2005 Honda Utility ATVs

From the February, 2009 issue of ATV Rider

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 CRF450Xan 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.