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| Honda Rincon Review - Honda - ATVs - Can-Am Headquarters ...Aurora Wheelers ATV Forum | ||||||||||||||||
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outlandish Admin 
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"I had been researching the big bore market for quite some time after selling my previous quad. A '92 Suzuki King Quad which in its own right was one of the best, if not the best in its day. I did a lot of searching, reading, riding and talking before being sold on an '03 650 Kawasaki Prairie originally. I only kept the bike for 2 days before re-selling it back to the dealer. Basically I was already used to an Independent rear end quad coming from the King. So I decdided to be paitent and not jump in too quick again and continued looking. I needed IRS I felt because of the very rugged mountain trails and terrian here. I have always been a Honda fan for their quality and service. So now I have opted for the '05 Rincon non-gps model. Basically it has about the same amount of drawbacks as the Prairie 650 did, only in different areas. No one can judge for themselves until they have ridden these bikes in the types of terrians where they will be used. Others' opinions are hard to draw conclusions from. So I decided to try the Rincon because I had read it was more of a trail bike. First off Power/Motor. A big debated issue with the Rincon. When I first got the bike home it felt quick and nible. Not as quick or strong on the bottom as the 650 Prairie though. It did have a bad sputter or hesitation right on the bottom if you hit WOT. So I got the dyno jet kit and installed some different jets and re-adjusted the carb. This did help. The hesititation is gone completely now and the quad has a little more low end. After I did this mod I also installed a K&N High Flow Air filter. Now the Rincon will wheelie if you hit WOT and pull back on the bars pretty good. Power is good and is ample for this bike but is not its strong point or key feature like the Prairie. It's only part of the package. I would also rate this Honda motor above any in terms of reliability and quality. Honda's strong point has always been the longevity and dependability of their engines in pacticular. One thing that kind of eerks me about this engine is the cold natured beast. It is very cold natured and it hasn't even gotten real cold here yet but needs the choke to start usually and then often dies or takes a very ample amount of time to warm up. I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 I would give the Rincon a 7 in Power/Engine. Handling/Ride/Tranny. Probably the Rincon's strongest feature is the suspension and handling ability. Although even that is somewhat hampered by the 3 speed transmission in certain conditions and no low speed engine braking.(More on that in a minute). The quad handles and turns very easily and with precision. It's easy to break the rearend loose and power slide this quad also. It is a blast to ride this quad on open roads, logging roads, or fire roads. The faster, the better it likes it and you always feel in control. It isn't overly plush either like some have reported the Sportsmans to be. It's more on the sporty side with the IRS ground clearance. Also the quad isn't too big or bulkish feeling on the trails either. Here's the problem. If you are going to be riding the Rincon in very steep or moderatley steep trail conditions you may have trouble. And not just decending or downhilling. The 3 speed's 1st gear is pretty tall and it's too tall for serious trail riding in very rugged and steep conditions. You can not lug or crawl at very slow speed on technical trails with this bike. It is simply not made to go slow with. Up or down. Up you are always giving it more throttle than you should have to and going down is probably worse because there is NO engine braking at slow speed. The quad basically freewheels like it was in neutruel when downhilling. It's not a big problem unless your riding conditions are of this kind. Great in the flat or hilly country but where I live there are some of the most steep rugged mountain trails around. I am an experinced rider and it's made me hold my breath on a couple occasions when decending steep inclines. Also when climbing you need a lot of low end power to creep or crawl or to blast up a short steep incline while using only a small amount of throttle to remain in control. It fails there also because of the tall first gear. You can do it, just not as well as others with a low first gear or low range or manual transmission. Another note about the tranny, as with the engine, as the oil also flows through the tranny it takes an ample amount of time for it to warm up and shift correctly. When first started, it may want to rev high before really moving and does not perform as well as it does after being ridden for 5-10 minutes. So fast speed handling I will give the Rincon a 9. Slow speed handling in the above conditions a 3. Finish Style and Build. That's where Honda truly shines and is really what sold me on this bike at the dealership. The Honda quality is second to none and the plastic and finish on this bike are outstanding. Truly the best looking, built big bore I have seen. The LCD display is great also as are the brakes. Some have complained