I am thinking of getting the New Vinson but i am not sure on that or the honda rubicon.
please tell me anything that i should know about the vinson vs. the rubicon. maybe this will help

 

The rubicon is overpriced in my book. and if the tranny fails you, they have to send the unit out to have it fixed.
I picked up a 03' vinson auto for 5200, tha'ts the best bet.

 

I bought a 2003 vinson 5 speed. I really like it. The machine is awesome. It has a ton of power. It rides and handles very nice. It you buy one you will like it.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

We have both..03 Vinson 500 5-spd and prairie 650 vtwin...I really like the vinson..its my wifes..feels more like a motorcycle when driving it...super gas mpg.. drove in the back hills last weekend, and she had over half a tank,when I had 1/4... way better than the p-650..hate the kaw clutch system..often working on it ..taking it apart..adjusting...I have the black spring in it.....if vinsons comes out with a 600 cc or bigger...bye,bye cow....later

 

Rubi is more expensive, has less travel, drum brakes, non adjustable shocks, less fuel capacity to name a few. The bottom line it really is a personal choice! But I think it's a no brainer. Both would make you a very fine atv. ENJOY!

 

Vinson is a good bike but buy the 5 speed. Belts are too much maintenace and not worth the trouble.

 

Have had belts for the last 6 years and never had trouble. I never had to replace the belt, or adjust the tranny.

 

muddigger, I can't say much on the rubicon, I have had my vinson auto for 1 week now. This is my first quad. Had one good ride on it so far. So far, so good. It has good power and many nice features, imo. It seems to handle pretty well, has good power and goes thru muck pretty well. There's lots of it around my place and I went some places in 2wd (after I gained some confidence) that I thought I might not made it thru in 4wd. I'm sure a full locker front differential would be the best for deep mud, etc., but I don't plan on getting that dirty.

I did have one issue with the tranny. Slipped out of H gear several times on me, dealer came out, picked it up, looked at it and brought it back. Said there's no problem with it, just had the idle set too high which does not allow it to fully seat into gear. I have not had another chance to ride it since he returned it, but will this coming week after work. I'll try to report back if anything else pops up. So far my dealer has gone the extra mile, which is also a large part of the equation in a purchase this large.

Swampdonkey's comment about the belt has me perplexed. I understood belt drive to be relatively maintenance free save blowing the belt dust out of it occasionally. I routinely work on sled clutches anyway, so cvt's don't bother me. They're very simple. Best of luck to you in your decision.

 

I bought the Vinson over the Rubicon for 2 reasons: Disk brakes and 2wd/4wd. Being able to shift to 2wd is a really big deal if you're playing around with it on hard trails. The Vinson really handles very well and sporty, yet can do the job on the farm etc...

 

You won't be disappointed with the Vinson. The selectable 2wd/4wd is awesome. You don't even notice the 4x4 until you want it. Easily the best quad I have ridden in the woods and tight trails. It handles very predictably and is quite the Cadillac. Very comfortable and ergonomically correct. The motor is very strong and I have had no reliability issues. It starts right when you hit the starter button and has always been easy, no matter how cold or hot the temp.

Not to bad-mouth the Honda, but the fact that it is full time 4wd would keep me away from it. That will wear you out on the trail trying to steer the front wheel drive. There are mixed feelings about the Honda transmission, but they have always built bulletproof motors.

With the deals Suzuki has going right now, it would be hard to pass up a Vinson. There is $600 customer cash and they are dealing down to the price of a 400 class machine. There may be no better value in an ATV today than the Vinson.

Good luck!