2009 Honda Rincon ATV Review Photo Gallery

2009 Honda Rincon ATV Review

The 2009 Honda Rincon is a very good all-around utility ATV and is geared at working for its owner in a variety of situations.

There’s no foot lever, but two buttons on the left handlebar provide access to the thumb-activated Electric Shift Program (ESP).

Honda's automatic tranny is very functional in a working environment.

The automatic transmission design with hydraulic torque converter offers three-speed forward and one reverse.

It’s comfortable enough to spend all day in the saddle, so it will make a good hunting companion as well as work horse.

Adding some weight to the Rincon puts extra stress on the brakes but doesn't seem to faze the engine.

Nobody says the Rincon can't get rowdy, but ultimately it would rather get down to work than show off.

We climbed aboard the 2009 Rincon to see what Honda's biggest utility ATV is capable of at both work and play.

A left-side hand lever just below the handlebar is used to select drive or reverse. While simple to operate, the more we used the Rincon the more we wanted to flip-flop the shift pattern.

With a few cinderblocks on the rear rack, the the binders were understandably less responsive but they do get the job done.

A single switch on the right grip chooses between auto and ESP, and it can be done on the fly.

The liquid-cooled Single uses a 102 x 82.6mm bore and stroke to churn out 675cc-worth of usable power.

The 2009 Honda Rincon is a very good all-around utility ATV and is geared at working for its owner in a variety of situations.

The problem with the steel racks, though, is that items will simply slide right off unless lashed down. It would be useful if Honda would include a few mounting holes or brackets to help tie-downs and bungees get a better grip.

With a utility quad, the concern is more about run time versus mileage, but we were comfortable leaving the Honda purring quietly in the background while accomplishing tasks.

The low-profile engine gives the Rincon 10 inches of ground clearance while keeping a low center of gravity.

Riders can also choose quickly between 2WD and 4WD with a simple thumb switch. Honda’s TraxLok works very well and doesn’t require stopping.

Lowering the air pressure in the 25-inch tires allowed the pattern to spread out and provide excellent traction for slow-speed work.

Mild mud, ranch-hand duties and towing logs off mountainside were all accomplished with little complaint from the motor.

Putting around, going from one task to the next often requires a lot of stop-and-go, much of which can be one-handed if you’re carrying tools or holding down some light cargo.

The 15.5”x29"x10.5” capacity has been very useful. It’s great to be able to toss a spare jacket, gloves, lunch or work tools inside.

The dual mesh water bottle holders on the rear are accessible by the rider regardless of bag placement.

The Trail-tec line uses a zipperless, hinged lid which allows it to open and close very easily.

we’re looking forward to exercising our Second Amendment ATV-style.

Kolpin was our first stop for easy, functional upgrades for our Rincon project.

It uses a wire support frame on the interior that provides the structure and roominess of hard-shell luggage.

The 600 denier nylon proved tough as we dragged it through piles of overhanging blackberry vines.

Traction is greatly improved in all areas. We noticed it most during braking and on sidehills where the Honda ATV refuses to slip.

The Rincon's work load keeps getting heavier. Our homemade trailer hitch works for now but a legit setup will give us the proper towing capacity in addition to other upgrades which will keep this project ATV moving forward.

The gun boot is straightforward and it has accommodated every rifle and shotgun we’ve slipped into its protective clutches.

Combined, the ITP wheel/tire package adds 58 pounds compared to the stock arrangement, and the footprint is noticeably wider.

The K&N air filter was a simple upgrade for the Rincon. It left lots of room in the airbox, but we really didn't feel any change in performance.

Warn's bumper is beefier than the mounting tabs on the Honda.

The wireless remote comes standard with the XT30. Operation is simple and the buttons are large enough to use with riding gloves.

Nylon rope is better for extreme applications where a steel cable would kink or fray like when using a snow plow. Tensile strength is said to be the same, but added flexibility makes this synthetic rope more attractive to recreational users.

It's possible to use the winch motor to pull something or just hook up the cable like a tow strap and put the Rincon in reverse.

The winch proved handy when a hunting partner's ATV had problems and needed to be moved off the main access road.

The Stanislaus forest provided plenty of new scenery and opportunities for our Rincon project to explore.

The Warn winch kit has a lot of parts, but the hardest part is deciding where to mount the contactor and wireless remote sensors.

Our larger ITP tires add even more ground clearance and can handle ruts much worse than this.