# Honda ATV Question



## Hogtown (Dec 12, 2007)

I own a 2004 Polaris 500 HO Sportsman. I like everything about it; however, I refuse to keep paying the maintenance on this machine. I've spent $2000 over the past 3 years.  After the season is over I am buying a Honda. I've narrowed it down to either (1) the Rancher 4x4 ES or the (2) Foreman 4x4 ES.  The Rancher has a 420 cc liquid cooled engine while the Foreman has a 475 cc air cooled engine. The Foreman is about $1000 more than the Rancher. My question is:  Is there an advantage/disadvantage to the air cooled engine?  I thought everyone was going to the liquid cooled engine, so why is the air cooled $1000 more? Any thoughts or comments ya'll may have on air vs liquid or any other random Honda comments would be appreciated.


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## 97Stroker (Dec 12, 2007)

Wel, they're both great machines. One thig about the air cooled is that on a real hot summer day it could overheat. But, with the liquid cooled, you have the radiator to have problems with. ( i.e. hole in radiator, hoses, etc.) It's really personal preference. Also, remember that if you do a lot of deep muddin, you have to worry about the radiator gettin plugged up with mud. It's really up to you. I believe that the air-cooled has a oil cooler, which will help ya run a little cooler. Good luck, and you'll love either one.


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## stev (Dec 12, 2007)

*Hondas*

My 680 and power steering .Ive had good luck with it .


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## ponyboy (Dec 12, 2007)

97Stroker said:


> Wel, they're both great machines. One thig about the air cooled is that on a real hot summer day it could overheat. But, with the liquid cooled, you have the radiator to have problems with. ( i.e. hole in radiator, hoses, etc.) It's really personal preference. Also, remember that if you do a lot of deep muddin, you have to worry about the radiator gettin plugged up with mud. It's really up to you. I believe that the air-cooled has a oil cooler, which will help ya run a little cooler. Good luck, and you'll love either one.



i take it you ve had an air cooled atv over heat on a summer day ?"


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## buddylee (Dec 12, 2007)

Just remember that the simpler the machine is,u usually have less maintenance problems.


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## kudzumotorsports (Dec 12, 2007)

I think that if you dont pull any implements (like a plow) you will do just fine with the air cooled motor. But if you are gonna pull anything or do a lot of work with it in the summer time you'll need a liquid cooled machine.


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## Hogtown (Dec 13, 2007)

I really appreaciate the responses - this is exactly the type of data I need. I have a tractor, so I will not be pulling implements; however, I do put a 25 gallon sprayer on my ATV and use it for attempting to kill the Sicklepod in my food plots. The sprayer when full weights about 240 lbs and I run at 5 mph in 4WD - it makes my Polaris grunt on recently harrowed ground. Do ya'll think that will be too much for an air cooled engine? If I could get by with an air cooled that is what I would buy because I am sick to death of bells and whistles that cost me money to keep running.


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## 7Mag Hunter (Dec 13, 2007)

I rode Hondas aircooled engines for 6-7 years with no 
problems...Never any indication of excessive heat with
extensive riding/scouting in the summer heat in the 
woods ...

I now have a Yamaha Kodiak with liquid cooled engine, and
occasionally riding hard or pulling or generally putting a strain
on the engine, the electric fan will come on briefly, maybe 2-3
minutes, then shut itself off after it cools down....No real problems
, but you will hear the fan come on when the engines get over a
certain temp....
Had my Kodiak for 3 years, and no problems......


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## BowShooter (Dec 13, 2007)

I have a Honda Recon 250 with Gator mud tires on the back.  I have had it through a 4 1/2 foot deep mud hole many of times.  the water was above the rack.  Hondas are the best ATVs i have ever owned.


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## Russ Toole (Dec 13, 2007)

I would only go with a Honda on ATV's, theve been doing it longer that anybody.  I have a 2002 Honda Foreman 450ES and the only maintenance ive done is have the oil changed, and thats it.  Its air cooled, and when it gets hot, the fan kicks on like its supposed to.


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## Ga. Outlaw (Dec 14, 2007)

I have owned many different atv brands over the years but i have to say i like the Honda best, has lots of low end torque and is reliable. I use mine at the dirt track to help push damaged race cars, never a over-heating problem.







 .


