im looking at a 1998 honda foreman 400 that has 1100 hours on it.machine has been well used but runs good.what kind of issues would i be looking to fix if i buy it? thanks

 

1100 hours in 25 years is not "well used" we bought a 2019 420 yesterday with "only" 1000 hours on it and were well pleased to get one with so little use. The 1990s 400 is fairly bullet proof. Rear brake pivots seize, as on all drum rear brake Hondas. Front brake adjusters seize as well. Check wheel bearings and track rod ends for play, but at that hours, I wouldn't expect a lot of wear. Swinging arm bearings can also get a lot of play, so check them too. Check oil levels in both diffs and the engine.

 

any thought what year this Foreman is? I generally believed that it was a '96 however presently im pondering. I wont depend on the hunting camp a long time and I get an opportunity to get a few bumpers with everything looking great yet I need to be certain that they are the right ones preceding getting them.

 

There would be a sticker on the front upright between lower and upper wishbone with manufacturing date on it. The VIN number between the top front wishbone mountings also has a date code in it, but is quite often rusty and difficult to read. However I doubt if Honda changed the bull bars all the time the 400 was in production. Check the on-line parts lists to see if the part number changed from the first to last years of production.