Braking / Suspension:

    The new Honda Rincon has had one up-grade from past models. Still using drum brakes in the front, but a rear disk brake has been incorporated to the drive shaft located in front of the rear differential. The new disk brake uses a collet-type caliper. Several advantages to the disk verses the larger drum set-up are less weight, increased ground clearance and improved maintenance. We felt positive braking with the Rincon, the unit handled well and slowing was never a problem.
    Suspension upgrading is something we were really glad to see. The Rincon has the most comfortable ride in the industry. Starting with a large plush seat then moving down to the cushy fully independent suspension and finally, radial tires. These components provide a comfort which no ATV rider has ever felt. The suspension up-grade begins with independent double-wishbone A-arms front with 6.9 inches of travel and a new fully independent double-wishbone A-arm rear with 8.0 inches of travel. The Rincon’s suspension uses long travel coil-over shocks with no adjustments. Honda chose to use aluminum upper A-arms with steel lower A-arms in the front to keep up durability. In the rear, aluminum upper and lower A-arms support the well designed independent suspension. The aluminum upper and lower A-arms produce a substantial weight savings. Both are mounted to the rear differential which is integrated and mounted directly into the frame, producing a light and efficient set-up. The rear suspension uses a aluminum sway-bar to track and moderate body roll. Honda has again produced state of the art fully independent suspension on the Rincon. Our only complaint stems from a bit to much body roll. We would like to see adjustable shocks added and possibly some adjustment to the rear sway-bar. Riding the Rincon in a very aggressive manner produced some situations where the rider felt that cornering the unit at high speeds produced extensive body roll. We realize body roll is a trade off for the comfortable ride but, also, realize that turning up the preload on the suspension would help extensive body roll especially with heavier riders. That’s where adjustable shocks would help personalize the ride and handling.

Ergonomics:

    Comfort is the Rincon’s middle name. All controls are user friendly and within easy reach. A thick padded seat uses dual-density foam to provide all-day riding comfort and the right floorboards allow the rider’s feet to grip the footrests while keeping mud and debris off of the rider. A large multi-function LCD digital instrumentation is compact, tough and waterproof. Featuring readouts in what gear is selected, speed, odometer, resetable tripmeter and hourmeter/clock. The instrument panel includes LED lights for drive, neutral, reverse and temperature warning indicator. Also, a digital fuel gauge is displayed in the readout window. All handle bar mounted switches and controls are easy to read and easily accessible. Other handlebar controls, include parking brake and choke lever. Other features, include a large light weight plastic fuel tank with 4.5 gallon capacity, 12 volt waterproof accessory socket, side opening compartment with 4 liters of storage and large cargo racks capable of 66lbs. front and 133lbs. rear. Dual 40-watt halogen headlights and dual brake/tail lights are standard lighting. A trailer hitch is offered as an option.

Conclusion:

We believe Honda is heading in the right direction with the Rincon. Producing the perfect ATV is their goal. The problem is each rider has different needs and wants and different ridingskills. The Rincon has been produced to give a fun, sporty ride with a subdued work ethic. We feel Honda has put together a good unit with the potential to run Baja and come out in the lead. Once a rider gets used to the Rincon a complete package unfolds. The Rincon proved itself in the desert area of the Grand Canyon but we all wonder how will it handle the step mountains of the North East? We are sure it will do well but we are excited about spending more time in the seat. As journalists, it is our job to ride and report our thoughts about each machine. This is a much easier job than designing one of these new ATV units, but doing our job sometimes entails making statements about improvements to different models. It is very difficult to decide if the machine really needs to be improved or is this improvement a personal choice. Like needing more power, not all riders need gobs of power. We need to find a middle point of deciding what improvements are needed. We feel the Rincon can be improved with adjustable shocks and a bit more bottom end power level. The Rincon unit is about as perfect as a Recreational Utility unit can be and that’s why it is so hard to pick improvements. If the Rincon is on your wish list, you need to get to a dealer and check the unit out. Honda put three years of design into the Rincon and has come up with a sporty unit that excels with each trail!

Specs.

Model TRX650FA

Engine Type 649cc liquid-cooled OHV semi-dry-sump
longitudinally

mounted single-cylinder four-stroke

Bore and Stroke 100.0mmx82.6mm

Carburetion 37mm CV

Ignition CD with electronic advance

Starter Electric with auxiliary recoil

Transmission Automatic
with hydraulic torque
converter, three forward

gears and reverse

Driveline Direct front and rear drive-shafts with
torque-sensing

limited-slip front differential

Suspension Front Independent double-wishbone; 6.9 inches
travel

Rear Independent double-wishbone; 8.0 inches travel

Brakes Front Triple-sealed hydraulic drum

Rear Single hydraulic disc

Tires Front 25 x 8-12 radial

Rear 25 x 10-12 radial

Length 8.37 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

* Meets 2008 CARB emissions standards

Special Thanks to: Honda's Lee Edmunds.

www.Honda.com