New Honda TRX700

[yernkie]

http://powersports.honda.com/atvs/sport/model.asp?ModelName=TRX700XX&ModelYear=2008&ModelId=TRX700XX8

Thoughts??? Looks to me like Honda built a Kawi VForce and threw on a 5 speed. I thought that Honda would build a big bore to compete with the Raptors, but this thing weighs 100+ pounds mor ethan a Raptor.

[redrocker]

I think that they made a retirement bike

[VIGILANTE MAN]

It looks like something out of an April issue of Dirt Wheels.

[cbrooks118]

Originally posted by VIGILANTE MAN
It looks like something out of an April issue of Dirt Wheels.

x2

No offense to honda, but every bike out there isnt a winner. I am sure if the receive lackluster sales, it will be discontiuned before you know it, or radically changed

[comrad]

I think it will be a pretty nice quad, not a performance quad by any means, but looks to be a nice "Cruising" quad.

There are some pics and info here if you want:

http://trx700xx.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=1

[yernkie]

Even though this is a quad that I would never own, I can see how this could be appealing to some people. I have 3 or 4 buddies that own Kawi VForce's because they are bigger boys and 450's just are not comfortable to them. They like the size, feel, and weight of the Kawi, but they are always complaing that it is an auto. Maybe this will be what they are looking for.

[Smoker]

Other than needing to go on a diet, I think it will be bad arse. Look's like they are striking at the Outlaw with the IRS and the Raptor due to engine CC's. If they wanted to make a retirement bike it would be automatic and wouldn't have reservoir shocks. The XR650 motor it's based off of is a great motor too. It does seem to hit a strange market but just wait, it will be a good selling machine. I am considering a rear IRS quad, it's the way of the future, I love the idea of the KTM 525 in the Outlaw but it's still a Polaris. If Honda continues development of rear IRS on sport quads and get it designed correctly, nothing will touch it (not just Honda, just the concept in general IMO). I know everyone has different opinions about this but so did everyone about mono shock on dirtbikes.

[brokenmike]

That thing is ugly,Where are you going to find a 22/8/11 tire for it.It has a 11" rim!!! In the back!!!!:huh:

[blbraptor]

Originally posted by yernkie
http://powersports.honda.com/atvs/sport/model.asp?ModelName=TRX700XX&ModelYear=2008&ModelId=TRX700XX8

Thoughts??? Looks to me like Honda built a Kawi VForce and threw on a 5 speed. I thought that Honda would build a big bore to compete with the Raptors, but this thing weighs 100+ pounds mor ethan a Raptor.

Uh, I dont see how it resembles a KFX 700 at all, other than it is a 700cc class engine. Smaller chassis, IRS, not a v-twin, manual tranny, 508 pounds WET, the Kawi is 516 dry--so it is lighter. I don't think that the intent is to compete directly with the Raptor, cuz' it is a different machine. Obviously it's competition is the Outlaw 525, which is a lot lighter, but cetainly has some shortcomings (a lot if you ask me - and Smoker apparently). I have a Raptor and am considering this 700XX in lieu of another Raptor BECAUSE of the IRS. Yeah it's heavy, but out in the woods, it may not matter. I bet it turns out to be a good machine for guys that woods ride that need a little more ground clearance and want something that rides a little more comfy than a straight axle machine. It's just nice to see Honda get a little agressive with something new and out of the box, if you will.

[yernkie]

What I meant by my statement was that Honda has now built a "sport" quad for bigger guys. Yamaha has the Raptop, Kawi has the VForce, now Honda has this.

[blbraptor]

Originally posted by yernkie
What I meant by my statement was that Honda has now built a "sport" quad for bigger guys. Yamaha has the Raptop, Kawi has the VForce, now Honda has this.

Ahh, note taken. I am excited about someone else making a sport quad with IRS. I've heard rumors (may be just that) about Suzuki having a new big-bore sport quad that may have IRS as well. Hopefully so, then everyone will throw in their hat. I definetely feel that there is a market for it. My buddy has an Outlaw 500, it rides pretty nice on the trail, but honestly it is kind of a p.o.s. One thing is for sure, this Honda will be built better than the po-po.

[yernkie]

I have a few buddies that ride VForce's because they are a little to big to ride 400's and 450's, so the yare pretty excited about something that they get to shift.

[jtsurfer]

I think it will be a good trail machine. At 508lbs wet it is reasonable. That means take out all the fluids and you have a dry weight of around 478lbs give or take a few pounds. considering the Raptor weighs 396lbs dry add all fluids and you should be around 426lbs wet. So that means the Honda 700 is only 82lbs heavier than the Raptor and is IRS. So if it has the torque that Honda claims it should be a great trail quad.

