The transmission and engine have over 150 patents on the parts. I am not sure anything else works just like it. The same oil circulates thru the enigne and transmission. I don't think any auto tranny does that.

[This message has been edited by TxDoc2 (edited 12-28-1999).]

 

They probably asked for a little help from their Honda car engineers to design the tranny. That's certainly possible. They should know a lot about how they work.

 

Actually, this transmission that Honda is putting in the new quad is nothing new. I remember when the "Hondamatic" motorcycles came out with the same trans in street bikes.

I hate to show my age, but it seems like it was maybe the early to mid '70s. I did ride one that I believe was maybe a 650cc,4 cylinder??? I still remember thinking that it worked really well and was smooth as silk, but was boring as a pig that doesn't oink! Can you imagine not shifting a street bike? Hell, jammin the gears is all of the fun. I later read in my Cycle World mag that that is exactly why it bombed and was discontinued.

I've suspected all along that Honda would revive this trans in their quads. I believe it really will be the best thing going as far as auto quads.

Will it make belt drives obsolete? No way. The new belt drives that have come out in the last year are really excellent designs in their own right. The Arctic Cat/Suzuki design is superb in that the belt is engaged at all times and the wet clutch provides the disconnect. It should be extremely reliable. I have ridden the Yamaha Kodiak and it is also superior to Polaris or Kawasaki belt drives.

Interestingly, these newcomers to auto quads have beaten Polaris at their own game. Inevitably, Polaris will have to trump the competition with a more compact, reliable system. It's exciting to this long time enthusiast to see the developements of the last two years. Finally some real competition!

 

Honda has used for about 2 years now a centrifugical clutch-type transmission on it's two door civic, the model with the smallest engine. The new transmission is really like a manual transmission modified to shift automatically, or at least that's what it seams like.

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99' SP500

 

They've also got a belt drive car, I think it's the Civic HX or something like that. Totally new to cars. It has a system just like the quads have, with a belt and pulleys that change ratios.

 

maybe a dumb question but i hafta know the answer:
since the transmisson works on hydrolic fluid pressure, when the air temperatures get cold wouldn't the transmission become sluggish????? just some food for thought
cart

 

Dand11, the Rubicon is liquid cooled. The tranny uses the engine oil to shift, so the engine oil will be absorbing the heat. That's probably the reason for the liquid cooling.

 

Hey fellas! I found this bit of Info from a press release.
The Hondamatic transmission utilizes a hydro mechanical design that Soichiro Honda first introduced on the Juno M85 scooter in 1962. The Hondamatic concept was quietly reintroduced in 1991, where a specially-equipped CR250R racer won the all-Japan motocross title in 1991. Subsequently, the design team set about perfecting the Hondamatic for consumers. The resulting design is compact, quiet, maintenance-free, extremely rugged, and impervious to external contaminants.

Significantly, the Hondamatic features engine braking, an elusive feature in belt-drive systems that riders greatly appreciate when negotiating hilly terrain.

The Hondamatic transmission utilizes engine power to drive a hydraulic pump. The pump, in turn, drives a hydraulic motor with variable-pitch motor-side swash plate, motor-side hydraulic capacity and pressure are varied. In turn, the Hondamatic design increases torque as output shaft speed is reduced, providing excellent acceleration and powerful job-handling power.

The Hondamatic pump and motor are an integral assembly, fully sealed against external contaminants. The unit is mounted parallel to the crankshaft to minimize power loss. The Hondamatic is extremely efficient, with operating efficiencies ranging from 87% in full-reduction mode to 98% when input and output speeds are the same (1:1 ratio).

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Ride the "WILD COUNTRY" , South Gillies, Ontario, Canada



[This message has been edited by BigRed450 (edited 12-29-1999).]

 

They say is does not work on any special hydraulic fluid. It shares the oil with the engine.

 

So it uses the same oil as the engine... So what happens when you underestimate the depth of a water hole and sink it?.. Hondas are notorious for not having the best crankcase breather hose and when they go under, they get full of water... So that milky, slimy, broke down fluid with a little grime in it hits that "Far Superior than Polaris" Hydraulic pump and valve assembly... Will it make it home, and how much is it gonna cost to have it repaired?...
Ance again.. Just food for thought!!...