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## pcsolutions1 (Dec 14, 2007)

I have a 2003 Foreman 450 ES and love it.  The fan only comes on if it gets warm and you are going very slow.  Honda's have always treated me very well.  I've heard nothing but maintenance complaints about Polaris.  I did some reading about land surveyors and what they used and they were saying that they could go 20K kilometer on all original parts with Honda's where the other brands they were having to change parts at 2K.   The durability is phenomenal.  I like simple too.


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## 97Stroker (Dec 14, 2007)

Mine came close to overheating once. Really hot day pullin 450-500Lbs. ona hot summer day going real slow. I have a Honda Recon 250. Couldn't ask for a better machine. Our 350 Foreman fan kicks on justlike it's supposed to, but only ever kicks on when rock crawlin really slow. 240 pouds shouldn't be too much for that engine.


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## coyote170 (Dec 15, 2007)

Remember! Honda:Always in the woods,never in the shop!They
are the greatest!!!!!


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## W4DSB (Dec 15, 2007)

What have you had to do as far as maintenance to spend that kind of money?
we have 2 2003 sportsman 700's and have never bought anything except oil and filters and spark plugs .


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## tcward (Dec 15, 2007)

Smart move to go to a Honda from a dollar you to death Polaris!


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## Hogtown (Dec 17, 2007)

W4DSB said:


> What have you had to do as far as maintenance to spend that kind of money?
> we have 2 2003 sportsman 700's and have never bought anything except oil and filters and spark plugs .




W4 - 100 hr sevice is about $300 - I have had two of them. A new battery at $100. A new temperature sensor at about $250. Everytime I am in there I "need" a new belt at about $40. The weld on the hitch broke and that was about $175 to fix - then it broke again and it cost me $50 to simply have it cut off. Broke front strut was about $275.  Replaced the starter switch for abou $80.  New solinoid for about $50. There are other things, but that is what comes to mind. If I was at the house, I could pull the file and list them.


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## Hogtown (Dec 17, 2007)

Again much thanks to all who posted - your information is/has been very helpful.


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## Hogtown (Dec 17, 2007)

Jmike said:


> i had an aircooled honda and we used it a lot in the late summer to put in foodplots...it would over-heat and pretty much just shut itself down...and then it was hard to crank back up...we put it through a lot of stress and abuse but it performed pretty well.



Jmike - were you towing implements or were you just out in the summer heat? Would you buy another air-cooled Honda or would you go with the fluid cooled? Etc..?


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## Trizey (Dec 17, 2007)

Destin Bound said:


> I would only go with a Honda on ATV's, theve been doing it longer that anybody.  I have a 2002 Honda Foreman 450ES and the only maintenance ive done is have the oil changed, and thats it.  Its air cooled, and when it gets hot, the fan kicks on like its supposed to.




Same here.  Not a lick of problem outa mine.


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## Ozzie (Dec 17, 2007)

If you are going to be doing a lot of heavy plowing and pulling heavy stuff in hot weather with an air cooled one and it begins to overheat, you can get one of those little 12 v fans that plugs in the cigarette lighter and plug it into the 12 v outlet, and then clip it on to the side plastic so that it blows the air over the cooling fins.  I have a buddy with an old 300 fourtrax and he does this and it works like a champ.  He can plow all day long without overheating.


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## Hogtown (Dec 17, 2007)

Ozzie said:


> If you are going to be doing a lot of heavy plowing and pulling heavy stuff in hot weather with an air cooled one and it begins to overheat, you can get one of those little 12 v fans that plugs in the cigarette lighter and plug it into the 12 v outlet, and then clip it on to the side plastic so that it blows the air over the cooling fins.  I have a buddy with an old 300 fourtrax and he does this and it works like a champ.  He can plow all day long without overheating.



That is what I like to hear - simple ideas that work. Excellent. Thanks.


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## W4DSB (Dec 17, 2007)

Hogtown said:


> W4 - 100 hr sevice is about $300 - I have had two of them. A new battery at $100. A new temperature sensor at about $250. Everytime I am in there I "need" a new belt at about $40. The weld on the hitch broke and that was about $175 to fix - then it broke again and it cost me $50 to simply have it cut off. Broke front strut was about $275.  Replaced the starter switch for abou $80.  New solinoid for about $50. There are other things, but that is what comes to mind. If I was at the house, I could pull the file and list them.


Wow sorry to hear about all the troubles.


