Honda ATV Buyer's GuideBy John Howell
 An interesting addition to Honda's 2004 lineup is the option of a simple GPS system on the Rincon, Rubicon and Rancher AT models. Sportrax 450R! (Sorry, we had to get that out of our system ...) The obvious big news from big red is the highly anticipated release of its all-new Sportrax 450R high-performance machine. But that's not all it has up its sleeves-wallet-friendly price cuts, GPS-equipped machines, the addition of the 400-class Rancher AT and some eye-catching restyling on certain other ATVs has Honda's line looking stronger than ever. Here's a look at the some of the 19 models it currently has to offer.
 | Honda | | FourTrax Rincon/GPSCAPE | | Retail Price: | $7599/$7799 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder, four-stroke, longitudinally mounted pushrod | | Displacement: | 649cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 100x82.6mm | | Cooling: | Liquid-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin CV 37mm | | Lubrication: | Dry sump | | Oil Capacity: | NA | | Starting: | Electric with auxiliary recoil | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4/4x4 | | Transmission: | 3-speed auto clutch with reverse, engine-braking; Electric Shift Program | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/6.9 in. | | Rear: | Dual A-arms, independent with swaybar/8 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 25x8-12 | | Rear: | 25x10-12 | | Brakes | | Front: | Hydraulic drum | | Rear: | Hydraulic disc | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 50.8 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 600 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 10.0 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 83.7/46.1/47.5 in. | | Seat Height: | 34.5 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 4.5 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | 66/133 lb | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA/optional, 850 lb | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | Dual 40-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | Yes | | Alternator: | 360 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | Yes | | Speedometer: | Yes | | Odometer: | Yes | | Hourmeter: | Yes | | Tripmeter: | Yes | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | Yes | | High-Temperature Light: | Yes | | Colors: | Olive, red, yellow |
 | Honda | | FourTrax Foreman Rubicon/GPSCAPE | | Retail Price: | $6999/$7199 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder, four-stroke, longitudinally mounted pushrod | | Displacement: | 499cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 92x75mm | | Cooling: | Liquid-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin CV 33.5mm | | Lubrication: | Dry sump | | Oil Capacity: | NA | | Starting: | Electric with auxiliary recoil | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 4x4 | | Transmission: | Fully automatic hydromechanical CVT with high/low range, reverse, engine-braking; Electric Shift Program | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/6.7 in. | | Rear: | Swingarm/6.7 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 25x8-12 | | Rear: | 25x10-12 | | Brakes | | Front: | Hydraulic drum | | Rear: | Mechanical drum | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 50.9 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 600 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 7.8 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 81.6/46.6/47.0 in. | | Seat Height: | 33.9 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 3.7 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | 66/133 lb | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA/850 lb | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | Dual 30-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | Yes | | Alternator: | 330 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | Yes | | Speedometer: | Yes | | Odometer: | Yes | | Hourmeter: | Yes | | Tripmeter: | Yes | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | Yes | | High-Temperature Light: | Yes | | Colors: | Olive, red, yellow |
 | Honda | | FourTrax Foreman S/ES | | Retail Price: | $5799/$5999 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder, four-stroke, longitudinally mounted pushrod | | Displacement: | 433cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 90x68mm | | Cooling: | Air-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin CV 32mm | | Lubrication: | Wet sump | | Oil Capacity: | 3 qt. | | Starting: | Electric with auxiliary recoil | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4/4x4 | | Transmission: | 5-speed auto clutch with high/low/ultralow range, reverse/5-speed auto clutch with reverse; Electric Shift Program | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/5.9 in. | | Rear: | Swingarm/5.9 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 25x8-12 | | Rear: | 25x10-12 | | Brakes | | Front: | Dual hydraulic drums | | Rear: | Mechanical drum | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 50.2 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 582 lb/ | | 595 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 7.7 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 77.3/45.3/45.0 in. | | Seat Height: | 33.6 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 3.2 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | 66/133 lb | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA/850 lb | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | Single 45-watt/Dual 25-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | Yes | | Alternator: | 326 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | Yes | | Speedometer: | Yes | | Odometer: | Yes | | Hourmeter: | Yes | | Tripmeter: | Yes | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | Yes | | High-Temperature Light: | Yes | | Colors: | Olive, red, yellow |
 | Honda | | FourTrax Rancher AT/GPSCAPE | | Retail Price: | $5999/$6199 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder, four-stroke, longitudinally mounted pushrod | | Displacement: | 397cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 85x70mm | | Cooling: | Air-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin CV 32mm | | Lubrication: | Dry sump | | Oil Capacity: | NA | | Starting: | Electric with auxiliary recoil | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4/4x4 | | Transmission: | Fully automatic hydromechanical CVT with high/low range, reverse, engine-braking; Electric Shift Program | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/5.9 in. | | Rear: | Swingarm/5.9 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 24x8-12 | | Rear: | 24x10-11 | | Brakes | | Front: | Hydraulic drum | | Rear: | Mechanical drum | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 49.1 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 559 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 7.2 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 80.0/43.9/45.2 in. | | Seat Height: | 32.4 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 3.8 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | 66/133 lb | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA/850 lb | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | Dual 30-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | Yes | | Alternator: | 322 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | Yes | | Speedometer: | Yes | | Odometer: | Yes | | Hourmeter: | Yes | | Tripmeter: | Yes | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | Yes | | High-Temperature Light: | Yes | | Colors: | Olive, red, yellow |
