Hey ATV Brothers and Sisters,
Mrs. Bounty Hunter and I have been kinda looking around for a project Honda ATV to fix up for when our son, who is a Sergeant in the ARMY, can ride when he comes home on leave. We were hoping to find a decent ATV for a low price that needed basic repairs, not a total basket case. We may have succeeded, but only time will tell.
We found a 2003 Honda Rincon 650 at orchard just north of us, and went to go see it. The trip was fun, dirt backroads and beautiful central California coastal mountains. When we finally found the place, we were shown to the poor old Rincon...which had been stripped of its plastics and sat there unashamedly naked. The orchard maintenance guy had had a go at fixing it, but gave up. A bunch of parts were removed, and mostly collected up in sandwich baggies. The tires are badly worn out, bald and cracking. Someone replaced the rear wheels with wheels from a straight axel ATV with deep offset, resulting in the back of the rig being absurdly wide...like 6 inches wider than normal. Looks funny, but probably was pretty stable in the turns.
It was pretty clear that this stout old ATV had had a relatively easy life, there didn't appear to be the usual signs of long abuse and neglect...instead it seemed it had been pretty well cared for by the orchard staff. Oil looked clean and recently changed, air filter well maintained, the battery was fairly new. There is a little surface rust on the frame but very minor. All the electrics work, including lights and dash panel.
But here's the bad...the engine had locked up one day just putting around in the tree rows. Transmission seemed fine, it shifts and can be rolled around in neutral. The engine can be rocked a little bit in gear, but will not turn with starter or pull rope.
They had already bought a new Honda Foreman, so they were just wanting to get rid of the Rincon. We offered 600 bucks, and they gladly shook hands. We used a cable come-along to load it in the truck, and piled the various bits and pieces around it. Everyone was happy.
We have not started to get into the Rincon yet, but will soon. I have read that with certain Rincons there have been problems with flywheel bolts backing out and hitting the stator...which could cause the sort of symptoms we are seeing. The stator is probably toast, but the engine may not be cooked otherwise. Hopefully we will see next weekend.
Thanks for reading, if ya have any experience with this model and problems like this, please throw a shout our way!
Have a Blessed and Peaceful day, and Ride Safe
Bounty Hunter
Mrs. Bounty Hunter and I have been kinda looking around for a project Honda ATV to fix up for when our son, who is a Sergeant in the ARMY, can ride when he comes home on leave. We were hoping to find a decent ATV for a low price that needed basic repairs, not a total basket case. We may have succeeded, but only time will tell.
We found a 2003 Honda Rincon 650 at orchard just north of us, and went to go see it. The trip was fun, dirt backroads and beautiful central California coastal mountains. When we finally found the place, we were shown to the poor old Rincon...which had been stripped of its plastics and sat there unashamedly naked. The orchard maintenance guy had had a go at fixing it, but gave up. A bunch of parts were removed, and mostly collected up in sandwich baggies. The tires are badly worn out, bald and cracking. Someone replaced the rear wheels with wheels from a straight axel ATV with deep offset, resulting in the back of the rig being absurdly wide...like 6 inches wider than normal. Looks funny, but probably was pretty stable in the turns.
It was pretty clear that this stout old ATV had had a relatively easy life, there didn't appear to be the usual signs of long abuse and neglect...instead it seemed it had been pretty well cared for by the orchard staff. Oil looked clean and recently changed, air filter well maintained, the battery was fairly new. There is a little surface rust on the frame but very minor. All the electrics work, including lights and dash panel.
But here's the bad...the engine had locked up one day just putting around in the tree rows. Transmission seemed fine, it shifts and can be rolled around in neutral. The engine can be rocked a little bit in gear, but will not turn with starter or pull rope.
They had already bought a new Honda Foreman, so they were just wanting to get rid of the Rincon. We offered 600 bucks, and they gladly shook hands. We used a cable come-along to load it in the truck, and piled the various bits and pieces around it. Everyone was happy.
We have not started to get into the Rincon yet, but will soon. I have read that with certain Rincons there have been problems with flywheel bolts backing out and hitting the stator...which could cause the sort of symptoms we are seeing. The stator is probably toast, but the engine may not be cooked otherwise. Hopefully we will see next weekend.
Thanks for reading, if ya have any experience with this model and problems like this, please throw a shout our way!
Have a Blessed and Peaceful day, and Ride Safe
Bounty Hunter
