Rincon shootout/DIRTWHEELS slipping?
#101
12-30-2002, 05:15 PM
Rincon shootout/DIRTWHEELS slipping?
Maybe I'm not seeing what some of you are, but for the most part I think the ATV magazines are fairly accurate in their assessments of the pros and cons of different quads. They are riding new machines which usually don't have the problems that come with age and mileage (thats why I like reading the forums), and they are excellent riders who may notice things that the average rider wouldn't. I have only briefly ridden the new Prairie and Grizzly, but I would pretty much agree with what Dirtwheels said about them.
When Car magazines rate one car better than another and you own the "other" you probably don't get mad and say they're biased, or go and sell your car. If it is what you like, you just enjoy it.
In fairness to the magazines---If the magazines praise every machine, we say they're gutless because they don't want to offend their sponsors. If they rate the machines differently than we see it, we say they are sucking up to the sponsors who are supporting them most.
I think the magazines are useful for giving me a rough idea of the quads' features and abilities, and narrowing down the choices, but test riding them for myself is the best way to know what to buy. If there is a tie, price and service are the next considerations. None of the top quads are junk anymore or they wouldn't sell at all so you can't go too far wrong. Don't you just LOVE the choices we have today?
Heres a solution to the magazine debate: Just pick your favorite magazine and buy the quad they are rating as #1 that month (if they have a tie, then buy them both). You may have to trade in fairly often, but hey---you will always have a new quad and will always like what your magazine likes. Its just money!
When Car magazines rate one car better than another and you own the "other" you probably don't get mad and say they're biased, or go and sell your car. If it is what you like, you just enjoy it.
In fairness to the magazines---If the magazines praise every machine, we say they're gutless because they don't want to offend their sponsors. If they rate the machines differently than we see it, we say they are sucking up to the sponsors who are supporting them most.
I think the magazines are useful for giving me a rough idea of the quads' features and abilities, and narrowing down the choices, but test riding them for myself is the best way to know what to buy. If there is a tie, price and service are the next considerations. None of the top quads are junk anymore or they wouldn't sell at all so you can't go too far wrong. Don't you just LOVE the choices we have today?
Heres a solution to the magazine debate: Just pick your favorite magazine and buy the quad they are rating as #1 that month (if they have a tie, then buy them both). You may have to trade in fairly often, but hey---you will always have a new quad and will always like what your magazine likes. Its just money!
#102
12-30-2002, 09:40 PM
#103
12-30-2002, 11:30 PM
Rincon shootout/DIRTWHEELS slipping?
Too funny skipshot,
If you wanna talk about really dated technology that is on all of our quads...just take a look at the wheels!! I mean, how long has the wheel been around? Some guy names Grog invented it, but we still use them as if they are all the rage, silly us;-)
If you wanna talk about really dated technology that is on all of our quads...just take a look at the wheels!! I mean, how long has the wheel been around? Some guy names Grog invented it, but we still use them as if they are all the rage, silly us;-)
#104
12-30-2002, 11:36 PM
#105
12-31-2002, 01:42 AM
Rincon shootout/DIRTWHEELS slipping?
WOW..Im going to go with the person who couldnt believe he actually followed all of this BS.
Im going to take a wild guess here and go out on a limb and say " In my opinion, if you went out and paid money for it you want to believe you got the best" .....good ...great...who freaking cares. Dont any of you people ride? I have a Praire, I like it, I dont care if you like MY atv or not. Why would you care if I like yours???????? If the day comes when I dont like MY atv anymore I will go and get another one.....oh crap I guess I shouldnt have made it that simple for all of you should I have. What will you all **** and moan about now.
Im amazed that anyone has the intelligence to tie their own shoes that cant buy an atv and not even know what the difference between 3x4 and 4x4 is. Im not going to point out who in these past posts dont even know what they are riding so maybe those who are confused ( you know who you are) will actually take the time to learn something instead of telling others we paid money for the wrong atv..doh.
Take a minute, yell at me, forget what the other guy is riding, have fun, go clean up a trail, help improve the sport of ATVing, shut the hell up, have a nice day.
Im going to take a wild guess here and go out on a limb and say " In my opinion, if you went out and paid money for it you want to believe you got the best" .....good ...great...who freaking cares. Dont any of you people ride? I have a Praire, I like it, I dont care if you like MY atv or not. Why would you care if I like yours???????? If the day comes when I dont like MY atv anymore I will go and get another one.....oh crap I guess I shouldnt have made it that simple for all of you should I have. What will you all **** and moan about now.
