Chevy and Dodge still use 2 Valve per cylinder pushrod engines in their high performance V-8 sport cars . Not only is the design lighter, more compact , lower to the ground and better on fuel than their Porsche and ferrari counterparts, but they also have larger torque ranges and more linear powerbands. Both designs have their benefits

 

You can sugar coat it all you want but their must be a reason a Rincon 680cc only makes 38hp and a Foreman/Rubicon 500 only makes 28hp and Honda avoids OHV on every other product they sell.

Being the "One and only" in some cases is not always a good thing . No other ATV uses a OHV motor not even Honda's sport models.

Honda should put the excellent XR650 single in the new Rubicon and join the party.

 

I have said this for a while now, Honda's Rubicon could be one of the best big-bore utility 4x4 quads if if had more power. Efi, irs, diff-lock and a beltless dual-clutch auto transmission with push button manual mode with seperate high/low range are all wonderful features. Its that 28 hp 475cc engine that keeps it from being a top-notch contender. Honda has all kinds of motorcycle engines they could easily detune and use for the Rubicon. An 800cc v-twin putting out somewhere around 60 hp would do the trick. Honda could easily make that engine just as reliable as any of the other engines they have. They could simply take the new Pioneer 1000 engine and scale it down a bit to around 800-850cc and 55-60 hp. It still wouldn't be a fire-breathing 80 hp 1000cc hp king like the Sportsman 1000 or Outlander 1000 but would likely last much longer. It would be powerful enough for people that never considered buying a Honda to take a serious look because why can't you have both performance and reliability?

 

OK, how but we don't sugar coat it. OHC designs hold little advantage over ohv in the lower rpm range, where a ute spends most of its' life. In fact, they generally produce less torque in the useful atv range, all other things being equal. Ohv is generally going to be a simpler and longer lasting design which fits into Hondas philosophy. Finally, a lot of American muscle out there using ohv, including dodge hemi motors, and gm LS series.

There are a LOT more things that go into power band of an engine than valve actuation. Valve size, head design, intake and exhaust flow, carb or injector size, spark timing, flywheel weight, and the list goes on. The Hondas are low on power because that is their intention. If they really wanted to compete hp wise, there is a lot that could be done if they still want to run ohv engines.

 

The 499cc rubicons from 01-14 made 34hp using a similar engine design as the Rincon which was very comparable to the competition at the time. The Cams in both the Rincon and Rubicon actually sit on the side of the cylinder Vs in the block like most ohv motors which shortens the length of the pushrods. The Hp numbers are dictated by many other variable than just the engines cam placement. If you can't understand that then you have no buisness even discussing it any further.

 

I know my cousin just bought a new 2015 Rubicon with EPS ,such a nice ATV in every way but for that 28hp power plant . Then the kicker came when the Yamaha dealer 3 weeks later was selling the 708 Kodiak S.E with power steering for the same price! He almost flipped.

I know some snowmobilers that will defend the old bogie wheel suspension to this day. LOL

 

I saw some 2015 Grizzly 700's recently for sale with power steering for $7250 locally. The 2016 Kodiak with power steering was pretty much the same price but not the S.E. model so it didn't have diff-lock. I think I would rather have a 2015 Grizzly 700 with the 686cc engine with diff-lock instead of a 2016 Kodiak with the 708cc engine and no diff-lock. The new engine may have slightly more power(48 vs 46 hp) but the added weight pretty much cancels this out and the less aggressive clutching of the Kodiak probably means the 2015 Grizzly will still outperform it. The base model Kodiak 700 for $6075 is still a great bargain though no eps.

 

Harley's still use pushrod engines, the dodge hemi engines are pushrod, all of chevy's current v8s are pushrod engines and all are capable of big power. truthfully I don't think ohc engines belong in trucks, the pushrod engines produce power at lower rpms

 

The 680 ohv Rincon makes 38hp . the 700 Grizzly makes 48hp . You can juggle the books all you want .

BTW the new current Harleys do not use the push rod they have been with the DOHC High Output Twin Cam 103B™ engine for a few years now. 2016 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Review Even they moved on.

 

Lol, dude, please wake up. Valve actuation does not directly correlate to hp. Compression ratio, valve area, intake and exhaust flow, bore vs stroke, rpm range (which is somewhat related to valve actuation) all have a much larger impact on an engines production. Heck, the weight of all those reciprocating components may have more to do with it than ohv vs ohc.

Furthermore, an ohv engine is very suitable for your type of riding. Slow, low to mid rpm range technical stuff is where a well designed ohv will generally hold a torque advantage.

No book juggling, no sugar coating, no white washing, just reality.