I am looking for a big 4x4 with 5 speed, and am leaning toward a new Foreman 500. How does it compare with the Vinson 500 manual?

I know the brochure differences: Foreman is aircooled, Vinson has low range and park...

I don't want to start a brand war. I was really hoping to hear from someone who has some actual seat time on both in a rough trail riding or utility situation.

Thanks in advance.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

Jeffin
I can not comment on the Foreman but I have ridden a Vinson a lot. My buddy who owns a farm bought one last year. He currently has 1500 miles on it without a problem and loves it. He rides it every single day on the farm and says it is as nice as any one he has ever had. I can second that it is a nice machine. That being said I just bought a new Yamaha Kodiak 450 this week. For me I like its a lot better. More compact. sporter ride, IRS and locking dif. But honestly they are a toss up. I would have been just as happy with the Vinson and except for the IRS and locking dif on the Kodiak and the extra 50 cc on the vinson they are very comparable.

 

Jeffin-

I have been a Honda rider for over 30 years, but I finally gave up hope for a disc-brake-equipped Honda utility quad and bought a 2005 Vinny because it had the 5-speed, and most importantly...DISC BRAKES!!!

CAN YOU HEAR US HONDA? SEALED DRUMS DO NOTHING BUT SEAL IN WATER!!!!

Sorry for the shouting amigo, but I have been battling problems with Honda's sealed drum brake system for years on my 1995 TRX300.

IMO it is so pathetic that Honda's brake systems for their 2000 and up utility quads already have an aftermarket replacement for the entire system...what are their engineers thinking? Thanks to Highlifter though, you could buy the Honda and get the Highlifter disc brake conversion, and the problem would be solved.

 

Guys, thanks for the replys.

Tracker, I agree, the Kodiak is a nice looking machine, but I really want a manual (as far as I know, they only come in belt drive).

TexasRoadLawyer, I'm with you there! At least the new Foreman now has disks up front. With Honda's reputation for reliability, it's too bad that the Rincon doesn't have more power and a low range, and that it has drums. Also too bad it took until now for the Foreman to have disks.

How do you like your Vinson? Power wise, handling wise? Any problems?

 

The Vinsons have been praised for being a very versatile utility quad with excellent handling and trail riding characteristics. It has more (important) features than the Honda as well as more power. I was soo close to buying a Vinson 5sp yesterday, but at the last second I stumbled and decided on the Brute Force 650 instead, mainly because of the power.

I personally would (definately) go for the Vinson over the Foreman mainly because of disc brakes, liquid cooling and power.

Check out the Suzuki forum. I have recently asked some questions about the Vinson and got a lot of feedback from Vinson owners.

BTW....What will you be using your quad for?

 

I guess you shouted loud enough because the new Foreman does have disc brakes. LOL.

I picture the new Foreman as being another decent Honda but lacking in top speed. I would be amazed if the new Foreman would have a top speed above 55 mph. Some people don't care about the top speed. I like to go fast once in a while. When everyone comes out of the trails, you might want a little top speed to avoid being left in the dust.

The Vinson will probably be faster. One thing I don't like about the Vinson is it's size. It is tall and wide in the mid-section.

Really either quad would probably be good.

I would like to see a 650+ cc quad with a foot shift come out.

 

I plan to keep whatever I buy for a very long time and reliability is a high priority, so for me liquid cooling is a mixed bag. No coolant to change, hoses, water pump seal, or radiator to get bent or smashed. I've seen air cooled Hondas go for thousands of hours without a problem, but I wonder if the water cooling on the Suzuki could support a higher state of tune/more power?

Has someone out there been able to ride both, side by side? If so, how about some handling/top speed observations?

 

I have ridden both the 450ES Foreman and, of course, my Vinson.
Both of them have a very solid and smooth ride, but IMO the vinny wins here, the seat being a huge factor in comfort

I absolutely love the Vinson's power...I know it has the torque to easily carry some gnarly 26" mud tires and still shred. With stock tires it will wheelie with a stab of the throttle and a good pull on the handlebars...no standing on racks needed
Not having ridden the 500 Foreman, I don't know of it's power, but the Vinny will definitely SMOKE the 450 Foreman in the power department. Given Big Red's ultra-conservative nature when it comes to engines in their utility quads, I agree that the Vinny will likely beat the 500 Honda too...but, I would love to be proven wrong

As far as the reliabilty of air cooling vs. water, I have always found it necessary to add aftermarket oil coolers to the Hondas, (other than my TRX250R) simply because there was no other way to cool them off (it gets HOT in Texas) But IMO, the water cooled engines will ultimately last longer, even if there is more potential for breakdown of lesser parts (radiator, pump, etc)

I disagree that the Vinson is too high or too wide in the middle...IMO I found it to be very similar in proportions to my 1995 TRX300 which I rode up until the day I purchased the Vinson

Did I misread the DirtWheels article, or is the 500 Foreman still only equipped with disc brakes on one end? If so, I blame Honda's bean-counters...surely Big Red's engineers wouldn't settle for cr@ppy drum brakes yet again!

 

I thought it was disc front and drum rear on the new Honda.

 

The newest honda is going to have front disc finally, but it still dosent measure up to the vinny. Afterall the vinny took 3rd in the big bore class shootout last year only loosing to the rincon 650 and prarie 700. That there is very impressive.