 | Honda | | FourTrax Rancher 2x4 & 2x4 ES/4x4 & 4x4 ES | | Retail Price: | 2x4, $3899; 2x4 ES, $4099/4x4, $4899;4x4 ES, $5099 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder, four-stroke, longitudinally mounted pushrod | | Displacement: | 329cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 78.5x68mm | | Cooling: | Air-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin CV 32mm | | Lubrication: | Dry sump | | Oil Capacity: | 2.6 qt | | Starting: | Electric with auxiliary recoil | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4 & 4x4 | | Transmission: | 5-speed auto clutch with high/low/ultralow range, reverse; Electric Shift Program (ES only) | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | NA/Shaft | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/5.9 in. | | Rear: | Swingarm/5.9 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 24x8-12 | | Rear: | 25x11-10/24x9-11 | | Brakes | | Front: | Hydraulic drum | | Rear: | Mechanical drum | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 49.3 in./49.1 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 498 lb & 511 lb/524 lb & 535 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 7.3 in./7.2 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 78.1/45.0/44.1 in. (2x4, 2x4 ES), 44.3 in. (4x4, 4x4 ES) | | Seat Height: | 32.0 in./32.4 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 3.4 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | 66/133 lb | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA/850 lb | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | Dual 30-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | Yes | | Alternator: | 245 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | Yes | | Speedometer: | Optional/Yes | | Odometer: | NA/Yes | | Hourmeter: | Optional/Yes | | Tripmeter: | NA/Yes | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | NA/Yes | | High-Temperature Light: | NA/Yes | | Colors: | Olive, red, yellow |
 | Honda | | FourTrax Recon/ES | | Retail Price: | $3299/$3499 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder, four-stroke, longitudinally mounted pushrod | | Displacement: | 229cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 68.5x62.2mm | | Cooling: | Air-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin 22mm | | Lubrication: | Wet sump | | Oil Capacity: | 1.6 qt | | Starting: | Electric with auxiliary recoil | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4 | | Transmission: | 5-speed auto clutch with reverse; Electric Shift Program (ES only) | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | NA | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/5.1 in. | | Rear: | Swingarm/4.9 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 22x7-11 | | Rear: | 22x10-9 | | Brakes | | Front: | Dual hydraulic drums | | Rear: | Mechanical drum | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 44.5 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 406 lb/ | | 414 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 6.0 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 70.6/40.7/41.5 in. | | Seat Height: | 30.6 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 2.4 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | 33/66 lb | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA/optional hitch | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | Dual 25-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | NA | | Alternator: | 123 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | NA | | Speedometer: | NA | | Odometer: | NA | | Hourmeter: | NA | | Tripmeter: | NA | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | Yes | | High-Temperature Light: | NA | | Colors: | Olive, red, yellow |
 | Honda | | Sportrax 450R | | Retail Price: | $6499 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder four-stroke | | Displacement: | 450cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 94x64.8mm | | Cooling: | Liquid-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin 42mm | | Lubrication: | Twin sump | | Oil Capacity: | NA | | Starting: | Kickstarter | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4 | | Transmission: | 5-speed manual clutch | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | NA | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Chain | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/8.4 in | | Rear: | Swingarm/9.0 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 22x7-10 | | Rear: | 20x10-9 | | Brakes | | Front: | Dual hydraulic discs | | Rear: | Disc | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 49.2 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 350 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 4.2 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 72.6/46.3/43.6 in. | | Seat Height: | 32.6 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 3.2 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | NA | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | Dual 30-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | NA | | Alternator: | NA | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | NA | | Speedometer: | NA | | Odometer: | NA | | Hourmeter: | NA | | Tripmeter: | NA | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | NA | | High-Temperature Light: | NA | | Color: | Red |
