Hi, I just picked my 2005 Honda Foreman 500 4x4 ES yesterday. I was was wondering what the owners of this quad thought about it. I know Honda's are bulletproof when it comes to reliability. I had an old Fourtrax 300 and that thing never quit. Any responses would be appreciated.

 

If you search, there are a bunch of posts about what to do with a new bike. Things like break-in procedures, oil changes, valve adjustments, etc.

On a new bike, I break it in hard (http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm), I change the oil and oil filter early on (like after ~ 1 hr) to get any metal flakes from machineing out of the engine, change the differential oil as well early on, change the oil and filter again at 10 and at 20 hrs. At 20 hrs., I switch to a synthetic oil. And then a valve adjustment at 20 hrs. as well.

All these things are intended to increase engine longevity and reliability. Any manufacturer has a vested interest in presenting their products as being "low maintenance", so those recommended maintenance intervals in your owners manual are unrealistically optomistic!

 

I just bought an 05 Rub and the tech at the dealership advised me not to use synthetic oil but I believe that is due to the auto tranny using the same oil as the engine which would'nt be an issue with the ES. Can someone explain??

 

Rogan-In your owners manual one of the oils Honda recommends for your machine is their own Synthetic Blend HP4, without moly (but not HP4M with moly). This oil has a large amout of ester synthetic in it (one reason it is expensive), so ask the tech to explain that one for you!

There are several regulars in here who run a variety of different synthetics in their Rubis. Do a post on the question if you are really interested.

One note, it is pretty well accepted that one should not run a synthetic during break-in, but if you read the back of a bottle of Honda's own HP4, it says it is ok for break-in riding. Just one more thing to add to the confusion!

 

I love how the Foreman 500 starts in gear too. It is about time............

 

So far, I like my Foreman very well, though mine is manual shift. It handles well, runs great, and has generally been good fun.

I think the little extra weight of a winch on the front end actually improved the way it handles in dusty/rocky tight woods trails. Once or twice it has been tough to shift the first time through the gears after first started. Also, I'm looking forward to wearing out the stock tires and getting something a little more puncture resistant... I also don't care for the firm Honda grips with the ridges on them, so I swapped those out pretty promptly.

I did the first oil change earlier than suggested, too, and inspected the valve gap on schedule but it was within specification and did not require adjustment. I then switched to the Honda synthetic w/o molly...

 

could you tell a difference between the honda synthetic and the regular oil you were using?

 

No, it runs just as smooth and quiet with either oil. It may shift a bit better, but I'm not sure if that is a placebo effect.

I ran their synthetic oil in a dual sport that didn't develop the typical clattery engine sounds of an older machine even though I put a ton of miles on it, so I think it is more a long term benefit than something you would notice right away with a new machine that is tight and quiet anyway.

 

hey i have a '05 foreman 500 s. well i HAD one until it was stolen along with my rancher last night.
but my dad bought a '06 foreman 500 s the other day and the guy told him you can start it while in gear. but i tried a few times and i couldn't get it started in anything but neutral. what's the deal with that???

 

You have to apply the front brake lever for it to start in gear...