I have a 2000 model Foreman 450ES that I purchased new in mid Oct. 99. This is my wifes bike and it has about 450 miles on it and the front wheel bearings are completely shot. I have also found milky gear oil in the final drive and front differential. I do ride in a lot of mud and water and clean my brake drums and change fluids regularly. I know we are hard on our bikes, but come on. My Grizzly is almost a year old and has close to 900 miles on it and my bearings are still okay on it. I ride through a lot of stuff that my wife wouldn't dare attempt on her Foreman, not that it wouldn't make it, I'm just saying it doesn't get the same abuse as my Grizzly.

I was just wondering how many other Foreman owners have had this problem. Most of the Honda guys that we ride with have also complained about the front bearings, but I would expect the bearings to last more than three months. This is a Honda, I bought it for reliability. We'll see if the warranty will replace them. Has anyone found sealed bearings for this application through a bearing house? My guess is that they are hard to find due to their design. They have two bearing races in one casing.

What are your two cents?

 

I own a 450es/99 and the only promblem i come across is mud and such getting into my drum which after many attemts to solve this was to silicon the brake ajustment rubber as well as those two bolts that hold the drum on. I did go to a brand of grease called RED RAM which i got though a sheell bulk dealer here in Calgary Ca. Also it's doesn't matter what you wheel as long as you wheel. RIDE ON RIDE HARD, RIDE WHITH A HELMET. GOOD LUCK

 

Have a 99 450es. After 3 months of use had one bearing go out. It was run in a lot of water. Warranty covered it. The brakes were also none existant at that time so they fixed them also. I hope this isn't a reoccuring problem. This machine sees a lot of hard use.

 

I bought my 450 s in Sept. 99 and so did three of my friends and so far no problems with anything . I have 1,200 km on my bike and I do alot of mud , water and snow riding . I have checked my breaks and fluids and so far everything seems fine .

 

I have a 1999 honda 300 4x4 and my front bearings are going out right now. I'll probably have to change them within a week or so. My bearings are the dual bearings in one casing too, I think they are kind of expensive!!! Does anyone know the price?

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Matt Sibley

1999 Honda 300 4x4 Vampires, Lift Kit, 2500lb WARN winch

 

I have had one bearing go out on my 98 450 ES and that was on the left side (2990 miles with 27 12X12 XT's all around with wide offset ITP stell chrome wheels "which will put even more stress on the bearings especially with the wide offset wheels" I installed all this at 1500 Miles), my right bearing was not half as bad so I left it alone. So you may ask "why just the left side and not both"? Well it would have been both of my bearings but I had to replace both CV boots on my right side from them being torn and ripped off and when I replaced each one I cleaned and packed new grease into the bearing but that was only my right side, my left side still remained untouched. I ride hard through the mud and water and I check and clean my break drums on a regular basis but one thing I didn't do was check and clean my bearings (except when I replaces the CV Boots). I would have never figured that mud and water would have gotten in a sealed bearing so bad but I guess after a long period of mud and water riding it can happen.

When the point came and I replaced my left bearing it was completly rusted and ofcourse worn out from were water and mud and came in and setteled. It was so bad that when I pressed out the bearing it feel completly apart (so much for a souvenir). Ever sense then I have not been through mud and water like I had been doing (mainly because it's winter here in NC) and my right bearing is still in riding condition but it is still a little bit loose but no worse from when I replaced my left bearing and I now have 4000+ miles.

So if you do alot of mud and water riding, just don't check your break drums but go to the extent to clean your bearings and repack them with new grease and you should get a long period of life out of them just like my right bearing 4000+ miles and still hasn't been replaced (2500 miles with my tire and wheel package).

Another thing is that when I repacked my bearings I used Kawasaki's Maine grease which is $10.95 for 14 OZ and I have found that it has worked wonderfully, so I would highly recommend it.

Dean Powell

 

Matt,

The wheel bearings for the front of your 300 are about $42 a piece. There is only one bearing per side. It seems like it cost about $120 to replace the front bearings and seals. I just replaced all these on my 97 300, but atleast they lasted 2.5 years before needing replacement.

I'm guessing the Foreman's use the same bearings as the 300 because the drums and hubs seem to look the same. I'm taking the Foreman in tomorrow to get the warranty work done. Hopefully it won't take too long!

 

Dean,
How much was the bearing? And did you have to replace anything else like seals that are supposed to be their protecting the bearings?

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Matt Sibley

1999 Honda 300 4x4 Vampires, Lift Kit, 2500lb WARN winch

 

mattsibley, the cost of the front bearing was around $45 but I do not remember correctly neither do I remember the cost of the seals, cause I didn't haft to pay for the full cost for neither of them. Thats only because I sponsored them when I raced and they are just good friends to me. Yes I did haft to get new seals for both sides of the bearing as usual "you should always change the seals when you change the bearing". The seal between the bearing and the CV joint has a spring to keep tension around the seal and as soon as I removed that seal the spring broke from complete rust. So the seals were in pretty bad shape if you ask me, and most of the time when you remove a seal you end up damaging it somehow, somewhere. So to be safe and to rest easy, always get new seals.

Dean Powell

 

If you guys can make out the numbers on your wheel bearings take them to a industrial bearing supplier and save around 200%.

therock, 2K Kodiak