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| 2009
Honda Rancher 420 AT & ES |
Richfield, Utah – Over
the past decade, Honda has sold over one million
Rancher family utility ATVs, which is a true testament
to its long running popularity, and to continue
its popularity, Honda has continued to refine
the Rancher model line-up. In 2007, the Honda
Rancher was completely redesigned to keep up with
current demands, and it received an all new more
powerful water cooled 420cc OHV longitudinally
mounted engine with electronic fuel injection.
Now for 2009, Honda has expanded their Rancher
lineup to 8 available models with the return
of the ever popular automatic transmission Rancher
AT, which also is first ever Rancher model available
with Independent Rear Suspension (IRS). Also,
several Rancher models including the AT now
come with Electric Power Steering (EPS), which
was originally available only on the Honda Foreman
ATV line-up.
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The
Honda Rancher AT new dual clutch gear
transmission system replaces the Hondamatic
transmission used on previous generation
Rancher AT, which utilized motorized
pumps and pistions for shifting, and
the new dual clutch transmission technology
has never been used before in an ATV
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Honda’s new automatic five-speed transmission
features two modes. The rider is given the choice
of using either manual shifting with Honda’s
Electric Shift Program (ESP), where you can
shift into five forward gears, neutral and reverse,
with just the push of a handlebar mounted button,
or the Rancher can shift the forward gears automatically.
The twin clutch design incorporates predictive
shifting that was designed to anticipate the
next gear. When the rider is accelerating or
decelerating the dual clutch system pre-stages
the next gear accordingly, which makes the transition
from gear to gear incredibly smooth, minimizes
the jerkiness of gear transitions and eliminates
deceleration between gear changes. The smoothness
of this new dual-clutch does a good job of helping
to reduce rider fatigue and ensures that you
are always in the right gear.
The all new Rancher AT now comes with Independent
Rear Suspension (IRS), which is a first for
the Rancher model line-up. The IRS maintains
the 6.3” of suspension travel found on
the other Rancher models with swing-arms, but
the IRS provides 9.1” of ground clearance
compared to 6.5” on the other Rancher
models, which can make a big difference with
riding over obstacles. Also, the IRS provides
a much smoother and more comfortable ride while
giving added stability on rough terrain.
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| Honda
Rancher ES with a straight axle |
Honda Rancer AT with IRS |
The new Electric Power Steering (EPS) provides
seemingly effortless steering and is a huge
advantage in tight or technical terrain, so
it takes much less physical effort from the
rider, and makes for a much more enjoyable all-around
riding experience.
Honda had anticipated everyone’s desire
to hit some technical trails with the new Rancher
AT to test out its capabilities, and to see
how the new features of the Rancher AT compare
to Rancher ES and ER, so Honda took the liberty
of setting up a two day riding adventure, much
to the delight of all in attendance.
