Well Honda finally came out with an IRS Rubicon, it's about damn time!! Power steering, diff lock, and EFI as well, I can't wait to see and ride one of these bad boys.

2015 Rubicon

Looks like they changed them all around. It looks like the hondamatic transmission is gone and replaced by a dual clutch transmission like the one used in the rancher AT. I have a rancher AT and while I like it, I think in the rubicon I'd have preferred they keep the hondamatic while adding IRS and all the other stuff. The new rubicon DCT looks to just be a slightly upsized version of the rancher AT, the only real difference being a 475 cc engine instead of a 420.

I don't understand why they refuse to offer an IRS Foreman, they make a half a dozen versions of the Rubicon but won't offer a couple different versions of the Foreman.

A 600 Foreman with IRS, EPS, diff lock and EFI would increase sales and make a lot of the Honda faithful very happy.

They do. It's called the 2015 Rubicon 4x4 EPS.

Last time I checked, the Foreman didn't offer the high/low range and was air/fan cooled. Do they use the same transmission too?

'14/'15 Foremans are liquid cooled, EFI, have front diff lock, 475cc, available EPS, and a solid rear axle.
'15 Rubicons are liquid cooled, EFI, have front diff lock, same 475cc, available EPS, and IRS.
The new Rubicons are available with two transmissions. The DCT auto with a sub/low range, or a manual transmission.
Choose the manual transmission and, voila, a Foreman with IRS.

Any prices yet? This is actually a game changer for me. I want an irs, ps, machine and Honda refused to deliver...until now.

I haven't seen anything. Just found out about them on this thread.
Honda doesn't even have MSRP on their site.
It's a game changer for me too, though, like AkMtnHntr, I would have liked to have seen a 550-600cc motor.
I've been kicking around selling my '11 Foreman and getting a 550 Grizzly but I think I'll wait and see how these turn out.

On their website Honda gives the price on the new Rincon as right at 10 Gs, give or take.

The Rubicon looks an awful lot like the current Polaris Sportsman atvs. It finally has some of the same features too.

And they still have the prehistoric drum brakes on the rear.

I finally got my wallet out and came home with a 2014 Honda Foreman with front locking differental and a Warne winch.
I hope it lasts a long time.
Bear baiting season
starts in about two weeks.

whelennut, that Foreman should give you many years of reliable service. My 04 has taken a beating over the years and she's still running strong as ever.

12-13 foremans are liquid cooled and have EFI also but no diff lock

My 2000 foreman 450 literally had the first work ever done to it. I had to rejet the carb. It was so plugged I couldn't clean it. And an air filter.

No bad wheel/axle bearings? I've changed my wheel bearings 3 times in the last 4 years and the rear axle bearings once (last year). Also changed one of the front knuckles a few years back.

Other than those items, my 04 Foreman has been a beast.

Nope. She's sqweaky but otherwise good.

The really need a bigger engine in the rubicon IMO.

Damn, i've never heard of a Honda going 14 years without at least 1 wheel bearing change.

You have no play in your wheels when it's on jacks (up,down, side to side)? Do you ride in mud at all?

It's not a well used machine. It only has 600 miles on it. But, not really a mud rig. I've done it a bit, but there are a lot better wheelers for that.

I can't honestly tell you that's it's not had them changed. I bought it in 2010, but it had 340 miles on it then.

600 miles, that pretty much explains it. My 04 has over 4k miles on it, which explains why my wheel bearings have been changed 3 times over the years. I do wuite a bit of mud and swamp riding which doesn't help matters much either.

Sold my '99 Foreman 400 in 2010 with original brakes, wheel bearings etc. Did a fair amount of riding in Georgia clay. It was a very good machine, never a breakdown.

My '06 has been good except for problems with Gulf Coast humidity and ethanol gas.

My old 98 300 TRX is still going with probably around 30,000 miles on it. The salt ate up the frame so it has a different one; changed the rear wheel bearings once or twice- same with the spark plug. No engine work other than that. Honda is slow to change a formula that works. Unfortunately the changes they've made have been at the expense of their reputation - though I think they've probably overcome many of the issues they had after the engine changes of a few years ago. Mom-in-law has a Rancher almost 3 y-o with nearing 2000 miles; that's not much of a test but her's works just fine. Same can be said for our Grizz of the same age though with 12,000 miles. Models that don't show much change- regardless of maker- are generally the best bet when buying ATVs. That is what Honda built its trike/quad rep on.

I've a 97 300TRX[well actually my son stole it when he married last summer]. Never done a thing to that one beyond oil/plugs/air filter. Has to be one of if not the most bullet proof wheelers ever made.

Why?

I have one of the very first Honda fourtrax ever made. 1986
It has never been in a shop. Never had a wheel off of it, other than to change the tires.
Has not had anything done to it other than carb work, from sitting, and one electronic control unit replaced.
Still runs like a mofo.

I am a believer.
It can go where the new ones can never get to.
It has fulltime 4wd, and it is small enough to get into some very tight spots.
I have never rolled it, and its center of gravity is so close to the ground, it would be hard to get it to roll.
The new ones have better suspension, but at the cost of a higher center of gravity. They do ride nice though.

I have always been a loyal Honda fan but geez they are stuck in the stone age.....

For years I have been waiting on them to do a wheeler with a fuel injected V-twin, power steering, IRS, and a locking diff. When they finally do I'll be back. Until then I'll just slum around on the Outlander..


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Better performance when using it for work in rough conditions. IE mud, deep snow etc. I don't use mine for trail riding at all, only hauling wood out of the woods, dear, deer bait etc. I consider a 700cc engine about as small as I want to go.
The 680cc Rincon engine with the DCT trans would be a step in the right direction IMO.