Im amazed that anyone has the intelligence to tie their own shoes that cant buy an atv and not even know what the difference between 3x4 and 4x4 is. Im not going to point out who in these past posts dont even know what they are riding so maybe those who are confused ( you know who you are) will actually take the time to learn something instead of telling others we paid money for the wrong atv..doh.
Take a minute, yell at me, forget what the other guy is riding, have fun, go clean up a trail, help improve the sport of ATVing, shut the hell up, have a nice day.
#106
02-02-2003, 05:19 PM
Rincon shootout/DIRTWHEELS slipping?
Originally posted by: wilber
This message is to anyone else who reads DIRTWHEELS magazine.
In the December issue DIRTWHEELS did a so called 'shootout' of the Rincon to the Prairie and Grizzly and in doing so demonstrated that their objectivity (or their ability to use it) is slipping.
Admittedly, they are entitled to their opinion, however, whether their opinion is based on false interpretation of data gained from test riders, or filtered through an editor with an agenda, I don’t know (don’t care).
The Honda Rincon is in a class all by itself with respect to handling. I have put substantial seat time on both other machines and they handle fine, however, they just can’t compare to the smooth and confidence building ride of the Rincon. The configuration of the rear suspension components and their relationship with the front suspension provides unparalleled action and ride. Their suspension system has raised the bar in a big way. If we are lucky other manufactures will use the Rincon suspension as a guide stick in the future designs of their systems.
I have never been more surprised while reading DIRTWHEELS magazine. To read that they put the Honda Rincon after the Grizzly in handling and smoothness was shocking to say the least. While the Grizzly system is nice, IT IS TOO TALL! Not to mention the STIFF SPRUNG REAR END that forces the excellent front to earn all the marks. The ride suffers and is not even close to matching the high or low speed action of the system on the Rincon.
And as for the engine braking: DIRTWHEELS wrote that Honda should go back to the drawing board! That was an abusive and irresponsible statement to say the least.
If we define engine braking as the ability of the engine to slow down the machine, their system does indeed live up to their claim. I CAN SKID THE TIRES USING ONLY ENGINE BRAKING BY DOWNSHIFTING FROM TOP GEAR!
The fact that their system only slows the machine down to around 8 mph has nothing to do with poor design and everything to do with gearing. By nature of their 3-speed transmission (which is flawless), first gear is rather tall and is capable of taking the machine up to around 25 mph before hitting second.
By nature of this tall first gear, the engine rpm can only dive so low before hitting idle speed and 1st gear can no longer slow the machine down.
Leaving any other auto-clutch 5 speed tranny in 2nd or 3rd and see how slow the engine slows that machine down.
This seems like ATV 101 stuff that the DIRTWHEELS folks should know already.
Honda’s win at Baja 1000 didn’t happen simply because they were backed by American Honda (though a big factor), it was also due to the superb handling, rider friendly transmission, and smooth power that is typical of Honda. If someone want's to argue that the flipping Rincon was highly modified, and that is the only reason that they won, well so is every other flipping machine in the race!
If anyone should go back to the drawing board, it is the author(s)/editors at DIRTWHEELS who have allowed their impatience with Honda to leak into the pages of an otherwise fine example of an ATV magazine.
Buying the Rincon was almost as good a decision as the decision made by HONDA to build it.
Sincerely,
Wily
Fairbanks, Alaska
'86 Honda ATC200X
'98 Yamaha Wolverine
'03 Honda Rincon
-------------------------
Wilber
This message is to anyone else who reads DIRTWHEELS magazine.
In the December issue DIRTWHEELS did a so called 'shootout' of the Rincon to the Prairie and Grizzly and in doing so demonstrated that their objectivity (or their ability to use it) is slipping.
Admittedly, they are entitled to their opinion, however, whether their opinion is based on false interpretation of data gained from test riders, or filtered through an editor with an agenda, I don’t know (don’t care).
The Honda Rincon is in a class all by itself with respect to handling. I have put substantial seat time on both other machines and they handle fine, however, they just can’t compare to the smooth and confidence building ride of the Rincon. The configuration of the rear suspension components and their relationship with the front suspension provides unparalleled action and ride. Their suspension system has raised the bar in a big way. If we are lucky other manufactures will use the Rincon suspension as a guide stick in the future designs of their systems.
I have never been more surprised while reading DIRTWHEELS magazine. To read that they put the Honda Rincon after the Grizzly in handling and smoothness was shocking to say the least. While the Grizzly system is nice, IT IS TOO TALL! Not to mention the STIFF SPRUNG REAR END that forces the excellent front to earn all the marks. The ride suffers and is not even close to matching the high or low speed action of the system on the Rincon.
