The good, the bad, and the ugly - of the new ATV! But first, about the day of riding.

It wasn't too bad. Certainly better than working or laying on the couch. Ran into a couple showers, but nothing terrible. I actually learned two things about the weather that never occurred to me before. First, there is a good side to sleet - it's drier than rain. Second, you're not really cold - until your crotch gets wet.

Ok, I really don't want to jinx this thing, which usually happens when I'm happy with something, but I was very impressed! It ran perfectly and no wheels fell off! There. I said it. Now it will probably break in half or something like that.

Bear in mind that this ride was on the routes and was not a trail ride. It was quite cool and we rode about 50 miles or so. The following may change somewhat when it warms up and I take it on an actual trail ride, but we'll see. If a comparison can be made, I am comparing it to the old Sportsman unless otherwise noted.

It used about a gallon of gas or so, which is on par with what I have come to expect from the Sportsman. Riding the routes doesn't take very much gas.

It rides good. Not the "Cadillac" smooth of the Sportsman, but more like a Jeep, which is ok. Kind of a sporty feel. Certainly not the old solid axle lumber wagon feel. Yuck. We'll see if the stiffness is a plus or minus once I've got some offroad hours on it.

It's LOUD! I see this as both good and bad. But it's not just the exhaust that's loud. The engine itself sounds like a frickin' diesel. I swear, you can hear the injector pump knocking and the turbo whining just like the big rigs! Of course, it has neither of these things, so who knows? As for the exhaust noise, I like it because it sounds like race day! Well, maybe not quite that loud but it sounds cool. Unless you want it to be quiet, then it's not so cool. Both good and bad.

The engine revs high, especially at slower speeds. Even the dealer made me aware of this when he loaded it up for me at the dealership. It's due to the new clutch design which eliminates the need for a low range in the transmission. It seems like the thing isn't going to go anywhere, but point it where you want it to go and hammer the throttle. It goes. I never opened it up to see what top speed is, but it will run between 30 and 40 mph all day, which is plenty good enough for me. It seemed like it had a lot more to go too. I suspect it will run 50 mph without much trouble.

It looks smaller than the Sportsman, but it feels very roomy. I never once felt cramped or crowded on it. I only rode one-up, but I'm sure two-up will be ok too. It's about the size of the old Explorers. Not a tiny machine by Japanese standards, but certainly smaller than most of the obese US models. As long as it doesn't feel small, I don't care if it looks small.

On that same note, I put it in the back of my little pickup truck, slam the tailgate shut, and drive away. Just like the old Trail Boss. Unlike the old Sportsman that I had to leave hanging out and strap it in. I like being able to shut the tailgate.

The steering is light and easy and it handles very nice. It hooks the ruts and bounces side to side a little more than the Sportsman, since it's so light. Not too bad, just different.

We found a little mud on Josie's trail. It crossed it with ease. Not with rock solid feel and authority, but more or less skipped across instead of sinking down and powering through. The new AWD is nice. You can't even feel it kick in like the old design. And you don't end up with one hub sticking in gear!

On the routes there were some puddles that I hit quite hard. The splash protection is awesome! I didn't get one drop of water splashed onto my boots or pants. Normally, I would have been wet from the knees down, but not on this machine. I really liked that little surprise!

It's really fun to ride it! I can't wait to get out on the trails and try it. It sucks that it's another month and a half before they open. In the meantime, I'll have to stick to the yard, woods, and routes. Hmmm, maybe I'll head over to Necedah again today? Or maybe Easter Sunday!