I was a member of atv connection about 6 or 7 years ago before i bought my 500 Sportsman 4x4. I am glad to say i traded that sorry SOB TODAY for a 99 HONDA foreman 450 4x4 it is a manual shift not ES. I want to know how they compare and if there is anything i need to know about this new bike. (problems, power, maintenace, performance, and tips to keep this bike running in top condition) THANKS

 

Compare? Theres no comparison between the the 2 other than 4 wheels. The Foreman is a great quad that should give you years of troublefree riding. But its going to beat you to death. I'm sure you've realized that. As far as maintenance is concerned. Just the basic stuff. Before every big ride I would jack up the quad and check my bearings for any play and make sure my brake pads were in good shape. But its a Honda.Keep the oil and filter clean and you can't hurt it. Performance is another story. They have pulling power but not speed. You can add a K/N filter and a HMF pipe to help wake it up. But it still won't be fast. Heres a free mod that works. Take the top off of the carb. 4 screws. Remove the spring and count off 8-11 coils. Count the end coils as one. Cut the spring and replace it back in the carb. Make sure you don't pinch the diapharm putting the cap back on. This mod will help throttle response. Its free and it works. No side affects. Also it won't take as long to do that than it did to type this.

 

I would get a Shop Repair and service Manual for your model , it will pay for itself within a year just with the service and maintaince alone. My first atv was a 86 Honda trx 350 foreman 4wd , it was the old model that had the huge heavy straight axle front end with the swingarm rear axle. It was built like a tank and would go anywhere, like Rinman said it's no speed demon but they are very reliable quad's ! My old foreman would wear you out on long ride's, but your's shouldn't be as rough riding as mine was. My 350 had plenty of power it was just geared low, i pulled truck's and car's out of ditch's with it ; there are afew thing's you cas do to make it ride better. I recovered and padded the seat that made a world of differance in the seat ! If you're not into racing i think you will like it, i know i did mine ; i sold mine to my younger brother in sept. 2005 for 2500.00 on credit ! welcome back to the formum................williebee

 

LOL I just did the opposite of you! I sold my 2000 Honda 450ES for a SP500. The 450 was very dependable and need minimal maintenance but the ride was rough it had no low range for when I pull my camping gear trailer down some rough slow hilly trails. When just trail riding it was to slow on the wider logging roads and my friends where always stopping ahead waiting for me.

I know Honda is more reliable and the resale is..Blah,Blah,Blah But now I'm riding around on a big powerful high speed comfy living room sofa with true 4wd and the feeling is worth any troubles I may have down the road.

Going from a Sportsman 500 to a 450 Foreman is like trading a full size Chevy Z71 4x4 for a compact Chevy S-10 want to be truck.

 

You made the right choice! The foreman will pretty much last a lifetime with basic maintnence. It is stone ax reliable too...No problems just add gas and ride ride ride!