After I sell my Big Red, I think I'm going to look for a Foreman, probably a 400 because they are older so I could get one for cheaper. What I was wondering is it there were any problems with the early Foreman 400's? I heard of the crankcase drain letting water in, but Honda was supposed to fix that. Are there any other problems with the early models, about 1995-96?, or should I stick with a 97 becuase all the "bugs" will be gone. Are these still reliable machines (like the 300) after almost ten years?

JasonJ

 

i see by your description that you like your older quads but if it was me i would sell them and get one new 450es i have one of those bikes and it is very reliable and i think you would have your best luck with that. or even a 400 rancher the auto tranny is pretty impressive

 

My dad's had a 96 foreman 400 since it was new, and he's put it through it's paces: Farming, Hunting, Trail Riding, etc... He's even put a high lifter lift kit on it (from when they were just starting out as a company) and 26" mud tires. That thing just keeps on running. Never a problem, and it's been in some nasty mud, water, snow, ....you name it. It may not be the fastest quad out there, but it sure is dependable and has the low end grunt to get you through the nasty stuff.

 

ive had a 98 foreman 400 since it was new and it hasnt let me down once its all stock except for some dirt devils but its one of the best bikes you can have for reliabilty and low end power

 

I've got a 96 400, no problems yet, although I've not had it long. Only quirky thing it does is it's occasionally hard to start when warm, usually a touch of throttle and it fires right up. No problems that I'm aware of. Like the other guys said, good reliability, tough, and tons of low end power.

Chilly