I'm ready to buy my new Honda ATV but I'm not sure which one I want. It is between the Honda 450ES,Rancher 350 4x4, and the 300 4x4.
I have a chance to pick up a brand new 450ES for a really good price but it is still a little high for me. The part the scares me is how well the electronic shift will hold up over time. That has got to be a pretty expensive part once the warranty runs out. It may be more than I need but it is hard to pass up at this price.
Or I can get the 300 or the 350 and save some money. I'm really at a loss here on what to do. I will mainly use the ATV for hunting and probably some trail riding but nothing serious. You guys have any words of wisdom?

Thanks for your time,
Chris

 

Hey Chris,

With all the "opinions" usually here, I'm really surprised you haven't gotten any yet...

This is not going to be easy. There are advantages and disadvantages to each choice. It's the same problem everybody faces when choosing a quad - no one quad seems to be everything to everybody - there is always a feature you want on another model/brand.

The 300 4x4. Same quad that I have. Fantastic little machine. Same design for over 13 years (plus or minus). Most reliable and popular 300 4x4 ever made. Decent power, good mileage, tons of aftermarket stuff. Rides like an empty dumptruck. I've been tickering with mine ever since I got it. Got the power up quite a bit and about to get some better shocks. Overall a great quad.

The Rancher... Who knows for sure. It looks good, should have more power, maybe even ride better.... But it's not out yet as far as I know and I don't know what the price will be.
I assume it will replace the 300. If you are just into leasurely trail rides - this would be a great machine and might save some money.

Foreman - Nice machine, tons of torque, better ride than the 300. There's a great number of the 450 ES's out now, I think the only real problem so far is the battery drain which Honda is fixing. There are some other quirks with the ES and what gear it is in if the quad is turned off. A good thing to do would be to go read the 450 thread that Gordon started - it contains lots of good info on the 450.

My personal choice would be the 450. For what I've spent to better my 300, I could have bought the 450.... But I would probably have started tinkering with it as well


Keep looking - bottom line is : You know what you need and are looking for better than us - Get what makes you happy!

Happy Trails


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Steve "Bog Hog" West

Honda 300 4x4 - Gordonized, Powered and Vamped

 

Why wouldn't you wait for the Rubicon? It is the newest design. If you are looking for an ES does that mean you want to have a semi automatic tranny?

Rubicon?

Just a thought. When do those things come out anyways?

RM

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99 400EX 95 Scrambler 400 85 LT250R

 

The Rubricon will be out in January and it is supposted to be priced in the upper 6,000 range. At least that is what a saleman told me. I just can't wait that long. Need it for hunting season which is coming up in a few weeks.

Thanks Bog Hog for your opinion. Your personal experience will help me make my decision. Now if I could just make up my mind. I have at least narrowed it down to the 300 or the 450ES. I might try and see if I can get a really good deal on the 300 and if they don't want to deal on the 300 than I will be riding a new ES come the end of the week. I will keep you posted.