The new rubicon is billed as a fully auto tranny with a "true" engine brake and maintenance free. I have a Y2kodiac and am extremely pleased with perfomance, looks and reliability. The engine brake is excellent and I don't see how it could be improved upon. I think Honda makes a good product, having owned one, but are hydraulics better than belt, or just another thing to go wrong. I realize this is comparing a 400 to a 500 but the Kodiac will out run a 450es. Any thoughts on the subject??

 

well i now this new system is new and differ than the others and a lot of people are sceptable about this new system but really we can't say nothing about this because honda hasn't relaesed
anything yet but to me it sounds like a good system and i havn't heard one time honda hasn't
said a word and ben wrong so thats what i think.

 

I hate to admit this cause I'm not a Honda fan. This bike is gonna be what the other manufacturers are gonna have to really worry about!!! I've been the Power Equipment trade for 10 years now and I know all about hydrostatic transmissions . They've been used in some equipment for 25 years now. Theyre bullet proof to say the least!!!Cub Cadet has been using them in tractors for about 25 years with no problems at all. Honda even has snowblowers and now a lawnmower using the same technology and they work great. You have an infinite speed control with a very smooth power transfer. The big advantage they will have over the CVT belt transmission is they wont get wet and slip, burn if overloaded, and dont rob horsepower like a belt. A lot of people dont realize that a belt robs about 20% of the engines horsepower. This wont be an issue with a "hydro" machine. They are basically maintanance free too.When Polaris proved that a variable speed quad would sell very good , the other manufacturers werent long to design there own. Well now its time for the other guys to go back to the drawing board and follow Hondas inovations if they dont want to be left in the dust!!! This bike will change a few minds.

 

Yeah until that little electric motor that does all the majic fails. Then it seems the kodiak's belt will be much easier to change!

 

There is like 6 differant sensors and switches that control the Rubicons tranny.I dont want the bill when that tranny breaks.====BILL

 

I would have to agree that hydrostatic trannys are great.Ive had them on lawnmowers and you couldnt mow anything to tall. But if they ever do break man does it cost to fix. Working for a Japanese company like I do you learn quick that quality is not any better, and that they have very few ideas of there own they steal them and try to make improvenents.
My Polaris SP500 is trick enough with the awd and irs I think I will keep the belt,so i would go with the Kodiak my brother loves his, and until the trail gets really rough he keeps up with my sportsman.

 

I also agree the hydrostatic trans on the honda would be expensive to repair. The series of hydraulic pumps, etc. would also rob power. It seems they are already having some problems with the electric shift. Will this be corrected when it's combined with a hydraulic system. Apparently you can still manually shift even though it's automatic. How about no option of in and out of 4x4 and drum brakes on the honda? I've heard of belt slippage but have not experienced it yet through some deep mud.

 

Hard to say what the new Honda Rubicon will mean to the ATV community. As stated in the above the Hydrostatic tranny has been around a long time but so has the belt driven clutch system on the Kodiak. Every snowmobile made today has a very similar drive system as the Kodiaks without the engine braking and these machines are put through rigorous workouts all winter long and they work flawlessly. They are also capable of driving an engine in the 160+hp range to speeds well past the triple digits.

One thing is for sure,when Honda makes something it's usually done with excellent engineering which equates to reliability.

I guess we will all have to wait and see.

1997 Polaris Ultra SPX SE
2000 Yamaha Kodiak 4x4

 

If you go to "www.dynojet.com" they have hp to wheels ratings for quads and the belt drive bikes lose no more than the gear driven bikes.Example a 400 belt dive Kawasaki Paririe has 19.6 to the wheels while the gear driven Suzuki LT-F500 is 17hp to the wheels measured on the same dynometer.

 

I think a lot of you guys are scared of a new thing.You are also set in your ways. If Polaris or Yamaha was to introduse this idea you would think it was the greatest thing!!! Change can be a good thing. Honda has the technology to build a good machine too. I think it will be quite a concept and probable will be very impressive to say the least. By the way, whens the last time you saw a Polaris car? or even a Yamaha or Kawasaki? I gotta give Honda gredit. They started all this with the atc"s of the past . And theyre still going strong. Theyve always been the innovator and probably always will .I think we should all keep an open not a narrow mind about this.
Personally I think all automatics are either for beginners or someone that is too lazy to really drive their bike. I like to shift because it makes me feel in control of my bike. If I wanted to just hit the gas and go , I would get in my car.