Honda
TRX 700XX ATV Links |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
Honda TRX 700XX IRS ATV |
Dumont Dunes, CA – In
recent years there has been speculation and
anticipation among Honda loyalists as to when
their favorite ATV manufacturer would come out
with a big bore sport quad. Every year, when
it came close to the time for Honda to release
their new models, Internet forums would be a
blaze with rumors that it would be the year
for the manufacturing giant to release a 600-700cc
machine. Now, in 2008, those rumors have finally
been laid to rest by the release of Honda’s
TRX 700XX.
Of course we jumped at the opportunity when
Honda invited ATVriders.com out to California
to test ride their newest addition to the TRX
family. Honda wanted the media to test ride
their newest creation before its release date
in April, but they did not want the test riders
to have to deal with inclement riding conditions
such as rain, cold, and/or mud, so the location
of choice was one with varied terrain that ranged
from rugged, rocky, desert trails to sand dunes.
We first met up with the Honda crew in Las Vegas,
NV and then headed southwest through the desert
towards the Dumont Dunes, where we would be
putting the TRX 700XX to the test.
|
Once
we arrived at Dumont Dunes, it was time
to pick out are TRX 700XX ATV test unit
from a lineup of both color combinations
with black and red/black units available |
The Dumont Dunes are located in south western
California on the Southeast edge of Death Valley
National Park. Despite the image that the name
“Death Valley” draws to mind, the
area offers plenty of scenery, especially in
the early spring when cacti and desert shrubs
bloom in an array of colors, along trails and
in the hills that overlook the sand dunes.
|
|
The
Delmont Dunes in California have a little
bit of everything including sand ofcourse
with some huge hill climbs, but there
is also plenty of riding trails around
the dunes with water crossings and plenty
of rocks as well. |
We have to admit, we would have preferred to
take the TRX 700XX out in the woods to see how
well it could handle GNCC type of terrain, but
the Dumont Dunes proved to be a great place
to test the power and handling capabilities
of this 686cc machine and offered plenty of
diverse terrain to test the capabilities of
the TRX 700XX, and the weather was picture perfect
for our test ride day, which was Honda’s
main reasoning for choosing the Dumont Dunes
as the test ride location.
|
Honda
TRX 700XX 686cc dry-sump, liquid cooled
SOHC four-valve single-cylinder four-stroke
engine
|
The first thing that stands out about Honda’s
new TRX 700XX is its massive 686cc fuel injected
power-plant, which something you would have never
expected from Honda just a few years ago, but
with the big bore sport ATV market gaining popularity
over the past couple of years with the release
of Yamaha Raptor 700R, Polaris Outlaw 525, and
KTM 525, Honda couldn’t resist to enter
this new sport ATV segment.