Ostie wrote:
Ouch, that's cold, Ostie! I was just stating the obvious. Honda advertised that belt drives were "archaic" in their first Rubicon advertisements before the machine was released. And I stand behind my statement that Rincon owners would prefer a lower 1st gear. Honda may very well change that in the future. The Rincon sounds to me like it may be the most comfortable trail cruiser out there. I wouldn't rule out owning one myself, but would like to see a few changes.

 

It matters not to me why Honda didn't use a belt, and I don't care that it doesn't have a locker. I am glad they didn't use a belt because the trans in the Rubicon is why I bought it. Other wise I may have bought a -------------Polaris-----------. Did I really say that?? Don't ever repeat that to anyone. That is what I went in to buy until I rode a Rubicon, love that trans.

The brakes? I think Honda has the best braking system on the market. They don't squeek and my park brake holds my ATV in one place, all day if need be. I don't worry about the pressure bleeding off and my ATV taking off, down the hill. How can you like brakes you can't trust? One leak and all your brakes are gone. One lever????? (and brake pedal) I have seen people trying to hold the brake from the right side of the machine while trying to get out of a bad spot, bad design. I guess if they had two handles they would have to raise the price.

 

A heavy-duty version of the Rubicon tranny would have been great in the Rincon.

 

If Honda had put a HD Rubicon trans in the Rincon, I would already have one.

 

I don't usually post in other brands forums, but this is too much. I know that I will go down in flames for this post, but here goes. Who cares what brand gets the votes of the magazines. Unless you haven't noticed, the mag's are very sport oriented and not very utility oriented. So unless your quad is sporty and sport oriented, it will not get high ratings no matter what.

With that said, many of you seem like the lady who went to the doctor for a physical. After an extensive physical, she asked her doctor for his prognosis. He said, "well, I don't know of any other way to tell you this, but you are obese." Disgusted, she said, "I demand a second opinion!". He turned and said, "Fine, you are not only fat, but you are ugly too!"

If you read something that you don't like, will it really do any good to keep looking for other mags until you get one that tells you what you want to hear. Well, they already have a magazine that will tell you exactly what you want to hear about your own brand, it is called the Product Brochure, they will tell you that it is the best, fastest, biggest and baddest there is. Fine, but do you want to hear any other opinions? Most of you do not. I personally could care less what a magazine said about ranking the bombardier or the polaris or the artic cat or whatever, I look for their reviews, take it with a grain if salt, but I am always most interested in what they list as the pro's and con's.

I bought my prairie without knowing about the belt wear issue since the magazines that I read didn't mention it. What would the kawasaki board look like if they marked the prairie down for belt issues. probably quite a bit like this ones does now. Does that mean that the mag is slipping and not doing a good job because they dare say something about MY brand? Get real and go RIde Red!

 

Well said ConMan, I agree with you almost a 100%. Besides, with a magazine testing something, they go out on brand new machines and ride them for a day. Now tell me, Which would do better? An ATV that off the showroom floor has good handling, or one that needs a while to break in? It doesn't matter, and I know I was in here about this earlier...But If you would step back and just look at where the magazine is coming from, you will see why they rate things like this. They do it all of the time, with products, ATV's, and really just about everything. I personally don't buy ATV magazines because of this. I may pick up one once in a while, but that is only because I see something there that interests me.

About a lower first gear...We know that the Rincon was deemed the SUV of the ATV world. Well, (not bashing Honda here in any repsect) we all know that most SUV's in today's age, never see the need for a low range. Also, only Jeep and a few high-end SUV's have real solid axles, since the market today is demanding a smoother ride. Sure, the Rincon may not have a low range, or a low first gear, but that only matters in mud where spinning your tires is a must, and even then, from what I have seen, it is still low enough to spin the tires. If you own a Kawasaki or Polaris, more power to you for having all the things you have, but for all we know, next year those ATV's may be redesigned and come out like the Rincon in more than one way, so get used to the changing market, because as much as we want it to, not everything revolves around our niche in the market. Times change, and with them, everything we like changes. For all I care, the ATV's over 500 cc's are wasting power and $$, since the only people that need that much power generally are farmers. If you get a SP 700 because it is the biggest and newest out there, all I can do is shake my head and wonder why you got something that big for riding around your meager 20 acres of land and into the occasional mud hole. I have a Foreman 450, and I feel that after i bore it out and redo a few things that I would be able to hang with the bigger cc ATV's, since it is all about reliability and how you get your power to the ground. Thats just my opinion, but hey, what do I know.

 

Hey, I'm going to start up an All NEW ATV Magazine. Here is a peview: Every Quad from every Manufacturer is the BEST. The first issue is going to feature "Quads of the Year" picks. Want me to ruin it for you? They ALL WIN!!!! Every Quad available on the market today and in the future. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

Our Theme at "EVERYONE'S RIGHT ATV MAGAZINE" will be: "They are ALL the BEST"

It will Feature "Nothing Bad about ANYTHING!" There will be No Test Ride articals (Who needs them, they're ALL Winners), No Shootouts (There ALL do Everything the Best). Nothing but Pretty Pictures.

To keep things above board and honest, we will NOT accept any Advertizing Dollars, so we will need Investors. Anyone want to give me sveral thousand dollars? It's a Great investment, think of how Everyone will be so Happy with the fact that their Quad is the best. Here is your opportunity to produce the perfect Magazine. No Loosers, just Winners. No Negatives, just Possitives, No Criticisums, Nothing but Praises.

Subscriptions will cost $100.00 for 6 Issues. Isn't it worth it to be told that you are ALL RIGHT, That your Quad IS the BEST Quad Ever Made?

So come on, Dig DEEP. send your money to:

"EVERYONE'S RIGHT ATV MAGAZINE" (The Galaxies #1 ATV Publication)
P.O. BOX Duhhh,
IAMRIGHT, Mars, 00001

This is going to be GREAT, I"M GOING TO BE FILTHY STINKING RICH!!!!!

 

I agree with Specta 100% on the brake pressure bleed-down issue. My Xplorer has very strong brakes (can lock the fronts on pavement, and even do nose wheelies if the tires grab enough) , but I wouldn't trust the park brake to hold on a steep hill overnight. I would be too afraid the pressure would leak down & I would find it parked against a tree somewhere farther down the hill. Why it took so long for Polaris to add a 'park' feature is beyond me, as is why the 330 Mag has it, but not the 500 HO (????)

 

Conman, you are 100% right about the second opinion, and the magazines.

I do like ATV Magazine. They seem to be more sport/utility oriented and not so biased. They list the pro's and con's without praising a manufacture or belittling one for what they consider week points of a particular ATV.

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]MUDDY4LIFE well said I couldnt of said it any better than you. I also have a belt drive now but not for long had it back to the dealer already twice with only 1300km on it. They said the clutch is wore but they would not replace it all they did was put a new belt on it and shimmed it. I think a tranny is better who ever says a belt is better never had a bike with a tranny before.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]