Anybody know 4 wheelers: ATV's? That has....

[Scooby074]

An ATV (or truck) without 4wd is about as useless as **** on a bull around here. Maybe on old railbed trails or in a quarry you'll be OK, but not in the woods or under the powerlines. We used to wheel with a couple of sport quad (2wd) guys and they were always pushing their rig through mud holes on foot while we just bombed through. Let alone they'd get high centred and just sit and spin. And they ran good tires.

2wd is fun and easier to steer, no doubt. I added a warn 4x2 kit to my foreman and it completely changes the feel of the bike, makes is much more sporty on the groomed trails. but in the woods and mud, 4wd is king.

 

[Scott85]

Have they fixed the problem with reverse in the new models of the honda rancher?

 

[cdaigle430]

Exactly, It's using oil rather than a whining, (possibly) slipping belt and I'd bet that type of tranny would cost a bit more as well. Really wished we could see these manufactures explore different types of tranny's other than just the CVT belt design. The Rubicon 500 really isn't that much more expensive over the competitors.[/QUOTE

Not sure why your all saying they are more expensive-they are not. The only downside to my Rincon is that engineers cant build on it much more than it is yet. I would like to see them go to a two cylinder and maybe add a low range to the Rincon but because the transmission, torque converter, and engine share the same oil sump-plus the weight and size limitiations of the engine-Honda hasnt been able to add those improvements yet. If they did-no ATV could touch it. Every other brand is just adding on to the old sled\belt design so adding HP is no big deal. But-the cost for these are very much inline with the other brand flagship models.

 

[cdaigle430]

I agree with dfkrug that 4x4 is overrated. That is not the same as saying that it is no good. It is just that a lot of my peers tend to think that anything that doesn't have 4wd is a POS. My little 2wd atv is ridiculous fun and will go anywhere on my property. I have never owned a 4x4 vehicle (unless you count my tractor) and have never been stuck, nor backed down from any conditions.

Its true,
I only need to put mine in 4x4 1% of the time. However, for things like towing, plowing, dragging a 1200 pound moose carcass-4x4 is a must. My Honda Rincon 650 tows that pile of would up the hill with no effort-and its green wood but because the gravel is softish it has to be in four wheel drive.

 

[dfkrug]

View attachment 349903

Its true,
I only need to put mine in 4x4 1% of the time.

The OP has some uses in mind for his 1st ATV, so numerous important questions need to be asked
and answered before he can make an informed buying decision. We all went thru this process with
our first tractor, yes? There is no one-size-fits-all for tractors OR quads. And, More is not always
Better.

Some of the questions I would ask of a first-time buyer:

> obviously, what are you going to do with it? Plowing, tilling, rock-crawling, just
tooling around the ranch with a shovel (or sprayer, chainsaw, rifle, etc)? What?

less obvious:
> do you need to be near a competent dealer/mechanic for service?
> are there physical restrictions or preferences that would make you want a particular
transmission? Do you know about the choices?
> do you have some tight places (or transport) where size matters?
> are you going to buy multiple ATVs that might have different capabilities?
> do you care about the cost? (believe-it-or-not, many don't care) I am including
reliability here.

It can be hard not to project one's own preferences on others. And dealers will
usually push a newbie into the biggest, most expensive unit he has in stock.

 

[rmk700]

Not sure why your all saying they are more expensive-they are not. The only downside to my Rincon is that engineers cant build on it much more than it is yet. I would like to see them go to a two cylinder and maybe add a low range to the Rincon but because the transmission, torque converter, and engine share the same oil sump-plus the weight and size limitiations of the engine-Honda hasnt been able to add those improvements yet. If they did-no ATV could touch it. Every other brand is just adding on to the old sled\belt design so adding HP is no big deal. But-the cost for these are very much inline with the other brand flagship models.

Honda's ideal atv would be the Rincon with the Rubicon tranny in it.

2014 FourTrax Foreman Rubicon Innovations - Honda Powersports