And as for the engine braking: DIRTWHEELS wrote that Honda should go back to the drawing board! That was an abusive and irresponsible statement to say the least.
If we define engine braking as the ability of the engine to slow down the machine, their system does indeed live up to their claim. I CAN SKID THE TIRES USING ONLY ENGINE BRAKING BY DOWNSHIFTING FROM TOP GEAR!
The fact that their system only slows the machine down to around 8 mph has nothing to do with poor design and everything to do with gearing. By nature of their 3-speed transmission (which is flawless), first gear is rather tall and is capable of taking the machine up to around 25 mph before hitting second.
By nature of this tall first gear, the engine rpm can only dive so low before hitting idle speed and 1st gear can no longer slow the machine down.
Leaving any other auto-clutch 5 speed tranny in 2nd or 3rd and see how slow the engine slows that machine down.
This seems like ATV 101 stuff that the DIRTWHEELS folks should know already.
Honda’s win at Baja 1000 didn’t happen simply because they were backed by American Honda (though a big factor), it was also due to the superb handling, rider friendly transmission, and smooth power that is typical of Honda. If someone want's to argue that the flipping Rincon was highly modified, and that is the only reason that they won, well so is every other flipping machine in the race!
If anyone should go back to the drawing board, it is the author(s)/editors at DIRTWHEELS who have allowed their impatience with Honda to leak into the pages of an otherwise fine example of an ATV magazine.
Buying the Rincon was almost as good a decision as the decision made by HONDA to build it.
Sincerely,
Wily
Fairbanks, Alaska
'86 Honda ATC200X
'98 Yamaha Wolverine
'03 Honda Rincon
-------------------------
Wilber
#107
02-02-2003, 06:46 PM
Rincon shootout/DIRTWHEELS slipping?
WAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!! SOMEONE DOESN'T LIKE WHAT I RIDE!!!!!!! Grow up!! I ride with mostly Honda guys and they all give me good natured crap for riding a Kawie. The thing is, we all get to where we are going. All these machines are good, so quit your damn crying about an article in a stupid magazine. My buddy Blaine has a 450es, Mike has a Rubicon, Ron has a 450s, Dean has a 600 Grizz, Dave has an Arctic Cat------who cares!!! We ride the crap out of all of them and we all get to the top of the mountain. I can't believe grown men could be so childish. I'm outta here.
#108
02-03-2003, 07:59 PM
Rincon shootout/DIRTWHEELS slipping?
I am with hondarincon4life. The Rincon is an excellant machine. I am surprised at how Dirtwheels bashed it. I thought Dirtwheels had been around long enough to know better. The Rincon may not be the quickest, but it holds its own against the Grizz and the sp700. It also rides as well as the others. And also has a sporty flavor that no other can match. If you want a workhorse, the Honda is probably not your best choice, but for agressive trail riding, it is hard to go wrong. As far as the price ( a little steep), you get it back in resale and reliability. And yes all machines will get there, just some faster and more comfortably. I ride with a friend with a 250 4x2. He still has a great time!
#109
02-04-2003, 07:49 PM
Rincon shootout/DIRTWHEELS slipping?
honda rincon vs. 500 sportsman, the only edge the rincon has on my sportsman is a flat out drag race & for what ever reason, i win sometimes. i have the advantage in the mud, sand, hills & especially water crossing. try to follow a sportsman over plowed field at 40 if you think the suspension is superior. i have owned honda before, the company has set on their reputation for a long time, while others have had the ***** to push the envelope. they (honda) deserve some bad press. why could honda not build a big 4x4 that is actually all that. its that reputation that was built long ago, dont even try the dependebility issue, honda has them to. & i bet they will get more than their fair share when they start making real atv's again. look no farther than polaris, yamaha, kawasaki & even suzuki for the real leaders of the pack!
#110
02-04-2003, 08:01 PM
Rincon shootout/DIRTWHEELS slipping?
Hondarincon4life wrote:
Hondarincon4life - once you grow up and your mom and dad stop buying you 4-wheelers for Christmas, spend some time on a Polaris or Kawasaki. By then you'll be mature enough to appreciate the finer points of all machines instead of thinking that whatever machine your parents bought you recently is far greater than all the rest. BTW - you got the Rincon a month ago and you've made up your mind that everything else is trash? I thought Michigan was buried under snow? Where do you drive this Rincon?
AMEN-I got a Rincon for X-mas-and I've had a Griz since X-mas of 01'-and the Rincon is incredible-Pollyourass and Kawasucky don't have a chance. I still have respect for Yamaha though.