Well, after extensive reading, I finally bought the Foreman manual shift. I hope this was a good choice. Can someone tell me where to buy accessories for it, ie. Gun racks, hand protectors, seat cover winchs etc. Also, how do you wire hand warmers? thanks

 

Your dealer should be a good source. My local dealers carry "Honda by Moose" products. Also, Bass Pro, Cabela's and Gander Mountain will have hardware by Kolpin and several other manufacturers. I picked up a chainsaw carrier by Kolpin at Gander Mtn. in Paducah, KY last year, and they had quite a few other work and hunting related items.
SI Farmboy

 

thanks, I checked Cabelas Catalog, the stuff they have looked kind of cheesy, I was looking for a more high end product. Do you think the foreman was a good choice? I cant wait to pick it up on Monday. My dealer is kind of a jerk, but he has the best prices around so I cant complain too much.

 

Well, since I have an 05 Foreman S, I'm a little biased, but....good pulling power, nice smooth-running motor, but a little eccentric shifting from 1-N-R and back: I sometimes have to rock the quad or give it JUST a little gas to make the shift. (However, the wife's Kodiak ALWAYS has to be rocked a little to get it to engage PARK, so...). That may very well be the result of a small trans with small gears; who knows?!? The flip side to this opinion is, I bought this thing to work around the farm, so it gets trailered to and from, and then ridden to whatever job site I happen to be dealing with that day, so I have only a total of 11.7 mi on the odometer in 8 months. I researched the available choices regarding power, pulling specs and transmission choices and picked this one.....It does precisely what I wanted it to do.

If you're going to use it for hunting, you'll love it.

As far as the add-ons go, most of them are after-thought hardware, and are going to be ok, but not perfect (Did I mention that I HATE U-clamps?). The only pieces designed from the outset are the ones for Arctic Cat's rack system, and that was a stroke of genius. (I've been smacking my forehead and going, "Man! Why didn't I think of that??????")

SI Farmboy

 

thanks, what d0 you mean you hate U Clamps? do you mean the ones that hold you gun on the front rack?

 

Just bought a new 500 foreman S- love it ...change the oil after the first 4-5 hours, i like quadrax aftermarket stuff for mine..decent prices..as far as the shifting goes...not a big deal, it improves over time, other than that, have fun on her!!

 

THANKS for the reply, I will look in to quadramax. I cant wait to pick her up on Monday morning. I have been shopping around for 3 months or so. It appears Honda is the way to go. Any other tips are appreciated, never owned a wheeler before..

 

Bought my 1st ATV about a month ago - Foreman ES 4x4. It is great so far. Went to the deer lease today for some early scouting and put it through some pretty rough stuff, no problems at all. I will be looking for accessories soon also.

Devo - you recommend changing the oil after only 4-5 hours over the fractory recommended time? Can you give me some more detail?

 

Meaning that because there are no hard-point mounts designed into the racks and/or frame of the machine, U-clamps (or U-bolts if you prefer that term) are the usual way to mount most of the add-ons. And there's a fine line between tight enough and too tight with those. Too tight, and the paint or powder coat or whatever sealant finish is on the rack cracks, allowing moisture to reach the metal and rust it. Not tight enough and it vibrates against the paint and rubs it thin...same result. You just have to be careful, is what I was getting at.

With my chainsaw mount, I wrap a single layer of electrical tape around the rack where the clamps ride, and I torque 'em down just snug, then recheck them from time to time.

SI Farmboy

 

thanks for the tip Farmboy. And thanks for feeding us too..