kick Start, I like your post on honda atvs, I've been riding atvs for over forty years and its always been a honda until now. I owned a 2012 rubicon until a few weeks ago when i decided to trade my honda off and got a polaris sportsman 850sp. I thought about getting another rubicon but when i seen the 2015 model i could not believe it they just ruined the best machine they have. they had one simple shift lever and now they put back the stupid little red button and all the steps to put it in reverse. I live on a ranch and drive cattle all the time and the ease of one simple lever to go from forward to reverse is essential. So when i seen what they did to the beloved rubicon i was pissed. I also know for a fact that they are starting to use cheaper parts in their units to save money because a mechanic friend of mine said he is replacing more bearings than what he used to. I also can't believe why they can't make maintenance on their machines better. We also used to have the big red and the maintenance on this machine was a nightmare,also if you are going to design a completely new machine like the pioneer why would you keep the same size motor. the 700cc single is just to small for that size of a machine. I don't mind if they change the rubicon a little like a bigger motor and an irs but to do what they done is idiotic.I thought i would never own a polaris but I've had mine now for a few weeks and just love it the steering and the ride is awesome and the power is incredible!!!!

 

Honda builds what THEY want you to have and not what YOU want you want to have.

I loved my '01 Rubicon - it was an excellent trail machine and was trouble free for over 17,000 miles and 2000 hours.

I've ridden a lot of ATVs over the last few years and when I first rode a new 2012 BF I knew right then and there a BF 750 would be my next ATV.

I feel bad for those who don't or won't ride as many different ATVs as they can before making a purchase.

Too bad they can't do the same with tires.

 

prior to the DCT transmissions, Honda actually made great utility atvs for trail riding. Everyone is biased towards what they buy and try to justify that they made the right choice. What you guys are doing by hyping up your polaris' (a company that has had more reliability issues than anyone) is no different than what you explain Honda fans to doing. What makes the power any more important than the overall reliability of a machine? If you really got a chance to ride a few of the different atvs you'd learn to essentially throw the spec sheet out the window and go by what you truly like.

I have 2 can ams and still find riding spots where I prefer riding my Hondas, specifically tighter trails with a lot of off camber. The OHV engine sits nice and low in the frame and Hondas in general have virtually no understeer which can get annoying when slowly crawling thru a trial. My Can Ams sure have a lot and I've heard the XPs are even worse.

 

I think if i ever were to spend the money on a new atv, it probably would be a Yamaha Grizzly 700. Yes, some of the 800cc and up models are faster but the Grizz has plenty of low and midrange power. 65 mph is fast enough for me. Ergonomically, it just fits. I like that is has a single cylinder engine that you don't have to straddle like a lot of the v-twin engines. Its also the lightest big bore machine too so power to weight ratio is very good. It weighs 100+lbs less than some of the other machines, some even much more than that. But that's just me. They're all great machines but everyone is different so not everyone prefers the same thing.

 

I went for the fun factor this time.

I would never own a Polaris, CanAm or Arctic Cat.

Never rode a Grizz but would love to.

Loved my Honda but have no interest in anything the offer today.

I like the Suzuki 750 KQ but the bottom end performance of the Brute Force is just too much fun.

What's perfect for me may not be perfect for you. Doesn't make mine better than yours just better for me.

 

Well, let me be the first to say, anyone not riding a Can-Am needs their head examined. Just kidding. Lighten up.

Rode a Rincon for a day and hated just about everything about it. Went on every kind of trail except muddy. Went back to the rental place and got a Foreman with IRS and power steering. Was a decent little quad. Had no major gripes about it but power wasn't on par with what I need here in New England for snow rides.

Honestly, my ideal quad would have a Rotax engine, Polaris CVT (quieter), Polaris on-board storage, Polaris frame, and reliability of a Honda. I never had any real major problems with the Polaris machines we owned. Just wanted more power. The thing that sold me on the Outlander Max is the amount of storage you can get even with the passenger seat in place there is still enough room for a large box. Polaris might have won out but with the varying weather conditions, a wife who doesn't want to drive, and good power, the Max won.

If Honda ever made the kind of machine my Max is I'd consider it. Same for Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki.

That's what it's all about. What machine works best for you? What meets your needs best? That's what everyone should be looking at in my mind.

 

Honda at some point will have to come out with something different or simply stop making the Rincon altogether and only make 500cc workhorse machines like the Foreman and Rubicon. I guess people still buy it and it would be a great used machine to buy but spending 7K or more for one brand new I just can't see myself ever doing it. Its the only machine in that class that you can actually shift gears on, I'm sure many buy it because of that.

 

I felt the Rincon should have a 5 speed transmission. One of the things I really hated about it was going down a steep two-track with ruts and large rocks. I had to stay on the brakes the whole time. I'd gotten used to engine braking on the Sportsman X2 and especially the Outlander. Both would allow me to crawl down hills with a nice controlled decent. Rincon's first gear was not low enough. It would let me get up to 15-18 mph before it really started to slow the machine. Non-adjustable shocks made it ride like a brick under my considerable weight. Plus, power steering would have been really nice to have. The one I rode had the stiffest steering of any machine I've been on bar-none.

I guess what bothers me about Honda is that they could easily have a top-end model that would be at least as good as the other machines that offer more options, engines, etc. Power steering, IRS rear, adjustable shocks all around, 2-up quad, and a competitive engine to Polaris, and Can-Am.

 

I guess I mistakenly thought that if you rode the Rincon in ES mode that it somehow gained more gears than if you rode it in automatic mode. 3 gears isn't really enough. I honestly think that Honda keeps it in the lineup because everyone has to have a "big bore" machine though the rincon barely qualifies. For what it costs, it just doesn't give good value. Even used, people want outrageous prices for these, can buy a used Grizzly 700 for about the same or less and its a much better machine in every way.

 

Read a few reviews were they call the 3 speed Rincon tranny "Silly" Not only is it only 3 speed but it has no granny low 1st gear like the 500 Foreman so Honda does not recommend the 680 as a work ATV ,that's why its tow rating is only 850lbs,thats less then my 350 Grizzly that's rated at 1'100lbs !

Can you imagine a 680cc Big bore that should not work and a 680cc that does not break 40hp.
Another odd thing is the 680 Rincon is suppose to be Hondas flagship 4x4 but it does not get diff lock like the Foreman and Rubicon do for 2015.