funny all but 2 people i know with Can-Am have had to get tranny work done and i've only ever seen 1 Honda have tranny issues and that's only when it's set to full auto

but hey nice try fanboy

 

I'd hate to have to lock a thread as old as this one.............

Maybe everyone will get the hint.........

 

 

I have seen CVT transmissions get modded to go along with larger tires. You have to change the clutching if you want similar performance while having the benefits of higher ground clearance through big tires. I have yet to see a CVT fail. I've ridden with hundreds of different riders and a core group of 20 or so. I've seen one snapped belt. I wouldn't consider that a transmission failure. It was my son not using low gear when he should. And I saw one case where a buddy was hopelessly stuck deep enough that water eventually found it's way into the CVT. Had to yank him out anyway. Undid the plug, drained the water out, and revved it to dry the belt. We were back on the road in 10 minutes. If you have a failure with an automotive style transmission you're in more trouble than a simple belt issue.

My experience with the Rincon's 3 speed automatic was horrible. Didn't have any real engine braking. It's not nice to have a machine that won't engine brake until you hit 15-20 mph. This was on deeply rutted trails with large rocks thrown in for fun. The Rancher I rode had the 5 speed. I hated how it lurched when it shifted and it never seemed to be in the right spot. I ended up manually shifting the whole day I rode it. Yes, it did what I needed it to but if I wanted to manually shift I wouldn't be buying an automatic.

Once again, to each his own.

 

Because you bought a Sux-icky

 

 

My POS Honda motorcycle went through 3 engines, leaked from the front shocks to the tranny, and I had to carry fuses in my pocket like change

 

I can go in and "adjust" some comments....

 

didn't know the Rincon was only a 3 speed, that really sucks. yeah i really love the engine braking on the Suzuki and hardly use my brakes because of it

that's exactly problem my friend had with his automatic 400 yet it was really smooth when used in manual. my 350 is actually kinda similar but it's a manual and you have to shift later then when you'd usually think you should or it'll jerk a bit, i suspect that's the same problem with the autos and Honda just didn't set it to shift at the right rpm


as for CVT transmissions i really don't know much about them but my friends are usually really stubborn and refuse to get the winch out when they should so usually spend 10-15 min spinning in forward and reverse which might be why theirs fails so often

not at all, i love the Suzuki but it is kinda hard on gas

 

Well, after a few years of lurking, thought I'd jump back in to my thread. First off, this was started as a comment on the factory wars of who had the biggest motor, and did you really need 1000 CC's etc. Not sure how it became a contest to see how far one could throw bodily fluids.. over tranny's, and apparently it became a bash this brand or that brand tug of war with no clear cut winner. So to clear up a few things. First off, when I started this discussion, I felt at that time that 500 CC's were big enough. I mean, they went fast enough to get a person in a whole lot of trouble. Maybe even get hurt or worse. But I'll admit that the way I used my ATV back in the last millennium and how I use them today, has changed a whole lot since the 90's. More important, I have changed. As I got older, I found I was using my utility machine more and more, and the sport machines just gathered dust. My Rubicon became my field horse, tractor, snow plow you name it. And although my Grizzly was the go to trail machine, I still preferred and to this day, still use my Rubicon with it's solid rear axle for the big jobs. Just because of the transmission it has. Which, given the fact that I have overloaded it more than I will ever admit, and it just plain worked, without a complaint, and without smoking belts... well you see what I mean. 500 CC's did the job. BUT and this is a big BUT... These days, because ATV's have become a tool for me, I pull bigger trailers, and the old bulldog is starting to struggle. Oh I could put a couple grand into wheels and tires with more aggressive tread, maybe some wild mudders and solve one problem, I am certain that the drive train and engine which was designed for a certain weight would start breaking parts. So my thinking on engine size has evolved as I use them differently today. Now I have been looking at the 1000 XMR Can-Ams. But I will admit, I am drawn more to the 850 than the 1000. Maybe it is just a carry over of my resistance to go to the 1000 just out of principal, but the point is, I feel the 850 will serve my needs. I would look hard at the 650, but I think that would be a better choice for Mrs. DB. And for the record, she is quite happy on her 450 Grizzly. But it doesn't have EPS and I want to upgrade her at the same time. (I'll keep the old machine for my daughter for when her and her family come to visit. I'll let her husband ride the Rubicon too.) But the XMR 850 looks like what the doctor ordered. And yes, as you screw with tires and mods, you may have to modify the clutches. Like others, other than a smoked belt, I have not heard too much about clutch problems. You will definitely smoke a belt or two if you put on bigger tires and leave a stock clutch in it. One thing changes the other and you have a pretty slippery slope when you go down that path. So, yes my friends, I have seen the light, and big bore twins may soon find their way between my legs.