well i get my foreman s on tuesday,just curious,i know it may be alittle late to ask this but ,can you play on these things ,do they slide good,i do know its still a utility quad and not a 400 ex ,but do they feel pretty quick,i never rode one,my last quad was a z400 ,i dont expect to beat that ,but my friend has a recon and i have alot of fun riding it ,let me know what your experiences are as far as riding through trails or just overall fooling around on them ,thanks guys

 

OK, your in the same position I was in last fall. I had a modified LT250R Quadracer for years, always had sport quads, all my buddies sold thier sport quads last spring becuase its getting harder and harder to find a good place to ride a sport quad now-a-days. So I looked around and I figured I had $5k - $ 5.5K to spend I knew that Honda had the reliability and that this thing is a 450 its got to go OK so I bought a 2003 Foreman 450ES.

I hate to say it I was a little dissapointed with my decission, becuase it is kind of slow. I have added some modifications, exhaust, jetting, intake snorkel, Twin-Air filter now it is alot snappier but it still only goes 49Mph.

Two of my buddies went out and bought utility quads, one a Grizzly and the other a Sportsman 500HO, thiers are slightly better in the Mud but my Foreman handles way better than the Sportsman (they have so much body lean) and as good as the grizzly. In the woods the Foreman is as good as just about anything, except it rides alot harder than thier quads (which I don't mind).

Overall it will take some getting used to (for you) but overall its a really fun quad, you will spend most of your time in 2x4.

 

I keep going back and forth on my decision. I've decided to get a 400 sport quad or a Foreman 450S. (I like the S because of the semi-auto and I don't want anything too tall when it comes to a utility) I really want another sport quad because I want to play. But I know that a sport quad just won't go through some of the large rock sections. I would be able to use the sport quad most of the time until it's time to go riding on the mountain (in the snow) and go into the deeper woods. Right now my Recon does everything except make me think:"THIS IS A BLAST!" Sure it's fun but not a blast.

Does the Foreman 450 have good acceleration up to 30 or 40 mph? Enough to play around? Could the Foreman be a blast at all?

I'm refering to the 450 2002's and up with select.

 

Yes they are fun, but it sounds like you might be happier with a prarie 650 or a Vinson 5 speed. I am with you on the having a quad you can shift, keep the belts on snowmobiles. The Vinsons are actually a little cheaper than the Foreman and they have tons more power and better brakes, I don't know about the reliability though, I heard there were some shifter fork problems.

 

anyone else?

 

The Foreman is geared low and built low for pulling and traction. It's engine is designed specifically as an ATV engine with lots of rorque from idle. The engine has lots of snap to it and there is never a need for high revs or a low range. Ths solid rear axle and low center of gravity gives confidence on off camber hills and turns. Think of it as a mini-tank. It does not want to go over 50mph, which is OK for me. At 50 + I want seat belts and air bags.

It will not finish first in a race, but it will always start and always finish.

........and in 2 wheel drive, you can do donuts.

Consider the ES, the thumb shifting, full floor boards and gauges are well worth the extra money.

 

donuts huh? cool

 

Salesman was trying to tell me that the top speed of the 450S is 45 while the Rancher 4x4 is 54.

 

Your salesperson is pretty accurate. My Rancher could do about 51mph and that was with 350cc, the new Ranchers at 400cc I think it is quite possible for it to reach 55. Remember the Ranchers are tuned to have a slightly stronger top end; however it's still a utility quad with most of its power in the low RPMs.

Personally, I found my Rancher a blast to drive; it was just the right size. Just big enough to take a good beating but small enough so that it was fun and somewhat nimble for a utility quad.

 

I can confirm that the Rancher has a higher top end than the Foreman. The Foreman has more power than the Rancher but it is geared lower. Mini-tank.