At their Dealer show in Nashville, Tennessee, American Honda released details for 2005 models and there were a slew of changes. Touting many updates across the utility line, many of the ute machines receive what Honda is calling "SUV" styling. We're not sure where they're trying to go with that, but nonetheless, there are some worthwhile updates that trail riders specifically, will like.
With their announcement of the CRF450X—an electric start version of their popular CRF450R race motorcycle, how long will Honda wait to add the magic button to their ATV?
Here are some of the highlights:
The FourTrax Foreman 4x4 (TRX500FE/TRX500FM) features an all-new 475cc air-cooled OHV motor, updated chassis, TraxLok and optional Electrical Shift Program (ESP). New front disc brake calipers now have a built-in snow or mud scraper.
The venerable TRX400, easily displaced as the top sporting mount in Honda's lineup by the TRX450R has become more trail and woods friendly, with the addition of reverse, standard brake light and new TRX450R style bodywork.
The FourTrax Foreman Rubicon (TRX500FA/TRX500FGA) now comes with TraxLok differential lock, 180mm single piston front disc brakes. A new fuel gauge and redesigned instrument cluster aim to be easier to read. Fuel capacity is also expanded to 4.2 gallons for longer rides. Optional GPS LCD unit is contained in the standard instrument panel.
The FourTrax Recon (TRX250T) gains floorboards and upgraded suspension front and rear for improved riding comfort. A 10mm taller seat and 16mm higher handlebars create more comfortable ergonomics and allow for easier rider movement. Outback the brake and taillight were changed to LED units for increased brightness and service life.
Honda's flagship utility model, the Rincon, gets a little bit more attitude, with the addition of black to their available color spectrum.
| 2005 Honda FourTrax Foreman Rubicon GPScape/ Rubicon | | Model | TRX500FA / TRX500FGA (with GPS) |
| Engine Type | 499cc liquid-cooled OHV dry-sump longitudinally mounted single-cylinder four-stroke |
| Bore and Stroke | 92.0mm x 75.0mm |
| Carburetion | 34mm CV |
| Ignition | CD with electronic advance |
| Starter | Electric with auxiliary recoil |
| Clutch | Automatic |
| Transmission | Fully automatic hydromechanical, continuously variable with electronic controls |
| Driveline | Direct front and rear drive-shafts with torque-sensitive front differential |
| Front Suspension | Independent double-wishbone; 6.7 inches travel |
| Rear Suspension | Swingarm with dual shock absorbers; 6.7 inches travel |
| Front Brakes | 180mm front discs with single-piston calipers |
| Rear Brakes | Sealed mechanical drum |
| Front Tires | 25 x 8-12 |
| Rear Tires | 25x 10-12 |
| Length | 83.0 inches |
| Width | 46.7 inches |
| Height | 46.2 inches |
| Seat | 33.9 inches |
| Ground Clearance | 7.5 inches |
| Wheelbase | 50.6 inches |
| Turning Radius | 10.8 feet |
| Dry Weight | 600 pounds |
| Fuel Capacity | 4.2 gallons, including 0.79-gallon reserve |
| Colors | Red
Olive
Yellow |
| Recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. |
| 2005 Honda FourTrax Foreman 4x4 ES/4x4 | | Model | TRX500FE (with ESP) / TRX500FM |
| Engine Type | 475cc air-cooled OHV longitudinally mounted single-cylinder four-stroke |
| Bore and Stroke | 92mm x 71.5mm |
| Carburetion | 34mm CV |
| Ignition | CD with electronic advance |
| Starter | Electric with auxiliary recoil |
| Clutch | Automatic |
| Transmission | ESP five-speed with reverse (TRX500FE) / Five-speed with reverse (TRX500FM) |
| Driveline | Direct front and rear drive-shafts with TraxLok and torque-sensitive front differential |
| Front Suspension | Independent double-wishbone; 6.7 inches travel |
| Rear Suspension | Swingarm with dual shocks; 6.7 inches travel |
| Front Brakes | Dual hydraulic 180mm disc |