about front drums but I have no problems with them and the rear disc will stop you in a heartbeat. And you will be needing to if riding in the steep terrian!! Also with Honda there are no belts, period. Which even if you like belt trannys it's still one less thing to go wrong. The low maintenance factor is also key with Honda as oil changes are about it, besides the brakes with this bike. I just completed my 100 mile first service and it was no problem for me. Another thing I noticed coming from a Prairie is the quietness of this bike. Which is another plus for me, it is very quiet, more so than the belt driven CVT type quads. Also the shaking at idle complaint is bogus to me. I could care less if the bike shakes or not. It smooths right out as soon as throttle is applied. But this is a problem for some? So in this department Build/Style I give the Rincon a 10. Odds and Ends. I feel the Rincon is a GOOD bike but not a great one. It has good features for certain people in certain conditions it may be perfect. For me it is not, and much like the Prairie which had good engine braking, it lacks certain features I think would really help my style of riding. So there are trade offs with each brand. Best decide which fits you best and don't simply make up your mind in the dealer's parking lot. There are not too many steep hills there!! Keep that in mind when deciding. I may keep the Rincon for awhile longer or may sell it if the opportunity comes. I am looking at trying a 750 Kawasaki Brute Force out now as many have said it is a complete package that has more of the features that would suit my conditions better" Ok that was back in October and my findings are about the same now. But after putting over 200 miles on the machine the power has improved. The Rincon is a wheelie riding delight. It wheelies very easily now. It has ample power but not the kinda of "scary power" found on the other big bores like the Brute or Prairie. Also it seems to run best with the idle bumped up high. It will not die or stall as easily but is harder to shift. So the idle must be turned down so much for the tranny to engage correctly. By ATVBoy at Quad Squad I switched to Rotella T Synthetic oil at 175 miles. This does help. It lessens warm up times and makes for smoother shifting and starting. I also re-adjusted the mixture/carb screw again and have it tuned pretty well. The power is better on the bottom but the stalling is a bothersome issue for me. Also the positve battery cable keeps comming loose. I have tightened it twice and now its getting loose again. You have to shake it to get the Rincon to start. After detailed reports and self hand investigation I have decided agasint the Brute Force as well. A list of probs a mile long, Tie rods, over heating, carb needle and now another list has croped up this winter, snow in air box, frozen brake cables etc.. Also the reverse design flaw on the King Quad is a question mark in manys mind. I am liking the Rincon better than I did. I am gonna see what comes out this summer from both Kawasaki and Honda. I am actually considering going back to a Prairie or getting another one to go with my Rincon. If these issues aren't improved upon from both Honda and Kawasaki's 06 line.
____________________ Previous BRPs: 03 Rally 200, 03 Outty 400, 05 Outty 400 XT, 06 Outty 800, 07 Renegade 800 Ridden in 6 states and 2 countries Next up? 2010 BRP Side by Side |
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TED H. FIFIELD Member
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 That is the best review I have ever read I have a Rincon I got it when I was having lots of troube with my 650 Grizzly I also have a 650 Prairie and for the most part like it the best I live here right by the Piute trail and so I do a lot of tech ridding thaks for the review and this is the best web sight I have seen!Last edited on Sun Aug 21st, 2005 09:56 am by TED H. FIFIELD |
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outlandish Admin
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Ted, thanks for joining, feel free to contibute or just sit back and read. Any questions, just ask
____________________ Previous BRPs: 03 Rally 200, 03 Outty 400, 05 Outty 400 XT, 06 Outty 800, 07 Renegade 800 Ridden in 6 states and 2 countries Next up? 2010 BRP Side by Side |
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TED H. FIFIELD Member
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This is the best review I have read I to have a love hate relation with my Rincon I ride a lot on the Piute and what You said about the trans is my biggest bitch I also have a 650 Kawi Prairie which I like better except for the ride.
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outlandish Admin
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Thats the most common complaint I hear about the Rincon....no low range! Killswitch's brother is on his second one though. He swears by them, even though my brother is always pulling him from the swamps with his Outlander LOL. BUT you must remember that mudding is 50% machine and 50% riding skills. When he lived in New Mexico the riding was very different. He just recently moved to Alaska and is now experiencing muskeg swamps. Maybe Honda will suprise us all with a mid season Rincon for 06 that has EFI and low range.
