I can't say thank you enough for the kind words and support bud, I really appreciate it... I don't think I live up to that statement just yet though but I'm working on it lol. I'm excited to see where this heads now though, now that I can put 100% effort into it and it not just be something I do on the side for fun like it has been over the years. Scared to death but here's to making it work so I can support my family while still being involved with what I love, the powersports world!
Enjoy your videos a lot. I like the fact that you show how things work, like how to use reverse on a manual shift. I also like the Honda diagrams and photos of stripped down units, undercarriages, etc. Not many videos include those views. Hoping you will have some news on the 2022 models one day. Also I would like to see a good video of what to look for in a ATV trailer.
Thank you... I really appreciate the feedback and kind words too. I add those parts in because when the roles are reversed and I'm trying to learn about something I'm interested in, I want to know all of the nitty-gritty info like that. I know some people don't care about that though so I try my best to straddle that line of offering technical info with the cookie cutter info too. I'm glad to hear someone likes that aspect, thanks again! We're not far off from seeing the 2022 models announced but actually seeing them on dealer's floors is a whole different ballgame thanks to this rona mess. It's wild at just how empty most places are, I've been in the industry a few years now and it's mind boggling to me still. That's a good idea on the ATV trailer video! I'm going to look into that and see if I can find a local trailer dealer that'll be open to letting me come poke around a few minutes for a video. Some places (not trailers) have been telling me "nope" when I ask them about doing that so we'll see haha!
Thank you, I really appreciate the kind words! Glad to hear it was of some help in putting your mind at ease, it's a shame you can't just walk into a dealer and check out every model like you could before this rona mess but the upside is it led you to my video and hopefully you'll hang around for future videos too ;)
Same here! If they brought out a new model 4x4 in that size for today's market, it'd sell like hotcakes! Why they don't revamp the Recon 250 into a Recon 300 and offer a 2x4 and 4x4 model is beyond me. A lot of people want 4x4 but they don't want the overall larger size that most models are going for these days.
Great review as always Kevin. One thing though, I’m not sure about the assist light being LED as you mention. I finally received my 2021 Rubicon Deluxe and it seems that the assist light has a halogen bulb, just like the headlights. I’m still also trying to find a plug and play LED bulb that will replace the OEM halogen bulbs in the headlights.
Thanks bud, really appreciate the support... You know, I went back and forth on that one lol. I'm sitting there looking at the video, looking at the ATV again and again, thinking to myself that it looks like a halogen bulb but I started thinking am I dumb and that's an LED because Honda says it is lol. Honda seems to think it's an LED on their spec sheet here: hondanews.com/en-US/powersports/releases/release-86f699ac4f5da2ce03fe6a17a200ff06-2021-honda-fourtrax-foreman-4x4-features-and-benefits I went against my better judgment and went with what their spec sheet says even though I thought otherwise and it bit me this time. Thank you for helping me shine some more light on this! That would look killer! I'm surprised nobody has released a plug and play setup for these yet as lighting is always a big mod but it seems like Hondas are the red headed step child at times in the aftermarket world lol.
Nice in depth diagrams on the EPS and others👍you answered so many of my questions and love the walk around views, do the ES models still have a manual foot shifter? Thx
Thanks bud, glad it was of some help ;) Kinda, lol! It still has a backup manual shifter but it can't be operated with your foot now since it's on the front of the engine rather than the side similar to the Recon ES where you can still use your foot with the backup manual shifter. So you still have a backup shifter for the Foreman ES but you can't use your foot to shift with it.
Thank you for your videos, they are really well done and much appreciated so I subscribed. I am shopping for a ranch work horse and the Foreman line is what I need. Must have diff lock 4X4. My "tough" decision is I want the DCT for some family members to assist me working or playing. I ride 2-wheel motorcycles so foot shift comes natural, but not for them. Also I ride an old 1986 Honda FourTrax 350 ATV that runs and works great still. I keep 'upping' myself to get the Foreman Rubicon instead of the straight rear axle Foreman and teaching them to shift (albeit ES or foot shifter). Is one tougher than the other for working/towing? I do understand $$$ differences but I need to purchase what I need plain and simple. I do want steel wheels for bad rocks where it will be worked. Top speed I have no concern with. Thanks for your videos!
Thanks for the kind words and support, I really appreciate it bud! Heck yeah, those old 350s are tanks! Technically, the Rubicon is "tougher" at the end of the day. It's frame is beefed up more than the Foreman which is why it can handle more weight in towing and on the racks even though they have the same power output. Plus you get the Low range which dips down even lower than first on the Foreman for working. If it's something you plan on keeping for a while and will use a lot then the more expensive "pill" to swallow isn't that bad with the Rubicon as you'll be thanking yourself every day with the added features but it all boils down to whether or not you can justify the cost in your head. But if you do opt for the ES Foreman to make shifting a little easier on your family over the foot shift model, you end up having to get EPS (unless you go back a few years for an older model) which drives the price up to $8,349 so now you're only $350 off of the Rubicon DCT. To get that Rubicon DCT over the Foreman ES EPS, you're losing out on EPS but you're gaining the DCT and IRS plus all of the other features. It's a difficult decision though and definitely one I would weigh all my options on as I see way too many people just settle for the cheapest one and then kick themselves a week later, want to trade to get the original one they should have and now they're losing more money than if they would've got the "right" one the first time lol. Sorry for the long winded reply, hope some of it was remotely helpful bud ;)
@@HondaProKevin Thank you for replying. Your knowledge is super helpful! I enjoy your videos because of the details you provide in them and your answer to me provided what I needed. I agree on buying the right tool for the job even if it's a little bit more cash. I will run it for the rest of my life knowing Honda's reliability as we take take care of our "tools" with proper maintenance and not torture them like I see so many do on RU-vid. It will have a good life when I pull the trigger and purchase it. Rubicon it is, most likely the Foreman Rubicon with DCT, and I'll probably get the EPS model. Why? Mostly because ATV's are slim pickings right now, and the (somewhat local available) DCT models all are pre-equipped this way. More $$ but a nice feature. I like that camo but don't wish to pay for it so will most likely try and find a green one. We'll see...ruling nothing out. Thank you again for the quality information you provide in your videos and your reply. Have a happy July 4th! We need a celebration after this last year for sure. And as for being long winded...ahem... (as I point my finger right back at myself) I am fine with it!
