cold climates, fuel injection is just a luxury. My first fuel injected vehicle was my Toyota Tacoma and I just love being able to start it up on a cold day, turn the heat on and go back inside and let it warm up good. All my carbbed rigs I had to sit out there and wait for the carb to warm up enough to run right. My Harley is fuel injected as well and runs flawlessly. I go on summer rides up on mountain passes and sometimes get up to 10,000ft, all the way down to 4,000ft, can't imagine what a trip like that would be with a carb.
As far as best Honda atv goes, 400ex has my top vote, love how nimble it is and easy to handle, best trail quad ever made. When it comes to utes, I'd say the Rubicon, my uncle has one and it is a great machine.

 

From what I have gleaned from your comments that this is to be used for trail riding on forest service roads and ATV trails, I would suggest that you look at the Honda Rancher 420 FPA with power steering. Wife and I took ours to Utah last fall and they did great. Power steering is a must when you get to our age. Definately was a life saver that allowed us to ride all day without having to stop and rest. My wife had Rotator cuff surgery a year ago and could not ride longer that 45 minutes without giving her shoulder a rest, but power steering allowed her to stay on the machine all day.

Granted, it is a smaller machine but in the Honda line-up, it is the only Honda that has independent rear suspension, power steering, EFI, and 2wd/4wd selector in the same machine. The bigger ones all are missing one item from the my list. Also, if he is wanting to race, hot dog, swim, or drive it in extra tough conditions then look elsewhere.

 

Have done that with both my carb'd FXR's many times over a 20 year span .... Question for you: Is this your first Harley-Davidson?

 

Yeah