| Rear Brakes | Sealed 180mm mechanical drum |
| Front Tires | 25 x 8-12 |
| Rear Tires | 25x 10-12 |
| Length | 83.0 inches |
| Width | 46.7 inches |
| Height | 46.3 inches |
| Seat Height | 33.9 inches |
| Ground Clearance | 7.5 inches |
| Wheelbase | 50.7 inches |
| Turning Radius | 10.8 feet |
| Dry Weight | 594 (TRX500FE) / 592 pounds (TRX500FM) |
| Fuel Capacity | 4.2 gallons, including 0.79-gallon reserve |
| Colors | Olive
Yellow
Red |
| Recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. |
| 2005 Honda FourTrax Foreman | | Model | TRX500TM |
| Engine Type | 475cc air-cooled OHV longitudinally mounted single-cylinder four-stroke |
| Bore and Stroke | 92mm x 71.5mm |
| Carburetion | 34mm CV |
| Ignition | CD with electronic advance |
| Starter | Electric with auxiliary recoil |
| Clutch | Automatic |
| Transmission | Five-speed with reverse |
| Driveline | Direct rear drive-shaft |
| Front Suspension | Independent double-wishbone; 6.7 inches travel |
| Rear Suspension | Swingarm with dual shocks; 6.7 inches travel |
| Front Brakes | Dual hydraulic 180mm disc |
| Rear Brakes | Sealed 180mm mechanical drum |
| Front Tires | 25 x 8-12 |
| Rear Tires | 25x 10-12 |
| Length | 83 inches |
| Width | 46.7 inches |
| Height | 46.3 inches |
| Seat Height | 33.9 inches |
| Ground Clearance | 7.5 inches |
| Wheelbase | 50.9 inches |
| Turning Radius | 9.8 feet |
| Dry Weight | 554 pounds |
| Fuel Capacity | 4.2 gallons, including 0.79-gallon reserve |
| Colors | Olive
Blue
Red |
| Recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. |
| 2005 Honda FourTrax Rancher AT/ FourTrax Rancher AT GPSCAPE | | Model | TRX400FA / TRX400FGA (with GPS) |
| Engine Type | 397cc air-cooled OHV dry-sump longitudinally mounted single-cylinder four-stroke |
| Bore and Stroke | 85mm x 70mm |
| Carburetion | 32mm CV |
| Ignition | CD with electronic advance |
| Starter | Electric with auxiliary recoil |
| Clutch | Automatic |
| Transmission | Fully automatic hydromechanical, continuously variable, with electronic controls |
| Driveline | Direct front and rear drive-shafts with torque-sensitive front differential |
| Front Suspension | Independent double-wishbone; 5.9 inches travel |
| Rear Suspension | Swingarm with single shock; 5.9 inches travel |
| Front Brakes | Triple-sealed hydraulic drum |
| Rear Brakes | Sealed mechanical drum |
| Front Tires | 24 x 8-12 |
| Rear Tires | 24 x 10-11 |
| Length | 80 inches (2031mm) |
| Width | 43.9 inches (1114mm) |
| Height | 45.2 inches (1147mm) |
| Seat Height | 32.4 inches |
| Ground Clearance | 7.2 inches |
| Wheelbase | 49.1 inches |
| Turning Radius | 10.8 feet |
| Dry Weight | 559 pounds |
| Fuel Capacity | 3.8 gallons, including 1.1-gallon reserve |
| Colors | Red
Olive
Yellow |
| Recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. |
| 2005 Honda ForeTrax Rancher 4x4 ES/ FourTrax Rancher 4x4 | | Model | TRX350FE (with ESP) / TRX350FM |
| Engine Type | 329cc air-cooled OHV dry-sump longitudinally mounted single-cylinder four-stroke |
| Bore and Stroke | 78.5mm x 68mm |
| Carburetion | 32mm CV |
| Ignition | CD with electronic advance |
| Starter | Electric with auxiliary recoil |
| Clutch | Automatic |
| Transmission | ESP five-speed with reverse (TRX350FE) / Five-speed with reverse (TRX350FM) |
| Driveline | Direct front and rear drive-shafts with torque-sensitive front differential |
| Front Suspension | Independent double-wishbone; 5.9 inches travel |
| Rear Suspension | Swingarm with single shock; 5.9 inches travel |
| Front Brakes | Triple-sealed hydraulic drum |
| Rear Brakes | Sealed mechanical drum |
| Front Tires | 24 x 8-12 |
| Rear Tires | 24 x 9-11 |
| Length | 78.1 inches |
| Width | 45.0 inches |
| Height | 44.3 inches |
| Seat Height | 32.4 inches |
| Ground Clearance | 7.2 inches |
| Wheelbase | 49.1 inches |