[jtsurfer]

Oh yah how come there is no TRX700XX Forum of it's own??

[04'400ex'er]

I do believe I have now seen the ugliest atv ever to be produced. I am really not sure what honda was thinking with this one... I guess they want to appeal to the thirty year old retired racers. Why could they not build a true sport quad to compete with the rappy, instead of a leasure machine of this such? Plastic cowling and fenders cover the bike, black plastic covered bumper, 22 in rears with 11 in wheels!!! No resivours in the front, appear to be very similar design as in 99' with the 400ex, I could possibly live with the irs if the machine was 50lbs. or so lighter and didnt look like ****. all and all, I think honda has created a machine to appeal to the casual dune or woods rider, they should have created a competitive machine that will appeal the the younger age groupe as the 450's and rappy do. I am a dyed in the wool honda fan, wont own another brand regardless of speed, but they have deffinately dissapointed me with this one. 700R will put it in its place, sadly.

[blbraptor]

Well you are probably right, this quad is targeted towards the 30 and over crowd, maybe even the 40 and over crowd. What is wrong with that? There is a lot of us out there. I don't really agree with you at all about it being a "leisure machine", it is built for high performance. Have you ever ridden an Outlaw? Those things are great for FAST trail riding, like I do on my Raptor and like you probably do on your machine. But it rides a hell of a lot smoother than my Raptor, due to the IRS. I think that Honda has taken the concept from Polaris and built a quad for those guys who still want to ride aggresively, but want a little more ground clearance and comfort, and don't want to switch to a ute just yet. I bet that it will be a much better machine than the Outlaw as well. Yeah, it's got a lot of plastic on it and it looks different, and it is a bit heavy, but hey, different strokes, you know? The 11-inch rear rim I'm sure was to accomodate the massive sway bar on the rear end. The Outlaw had a lot of problem with crap getting lodged between the rim and a-arm assembly with the 10-inch rim. As far as no rezzies on the front, even the Raptor didn't come with rezzies on the front until this year, so I don't think that is a big deal. Personally I'm glad that Honda built this machine. WHat's the point in building something exactly like the Raptor? This thing was not built to compete with the 450's on the track. I think that this thing will be an excellent machine for the trail, and I'll be letting you know how it stacks up against the Raptor, Outlaw and even the Renegade this spring! I like it enough that even though I bleed Yamaha blue that I'm gonna make the switch to Honda!

[04'400ex'er]

Originally posted by blbraptor
Well you are probably right, this quad is targeted towards the 30 and over crowd, maybe even the 40 and over crowd. What is wrong with that? There is a lot of us out there. I don't really agree with you at all about it being a "leisure machine", it is built for high performance. Have you ever ridden an Outlaw? Those things are great for FAST trail riding, like I do on my Raptor and like you probably do on your machine. But it rides a hell of a lot smoother than my Raptor, due to the IRS. I think that Honda has taken the concept from Polaris and built a quad for those guys who still want to ride aggresively, but want a little more ground clearance and comfort, and don't want to switch to a ute just yet. I bet that it will be a much better machine than the Outlaw as well. Yeah, it's got a lot of plastic on it and it looks different, and it is a bit heavy, but hey, different strokes, you know? The 11-inch rear rim I'm sure was to accomodate the massive sway bar on the rear end. The Outlaw had a lot of problem with crap getting lodged between the rim and a-arm assembly with the 10-inch rim. As far as no rezzies on the front, even the Raptor didn't come with rezzies on the front until this year, so I don't think that is a big deal. Personally I'm glad that Honda built this machine. WHat's the point in building something exactly like the Raptor? This thing was not built to compete with the 450's on the track. I think that this thing will be an excellent machine for the trail, and I'll be letting you know how it stacks up against the Raptor, Outlaw and even the Renegade this spring! I like it enough that even though I bleed Yamaha blue that I'm gonna make the switch to Honda!
Let us know what you think of it... I just think there are alot of dissapointed honda fans with this bike. We want a machine in the same class as the rappy in red. A honda to compete with it. Like the 450 class...those machines are pretty equal, most people choose on popularity or brand preference when they buy one. There would be alot more pleased honda fans with front rezzies, rear swinger, better styling, and alot less weight. with that you have a very competitive bike in the same class as the raptor to please all who ride red and that want big bore torque out of of a 450 style chassis.

[troybilt]

How would something like this fair in Baja next year? Knowing Honda, this should be bullet proof...