 | Honda | | Sportrax 400EX | | Retail Price: | $5299 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder four-stroke | | Displacement: | 397cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 85x70mm | | Cooling: | Air-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin 38mm | | Lubrication: | Dry sump | | Oil Capacity: | 2.3 qt | | Starting: | Electric | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4 | | Transmission: | 5-speed manual clutch | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | NA | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Chain | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/8.2 in. | | Rear: | Swingarm/9.1 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 22x7-10 | | Rear: | 20x10-9 | | Brakes | | Front: | Dual hydraulic discs | | Rear: | Disc | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 48.4 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 375 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 4.3 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 72.2/45.3/43.7 in. | | Seat Height: | 31.9 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 2.6 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | NA | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | Dual 30-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | NA | | Alternator: | 150 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | NA | | Speedometer: | NA | | Odometer: | NA | | Hourmeter: | NA | | Tripmeter: | NA | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | NA | | High-Temperature Light: | NA | | Colors: | Red, yellow |
 | Honda | | Sportrax 300EX | | Retail Price: | $4499 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder, four-stroke SOHC | | Displacement: | 282cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 74x65.5mm | | Cooling: | Air-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin 32mm | | Lubrication: | Wet sump | | Oil Capacity: | 2.1 qt | | Starting: | Electric | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4 | | Transmission: | 5-speed manual clutch with reverse | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | NA | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Chain | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/6.7 in. | | Rear: | Swingarm/7.9 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 22x7-10 | | Rear: | 22x10-9 | | Brakes | | Front: | Dual hydraulic discs | | Rear: | Hydraulic disc | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 45.3 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 377 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 4.9 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 67.7/43.5/42.7 in. | | Seat Height: | 30.3 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 2.2 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | NA | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | 60/55-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | NA | | Alternator: | 240 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | NA | | Speedometer: | NA | | Odometer: | NA | | Hourmeter: | NA | | Tripmeter: | NA | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | Yes | | High-Temperature Light: | NA | | Colors: | Red, yellow |
 | Honda | | Sportrax 250EX | | Retail Price: | $3499 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder, four-stroke, longitudinally mounted pushrod | | Displacement: | 229cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 68.5x62.2mm | | Cooling: | Air-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin 22mm | | Lubrication: | Wet sump | | Oil Capacity: | 2 qt | | Starting: | Electric | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4 | | Transmission: | 5-speed auto clutch with reverse | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | NA | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Shaft | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/5.9 in. | | Rear: | Swingarm/5.7 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 22x7-10 | | Rear: | 22x10-9 | | Brakes | | Front: | Dual hydraulic discs | | Rear: | Mechanical drum | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 44.3 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 349 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 5.9 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 68.3/41.8/42.2 in. | | Seat Height: | 31.3 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 2.7 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | NA | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | 35-watt high/low beam | | DC Outlet: | NA | | Alternator: | 123 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | NA | | Speedometer: | NA | | Odometer: | NA | | Hourmeter: | NA | | Tripmeter: | NA | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | Yes | | High-Temperature Light: | NA | | Colors: | Red, yellow |
 | Honda | | Sportrax 90 | | Retail Price: | $2499 | | Engine | | Type: | Single-cylinder, four-stroke SOHC | | Displacement: | 86cc | | Bore x Stroke: | 47x49.5mm | | Cooling: | Air-cooled | | Carburetion: | Keihin 15mm | | Lubrication: | Wet sump | | Oil Capacity: | 1 qt | | Starting: | Recoil | | Drivetrain | | Drive System: | 2x4 | | Transmission: | 4-speed auto clutch | | Front-Wheel-Drive: | NA | | Rear-Wheel-Drive: | Chain | | Suspension (Type/Travel) | | Front: | Dual A-arms/2.6 in. | | Rear: | Swingarm/2.6 in. | | Tires | | Front: | 20x7-8 | | Rear: | 19x8-8 | | Brakes | | Front: | Dual drums | | Rear: | Drum | | Parking: | Yes | | Dimensions | | Wheelbase: | 38.8 in. | | Claimed Dry Weight: | 244 lb | | Ground Clearance: | 4.0 in. | | Length/Width/Height: | 58.6/35.2/36.1 in. | | Seat Height: | 25.5 in. | | Fuel Capacity: | 1.6 gal. | | Load Capacity | | Front/Rear Rack Capacity: | NA | | Hitch Tongue/Towing Capacity: | NA | | Electrical | | Taillight: | Yes | | Headlight: | NA | | DC Outlet: | NA | | Alternator: | 80 watts | | Instrumentation | | Fuel Gauge: | NA | | Speedometer: | NA | | Odometer: | NA | | Hourmeter: | NA | | Tripmeter: | NA | | High Beam Indicator: | NA | | Neutral/Reverse Light: | NA | | High-Temperature Light: | NA | | Colors: | Red, yellow |
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2004 Middleweight Sport Shoot Out
With the release of the new Honda Sportrax 450R, we endlessly get asked: "Is it better than the new Yamaha?" We wanted the answer to that ourselves, as well as to a few other questions. We were...
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American Honda Motor Company
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Kasea 2004
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2004 Polaris Predator 500
A few months ago at Yamaha's YFZ450 press intro, we were excited to hear that, like two-wheeled motocrossers, the redevelopment cycle for big blue's new quad was going to be one year. Meaning...
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Long Term Update: 2004 Yamaha YFZ450
Updated 2/26/2004When we last saw our faithful YFZ, we had quickly transformed it into a race-ready competitor (December 2003 ATVR) and blew a $15k+ Z400 right out of the water. Pretty heady stuff....
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2004 ATV Buyer's Guide
Today there are more ATV models to choose from than ever before. A wide variety of machines, from 50cc minis to 700cc monster utility workhorses, scream, "Pick me, pick me!" But which one best suits...
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