[Gimmeyo]

Hello all,

I ride a Honda Goldwing and some riding friends have been telling me about their ATV excursions. So now I’m thinking of also getting an ATV to join in on the fun. Problem is, they all ride non Honda brand ATV’s. Me being totally happy with my Honda products I would like to stay loyal to the brand right now. Even with them all telling me how boring and technologically behind Honda is in the ATV world. I went to my local Dealer trying to get help on what I might need but still left confused. What model would suite me best and I will not outgrow?

245lbs, will do some 2up occasionally, and mostly off road. Meaning no trails unless I make them. My parents own 8 acres I plan on riding to learn. Unfortunately no nice trails there. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Riverc]

I would stay with Honda,they have a proven record for being reliable.What to choose depends on how much money you want to spend.I went with a Rancher 420 and happy.But also looked at the Foreman and Rubicon but they were more than I wanted to pay.
One advantage with the foreman or rubicon is they come with stock size 25" tires,which gives you more choices on replacement tires.The rancher comes with 24" tires with less choices on tires to choose from.Let us know what you decide on.

 

[mrbb]

first off welcome to the site
Now for my 2 cents here,
one your a larger boy, and want to ride two up some times
so right off the bat I would NOT get a Rancher, as there slightly less HP than a foreman or Rubicon and well, the ranchers are geared higher, so that will mean when weighted up with two riders less power to the ground to move the weight!
not basing a Rancher, just saying!
Next, a BIG part of info you left out will be WHERE exactly are you going to be riding
as in woods, trails, Mountains(more important if in Mt's HOW High in elevation will you be a going higher in altitude less power a motor makes, and these are only at about 30 hp or so to start with, other brands all have WAY more HP)
if you plan to ride in the deep mud, again, hp will be less than other brands to start with, add in again that second rider and well> you get the idea here

honda's are great reliable GEAR driven atv's
there more about going slow and getting there sooner or later,
than having a lot of bells and whistles
solid rear axle models handle weight IMO way better than one with a IRS(independent rear suspension )
BUT the IRS models will ride a bunch smoother

please keep in mind NO honda ATV is MADE for riding two riders, so, when you start to get into to riders weight issues will very much effect how well the atv handles, preforms and your over all liking it or not

Other brands actually MAKE atv's designed for two riders, and they tend to offer much nice ride and handling when driven two up due to being made for it
which means BOTH the driver and the passenger enjoy the ride a LOT better!
and un happy passenger makes for a un happy driver real fast!
just saying
if your spending money to ride with two people
you honestly maybe should be considering another brand(I am a loyal honda guy too)
that or maybe look into a side by side, the two seater from honda there new sport model would for sure be a WAY better fun ride for both rider and passenger and will handle weight a lot better
NOT cheaper by any means here , but just saying, maybe something to look at!

if all you wish to do is pout out around slow like, then the honda Foreman would get my vote here
but if your planning adding up miles of trail riding with friends, two up
\ I'd go a different route than a honda ATV!

be a honda UTV or there sport SxS if I HAD to stay Honda brand

but if not a side by side or UTV< and riding two up was a planned some what often deal, I'd be looking at other brands!

OH and any atv you get I'd make sure it has power steering too!

 

[fishfiles]

I am a Honda guy , Honda are reliable but I ride with a lot of Can-AM'ers and 'Wacker'sakis so I know what it is like and I would be honest with you , depending on the type of riding conditions you plan on riding in with your buddies , you might want to stay with the pack , in the type of riding we do , thru water ruts in the swamp lands , I can keep up with the high powered Can-Ams , if I were running long straight roads 2up , it wouldn't be fun on my Hondas and I would be wishing I had a Can-Am ---- then I would be riding it two times and working on it once with the rest of them

 

[mrbb]

I am a Honda guy , Honda are reliable but I ride with a lot of Can-AM'ers and 'Wacker'sakis so I know what it is like and I would be honest with you , depending on the type of riding conditions you plan on riding in with your buddies , you might want to stay with the pack , in the type of riding we do , thru water ruts in the swamp lands , I can keep up with the high powered Can-Ams , if I were running long straight roads 2up , it wouldn't be fun on my Hondas and I would be wishing I had a Can-Am ---- then I would be riding it two times and working on it once with the rest of them

I agree a lot comes down to the riding
spending a 50-100 mile a day on a honda atv two up, would NOT be my idea of fun at all
yet, on some other brands, its a lot more tolerable
it really does matter where and HOW you ride, to decide on what brand model suits one best!

 

[fishfiles]

ATVs are kind of like boats as in , there is no perfect boat for all conditions , I learned that the expensive way trying to figure out what I really wanted over the years , the boats in the yard right now are number 25 and 26 , what works in blue water ain't worth a crap in the marsh and vice'sa'rou'sa'ma

 

[Gimmeyo]

One advantage with the foreman or rubicon is they come with stock size 25" tires,which gives you more choices on replacement tires.The rancher comes with 24" tires with less choices on tires to choose from.Let us know what you decide on.

