Honda buying advice needed

[dook]

I've been riding Suzuki Kingquad 300's for the last 20 years. I have 3 of them. I love the low gearing, low center of gravity, low rider position, low racks shaft drive and smooth ride, but they are getting old and I'm tired of fixing them. Best engineering of any utility quad, IMO, but the execution...build quality is not up to par with Honda, so the price you pay is lots of wrenching.

I positively despise CVT type belt drives. My neighbor has a couple of old Hondas, Rancher and Rubicon and I admire the reliability of them. He does very little maintenance and they always run and have pulled my Kingquads home for me when they break.

Is Honda the only company that makes ATV's that don't have CVT? I like the build quality but I don't like the high rider position caused by the vertical cylinder, the cold nature of them, having to warm up for several minutes and the plastic skid plates. I guess all modern ATV's have the same issues, though (correct me if I'm wrong).

Been checking with the dealers, it seems Honda foot shift models are scarce. I really don't need devices/gadgets to decide which gear I need to be in. So I'm avoiding the DCT models. I must have IRS and EPS because of my age and physical condition though.

Is it possible to get a Rancher with IRS, EPS and foot shift? The specs I'm reading show the rancher is 2" lower than the Rubicon. I'm assuming that to be seat height. With vertical cylinder design, the more you grow the engine, the higher you push the seat....at least that's my thinking.

Any comments from the Honda experienced?

Edited May 14, 2020 by dook

[Ajmboy]

My friend has a 300 or 250 king quad, had many over the years and keeps one that is in excellent condition. However, he has been a Honda Rubicon and now a brand new Rincon rider. Loves them. Did you ever decide?

[dook]

Thanks for the reply. The last time I took my Kingquad 300 for a long ride, I ached all over, so I figured I should factor in rider fatigue and get a Rubicon. A local dealer had a 2020 at a reasonable price with everything I wanted, foot shift, EPS and IRS....but it didn't have low range so I backed out. Then I found a used 2018 Rubicon with EPS, IRS and low range so I bought it. It does have the auto trans which I didn't want and the deluxe package which I also didn't want but it's so hard to find Honda ATV's around here so I figured I better buy it.

I love the smoothness of it, the power steering and the quietness of a liquid cooled engine. I haven't taken it on any really long rides yet but I think I'll enjoy it. I may still buy a rancher if I find a used one that I like.

Edited July 15, 2020 by dook