The reason why every Honda motor is low on power compared to the rest is simple, reliability. This is Honda's secret. They don't make anything to radical so their quads last longer and their reputation stays on the up and up.

 

Thanks for the info Brent. Nice pics to boot![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Yeah I know honda builds things for reliability but it sure seams they could have pinched just a tad more out of a 650....there 300ex boasts about 15 hp....that 3 speed must really rob alot of power ..... even then 16 seams too low...

 

I have a '02 Rubicon and a '03 Rincon, both are equiped with 26" Titan 589 M/Ss. I recently spent 4 days camping with both of them and was towing a 800-900lb trailer the entire time, over hills, mud, dirt roads and through deep creeks and I'll say this about both the Rincon and the Rubicon.

The Rubicon is definately the work horse of the two. In high range it would tow the load but it hated it, in any of the drive settings (D1, D2 or ESP). In low range it simply took off and drove over everything in it's way. Low range on the Rubicon loves to tow a load.

The Rincon towed the load with no problems but didn't have the low end grunt "feel" that the Rubicon did in low range. It was way lower then the Rubicon in high range though. The Rincon also had about 125lbs on the front rack and 200lbs on the rear rack, where as the Rubicon had next to nothing on it's racks.

This was the first time I was able to get both the Rincon and Rubicon out for a good long camping trip with lots of gear. I deliberately loaded up the Rincon to see what it could do and was quite pleased with the results. It went everywhere I asked it to while towing and hauling the load.

Everyone that says the Rincon doesn't have any low end grunt is wrong. I will admit that it doesn't have the low end grunt that the other big bore quads have but the torque converter does get the job done when you need it.

All I'm going to say about the P650, atleast the one I ride with, is that it is fast. Hmmmmmm, yep thats it.

 

I tell you my Rincon has alot of low end grunt.That thing will wheelie over logs at will.My Grizzly would'nt do that.My Rincon still impresses me every time I am on it.Don't knock it until you try it.No belts to worry about its awsome.
My Rincon

 

I hauled an entire Bull Elk off a mountain in Colorado this past hunting season, with my Rincon. This was a gutted animal with head still intact. I also could pull a heavy trailer with two Bulls on it. The ATV's with the belt driven transmission scorched their belts trying to pull the heavy loads up steap terrain, this is their terminalogy not mine. They simply said for me to be glad I had a transmission instead of a belt. Good riding.