I know that the foreman is strictly a utility ATV and there is nothing sporty about it. In our family we have an 05 Kawi KFX-400, Kawi Brute force 750I 4x4 and then theres the Honda Foreman 500 4x4.

Now you probably guess that the foreman would have a tough time keeping up with those two machines with only a 50-55mph limit even if your ripping through the gears.

I find though that the torque isn't what everyone is talking about on here. I mean yeah it has torque but I am usually giving it full throttle with going up hills sometimes and even with going through mud that sucks down the tires giving it full throttle the engine just sort of bogs down.

I have to be really careful going up hills too because if I am in a high gear and the engine isn't strong enough to push me up I have to quickly downshift to get the torque back but it does not help with speed it slows way down.

I am really kind of surprised from a 500cc compared to the KFX-400 that thing is a racing machine that takes off like lighting.

The gearing on the foreman is quite short especially in the first and second gears. I find myself normally taking off from zero in second gear.

Any known remedies that would help me get more of the torque back. An after market air filter perhaps, exhaust, spark plugs?

I have read what others have said about this machine and its strictly a utility machine so maybe what we are using it for is just not what its meant for. However, we do have a good time on it. Any mods that can be made on it performance wise or is it just not worth it?

 

Do you have bigger tires on it than what they come with? That will kill your power.

 

The 400 has a very light and efficient drive train and an over 200 pound weight advantage on you. The 750 has a 250+cc displacement advantage, and not much of a weight disadvantage. Just do the physics and the math and you can see why you are going to be way slower! Personally, I sure wouldn't want to go very fast on a 600 pound machine with limited suspension anyway! Going fast is what sport quads are for.........

First off, on its manual trans machines Honda uses a very low "granny" 1st gear instead of the extra weight and bulk of a transfer case.....it's an idea that I really like! That is why your 1st is so low, and yes I think most folks usually start out in 2nd on level ground (which would be 1st on a sport quad).

It is a little confusing what you are trying to achieve? You talk about "torque" and then you also talk about "speed". One usually associates torque with low end grunt, and speed with being able to rev out on the high end. You can often tune to get one or the other, but rarely will you get both.

As a start, I would look for an aftermarket muffler and a more free flowing air filter. You can also open up your airbox lid, but depending on your condidions, only if that isn't going to let a bunch of water in. I don't however think that this engine has a reputation for responding well to mods (???).

You can use a manual trans to your advantage if you use it correctly. Downshift EARLY to keep the rpm's up.....don't wait for the engine to bog before shifting.

Or get a Rancher 420.......

 

I think you hit the nail on the head!

This machine has tons of torque but at very low speeds. Usually when first starting off. It's not designed for speed nor would I really want to go above 50-55mph.

However, when climbing hills you would not want to start at the bottom at zero and then try to climb it right? You'd want some momentum behind you to get you up there. With the Foreman even with some momentum and giving it full throttle the speed does not increase nor does it remain the same from the moment you began climbing. The difficultly here is while climbing a steep hill and with the engine bogging down and struggling to provide torque to continue turning the wheels I need to cut the throttle, downshift and then give full throttle again to safely make it up the hill. As a result the momentum you had helped significantly because the Foremans engine does not have enough power to push you up the hill at medium speeds.

But if your doing 2-7mph you have all the torque in the world!

I guess its safe to say that the 500 has more low end torque as opposed to high end. This is why I don't notice much of a difference traveling at 12-15mph giving it throttle and not getting that high end torque while climbing a short hump.

For our purposes I should have defined more what it was that I was looking for and that is more high end torque. But if the tranny were to be modified to provide this would the top speed be sacrificed?