I think if they were both 4x4, it would be more of a fair comparison. The fact that the Rancher is 2wd makes buying the Polaris look like a slam dunk since they're close to the same price. Used Hondas tend to sell for the most money other than maybe used Can-ams because they're so darn expensive new. Hondas are more reliable but the extra power, ground clearance and 4x4 make the Sportsman an obvious winner here. I saw 2009 500 Sportsman with a bit more miles locally(1400 miles) for $3300 so that price is reasonable. I believe the Rancher is overpriced. I wouldn't pay more than $2500 for a 2wd Rancher. I paid a lot less than that for my 350.

 

I don't know, even if the 420 was a 4wd the Sportsman still has many advantages over it.

IRS
Ground Clearance
Suspension travel
Hydraulic rear disk brake
True AWD not 3wd
25" Tires
almost 10hp more
3 headlights
Low range, I don't count a low 1st granny gear as a dedicated low range.

Most likely why the two never face off in a Shootout review, there just to different.
Like comparing a Ford Ranger to a Ford F-150.

I did have a 2001 Foreman 450E.S for a short time and have to say the thumb shift never gave me much trouble. Sometimes neutral was hard to get into and you had the shake the machine for some reason to get it in gear.

 

I guess it you really want to be able to shift for yourself, then Honda is the only option left. Everyone else has cvt auto transmissions. I bought the Rancher I have now because it was cheap, not because it was really what I wanted at the time. I just didn't want to spend a whole lot of money. If I were to upgrade to something with more power and 4x4, a fuel injected Sportsman 500 would definitely be near the top of the list, along with a Grizzly 550 or 700. Though the Sportsman would probably be a little less expensive, you don't see any used Grizzly 550 or 700's in the $3000 range, more like $5000 for the nicer ones. Used Honda 4x4's tend to be overpriced, along with anything with Can-Am on it.

 

A nice ATV would of been the Yamaha 550 motor in the 350/450 Grizzly Mid Chassis rather then in the 700 Grizzly full sized clumsy Chassis.

Not sure what the point of the 420 Rancher is now since it almost the same chassis as the 475 Foreman except of smaller tires. The Foreman only advantage is a little more suspension travel and diff lock with 55cc more.

 

I guess the only real advantage is that its a little cheaper than the Foreman. Just like the Grizzly 550 is the same as the 700 except for the engine and a lower price. Customers have to decide if its worth the extra money to get a few more hp. Some will pay it, some will just pay less and go with a little less power. I don't really see the 550/700 as being "clumsy" but yes the 350 is noticeably smaller and having a smaller mid-sized machine with the same power as the larger Grizzly would be great idea. The 450 Wolverine was a good machine overall but it needed more power. If Yamaha would have upgraded it with the 550 engine, they would still be building them because people would continue to buy them. That would have given it the hp boost it needed to compete with the Renegade 500 and Scrambler 500. It still would fall short against the bigger 800/850 and 1000cc versions but it would cost a lot less so that would help sales as well.

 

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can the llmp Mode be
overridden?