Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Anyone riding a 14 or 15 Foreman?

Anyone using one of the newer Foreman's with the locking front differential, fuel injection, changed chassis? Any feedback on them?

Kinda narrowed things down to a Foreman (basic model) or Grizzly (450). Main uses are farm work and mountain trails (steep/rocky/muddy). Grizzly has been out for a while and is known as a solid performer. Foreman had some changes over the past couple years and I was wondering if there was anything to watch out for.

As a foreman owner I'm trying really hard to like the new ones but I'm getting a Grizzly 450eps. Possibly a 550eps if I can get a better price.

The Yamaha just has more of what I'm looking for.

I just purchased a new Foreman Rubicon....but still haven't picked it up. I signed the paperwork Monday, and ordered a winch and bracket to be added. I said to just wait until the parts come in to uncrate it. I called yesterday and they said that the parts are in. I said that I'd be there when I got off work to pick it up. They said that it would not be ready until noon today. I said that I'm going to be backed up to the dock when you open tomorrow, and you better have it ready, or we're going to have a problem. How long does it take to uncrate an atv and install a winch?

Anyway, I'll hopefully have time to play with it and let you know. The only reason I chose the Rubicon is because it has irs and can be had with manual, foot shift transmission.

tzone, I agree, the grizzly has a lot going for it. It is a proven product, almost to the point that it's overlooked. Nothing flashy and has been a good solid package with a lot of features for a long time...so solid it hasn't had any changes to solicit "new" reviews of it singing it's praise.

username, the basic Foreman with foot shift is the one I'm looking at. The irs isn't really that big of an issue for me. On farm work it will be pulling a trailer a lot so the solid rear axle isn't a problem for me....though I've been using IRS on my current for a lot of years and haven't had a problem with it. Mainly worried about any issues that may not be ironed out with the upgrades to the diff lock and fuel injection. Looking forward to hearing your feedback on your Rubicon. Please let me know how it goes for you when you get a chance to spend some time in the seat.

Thanks guys.

Can't speak to the diff lock but the FI motor is the cats azz. My wife's 09 RancherAT has it and I like it a lot, wish my 04 Foreman had it. So easy to start, no choke to deal with, no jetting or adjustments have to be made to it. Basically push the start button and go ride.

That new Rubicon should be a beast and I'm looking forward to the review myself.

Can't speak to the diff lock but the FI motor is the cats azz. My wife's 09 RancherAT has it and I like it a lot, wish my 04 Foreman had it. So easy to start, no choke to deal with, no jetting or adjustments have to be made to it. Basically push the start button and go ride.

That new Rubicon should be a beast and I'm looking forward to the review myself.

I figured since I have the foreman 450s (foot shift) I have the solid rear axle covered. The one and only thing I don't like about it is that it's full time 4wd. On a technical trail ride, it gets old quickly.

Not sure if they still make them but the this Warn 424 can fix that issue. My buddy has one on his 04 Rubi and it works great.

I have the 2014 with diff lock, electronic shifting and powersteering. I actually paid for the foot shift and when I got home noticed it was electronic shift. Called the dealer and they said oops our mistake, "free upgrade". I was not happy as I would have rather had foot shift. I did not have time to get the bike back to the shop in a reasonable time and the dealer would not take it back due to it already being titled. For those in the southeast beware of Southern Powersports in Chattanooga. They have cheap prices but try to change and upsell you when you come to purchase. If you are paying cash and don't fall for upgrades you can get a good deal. After having it for about 6 months I love the bike. If you are going to put a winch on it, I would get a winch bumper and mount the winch on it. Strongbuilt makes a nice bumper at a reasonable price. I hope the ES has no problems.

Eddie

I'm not sure why you'd want the foot shift over the ES? But I guess some folks do or they wouldn't still make it.

I had a Foreman ES and it was flawless, like the other Honda's Ive had.

