yeah, I'm touchy . . .only when I run into someone such as yourself. Why would I want a magnum500?? I own what Polaris would consider their flagship model, correct - and it sucks so I think it would be unwise to get another. Appreciate your thoughts however.

 

Odin,
really like your opinion of the rubicon, guess new technology intimidates you. Guess a chain driven two stroker is the way to go!

 

Go in the Polaris forum and find a topic called "Mag. 500 AWD problems". This is a topic about a guy that has a 3wd Polaris. One of the front hubs on his new Magnum won't engage. Somehow I don't think this will have more traction than the Hondas. Especially since that one front tire that doesn't engage will NEVER turn, while the Honda's kick in and out.

Rancheres, I know what you mean. Me and my brother did a brake test between the Foreman ES and Sportsman500. We started at the same spot and went the same speed till we got to a certain point, then hit the brakes to see which one stops in the shortest distance. I was on the Foreman and got a cool surprise, in that the back tires would come off the ground! The Sportsman would just squeak and slow down to a stop eventually like normal, but the Foreman would bring the back tires off the ground 4" or so every time. It was pretty neat. And the front tires would rip the grass right out of the ground. Oh, and the Foreman would be stopped way before the Sportsman, so what's wrong with the drum brakes all you Polaris owners?

 

My, my how Honda riders are so scared of a chain drive ATV. Concentric drive to be exact. I hope you all enjoy the flavor of road dust you will be eating if you choose to ride in my group.

BTW I also own a 98 450ES Honda. So you can't even claim bashing. Polaris makes the best 4x4 in the world.

 

The only problem with the Honda is there is no fix for the front wheel kicking in and out while the guy with the Magnum can get his promblem fixed.

 

TerryM, I believe your are in your correct in your conclusions. I own a Rancher and have experienced the same thing. I have read a while back in this forum, or some other forum, where a rancher owner tested his machine this way: he jacked up off the ground three wheels leaving one of the front wheels on the ground and tried to drive himself off the jacks. Guess what? He sat there spinning three wheels. Try it "fellow Rancher owners" I wouldn't try it on a cliff or facing a brick wall. I think what you'll find is that Honda is guilty of a little "hype" in selling us the new AP front diff. I'm sure I would have still purchased a Rancher even without the new AP front end. I'm just a little disappointed, I hate to be BSed. ONE OTHER THING!!!!!!! This forum is a great way to bring together ATV owners and learn from others experinces, It's a dam shame that TOO MANY TIMES it boils down to "your ATV is junk and mine is the greatest" mentality. It's obvious that alot of you guys are young, but you don't have to resort to that kind of crap....Sermon over, go in peace. or at least make it home "in one piece"

 

I haven't done the jackstand test. But, my Rancher has often spun both front wheels on ice and a few times when I was in a deep mud ruts with both the front and rear wheels on one side off the ground. The ones that had traction pulled me out. No complaints about the limited slip here. I would agree that the Rancher is somewhat underpowered on hillclimbs in the higher gears but riding style helps alot. I've gotten used to it and now don't have any problems. As far as which quad is better, I have a Honda and a Polaris. Tonight, two friends were here to help me change the sprocket on the Polaris. One rides a Yamaha and the other a Polaris Sportsman. We worked on the quad for a few hours and never argued which was better. We agree that its your money, buy what you want! We just talked about where we are riding this weekend!

 

All I can say folks is try your best not to be a guinea pig. Honda makes a very reliable product no doubt, however they have still been known to produce units with significant problems. And all too often they are problems relating to new design changes. For example, those of you who rushed out to buy the new ES models soon found out about the battery drain problem. Honda has since announced the problem has been fixed with the newer models, however I have yet to hear if they will correct the problem in previous models at no cost.

The same was true for a lot of folks who rushed out to buy the new 600cc Yamaha Grizzly. It wasn't too long before we started hearing their compliants about how hot it ran and how much noise it made.

Try to be happy with what you have and buy something else only after it has earned a safe reputation.

 

Can't we all just get along, fellows I am have been know for giving hard times to others especially polaris owners which I am now a owner of a sportsman 500. Anyway I had thought about buying the new rubicon when it came out have always been a honda lover from the 70cc trail bike all the way to the big road bikes. I just can't see how honda expects to get $7000 for a bike that is not true 4 wheel drive, can not be put into 4 wheel or 2 wheel drive and has drum brakes. Don't get me wrong fellows I ride with some 300, 400 and 450cc honda bikes they come up a little short in the mud and really steep places but are great bikes that absolutely require no maintenance. Anyway the sportsman has a few things that I wasn't really crazy about when I first got it. For one thing the automatic with ebs is really hard to get used to, it is geared so low that if you are coming down something real steep it will break traction but after many times experimenting it is no big deal now to give it gas while you pump the brake or just come down it in high gear. The sportsman does sit a little high funny thought I always wanted a bike that sat high never thought about the tippy part of it but after riding it found out it is not as tippy as I thought. I had to start using the height to my advantage instead of my disadvantage. Guess really what it comes down to fellows it is whatever you like, I am really sorry to hear about the differential problem on the Honda's if there is one...I wonder if the fellow who said both wheels were spinning was just actually seeing both wheels alternating back and forth from spinning...maybe...maybe not. I would like to know if there is really a problem or not. I do like the idea of the manual and auto trans on the honda would be great for care free trail riding and at the same time would be great for coming down steep hills...I just don't like the idea of drum brakes never have had any problems with locking the brakes up on the sportsman when I wanted to and they are so easy to take care of. I don't think anybody could convince me that drum brakes don't leak could maybe live without the 2 to 4 wheel drive thing but would definetly want a better pulling system than the problem with the front end spinning around here in the hills of WV.

 

Honda did fix the replace the wiring harness for free and incorporated the changes into the new models. Without some unforeseen happenstance, I will get a Rubicon as soon as my dealer can get one assembled. If there is some problem, I feel like Honda will stand behind their product. We'll see, I guess.