User friendly: designed for new entrants to the ATV market, Honda's Rincon has easy-to-use features that veterans will appreciate. And it all makes the work day that much more relaxing

Canadian Forest Industries, Sep/Oct 2003 by Elmer, Howard J

The Honda Rincon made its Canadian debut this summer at Lac Sacacomie, located just 17 miles west of Shawinigan, QC. Although only about 100 miles from Montreal, this large lake, with its deep cut bays, is surprisingly sparsely populated. A good spot for a test ride - lots of trail, few people.

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Arriving by bush plane, we tied up at the dock of La Maison du Lac Sacacomie, a 105-room hotel built entirely of logs cut and transported from northern Quebec. It was here, right on the dock that journalists got their first look at the Rincon.

It is a big (and as it turned out, comfortable) ATV. Displacing 649cc, this is the biggest Honda ATV engine yet. It also sports a fully independent suspension all the way around (primarily for comfort vs. a harsher ride for the sake of clearance), with 8 inches of wheel travel and 10 inches of clearance. It offers consistently easy handling, Honda says, as well as unique floorboards, integrated skid plates, and front and rear cargo racks. It also had some other firsts - like an available GPS system integrated into the onboard readouts.

Honda touts the Rincon's primary role in the Honda line-up (as opposed to the Rubicon) as an ATV that appeals to new people coming into the sport - and the company set out to accomplish this by making the bike safe, comfortable and easy to ride in a way that left buyers simply accepting that all ATV's must be this user-friendly.

Easy as 1,2,3

For that reason, several of the key features of the Rincon mimic automobile functions that are familiar to most adults. The shift lever is placed as it would be in a car and the tranny uses three long gears that shift smoothly and without any harsh bumps. Yet despite what seems like a dumb-down approach to ATV design, experienced riders will find little to quibble with. Fact is - easy is easy - whether you're a newbie or a veteran.

The engine is liquid cooled and uses overhead valve, push-rod technology. On first look this appears to be an older design, and it is - but the choice is deliberate. Like most Hondas, the engine is mounted longitudinally in the frame letting the drive shafts line up to the front and rear axles. This eliminates any power-robbing right-angle gear changes. With the camshaft below the cylinder head and a semi-dry-sump lubrication system (which eliminates the oil pan), the engine weight is carried down low in the frame and the block size is compact. This allows a combination of good ground clearance and a low centre of gravity.

A gear-driven counterbalance runs the engine smoothly and many parts, like the cylinders, are lightweight while the cylinder walls are nickel-silicon-carbide-lined for long wear. The motor builds a ton of torque, so in spite of the lack of gearing there is more than enough grunt for any riding situation - I certainly never felt like I was being short-changed during our test ride.

Honda's design cues pay off in the ability of the Rincon to climb. The low centre of gravity not only holds the rider on steep grades, but also maintains the surface traction of the tires. Clearance has to be ample because the machine suspension is rather soft so it tends to squat and churn when it's under torque (primarily because of the four wheel independent suspension and its inherent flex). With the high frame it stays clear of obstacles.

The counterbalance, straight drive shafts and the unique torque converter maximize the power in a healthy vibration-free curve. Another ATV first is the fluid power transfer. The engine output shaft drives the torque converter's impeller, which uses fins to pump fluid - in this case engine oil - to drive vanes on the torque converter's turbine. The spinning turbine powers the automatic transmission.

Soggy Test

Honda's Quebec test site turned out to be a good one, despite the rain we rode in all day. The ATV trail system could be accessed right from the hotel, and it was just two hours from Montreal by car (35 minutes by bush plane). Sadly, of the region's 1 100 km of maintained ATV trails, I was able to get only about 100 km ridden. The whole trail system is deep in the Laurentian mountains, which though not known for being overly tall are tall enough (if you're on foot). The machines got a work out, as the trails rise and fall over 1 000 feet at times.

A key feature of the Rincon is the car-style automatic transmission powered by the hydraulic torque converter with three independent hydraulic clutches. Honda says it's designed to be durable and is impervious to dirt or water. In short, there are no belts to burn out or replace. The transmission shifts electronically.

Still, conventional torque converters have some inherent problems, like lack of engine braking and forward creep. To overcome these issues, Honda has added a one-way clutch for engine braking that acts on the crankshaft instead of the torque converter during deceleration. Descending steep hills is easy, and the feel is very similar to conventional transmission braking.

As for creeping forward in gear, Honda's new creep control system detects the idling of the vehicle and disengages a hydraulic clutch mechanism within the transmission to cut creep. This ECU (electronic control unit) also computes the necessary hydraulic pressure to engage the clutch gradually as the throttle is depressed. The result is idle without creep, and a smooth engagement of power from idle - again very car-like.