honda foreman

[jighed]

i was just wondering if any body could tell me about the 1999 honda foreman 450 es i was looking into buying one and wondered if there is any problems with them that year and wondered what difference is from the new hondas thanks

[Guest]

Jighed, Oh boy now were talking my kind of stuff I would say any Honda is a safe buy Of course I am biased to Honda just like some are to Yami, Polaris etc. Thats primarily because my family has been rideing Hondas since the ATC 110 3 wheeler with the big baloon tires We maintenance the oils and filter changes and thats about it.The biggest problem I've ever had was a broken pull rope on the recoil (the big red 3 wheeler) and man let me tell you we do not baby them. If you can think of it ive probably seen it done...from rolling one all the way back down a hill end over end (just straighten the bars put on new brake levers and shes good to go) to totally swamping it in the middle of a swamp that wasnt supposed to be that deep. Plus a lot of plowing and hauling of you name it. But back to your question--one of my current machines is a 2000 450es and it is the exact same as the 1999.Ive got just over 1,000 miles on it now and it has been bulletproof--not one problem. you will get some guys that tell you honda has problems with the electric shift acting up. All I can say is I've never had a problem with this and dont know anyone that has. these are allways guys who ride other makes who have heard about it from a friend of a friend, but never the owner of one with the problem himself ???? The difference in the new ones is the bigger Rubicon that is a 500cc and an auto trans.
And now the foreman 450es has a switch to go from 2wheel drive to 4 instead of being full time 4wd.
I guess what would make my decision for me would be price and condition, the hondas tend to really hold thier resale value to the point of where its sometimes better to buy new.and like any machine they can be treated pretty rough and not maintenenced. What are you saveing compared to new and whats the history of the machine ?
If I know this I could give you a better idea on if its a good buy

[Dave]

I'll only add that some "ES" models do have trouble with shifting when the tranny is bound up (like on a hill or something). I also don't recall the year, but the digital display was draining batteries when not in use. I think there was a "fix" for that from the factory that your dealer would do.

[jighed]

thanks for the info just wondering how smooth the ride is as my back is not in great shape. and wondering if the machine is big enough for me as i am 6'5" and 245 lbs

[Dave]

jighed, if your back is bad, I'd be looking at either a Sportsman 400, 500 (same suspension) or the Grizzly 660 (not the older Grizzly 600). You'd be pressed to find anyone who disagrees that those machines are the smoothest riding. Ride 'em before you buy.

[Guest]

jighed, Yea Dave is right. That is my only complaint about the Foreman, they do ride rough amd with a bad back you definitly dont want one. The ex models honda makes are a smooth ride but they are not utility machines at all. With honda you get either a great ride in the sport models with no work capability or a utility machine with not much sport. I dont know why they dont come out with a model that combines a little of both like the sportsman or yamaha's Wolverine (just for you ely guy )

[Guest]

Pete_s,

It's coming. May is the launch date of the new Rincon, independent suspensions all around. Worth looking at.

The only problems I have with Hondas are:
1) drum brakes- they wear out too quickly
2) full time 4 wheel drives

[jighed]

i appreciatge the info i will have to go test drive the polaris then any major problems with the polaris sportsman

[pikechaser]

POLARIS'S big problem is all the maintenance involed in owning one--its not as simple as changing the oil and puttin gas in-==there are like 25-30 fittings to grease on a sportsman and they are not reliable--most polaris guys are on a first name basis with the local polaris dealer and thats not becvause he's such a nice guy.... Polaris has good ideas, but has many issues

[Dave]

Oh Pike, give it a rest. Every brand machine has its share of problems.

[TNT4ME]

Sorry Dave, but I'll have to side with Pike on his views. Polaris does seem to have a little more trouble than most others. Just got done helping a friend work on his 350 liquid 4x4, what a chore. he took out a bearing on the front jack shaft that drives the front end. chains, bearings,seals,sprockets, broken shields,broken housing that the jack shaft goes through, what a mess, not only on what broke, but the engineering is little to be desired. Question for Dave, do you know what type of oil and how much does it take to fill the reservoir for the counter balance shaft on this machine? I think it's a 91 Polaris 350 liquid 4x4. Jighead, I can't see where you can go wrong with the Honda, I have been riding them for over twenty years and all they need is an oil change,gas, and a wash job now and then. Happy trails.

[This message has been edited by TNT4ME (edited 05-09-2002).]

[Dave]

TNT, no, I don't know off hand.

[Biggestfish]

Just a quick reply to help out I hope... Polaris has made a lot of improvments since the old 91 chain drive models. I just bought a 02 Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. and it is all shaft drive. And to be truthfull I would not have bought a Polaris 4X4 if they were still the all chain drive style.

Also I have a question for the Honda owners out there.. What is the advantage of the ES?? I looked at one before I bought my Polaris. I guess in my opinion if you have to shift anyways would it not be better just to shift with your foot and eliminate all the electric components. I am not bashing Hondas, as I have owned many in the past and all were good machines, Just wondering about the advantage of the ES.

------------------
Just Having Fun!
Love to Fish.

[Dave]

Biggestfish,
Polaris' bad reputation is haunting them from years ago. Hard to get rid of it.

The ES models were basically Honda's counter attack to the fully-auto Polaris. Easier than trying to get snow boots under the shifter and you can lift your feet and shift and not get your feet wet.

The ES models do hiccup once in awhile still.

[Guest]

I own a honda rancher i didnt get the es because i feel that the less electronic stuff the better i can say this at work we have a 1987 250 6x6 polaris and it takes some maintance but we have beat the hell out of this atv and it allways starts and does whatever we ask of it we just got a new 500 ho and the suspension seems very soft and i dont like the eng brakeing the hondas are easier to work on but the polaris atv arent a bad machine

[REEFRAKER]

Jighed if you look in the paper there useally is several Polaris for sale. Most of the time with freshly rebuilt engins!

[Biggestfish]

------------------
Just Having Fun!
Love to Fish.

[Guest]

i bought a 2002 sportsman 500 a few months ago and LOVE it. what a great ride!! as for the comment about all the fittings to lubricate,
"so what". do you know how long it takes to lube 30 some fittings? about 15 minutes max if you halfway know what you're doing. it's just not a big deal and simply another pointless strike against polaris made by restless diehards of other brands. i love my polaris and respect those who love their other brands. why all the bashing anyway. just ride a few different ones and buy what seems most comfortable. most of them are relatively reliable. they have to be to compete in this fierce market.

[erikwells]

Bought a 2002 Honda Foreman (450 cc) in February. It's a great machine to have on a hobby farm. It was a no brainer when Honda offered the machine with the least maintenance and 2.9% financing. So far it's been great.

[Guest]

Here is my 2C and it is that I really like honda's an am interested in seeing the new rubacon. But I have an uncle with one yama 600 and 2 honda foretraxes all are brand new and one of the hondas is the one you can shift out of 4x4, and a brother with a kodiac and two other friends with big bears and one other with a 500 sportsman. They all seam to work just fine but in the water the ones with the belts have a problem with water getting in and the machine wont work. All the machines are new to 2ys old and that is the only problems we have had and we are not nice to them at all. "Rode hard and put away wet" Red

[swamptiger]

Just to change the subject a little, a friend of mine is a forester and he has ridden every brand of four wheeler for his work. His personal choice is a Suzuki.

[pikechaser]

I'd have to agree with swamptiger..I have been around atv's ever since suzuki rolled out the first 125's and Ive never seen a brand of machine take more of a beating and keep on going....honda isnt far behind, but suzuki's designs seem more comfortable & bulletproof