____________________ Previous BRPs: 03 Rally 200, 03 Outty 400, 05 Outty 400 XT, 06 Outty 800, 07 Renegade 800 Ridden in 6 states and 2 countries Next up? 2010 BRP Side by Side |
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zac41 Night Shift Deputy 
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I can tell you first hand that the no low range on the Rincon is a huge factor. I have done a ton of performance mod's to mine (jet kit, k&n, pipe, etc) and I still think that it is way under powered on the bottom. The limited slip front dif added to the no low range makes you wish that you were riding a Honda 110 ATC when you get to a mud hole. Lots of people say that they are not that bad in mud, which can be true but it depends on the circumstances. If you can keep some speed and keep the rpm's up you will be fine. But anytime that you need some torque, you are SOL. I have had my Rincon for two years now and am not that impressed with it. Don't get me wrong, it is a great trail riding machine, but it is not a work horse what-so-ever. The wife seems to be more suited riding it than me because it is a comfortable trail machine. Just my  .
____________________ 06 Outlander 800 XT Camo-Ricochet skidz, HMF pipe, Dobeck, Dalton 03 Honda Rincon- MBRP pipe, Dynojet Kit, K&N  Team Outty 800 Member #4 |
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outlandish Admin
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zac thanks for the honest evaluation of the Rincon. I have heard the same things many times from Rinny owners around the web. Maybe you'll have to cross over to the darkside(Bomb) LOL
____________________ Previous BRPs: 03 Rally 200, 03 Outty 400, 05 Outty 400 XT, 06 Outty 800, 07 Renegade 800 Ridden in 6 states and 2 countries Next up? 2010 BRP Side by Side |
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zac41 Night Shift Deputy
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That's the plan for this fall (hopefully). I really want to get the Bomb 800. I have had pretty good luck with the Rincon, it just does not suit my needs. Almost every machine on the market (within reason) can be a fairly comfortable trail riding machine. And many of them are way cheaper than the Rincon. If I wanted to just stay on the trails it would be a decent machine. But I really like goin mudding, and have plenty of stuff to haul and pull at the hunting shack that I really need a low range. There are so many things that Honda did (or didn't do) to the Rincon that really disappoints the heck out of me. Since I'm venting, for example, how many ATV companies put front drum brakes on their top of the line flagship machine. Also the Rincon has a major stalling problem when you are in water or mud. I'm sure that you have heard numerous complaints on it all over the net. There have been many so called fixes to this including rerouting the carb vent lines, and adding a jet kit and such. All of which I have tried with no sucess. The only one that I have not yet tried, or ever will, is a full snorkel kit. Granted every machine is gonna have somethings that everyone is not going to be happy with, but on a $7k plus machine you should not have this many. I will be interested to see the reviews on the 680EFI Rincon. Although I can assure you that I will not own one.
____________________ 06 Outlander 800 XT Camo-Ricochet skidz, HMF pipe, Dobeck, Dalton 03 Honda Rincon- MBRP pipe, Dynojet Kit, K&N Team Outty 800 Member #4 |
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outlandish Admin
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Anyone know anything about the new Rincon? How much more power etc?
____________________ Previous BRPs: 03 Rally 200, 03 Outty 400, 05 Outty 400 XT, 06 Outty 800, 07 Renegade 800 Ridden in 6 states and 2 countries Next up? 2010 BRP Side by Side |
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AtvBoy Member
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Well thank you guys for the nice comments about my review. Just for that and you're viewing pleasure here is a brief review to the new 700 Rincon EFI model. I orginally posted this back in November after ridding one at a local dealership. For some reason not alot have popped up since then and seem to be slow getting out. Thanks again. Well I just came back from riding the 06 Rincon EFI 700. I had called a few dealers that already had them in stock. But I waited until my closest dealer got theirs. All the first shipments were Camo models. I went over this morning and they already had it parked outside. Cosmeticly the Camo is pretty nice and I myself have never liked camo quads. Everything else looks the same except for the instrument panel. It has been re-worked and has an EFI light also now. The rest seemed the same except for the disc brakes and exhaust were also changed but I didn't even notice it myself. Also the racks are black in color and so are the wheels. I really don't like that but its for the Camo edition. I don't know if the normal colors will be back on the red and green ones or not. Hopefully so. After he started it I hopped on and made several passes out front on the asphalt. It did fire up very easily and fast. Bottom line, pretty dissapointing to me. I mean I wasn't expecting alot of difference as I already had said in earlier posts but even I was a little dissapointed in it. Main improvement, throttle response is better. But no better than my dyno jetted Rincon after break in. But over a stock 05 Rincon it was an improvment and the VERY bottom end pulls slightly stronger. But