Talon decisions....

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gearguywb

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I had posted this in "General Discussion" and really should have placed it here.

Currently own a Kawasaki Teryx LE4. It has given us very good service with a trip to Colorado, various other playgrounds, and we use it quite often as transportation on sporting clays courses.

It is a great all around vehicle, but like anything that tires to do everything, it does not shine in one particular area.

I had been considering either a Polaris Trail and Rocks RZR or a RZR 1000 standard. Seem like really good vehicles, but frankly not a big fan of the belt issues that continually seem to crop up.

Looking at other options caused me to check out the Talon X. The Pioneer would be a decent vehicle (IMHO) but the height of the roof kills it for me as I would not be able to get it into the storage unit.

What differences (if any) are there between the Talon X, 2019 and 2020? I really like the idea of a real transmission vs CVT. Honda has always had a pretty stellar reputation for longevity.

Started some on-line shopping and it seems there are some discounts available right now on the '19's, and I have found a couple of very lightly used units.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

BTW: located in the KC area.
 
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Vondy

Vondy

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I have an X, but would likely go R if I did it again, just for the extra suspension. It's not a utility vehicle, but does have some decent bed storage. Love the transmission and low range. Only complaint on the X is the suspension could be softer. I'll likely be changing out the springs to fix that, still won't have the travel of the R.
 
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nm6r

nm6r

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My local dealer sells Polaris and Honda. I was walking back and forth between the RZR 1000's and the Talon 1000X. I finally asked the dealer to park them next to each other. Wow! All of a sudden there was no decision to make. The differences were obvious. I then bought a Talon 1000R which made the differences even greater.

Then there are things that I didn't even realize at the time compared to my RZR. Fit/finish, the way each are assembled, wiring, even the gas cap!
 
RideRed85

RideRed85

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Have you had a chance to test drive the X? If you are used to the Teryx, the ride quality of the stock suspension on the X would probably be an improvement. I'm an X owner after coming from a RZR 800 S, and the stock suspension setup on the X is slightly better than the suspension on my old RZR. Looking forward to doing spring adjustments - changing out the rear tender springs alone would make a huge improvement in ride quality. The ride quality is my only complaint about the X as I was expecting it to be much smoother in slower trails and around the yard / field. But it is an easy swap.

Coming from the Teryx reliability, you might get frustrated with the ongoing upkeep and quarky maintenance that a RZR requires. Bearings, bushings and u joints. I had the underpowered 800 S and addressing these areas needed attention as commonly as greasing the unit. Many RZR owners, though, are able to look past all of it because they like the machine so much.

I haven't seen any changes yet on the Talon X from 2019 to 2020. So far, even the colors look like they will be the same.

On reliability, I rented a Talon R to try to the machine out before purchasing a Talon. At the time, that rental unit had 3500 miles on it with only routine maintenance. And you know a rental gets thrashed.

I hope this helps some - welcome to the forum.
 
Bigshow

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Doesn't the 2020 come with launch control/mode and the 19's did not?
 
Sheetmetalfab

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Ragnar406

Ragnar406

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Doesn't the 2020 come with launch control/mode and the 19's did not?
Only the talon x4 live valve.

So you know it will not be long before they introduce a 2 seater with live valve and launch control... maybe mid 2020 or Nov of this year to anniversary the 2 seat announcement.
 
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Bigshow

Bigshow

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What all does the live valve consist of? I am hoping to get a Talon in the spring, but don't want to buy to soon. I bought my Maverick 1 year to soon, Canned Ham made some changes to the following year that I would have liked to had.
 
Ragnar406

Ragnar406

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What all does the live valve consist of? I am hoping to get a Talon in the spring, but don't want to buy to soon. I bought my Maverick 1 year to soon, Canned Ham made some changes to the following year that I would have liked to had.

This video might help explain a little - basically they are using a multiple sensors to adjust the compression of the shocks multiple times a sec. One example is when going around a curve the inside shocks will adjust softer and the outside adjust firmer keeping the vehicle more level.

 
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Bigshow

Bigshow

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Thank you. I will check that video out when I get home. Computer Gestopo have you tube shut down where I work. Sounds like more electronics to go bad. lol
 
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