| Turning Radius | 10.8 feet |
| Dry Weight | 535 pounds(TRX350FE) / 524 pounds (TRX350FM) |
| Fuel Capacity | 3.4 gallons, including 0.8-gallon reserve |
| Colors | Red
Yellow
Olive |
| Recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. |
| 2005 Honda FourTrax Rancher ES/ FourTrax Rancher | | Model | TRX350TE (with ESP) / TRX350TM |
| Engine Type | 329cc air-cooled OHV dry-sump longitudinally mounted single-cylinder four-stroke |
| Bore and Stroke | 78.5mm x 68mm |
| Carburetion | 32mm CV |
| Ignition | CD with electronic advance |
| Starter | Electric with auxiliary recoil |
| Clutch | Automatic |
| Transmission | ESP five-speed with reverse (TRX350TE) / Five-speed with reverse (TRX350TM) |
| Driveline | Direct rear drive-shaft |
| Front Suspension | Independent double-wishbone; 5.9 inches travel |
| Rear Suspension | Swingarm with single shock; 5.9 inches travel |
| Front Brakes | Triple-sealed hydraulic drum |
| Rear Brakes | Sealed mechanical drum |
| Front Tires | 24 x 8-12 |
| Rear Tires | 25 x 11-10 |
| Length | 78.1 inches |
| Width | 45.0 inches |
| Height | 44.1 inches |
| Seat Height | 32.0 inches |
| Ground Clearance | 7.3 inches |
| Wheelbase | 49.3 inches |
| Turning Radius | 8.5 feet |
| Dry Weight | 511 pounds (TRX350TE) / 498 pounds (TRX350TM) |
| Fuel Capacity | 3.4 gallons, including 0.8-gallon reserve |
| Colors | Red
Olive
Yellow |
| Recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. |
| 2005 Honda FourTrax Recon ES/ FourTrax Recon | | Model | TRX250TE (with ESP) / TRX250TM |
| Engine Type | 229cc air-cooled OHV longitudinally mounted single-cylinder four-stroke |
| Bore and Stroke | 68.5mm x 62.2mm |
| Carburetion | 22mm |
| Ignition | CD with electronic advance |
| Starter | Electric with auxiliary recoil |
| Clutch | Automatic |
| Transmission | ESP five-speed with reverse (TRX250TE) / Five-speed with reverse (TRX250TM) |
| Driveline | Direct rear drive-shaft |
| Front Suspension | Independent double-wishbone; 5.1 inches travel |
| Rear Suspension | Swingarm with single shock; 4.9 inches travel |
| Front Brakes | Dual sealed hydraulic drum |
| Rear Brakes | Sealed mechanical drum |
| Front Tires | 22 x 7-11 |
| Rear Tires | 22x 10-9 |
| Length | 75.0 inches |
| Width | 40.7 inches |
| Height | 42.1 inches |
| Seat Height | 31.2 inches |
| Ground Clearance | 6.0 inches |
| Wheelbase | 44.5 inches |
| Turning Radius | 8.5 feet |
| Dry Weight | 425 (TRX250TE) / 418 pounds (TRX250TM) |
| Fuel Capacity | 2.4 gallons, including 0.6-gallon reserve |
| Colors | Red
Olive
Yellow |
| Recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. |
| 2005 FourTrax Rincon/ FourTrax Rincon GPSCAPE | | Model | TRX650FA / TRX650FGA (with GPS) |
| Engine Type | 649cc liquid-cooled OHV semi-dry-sump longitudinally mounted single-cylinder four-stroke |
| Bore and Stroke | 100.0mm x 82.6mm |
| Carburetion | 37mm CV |
| Ignition | CD with electronic advance |
| Starter | Electric with auxiliary recoil |
| Transmission | Automatic with hydraulic torque converter, three forward gears, reverse, and electronic controls |
| Driveline | Direct front and rear drive-shafts with torque-sensitive front differential |
| Front Suspension | Independent double-wishbone; 6.9 inches travel |
| Rear Suspension | Independent double-wishbone; 8.0 inches travel |
| Front Brakes | Triple-sealed hydraulic drum |
| Rear Brakes | Single hydraulic disc |
| Front Tires | 25 x 8-12 radial |
| Rear Tires | 25 x 10-12 radial |
| Length | 83.7 inches |
| Width | 46.1 inches |
| Height | 47.5 inches |
| Seat Height | 34.5 inches |
| Ground Clearance | 10.0 inches |
| Wheelbase | 50.8 inches |
| Turning Radius | 10.8 feet |
| Dry Weight | 600 pounds |
| Fuel Capacity | 4.5 gallons, including 1.0-gallon reserve |
| Colors | Red
Olive
Black |
| Recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. |