Truth about the Honda Foreman

[Billydozer56]

Ok Guys need some advice


I have a 05 kingquad 700. I am looking hard at replacing it. I was looking at the new foreman. I have not gone riding with one but I am considering one. I ride the mountains and I ride in muskeg. I go wherever when ever I can its all fun to me. I though a light but tough, reliable quad like a foreman looks great on paper to me. Im not worried about drag racing down a gravel road. There is a lot of Honda bashing, But I would like to hear about them from guys that ride them in typical Alberta terrain. or guys that ride with them. I know for the most part they are built proof, Does the strait axle really hold it back? is it that bad? how does it perform in mud? or muskeg? Does it keep up with the competition in the trails? your thought on the Honda foreman please?

I live and ride mostly around Central Alberta but do take some mountain trips now and again.

Thanks for your time guys

 

[neilsleder]

The strait axle does hang up in the ruts easier then IRS machines. I think they might 4x4 a little better now that they have front diff lock. But they still have the pos drum brakes that never work! I rode with a few of them and they are under powered! In the mud and skeg with any decent set of tires they have a real hard time turning them! I think there are better quads to spend your money on but that's my opinion. But o lot of guys like them.

 

[Bnorth]

High on reliability, low on performance. The straight axle rides really rough but the smaller size and lower weight is nice. Had one with 27's and it was a dog, just needed more power. IMO they are a work machine not a play machine.

 

[the_real_wild1]

Going from a king quad to a foreman is a huge step back. As soon as you ride one you will see. They are a ok machine. But it is what it is. A good budget acreage or farm machine. You need to figure out why you want a new and different machine first then go from there.

 

[Luke The Drifter]

Reliable and tough, you bet. Good power and ride comfort? No dice. The foreman needs a good bump in power IMO. The last one I rode had a hard time turning a mildly larger set of zillas in muskeg in 2nd gear...

If I was running a survey company or equipment outfit, I'd have Honda foremans in the fleet but for my own personal ride, I'll sacrifice a little bit of reliability for power and comfort.

 

[Toxic]

If your not a farmer who wants to neglect maintenance you will regret it the fact they still sell a straight axle in 2014 alone is absurd. Won't turn mud tires won't climb If they ever make a machine with even remotely half decent performance I might consider it.


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[rzrgade]

Reliable and tough, you bet. Good power and ride comfort? No dice. The foreman needs a good bump in power IMO. The last one I rode had a hard time turning a mildly larger set of zillas in muskeg in 2nd gear...

If I was running a survey company or equipment outfit, I'd have Honda foremans in the fleet but for my own personal ride, I'll sacrifice a little bit of reliability for power and comfort.

The point is with other brands now a days, you DO NOT sacrifice reliability at all. The others are just as reliable as honda is ...lol
PLUS they have better suspension,power ,handling,4x4 system,ground clearance....ETC ETC....
The new hondas have more than there share of bugs AND maintenance.Pretty well every brand is LIGHT years ahead of Honda in all aspects performance wise,and on par reliability wise if not ahead of honda as well.....

Rode with a new honda UTV this weekend,completly useless except on a golf course.............

 

[jjack]

want something that runs buy a Honda,I,m back on the old 98 waiting for the cat to get fixed agin.For dry trail riding thire fine fresh skag that hasn't bin torn to shreads by 1000nds they do ok but the power is low when you put oversized tire on.

Every bodys kind of hard on Honda but I,m still riding a old 98 and trade in value seems to be there.

 

[teeroy]

my pops has been running a 450 foreman for years....like jjack says, if it's not torn up skeg it will walk on top and if it has trouble get off and walk beside it. I've gone hunting with him for many years and I ride an outlander, taking it easy his machine will go everywhere mine will. if you don't thrash it, it will run forever without grief. definitely not the fastest, or smoothest riding, or technologically advanced....but dependable.

 

[tvdave]

I came off a Honda Foreman 450 with 26" tires, disk brake conversion, slightly bored out engine, aftermarket shocks, softride lift kit. And i went to a Can Am Renegade 800. I loved my Foreman for reliability, but power wise & ride wise it sucked. You dont have to go to a big bore machine, but I dont think you would be happy with a Foreman after your Kingquad. With all the abuse my Renegade took, it was just as reliable or better than my Foreman. I now ride a Renegade 1000 xxc & it has had some slight issues in the 8 months I have owned it, but only very small issues ( weak hose clamp on rad hose, brakes wearing out quite fast). You will be very disapointed with the foreman in the winter when you need the momentum to get through snow or up an icy hill.

 

[rzrgade]

my pops has been running a 450 foreman for years....like jjack says, if it's not torn up skeg it will walk on top and if it has trouble get off and walk beside it. I've gone hunting with him for many years and I ride an outlander, taking it easy his machine will go everywhere mine will. if you don't thrash it, it will run forever without grief. definitely not the fastest, or smoothest riding, or technologically advanced....but dependable.

Thats great news, although it applies to pretty well every quad made now around 550cc and under...................though quite a few will be many $$$ cheaper than the Honda............