to be honest it really seemed no stronger than my 05 which is very well broken in now at 650 miles. My 05 will wheelie on asphalt from a dead stop if you hit WOT, providing the engine doesn't die from the stalling issue. Which brings me to that, I tried by power breaking, and stopping suddenly to get it to stall or die. While it was a little more difficult after I came to a stop once and hit WOT bang, it quit! I tried it again to make sure. Stop, WOT died again. So I was pretty dissapointed with this also. Also the front brakes really didn't seem to grab any harder than what I am used to. They don't grab like the rear does. What did I really notice that stood out besides the cosmetic changes? The steering. I don't know if mine is out now or what but this quad steers like it has power steering. Even on this black top it was incredibley smooth and light. Maybe its these new tires? Very nice looks, build, more refined, improved throttle response, better lighter steering and even I liked the camo pattern a little. Typical Honda. He said the camo was 8,100 and the regular version was around 7,900. So I said just out of curiosity, how much for a trade? He said they had new owners who were out of town right now but here was his best guess. 5,000 for my Rincon, which he said they may give me a little more and around 7800 for the 06 after taxes and all. So like I said in the previous post between 2,800 and 3,000$. In closing I myself wouldn't trade my 05 for this if it was alot less than 2800 difference. I saw or experinced nothing really better than mine. Honest truth guys. After this bike is broken in there will be more power gains however. I could tell it was stronger than an new 05 in stock form. Acceleration really I couldn't tell much difference, I actually thought mine might even be a little faster? Its close. So after a break in if it gains as much as the older ones did it will be faster. Engine brake from what I could tell on the lot is the same. To me it seemed the same almost in every way other than the steering and the front end would pull up a little stronger than the 05. Also there are doubts looming now as to the stalling issue it is not fully corrected IMO. And is just the nature of this beast I suppose although not as bad as mine but the idle was faster than mine also. Maybe a good choice for a new buyer but not for me. Only way I could see trading would be if you rode at different elevations all the time that isn't strait up and down and were a Hunter and had to have a Honda with the camo color pattern Then it might be worth it for a very quiet hunting bike that is very comfortable and has EFI. Last edited on Tue Dec 27th, 2005 10:36 pm by AtvBoy ____________________ Outlander 800r XT On The Way..... 2005 Red Honda Rincon SOLD |
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outlandish Admin
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ATVBoy Welcome to the AWF! Great post I appreciate reading good honest reviews!I have also heard there is not much of a performance increase. I thought the EFI would have cured the stalling problem though 
____________________ Previous BRPs: 03 Rally 200, 03 Outty 400, 05 Outty 400 XT, 06 Outty 800, 07 Renegade 800 Ridden in 6 states and 2 countries Next up? 2010 BRP Side by Side |
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zac41 Night Shift Deputy
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Wow, I too thought that the stalling issue would be fixed after the addition of the EFI. I can't believe that after this many years of having that machine out Honda can't fix that problem. My 03 does it lots and I figured that they would have it solved by 04, but I guess not.
____________________ 06 Outlander 800 XT Camo-Ricochet skidz, HMF pipe, Dobeck, Dalton 03 Honda Rincon- MBRP pipe, Dynojet Kit, K&N Team Outty 800 Member #4 |
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AtvBoy Member
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Its a lot of hype. The improved handling and steering stands out more than anything. I am sure the EFI is an improvment. Which is obvious because one of my main complaints was the cold starting and warming up junk. I did think this new version was improved in starting and no choke of course. That would be a big plus as my Rincon is a real pain to get going and warmed up sometimes even when its not that cold out. It is also harder to stall than the old version. So I would take it over an 05 of course if I was buying now but I just didn't think it was worth a trade and paying that much boot for minimal changes. I could go over the state line and take it in and get a new Outlander 800 and it would be around that same price difference.
____________________ Outlander 800r XT On The Way..... 2005 Red Honda Rincon SOLD |
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TopWop Member
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I bought a new 2003 Rincon and drove it for 2 years before I got so bored with it and bought the new King Quad. It done most things OK,but when compared to how easy it was for the other manufacture big bore ATVs in our riding club to do the same chores,one could REALLY see the Rincon STRUGGLING to get the same job done.The more I rode the new KQ,the more appearant the shortcomings were on the Rincon.I would never buy another Rincon,plain and simple---There's just far to many other manufactures big bore ATVs that offer so much more for your dollar. Today,I ride the new 800 Max and enjoy it alot.
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