The rubicon Has no Low end torque.

We put the all to the test. The rincon ,rubicon,foreman450s and rancher.
All bikes cutting their own ruttss.CLimbing the same hill,doing the same stuff. The rubicon could not get out of situations in tight areas were power was needed quickly. As Far as Mud the Rancher smoked the rubicon. Plain and simple. Its light and has more low end torque than the rubicon, WHY? I HAVE NO IDEA!!!

The foreman

It has better low end torque "not the greatest and it has just enough power to keep the tires turning in thick deep mud,and quickly sends power to the wheels in tight and steep situations were you need acceleration.

The foreman and the rincon are about the same truthfully! Although you get more speed with the rincon and it is more sporty,you loose torque for speed gain,abd still doesnt have enough ground clearance.

The foreman was just better in everything but racing across the bottom of a sand pit,thna anything else

 

Thanks for the replies everyone!!! I really appreciate them! One question I have about mine is that when I don't start it for a few days or so, it's REAL hard to start. And when it sets in the barn for a month or so during the winter, all it does is just crank and crank. Is there a check valve of some sort that may have gone bad, or is that just Honda's nature. I only have 65hrs on this beast. Not really any for a 2001. All my lil honda engines don't do this but my Rubicon can be a pain in my side. Any help would be great!!

 

altitude an weather play a big role in carb life. Dont know much bout the newr hondas but it souds like you may have a mixture problem i higher temp weather.
Just my 2 cents worth

 

so what your trying to say is when i pulled my friends 9000lb car hauler out of the mud, God was behind it pushing and the four wheeler was just for looks? Ive pulled truckbed trailers full of green oak and pine and the four wheeler didnt seem to mind. theres no replacement for displacement 500-350=150cc's difference between the rancher and the rubicon

 

If there is no low end on a rubicon then why can I smoke a rancher in the mud. With big tires you can't even get the rancher out of first gear in the mud, I can go beteen first, second, and third gears on the low side in the mud.

 

I must admit, my rubicon has zero low end RESPONCE in high range as lifting the front end over fallen trees isnt as easy as with a more peppy rancher, it takes a bit for it to build its power.... but in low range its unstopable! Overall the Hondamatic is magic in most situations

 

Just to chime in here, I've pulled a wagon load of hay (120 bales) with my rubicon and it works great. That was one of the reasons I went with the Rubicon over everything else at the time. Plus I LOVE the idea of it beeing shaft driven. But what's the best way to make it faster. I know the Warn disconnect will help alil, but I was wondering about jetting the carb. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

jet kit, air filter and aftermarket exhaust. or you could put a big bore kit on it and have the head worked but that can effect the reliablity of the engine and not to mention the health of your wallet

 

Funkdafied, in regards to you starting woes...there is a cold weather primer button on the carb. See your manual, it should have a diagram. Another thing could be the gas. Hope you enjoy your rubicon, I know I did mine.. Now I'm enjoying my Rincon.. and my wife gets to enjoy the rubicon.. I still like riding the Rubicon as well as the Rincon..

 

Catkrazy, I've pulled logs and stumps with my machine with no problem. Definatly not lacking low end torque. It has a lot more jam in ESP mode that D1 or D2 for pulling and mudding. As far as the 450's having more torque than the Rubicons, I don't agree. I ride with a few guys that have 450's and the Rubicons blow them away.

As far as upgrade to the Rubicon, I'd say good tires, a winch, possibly hand warmers depending on where you live, maybe a utility box for some storage.