That’s good info on the tire sizing! Thanks

 

[Gimmeyo]

Next, a BIG part of info you left out will be WHERE exactly are you going to be riding as in woods, trails, Mountains(more important if in Mt's HOW High in elevation will you be a going higher in altitude less power a motor makes, and these are only at about 30 hp or so to start with, other brands all have WAY more HP)
if you plan to ride in the deep mud, again, hp will be less than other brands to start with, add in again that second rider and well> you get the idea here

I would say to start off it will be on my parents wooded lot with no trails really. Bunch of rocks, fallen trees, and high weeds! Some hills but nothing extremely high. I have looked around here locally and found a couple ATV parks that have riding trails

please keep in mind NO honda ATV is MADE for riding two riders, so, when you start to get into to riders weight issues will very much effect how well the atv handles, preforms and your over all liking it or not

Good info! I was watching YouTube videos and noticing some people riding 2UP and thought there may be a model designed to handle that.

Other brands actually MAKE atv's designed for two riders, and they tend to offer much nice ride and handling when driven two up due to being made for it which means BOTH the driver and the passenger enjoy the ride a LOT better! and un happy passenger makes for a un happy driver real fast!
just saying if your spending money to ride with two people you honestly maybe should be considering another brand(I am a loyal honda guy too) that or maybe look into a side by side, the two seater from honda there new sport model would for sure be a WAY better fun ride for both rider and passenger and will handle weight a lot better NOT cheaper by any means here , but just saying, maybe something to look at!

Ok, I don’t think I want an ATV specifically designed I guess for riding 2UP. I would say 80% of the time it will be just ME on it and occasionally a pax. However, with me being a bigger guy I don’t want to overwork the ATV and exceed the recommended rider weight.

OH and any atv you get I'd make sure it has power steering too!

Does power steering really make that much difference? So the ones without it are that hard to steer? What does Honda call their power steering? Is it designated as E/S?

 

[misterclean59]

You can buy 2 420's for about the same price as one built for two riders.

 

[diyer]

I don't have a lot of ATV experience.

My first and current ATV is a 2003 Honda Rincon 680 with independent rear suspension.
I bought Honda for reliability and no stinking drive belts to deal with.

I bought it with the second passenger seat on it.
We have used it on our mountain trails 2 up. About 350 pounds with both of us.
No big deal to me.
The Rincon or Rubicon are bigger machines so 2 riders work better on these.

I ride with other makes of ATV's but like my Honda.

I also plow snow with it and very happy with it.
The bigger machine, heavier helps.

 

[mrbb]

OH and any atv you get I'd make sure it has power steering too!

Does power steering really make that much difference? So the ones without it are that hard to steer? What does Honda call their power steering? Is it designated as E/S?[/QUOTE]

power steering on honda model is called PS(power steering)

as for is power steering needed?
I know NO One that has owned a atv that has it, that would ever go back to one that doesn't

these newer atv's are getting heavy, add two riders , soft printing tires, and steering effort can get a lot harder than most want to deal with, all the more so in 4x4 mode and in tricky terrain!
if I was YOU< based on your size and plans, I'd get it, its NOT that much more $$$
and doubt you would regret having it!
very very very few problems ever on any forum with it, so they seem to have it figured out pretty good too IMO!
now as for ES Models??



ES means electric shift and I would strongly suggest staying away from e shift models, there just more parts to fail and 1000 time's more posts about ES not working properly on every honda form for ever 1 Foot shift honda atv
foot shifts models ar simple, and time proven to last forever almost problem free, you ride a motorcycle, so will be second nature to be shifting with your foot too!

NOW Other food for thought
many Honda atv's have a LOT less ground clearance than most ALL Other brand atv;'s
so again if your out running over logs, ground clearance can matter due to well. getting high deterrence on a log can suck and get you stuck

next, riding two up on a single designed ATv, its NOT all about the weight that is the problem
its the size of the seat and having room to operate with two riders on ot, when you get into a LARGER rider(n and I ain't so small rider myself LOL)
you start to run out of seat and knee room real fast, someone ends up super tight up front to bars, and passenger ends up half a butt on a rack,
making NO real fun for either for any long trail rides or even short one's pending the type of riding being done.
the two upo designed atv's
ride one rider very well, many have seat options that can be quickly removed for JUST one rider, or on for two
PLUS the atv;s designed for two up riding, have safer set up, passenger has safety features built in , as grab handles and they seat height so they can see, more than just the back of the head or shoulders of the person in front of them, making them enjoy the ride, due to better seating, and comfort features in the design
they have longer wheel bases, to make for smoother rides, and larger seats in general!
and again, suspension set up to handle two riders!