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## ponyboy (Dec 17, 2007)

Hogtown said:


> W4 - 100 hr sevice is about $300 - I have had two of them. A new battery at $100. A new temperature sensor at about $250. Everytime I am in there I "need" a new belt at about $40. The weld on the hitch broke and that was about $175 to fix - then it broke again and it cost me $50 to simply have it cut off. Broke front strut was about $275.  Replaced the starter switch for abou $80.  New solinoid for about $50. There are other things, but that is what comes to mind. If I was at the house, I could pull the file and list them.



that tells us alot , u let the stealership do your 100 hr service....all dealerships will build ya a new one wether it b atv s , cars , trucks etc .


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## Hogtown (Dec 18, 2007)

ponyboy said:


> that tells us alot , u let the stealership do your 100 hr service....all dealerships will build ya a new one wether it b atv s , cars , trucks etc .



True to a certain extent. The 100 service at about $300 only has 1.0 hours of labor. Labor at the dealer I am using now is $60/hour, thus, if I did it myself I would only save about $60 - the hassle isn't worth it to me. I would be missing a tool or I wouldn't tension the belt right etc...  The fact remains that I have broken welds, bad solenoids, bad temperature sensors, broken struts etc... Also, be aware, the machine has never been in water more than 10" deep, it has never been stuck, it has never been ridden by anyone under 35 years old, it has never towed implements (it has towed a light trailer with a few deer stands on it and the hitch weld broke), it has exceeded 20 mph probably less than a dozen times, it has always been stored under cover, and it has had all scheduled maintenance done on-time and as recommended. Besides hauling a sprayer a half a dozen times each year all it is used for is to scout, move stands, travel to stands, haul deer/hogs out of the woods, and a little joy-riding. This machine has had a soft, cushy life and it still always has something broken.


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## frdstang90 (Dec 30, 2007)

I bought a 4x4 Honda 420 Rancher in October and love it.  If I had it to do over again I would do exactly the same.


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## Kreed5821 (Dec 31, 2007)

Just a thought, if you get a January copy of Dirtwheels magazine it has a buyer's guide with all the major manufacturers and breaks em all down for comparison. Also gives some pros and cons on some of them.


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## mitch77 (Jan 1, 2008)

I'm a kawasaki guy I have a brute force 750 its all the machine you will ever need. But I think there good and bad in all brands.


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## patterstdeer (Jan 5, 2008)

The Honda's are going to be hard to beat as far as durability. I have owned several of them and honestly never had a problem out of them I currently have a 2003 Yamaha Grizzly 660 and like it a lot as well.


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## Hogtown (Jan 7, 2008)

Again, I want to thank everyone for the valuable information. I think I am getting the Honda Foreman. I'll get the manual shift. It is air cooled. I think it should be reliable.


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## The AmBASSaDEER (Jan 7, 2008)

I have a Foreman. I love it. I was suprised at what I have gone thru and over in this thing.


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## Ozzie (Jan 7, 2008)

Hogtown said:


> Again, I want to thank everyone for the valuable information. I think I am getting the Honda Foreman. I'll get the manual shift. It is air cooled. I think it should be reliable.



Hogtown, make sure you check out Southern Honda Powersports in Chattanooga before you buy one.  You can't beat their prices, I know a guy who bought a new 4 x 4 ES Foreman last year for $4600 and I got my new at the time 2005 Rancher 4 x 4 out the door for $3899.


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## blake4x4offroad (Jan 7, 2008)

yeah thats where i got mine...and those foremans can take alot! mine has been covered in mud to the point where you cant tell what color it really was...and is still running perfect...it hasnt been stuck once and takes steep hills really well...and it jumps good to


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## Digger57 (Jan 9, 2008)

I have a Rincon 680 and it is great. Plus it has arguably the best ride of any large atv!

Dig~


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## jimmy_mac (Jan 10, 2008)

I have owned a 2002 Foreman 450ES   4x4 since late 01 and the only thing I have ever had to do was change the oil and the spark plug. I live in South Ga and use it to pull a trail mower and the fan kicks on just like it is supposed to. I have never had any problems with mine.


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## Joe r (Jan 13, 2008)

if you buy in chatt. on hwy 58 at whites you dont have to pay sells tax i save 800 bucks not buying in ga.


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## bigbuck2007 (Jan 13, 2008)

I ave a 2003 Honda Rincon 650. Never  had a moments trouble with it and it has 3,544 hours on it.
Only been to the shop for Oil and fluid Changes.
BB


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