Hey,

about to buy my first atv. Ruled out the AC b/c of problems with the trans. Now I'm down to the grizz and the honda rincon. The biggest perk to the honda seems to be reliability, otherwise the grizz seems to be the better atv.

has anyone had problems with the automatic transmission slipping or tearing?

I'll be riding mostly technical trails, lots of rocks, steep climbls. some all out runs for speed but not many.

thanks for all of your thoughts.

 

I have a Grizzly 660 with 700 miles on it. Everthing has been perfect except a bad temperature sending unit. The faulty unit kept making my temp light come on. If you are rock crawling two drawbacks on the rincon are: 1) no low range
2) funky engine breaking.

 

Grizzly. Its reliable, and the locker is worth the difference if there even was one. The Honda should have had more thought put into it when they made it. Everyone else already had their quads out and Honda knew what was on the table and what they had to do to beat it, and the blew it by trying to sell off their reputation from the 80's. Rincon is ok, but thats it. It doesn't compare to the other 650cc quads. They just left off too many options.

 

On the list of big bore utilities, the honda is only good at one thing. Thats casual trail riding.

It doesnt stack up to the grizz or any of the other big bore utes on any other level. Even it's reliability is questionable.

IMO, the grizz is a much better choice for most people.

 

You guys have all confirmed what I was feeling in the pit of my stomach. I'm sure the Rincon is a good machine but when my buddies are charging up a long steep hill I sure as hell don't want to be caught half way up with no more power and no low range. Same goes for deep mud. From what I've read the Rincon seems to be a good sport atv with 4 whell drive...if I wanted a sport atv I'd get one.

Bring on the tough trails....I'm gett'n a grizz!!!!

thanks, look'n forward to hang'n out in these forums.

 

I'll have to pipe in and defend the Rincon. I ride every weekend (very fast and technical trail riding in PA) and lots of the guys have Grizzlies, Prairies, etc. The Rincon can't take them in a drag race, but it's suspension and handling are far superior. You can zip through the tightest and most technical wooded sections almost as fast as a good sport quad. When I need pure speed I ride my YFZ or KTM (sold the 785 to a buddy), but for nasty terrain and GNCC type woods riding I'll take the Rincon.

I've ridden my friends' Grizzlies and the suspension is too mushy -- you don't have a good feel for the trail. Not to mention, they are MUCH tippier than the Rincon. On many occasions I've been with my buddies on nasty off cambers and, lo and behold, their Grizzlies end up tumbling sideways -- not a good situation. The Rincon is much more planted for off cambers.

Just my $.02. If I were to get another 4x4 quad, it would be Rincon first, Prairie or Brute Force second, Grizzly third. The new Suzuki sounds nice, but we'll have to wait and see.

 

The Grizz is a great atv, much better than the Rincon. You might want to take a look at the Brute Force 750 Kawasaki. It is also a IRS atv on the market.

 

thanks for the info on the Rincon. Since I've yet to actually make my purchase I can still be swayed. Everything that you said about both the Rincon and the Grizz I've either read in reviews or heard elsewhere. by the way, I'm am a bit concerned about that tipping thing. My wife said I have to up my life insurance before my first ride with the new ATV.

Here are my two big concerns about the Rincon, if you could tell me you experience I'd appreciate it.

1. long steep rocky hills. I'll be doing the majority of my riding in upstate NY. Will the Rincon get to the top of a long steep rocky hill w/o problems

2. deep mud. I won't be in mud often but when that's what everyone is doing for the day will I be able to get through the deep mud bogs

Basically, I want to know if I'll be cursing myself for getting an atv lacks a low range and admittedly doesn't have the best power.

thanks

 

Sluggo,

I can't answer on the mud question, as I don't do a heck of a lot of mudding myself -- the grizzly would in all likelihood be a superior mudder, as it has more power and higher ground clearance. On rocks, the Rincon is excellent and very stable. I like the positive traction 4 wheel drive on the rocks. We actually do a lot of rock riding in PA where I ride -- the Rincon is set up with Maxxis Bighorns and OMF beadlocks to handle the pounding the large rocks dole out. The suspension is great and soaks up everything and the power is very smooth.

If you're looking for stability and a lack of tippiness get the Rincon or the Prairie. My real reservation with the Grizzly is that it is ok in all aspects, but doesn't stand out in any category. In straight line speed and torque the Prairie and Brute Force are faster than the Grizz. In handling and suspension, the Rincon is head and shoulders above the Grizz (contrary to what you may hear). In work capability, the Brute and the Polaris 700/800 are better. The Grizz (although a capable machine) just didn't "wow" me. On the Rincon, although I can't beat my friends on their 700 Kawis in a drag race, in tight woods and GNCC-type conditions it is simply a better machine than the Grizzly (more stable, less tiring).

I race the GNCCs on the Rincon occasionally, and it is so stable and smooth (and the ergonomics are so well laid out) that it just doesn't tire you out. The Prairies always get the holeshot, but after a couple of miles the riders take a beating and I end up passing a lot of them with the "couch on wheels".

And to answer your question, I would buy another Rincon -- no doubt (and as you can tell from my other toys, I'm not brand loyal). See if you can find some people to let you take a spin on both and then decide.

-Jim

 

Getting to the top probably wont be an issue. The rincon lacks low end compared to other big bore utes but it has enough grunt to get it around.

The problem is coming back down the hill. The rincon has virtually no engine braking below about 8 mph so you would be on the brakes hard all the way down and that is far from safe.