[Backstabber]

I agree with alotta the guys above. I think it is a bit heavy but it'll be a great trail machine. I rode my 400ex on the trails last season with 2 raptor 700R's. We all had the same problem. Once we found a puddle on the trail and couldn't avoid it we would risk getting stuck. Main reason being the straight axle only has 4" of ground clearance. This is where the outlaw 525 IRS and this new honda will be great. They both have around 11" of ground clearance for that situation. Plus you'll get more usable traction on different uneven terrain. I think the hond will do well against the Raptor. If anyone has been on the trails they know that IRS is key with all the ground clearance you get. Keep in mind when you read the specs that yamaha gives dry specs(not including oil, coolant, and gas) while honda gives you ready to ride specs. Plus the IRS will tend to add weight. Look at the outlaw, the IRS version is about 20-30 lbs. heavier than the S model. I like this quad but do agree it could use some weight savings. :devil:

[Ry007]

I think it has similar specs to a ds650 as far as weight and displacement goes. the main difference will be the IFS rear and the overall width of the bike (The DS650 is 50" wide). I don't know if they went EFI on the TRX700XX but I think that overall it will be an excellent quad as Honda has never let down their fans to build a quality bike. I don't think they built it for MX but with time and $$$$$ anything is possible, just like with any quad.

[Backstabber]

Its EFI and I can almost gurantee its for trails riding. The yfz 450 is the mx quad.:devil:

[TWILES]

I think it will find its own place and make a good atv for those who want it. Personally, I'd rather have the straight axle and lighter weight of the Raptor. As for making a sport atv for bigger guys, I'm not exactly huge at 6'1" and I DON'T fit on a 450. What happened to the 250R's and Banshee's? Everyone could fit on those half-*** comfortable. I feel like my knee's are jambed under my chin on the 450's. Its like getting up from on complete squat to stand up.

[Backstabber]

Originally posted by TWILES
I think it will find its own place and make a good atv for those who want it. Personally, I'd rather have the straight axle and lighter weight of the Raptor. As for making a sport atv for bigger guys, I'm not exactly huge at 6'1" and I DON'T fit on a 450. What happened to the 250R's and Banshee's? Everyone could fit on those half-*** comfortable. I feel like my knee's are jambed under my chin on the 450's. Its like getting up from on complete squat to stand up.
I went from freestyle mx to mx to trail riding. My 400ex was built to handle jumping not really trail riding. Once I started trail riding I realized the importance of the solid rear axle. I'm not sure what type of riding you do but IRS will definitely be a huge advantage on the trails for one reason in my opinion. We would come across mud puddles that were unavoidable every now and then. If the mud puddles were too deep or we didn't hit them with enough speed we would get stuck on our rear axles. I rode with 2 700R's and they had the same problem as me. The honda 700xx offers you the power and torque of the raptor but with the IRS which is key in the trails! In the end its a larger more comfortable trail bike with the ground clearance to make it through rough terrain.:devil:

[TOPDAWG]

To all the negative posters above. When your balls drop...then you'll learn to appreciate such a machine.

Also, I've heard that photos do it no justice. When seen in person, it actually looks great.


I am betting this machine will be great in the Baja 1000.

Finally, I'm happy Honda didn't build a Raptor clone. I've rode plenty of Raptors and I can't stand how they feel. As a matter of fact, I can't stand being scrunched up on a 450 either.

[blbraptor]

Originally posted by TOPDAWG
To all the negative posters above. When your balls drop...then you'll learn to appreciate such a machine.

Also, I've heard that photos do it no justice. When seen in person, it actually looks great.


I am betting this machine will be great in the Baja 1000.

Finally, I'm happy Honda didn't build a Raptor clone. I've rode plenty of Raptors and I can't stand how they feel. As a matter of fact, I can't stand being scrunched up on a 450 either.

Yeah, I saw one at a show last weekend in Seattle, they look completely badass in person. Pictures do not tell the story with this machine. I couldn't believe how cool it looked. It looks very well thought out, and the detail on it is amazing. Can't wait to see how they ride. This looks like it will be the ultimate trail quad for those guys who don't need 4wd.

[2-87gn's]

Just my 2 cents. This is just the machine I'm looking for....I'm 46 years old and 6-2 240. I ride hard like a 22 year old at Breezewood, etc with my Z400. I was all set to buy the KTM 525 and was trying to force myself to be comfortable with it, but I just couldn't, as much as I really wanted to! I love all the 450's out there, and tried em all after reading all the shootouts, but they're just to squatty for us Sasquatch's and I feel that the Kawi 700 is for the "retired" guys who want to look like they're on a sport quad.....I think this Honda is cool with 5 speed and at my weight, I can't worry about an xtra 87 pounds.... so I do agree that this machine does target a certain group of riders....like me. I checked the machine out yesterday at my local dealer and it looks great in person