first is auto trans,auto trans with belts.anything with magnets that make the 4x4 kick in,gadgets that sit on handle bar's that are thumb operated. remember keep it simple and maintenanced also i don't like anything that smokes like a weedeater and sounds like a lawnboy auto trans may be ok, bike seems not to go to far on gas,then the ones with belts sometimes get wet, not so good.i guess magnets are not so bad i guess but if they go out then instant 3x4,then there's the thumb shiftomatic, seems great but i could imagine it dangling from a nice big tree branch.

 

So just what do u ride "pooh?"

 

I have a 95 300 4x4. this thing has carried through many good mud holes.by the way it turned 5 years old this month finally had to replace a torn cv boot.I've replaced the battery twiceand added 26" vampires all the way round and added a winch.my sister is trying to sell their 2000 foreman s i can buy for under $4000.00 but wife says 300 has to go but i just can"t bring my self to sell it off,kinda like an old pair of comfortable shoes

 

Yeah the 300 4x4 is one tough bike.
I own a 97 that i bought used in 98, it had many hard miles on it before i bought it and i put on hundreds of more hard miles on it.
The only things that have broken are
f&r bearings
Tires
handlebars bent
one tie rod end
Cv boots
Head gasket is now gone.
I've has my ex for just over a year and it has alot less miles than my 4x4 and already three times the amount of parts has broken.

 

they are tough,great bike one of the best.i have talked to a lot of people that ride other bikes and have seen alot in action(mostly when they get their pump primed)you kinda get an idea what some bikes are made of

 

i agree with you. when i first saw the ES on all of hondas lineup, i was asking myself WHY wouldnt they just stay with the foot shifter? hey i LIKE shifting the damn thing, thats EXACTLY why i ride! to ride it! not to be lazy and have the ES! i ENJOY shifting. its a part of RIDING. and i enjoy riding. stupid lazy Honds ES riders. auto trans are crap. i just dont like them. i like shifting, mOre torque, and you can use the gears for braking, and when going down hill you cant go as slow for the atuo will go into Neutral. high tech gadgets get you OUT of the riding experience. if your not going to ride for fun, dont ride. unless you have to pull hay bails or something. you want a great quad? get a trx300

 

I sure do like our 98 300 4 by 4. I spent 23 hrs on it last week in our fields pulling a bushhog mower with it. Lots more comfortable than a small tractor because of the suspension. I have almost 350 hrs on the machine and so far nothing has went wrong with it. Its our workhorse ATV. Chet

 

Those 300's really do go in water. I had a 4x4 in water past the racks and the thing never skipped a beat.

 

if or when i get a new machine(got to have it longer than my last one yama yfm 350er 4x2)got to beat that (had it 7 years)im really thinking about the 450 with that locking diff or what ever it is,after it been out a while

 

pooh , I dont see how your 300 turned 5 years old this month if it's a 95 and it's the year 2001 how can it turn 5 ? You must have meant 6 , maybe I'm missing something.