 

[teeroy]

Thats great news, although it applies to pretty well every quad made now around 550cc and under...................though quite a few will be many $$$ cheaper than the Honda............

yamaha shift quads are about the only machine I would put in the same reliability category as the honda. leave them stock, treat them well, and use them for what they are intended and they will outlast any other brand as well as hold better resale value. my little outlander has been good, but has has way more replaced parts that broke or wore out than my pop's foreman

 

[Toxic]

Thats great news, although it applies to pretty well every quad made now around 550cc and under...................though quite a few will be many $$$ cheaper than the Honda............

I agree I always get annoyed hearing about "Honda reliability" break that 40hp mark, build a machine with half the horsepower that my scrambler has and we can start to talk. everyone's small quads are reliable thing is that is all Honda makes(don't tell me that sub 40 hp farce is a real quad. ) 90% of the reliability problems you read about all on big boy quads which Honda makes exactly zero models.


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[Vance Matheson]

I agree I always get annoyed hearing about "Honda reliability" break that 40hp mark, build a machine with half the horsepower that my scrambler has and we can start to talk. everyone's small quads are reliable thing is that is all Honda makes(don't tell me that sub 40 hp farce is a real quad. ) 90% of the reliability problems you read about all on big boy quads which Honda makes exactly zero models.


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probably why the foreman has such a good reputation for being reliable....it dosent have enough HP to break anything.
i have been looking for a quad for my girfriend so she can start enjoying the trail rides with us so im thinking like most comments its a good work horse or putt putt !

 

[somethingnuw]

High on reliability, low on performance. The straight axle rides really rough but the smaller size and lower weight is nice. Had one with 27's and it was a dog, just needed more power. IMO they are a work machine not a play machine.

bnorth kinda sums it up... i love the manual version of the bike... new engine is supose to be faster??? I ride with a few and they go everywhere we go but normally in the skeg pick different lines... i solid rear axle imhop shines in the mountains on side slopes not that a lot of people ride there... i have a grizzly 700 and love it... im a tall guy and find the honda forman never fit me well... if you want to play in deep dark skeg mud like most albertans get a can am... if you want something you will still be riding in 10 years with no mods get the honda... just my opinon... i went with grizzly for reliability, a little extra ground clearance and power, front diff lock and auto... i will be buying my wife a forman 500 just so i can have a nice quite hunting machine and she will have a bike that fits her... she's very light and stands on rough terrain the solid axles don't bug her... she hates mud so skeg isn't an issue

 

[somethingnuw]

probably why the foreman has such a good reputation for being reliable....it dosent have enough HP to break anything.
i have been looking for a quad for my girfriend so she can start enjoying the trail rides with us so im thinking like most comments its a good work horse or putt putt !

yup... i totally agree... not sure about the hp thing but i guess that saves axles??? Seen a few front axles break on can am's the big monster mud looking thing... too much snap given when it was already stuck then put it and 4x4 and hammered the gas... happened twice to the same machine... now can am updated and it's never been a problem...Can am stod by their product the second time even when it was just out of warranty! Gotta love that! up here i hear guys on the res even run canola oil in the diffs... not sure i think that's just urban legend but the res has away of pushing quads to their limit and there all honda's that's gotta say something... friend just traded two steer for an old forman for a local res... 17000 km on a rebuilt engine... thing runs great. No offence to anyone from the Rez... just saying i've seen some honda's that should be poster children for what not to do to a machine and they still keep running...

i have my eye on a buddies forman 500 air cooled 2009.... save it for the end of the world in my bug out plan...lol all kidding a side use it to push willows on my moose hunts. I wouldn't attempt this with my grizz

 

[jjack]

Ok Guys need some advice


I have a 05 kingquad 700. I am looking hard at replacing it. I was looking at the new foreman. I have not gone riding with one but I am considering one. I ride the mountains and I ride in muskeg. I go wherever when ever I can its all fun to me. I though a light but tough, reliable quad like a foreman looks great on paper to me. Im not worried about drag racing down a gravel road. There is a lot of Honda bashing, But I would like to hear about them from guys that ride them in typical Alberta terrain. or guys that ride with them. I know for the most part they are built proof, Does the strait axle really hold it back? is it that bad? how does it perform in mud? or muskeg? Does it keep up with the competition in the trails? your thought on the Honda foreman please?

I live and ride mostly around Central Alberta but do take some mountain trips now and again.

Thanks for your time guys

Whent out today with a guy on a 420 Honda,no mods stock tires and he was packing chit with him.skag broken or fresh was no problem well no more of a problem than any one else was having.Kept up just fine on the trails with every body.Kind of amazed me.Might be worth your time looking into it.If I could get one with manual shift I might just look into one myself.

 

[Billydozer56]

Thanks guys

 

[X-it]

I own a 450 honda es. Without the es your going to get wet feet. Bring a tow rope for pulling quads out because they have overheated or broken something the honda does not overheat even on hot days. It is rough riding and the brakes need attention. But it just plain works.

 

[X-it]

I have a 1984 atc that works awesome as well. That thing will lay a licking on a lot of machines especially on water crossing or going over snow.. amazing machine just keeps on ticking.