Forget Honda. U can get a plain jain Yamaha 700 for about 7500. Comes standard with independent suspension. Way more value for the machine. Way nicer machine as well.
Could be. Would expect one or two of them to quit eventually. Probably arctic cat. Maybe Kawasaki ATV Suzuki ATVs Wonder how many sales they have to make a year to justify a line of a certain machine.
You here of any problem with the DCT? I'm getting a Rubicon deluxe with power steering and automatic. What have you heard about that machine I'm getting? This will be my first four wheeler and hopefully my last because I'm old lol
Personally, I have only seen one or two problems out of the DCT transmissions over the years that I've been involved with selling them etc. I first started working with Honda in 2006 and technically the DCT setups didn't start rolling out until 2010 for 2-wheels and then in 2014 for 4-wheels. Those problems were on the Pioneer 1000 and they were clutch slipping issues, which was quickly fixed by Honda in 2017-2018. Of course, nothing is perfect and you'll find some people on the internet that have had issues here and there but that's to be expected and obviously we never want to be the one that was dealt the crappy hand with a unit back in the shop. If I'm being 100% honest, would I have any problems with purchasing a DCT model? Nope. Now when they first started rolling it out though, it wasn't perfect but that's again why I try not to buy anything with brand new technology the first year or two that it comes out. Even with Honda, a company we all regard as being one of the most reliable on the planet - they can still run into issues. Heck, I fought those issues on my 2017 Honda Civic Type R with transmission problems lol. But with the unit you're looking at, I've sold tons of them of the years and they are dead nuts reliable. Just follow the maintenance schedule and be careful at what oil you use with the DCT because it can be finicky if you don't run what Honda says and that thing will outlast all of us bud ;) I'm sorry I rambled on a bit. Hope the info was of some help, if you have any other questions just let me know. Oh, one more thing I forgot to add. To help save your clutches. Read the manual where it talks about using the Low range and when to use it etc. A lot of people don't pay any attention to this and that's where you can burn the clutches up, especially on the larger DCT models like the Pioneer and Talon but it can still happen on the Rubicon too.
just got a 2021 foreman 520 foot shift no power steering model have diff lock and same motor as rubicon same fetures just not irs only diffrence between rubicon and foreman is irs love the new fuel injection big diffrence from riding a honda 300 fourtrax good buy foreman basic model
Heck yeah, congrats on the new ride! Oh yeah, definitely a big upgrade from the old school 300 FourTrax. Side note. There are more differences than just the IRS when it comes to the Foreman vs Rubicon ;)
Great video Kevin! I am considering purchasing a new Foreman, how is the reliability of the ES system now days, do you see common problems or very occasional? I know the foot shift I s more reliable, although the only models available at the moment where I am are ES models, just not sure if I should wait until some foot shift models come in, I have been deterred by many people to purchase the ES model but just wondering what your thoughts are on this. Thanks!
Thanks bud, I really appreciate the kind words! Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about it. They've really perfected all of the electronics behind the ES models and I wouldn't hesitate one bit on this latest generation. In my 15 years of being around them, I've only seen a handful of solenoid failures and that was on the earlier gens. Thankfully if something does go wrong you have your backup manual shifter so you'll never be stranded but of course it can still ruin your day. It still carries a bad wrap because of its growing pains many years ago similar to the DCT clutch problems at first on certain models but from my experience, I wouldn't hesitate a second to own a current gen ES model. I just wish they still offered the regular ES model and didn't make you get the ES EPS model like they do nowadays and I think that's hurting some of its sales in the grand scheme of things. You'll fall in love with that new reverse lever too, not having to click down a few times but rather once and bam it's in reverse. It's the small things that spoil you sometimes lol! All in all though, I'd go for the ES if need be on a current unit but if we're talking a used model from a few years back then I would start to take back some of that confidence on it being trouble free haha ;)
A 2,500lb winch on that unit is more than enough in my opinion. Anything more is just extra insurance but typically, my customers over the last year and myself have ran that size on these sized units and have never ran into an issue of it not being enough pulling power.
They all vibrate a decent bit but it's definitely more exaggerated when they're cold and idling a little high. See, I think they're pretty quiet too but every now and then you'll have someone say it's so loud lol but that's why there's a market for some of those add-on mufflers for the hunters that really want to sneak up on their prey I guess.
