Manually shifted Hondas are the most reliable, as the electric shift models seem to have a lot of complaints in this forum. The latest issue of Dirtwheels compares the Honda Foreman 500 to the Suzuki Kingquad and points out the biggest problems Honda keeps repeating....they don't make a locking front differential (on any model...ever) and they are still using drum brakes (which are crap) I used to be a true blue Red Rider, but got tired of the rear drums on my 1995 Fourtrax300 (which i still have) always failing because of water contamination/corrosion. Bought a Suzuki Vinson in late 2004 and it rocks (other than also not having EFI and real 4WD)
Not gonna weigh in on the ongoing " EFI is better" argument, just gonna say that serious altitude changes WILL create problems for carbed engines. I have installed Dial-a-Jet systems on my carbed bikes to help offset the changes in altitude along the trail...they work well and are fairly easy to adjust...not quite on the fly, but easy enough. Still, I prefer the EFI if its available.

 

Isn't the Vinson rear Drum brakes also?
Another problem of Honda is there Utility ATVs are all OHV not OHC like the rest. Its why they have the lowest hp in there displacement class.

Your 500 Vinson makes about 34hp while the 500 Foreman makes 28hp. Also except for the complicated Rubicon tranny,no 4x4 Honda has a dedicated low Range.

 

both my 05 & 06 rincon 650's had electronic shift bugs-
the suspension was nice but their engines & drive trains are antiquated.

 

Now I have a hillbilly making me look for my dictionary.LOL

 

"old"

 

My main gripes with Honda is no locker and I hate drum brakes. The lack of a locker would likely push me to a Suzuki king quad 500 if I was buying new.

The lack of low range on a 400-500cc foot shift model makes no difference in my opinion. Hondas and most other 5 speeds have a super low first gear on the manual shifts. My dads foreman 400 and my big bear 400 will easily pull anything it has the traction for in first gear. Ive been taking off with a load of hay on a wagon behind the honda before on blacktop and could easily break all the tires loose with heavy throttle. A co worker has a 350 big bear with high and low and my 400 without low range has a first gear that is just as low as his is in low/1st. Belt drives have to have low range to handle pulling loads that a manual will pull in 1st or 2nd gear.

Hondas are great for reliability which helps make up for lack of some features. I really like everything about the 500 foreman and could handle the rear drum too, but it'd have to have a locker if I was buying new. There are lots of great Atv's. Just got to figure out what features you want and go from there.

 

ehhh- not having a low gear on my rincon was a pita-
especially riding 2 up around new england. having a designated low gear is a very nice feature to have on an automatic atv.

 

Have to disagree with a 5 speed with a super low 1st gear is as good as a low range sub tranny with 10 speeds.
The Big Bear getting rid of the low range was a cost savings idea. Many times I seen my friends 500 Foreman pull a heavy trailer great with his (Super Low) 1st gear but when the trail smoothen out it would lug in 3rd.
A ATV in low range and in third can pick up the pace yet not lug, it just has a broader gear selection to chose from.

Like a 18 speed transport truck.

 

Beergut- I agree the Honda autos should have low range as well. Probably wasn't clear the way I worded my post.

TLC- I do agree that it's nice to have a sub transmission to give you 5 or 10 more gearing choices. I liked having the 3 ranges on my old quadrunner 250. I'm just saying that to me, as long as you have a low gear of some kind for the real hard work, you will always be able to get the job done without an issue, even if the engine is a little high or low in RPM's. If something has no low gear at all then there are times you may have to burn the belt or clutch to get it rolling.

I think the 350 Grizzly is only a single range belt driven auto, which is odd on a utility machine.

 

I love those old Suzuki,s with Ultra low, Low sub trannies 15 speeds. The 350 Grizzly has no low range but still amazes me for the things it can pulls. I think they clutch them with that in mine.
I bought the Grizzly as a "set it and forget it "gas and go" machine because I miss my old trouble free Big Bear.LOL