I am planning on running the Rubicon with some friends this summer. I have never done it before and they are all urging me to rent a 4X4. I know I am a better rider than them and that I have never had any problems going where they go on thier 4X4s before. I just takes a little more finess. What do you guys think. Should I rent the 4X4. I really don't want to. I like the idea of being able to throw my bike around to where I need it to go.

 

You need to talk to "WileyCoyote". He has done the Rubicon a bunch of times. 4" of ground clearance isn't much! You will probably get hung up fairly often. I might try it on a 2X4 ute, like the Rancher. It will go places where you never thought a 2X4 could, including rock crawling.

 

I have a rancher and can go all around my cousins scrambler 4x4 in the mud.
I'd say you could doit just not as easily as a ute.

 

Another thing to consider is how miserable it is to do technical riding with a fully manual (hand) clutch. You are constantly having to slip it and finess the thing along, where with an autoclutch that isn't necessary.

And, sometimes you are in an weird position and you can't reach the rear brake with your foot. That is why utes have a hand rear brake.

 

Ok, my buddies wife is not going to be able to go so she said that I could use her Polaris 330 Magnum. It is four wheel drive and all do you guys think I should go with that or rent something bigger. I am 6'1" 220lbs. All my friends will have larger machines.

 

It will be a lot of work and not much fun.