Have heard a few stories of problems with the ES. My Dad had a problem with his when the battery got low. Nothing major though. Main reason is that I spend a lot of time spraying fences and hold the sprayer in my left hand while the right runs the gas...no problem with a CVT/auto or footshift, but with the ES it is a little hassle. It's not a deal killer on one, but the foot shift is a little cheaper, super reliable, and would fit my needs/use a little better.

You could always put the emergency foot shifter on while you're spraying then remove it when it you're done. I've had my ForemanES since new (2004) and have never had a problem with it.

I just put a new battery in it a few weeks ago and this is the second one I've replaced in in 11 years, which is pretty danged good IMO.

Manual shifters are still much in demand from the daily drivers of them. ES has had issues, especially in the cold.

Something more to break and expensive to fix. When the sensors get wet and then freeze. Not good mojo!!

Same here. I got so frustrated with the carb on my '02 rancher that I bought a 2010 rancher AT one day after cussing the carb trying to get it started again. I will NEVER own anything with a carburetor again, they're the spawn of the devil. I just wish Honda wasn't so slow to adopt innovations. They should have been using fuel injection 15 years before they did but they just rest on their laurels peddling old designs. I love their reliability but it's hard to stay loyal to them when they're 10 years after their rivals adopting new technology.

Lots of aggravation with mine. If you turn it off in gear for some reason, it is near impossible to get it into neutral. Lots of rocking and up and down shifting. On cold days it sometimes does not want to go into neutral. I carry a box end wrench to help it along. 10mm I think and it fits on the shaft where a foot shift should be. I keep thinking about getting a foot shift installed but never have. miles

Honda ATVs were good before they started trying to play "catch-up". They seem to be ahead of the game in many ways as long as they stick with what they know well, though it tends to be conservative. Their carbs have long been excellent but for the 'choke' (which can get sticky and cause rich condition when it gets cold). Their foray into FI machines has been problematic from the start, not being designed or proven in cold conditions. In fact, anything less than -10º is getting into questionable territory. A hotter plug is known to help, but the 'program' should have been designed to accommodate it. Perhaps they've changed that in the latest models.

On my '02 rancher I've replaced the choke cable for sticking three times. The guy at the Honda parts counter said there's a place where it can get water in there where the cable goes into the carb so it corrodes and starts sticking. I did a rebuild on the carb once because it got trash from some bad gas in it. At first I though I had a plugged up fuel filter so I went to the dealership to get another filter. Imagine my surprise when I found out there's no fuel filter on that series of rancher. WTF? Who in their right mind would NOT put a fuel filter on an ATV? They're constantly getting fueled from cans in the middle of nowhere so they're going to eventually get bad fuel, a fuel filter should be a no brainer but Honda elected to not put one on there. I took a piece of the fuel line to the napa place and told them to give me the smallest in-line filter they had so now I've got one plumbed into the line. That was a really stupid idea on Honda's part though not to put a fuel filter on there somewhere. The carb rebuild didn't work too well so I ended up putting a new carb on, it's running OK now. I got so frustrated dealing with that over a couple of months and not having a running ATV that I went to the Honda place and bought a new '10 rancher AT. I would have bought a Rubicon or Foreman but at the time they were carbed and I wasn't having another carburetor again, the rancher motor had been updated with fuel injection so I went with that. That was five years ago and I haven't had a moments trouble out of the fuel injected motor. It doesn't get cold in Mississippi though so I don't know if it'd give trouble in extreme cold.

I'll never buy any kind of vehicle that isn't fuel injected again. Carburetors are evil!

Fuel filters are not a common item on any carbed ATV I am aware of. I always add one, though I've gotten by for years running them without….as long as the tank gets a regular squirt of isopropyl to keep moisture out.

Lot's of interesting points. Was mainly looking for problems related to the new upgrades but a lot of other points have come up.

I didn't realize Honda had been using FI for a while. Since it just came out on the Foreman I assumed it was new all the way around for them. Seems the biggest concern with it is how it works in cold weather....but it rarely gets to the teens here so cold weather isn't a major concern for me.

The diff lock is still a question for me. I'm guessing Honda did a good job with it. Has the diff lock been available on other models of Honda for a while?