I am looking to purchase a Honda Recon. I am 52 and weight 235 pounds.

The Recon will be used around a farm for carrying bags corn etc.

I also will be doing trail riding and want to do some trail riding on Hatfield & McCoy trails in WV.

My question is would a Recon be a good choice? You have one group that says, oh you don’t want that you need a bigger ma hone with 4x4. You have another group that say, this is the best ATV I have every owned. Can maneuver in tight spots great, only time I have ever gotten stuck is when I tried in it. If I bought non stock tires I would never get stuck.

Last question is ES or Manual shifting?

Thanks for your insights. Any yrs that are better than others? Would like to stay at or under 3k.

 

I am about the same weight and don't have problems, but I only test ATVs after servicing them so not exactly rock climbing. The 250 is nimble, light on the steering and reasonably powerful, provided you don't want to tow or plough. However there are problems with it. No crank balancer means it vibrates a lot and the choice of a slide carb seems to make it idle rough, and they are inclined to stall at idle, particularly when cold. Both are a big contrast to the 1980s 250 and the rest of Honda's range. They are quite reliable, Rear axle shaft wears fast as the LH rear wheel bearings tend to spin round on it. I have had to fit new cam chain adjuster mechanisms to a couple as they can break, which makes the timing slip, and it is the only Honda I know which has had big end failure, but again, very rare. ES is nicer to use but all of Honda's ES models give trouble, as the shift motor and shift buttons wear, angle sensors fail etc. 250s seem less prone to ES troubles than most. The performance and reliability did not alter much over the 23 year run, a re-design in 2003 altered little apart from looks, though the cylinder head is different, and from circa 2015 a strange emissions? system of pipes was fitted to the head, which again changed nothing that I can detect.

 

Your a big fella, so a 250 machine will be working hard with you and extra weight. When it comes to H/M trails, I would never go tgere without 4wd! Having owned a number of quads over the years, including a 250 size Yamaha, while they are fun to ride on fairly flat ground, it becomes a whole different wold when real work and steep hills/ mountains come into play. Been way to many times I had to be pulled out, or had to pull other 2wd machines out....never will not have 4wd with a locking diff again !!! Just makes it so much easier.

 

I'm over 260 pounds 6'2" I ride my buddies 250 rancher alot.
no problems here.
In fact I prefer the recon over my 420 rancher.
The recon is nimble and quick and a whole lotta fun to ride.
On the farm .and trail's I'll pick the recon everytime.

 

I had one once, they're an ok machine for a pretty cheap price. Mine was foot shift. It is pretty peppy for such a small machine that makes maybe 18 hp or so. Definitely want to put better tires on the back, Id suggest Mud lite ats as they're still pretty light and a big improvement over the horrible stock tires. Just remember its not 4x4 so you can't jump in deep mud and expect to make it. Top speed is about 47-48 mph so its not a speed demon and won't last if you try to drive it like that all the time. The guy I sold mine too rode it wide open and the engine needed rebuilt in about a year, was smoking badly. Seem to hold their value so if you do buy one and decide in a year or 2 you want to upgrade to something bigger, you can get a good chunk of your money back. Pros are small size and nimble. Cons are not a lot of ground clearance and its a bit cramped for bigger riders. I'm 5'11" 205 lbs and I think anyone taller than me would be quite uncomfortable on one. I wouldnt spend a ton of money on one, can find them in the $1200-$1500 range in good shape used locally. I wouldnt spend more than that unless its in nearly brand new condition. Really no advantage to a newer one anyway, its basically the same machine since the late 90's except for plastic.

 

If you anticipate mud, snow, large rocks or roots, or soft sand, go with a 4x4. There are some 4x4"s within $2000 of the Recon. Polaris Sportsman 450 is around $6400 and the 570 is around $6990. Both have fuel injection for easy starts and altitude compensation. Also, have more towing and higher rack carrying capability. Tons of accessories made strictly for these machines. There are also Suzuki's 4x4's in the 400cc range that are priced pretty good.

That said, the Recon with the semi-automatic foot shift clutch is a reliable machine. Friend's son had one that he used, my son rode, I rode, his siblings rode, friends rode.... You get the point. It was beaten on to put it mildly and still runs. Has needed work but considering the beating it took has done very well. With a 2wd you will get stuck eventually. A 1500 lb. winch on a Recon will get it out. Same goes for a 4x4. You will probably get stuck somewhere at sometime. Just not nearly as often.

 

This thread is a month old, I think OP will have got it by now, or not. The thing about a Recon is, if you get stuck you can lift it out.

 

Yes, this major fact is often overlooked. A 250cc 2wd utility quad has plenty of power to haul around just a rider and tools/materials on the luggage racks. Not so much for towing, plowing, rock-crawling, etc.

I remember the first time I rode a mega-quad. I think it was a Polaris Sportsman 800 4x4. Probably twice the weight of a Recon. Completely different experience, and NO WAY are you gonna manually move it if you get stuck.