[Julianlittle]

Hey guys I'm new here at the forums so excuse me if I ask something that has already been answered or don't do this properly I'm getting a 2004 honda foreman 450 first honda I have owned I've has Polaris yamaha suszuki just not honda so I was wondering besides a snorkel what else do I need to do to keep my bike from stalling in deeper water? I'm not talking about fully submerged but if I ever hit a hole and it was deeper than I thought I don't want to lose my bike. Thank you for all the answers and help ahead of time

 

[Julianlittle]

Also is the Forman 450 a comfortable trail bike for me and my wife I know it's not as big as the grizzly 660 I traded but as long as it comfortable

 

[mrbb]

first off, the 450 foreman is a solid rear axle, so the ride quality will not be NEAR what you had on your 660 grizzly
so expect a LOT more bounce to things, and its NOT made for two up riding either??

as for waterproofing ANY atv
its all about sealing things,and protecting electrical connections and raising breather
vents

SO< that means dielectric grease on ALL electrical connections
next will be raising all vent lines, from crank case to diff's, then the snorkel and making SURE the air box is sealed RIGHT
failure to do all this, and water can get into things it shouldn't and either stall bike, or worse

a heads up, a very common issue on the 450's is left rear axle wheel bearings.seals
even a LITTLE wear and water will get in there and RUIN the whole rear axle
good news is, its a easy repair and a cheap one, bearings and new seals are like 30 bucks, and a little time with basic tools
left side has ONLY one bearing, right side has two, hence the weak link on the left side
a rear axle is about a 175+ bucks, so its worth changing them as needed rather than waiting

450's are also very reliable ,long living atv;s
so congrats on it, but its NO smooth riding atv by most standards!, its a WORK atv more than aplay /trail atv!

 

[Julianlittle]

What would you consider the best way to seal the air box I usually put silicon on where the lid and the box meets all the way around I silicon all rubber boots to the carb and the air box and plug and silicon the drain in the air box and of course where the snorkel goes into the air box. Also how would I tell the seal needs to be replaced will I see oil leaking or any other signs?

 

[Julianlittle]

Also how is the power on the foreman 450? Does it have the power to handle 27inch outlaws good? Is it pretty responsive?

 

[mrbb]

I don't add snorkels, so NO help on nwhats the best way to seal that stuiff from me!
as for will the 450 handle 27';s
IMO, NO Its asking a lot, your going to loose a bunch of the HP, this model has and it only has about 26 hp to start with
BUT this all comes down to HOW Much power your OK with loosing
the best mod for you will be a GR if you wish to run tall aggressive tires!

as for how do you tell on the axle seal, check the wheel bearings like on any other wheel, lift rear off ground and see if any play in wheel/wobble like or not
if there is, seals/bearings are bad and time to replace before you have a larger bill on your hands!
what happens is water gets in, and rust's the splines off the rear axle and then NO rear wheel drive, and it happens FAST once water gets in there

I use my atv;'s more for work than play and when I do play, I ride trails, I avoid water holes, to date have never needed a snorkel or even came close on any atv I was driving, I don't personally think an atv is a boat, so I stay out of things that look Deep LOL
longer life to your atv this way too!

 

[SamUK]

Snorkels... I made mine out of 1 1/2" drainpipe from the hardeware store. I glued all the joints and then used 3M's polyeurothene sealant adhesive around the outer edges just to be double sure it was water tight. Where it fits into the air box I used silicone and the original hose clamp, I also used silicone where the rubber seal/boot fixes to the air box and on the air box lid.
As for mounting... I ran a 6" piece of pipe out of the air box to a 6" flexi rubber hose and then onto the main snorkel isteself. Again, I used silicone on the flexi joints and hose clamps.
I tested my snorkel before fitting by filling it with water and waiting for a leak, the rest is currently untested as I haven't been in anything that deep yet. As you said, it's a safety feature more than a necessity.
As for waterproofing plugs, I haven't got around to it as yet but as mrbb has said, use dielectric grease and pack all plugs and conectors.

If your going bigger in diameter with tyres, in my opinion and recent experience I would definitely opt for a much less aggressive tread pattern or go for a narrower tyre all round.

 

[mrbb]

I do know that if you MAKE a snorkel, there is a good chance that over time , from vibrations and bounces, it can come apart, so, just check on it every so often would be my suggestion
better to check and be safe than sorry some day/
I would check it as I would other things before I ride, like oil and basic's

 

[SamUK]

I do know that if you MAKE a snorkel, there is a good chance that over time , from vibrations and bounces, it can come apart, so, just check on it every so often would be my suggestion
better to check and be safe than sorry some day/
I would check it as I would other things before I ride, like oil and basic's

This is very wise info right here ^^^

 

[Julianlittle]

Hey guys I just got the 450 it runs great and drives good but it's got a very loud tick I know everyone says that's normal honda but this one is loud what could it be and how do I quiet it down

 

[mrbb]

get a service manual and adjust the valves, sounds like there out of spec
next switch to a good syn oil, that helped mine get to be more quiet

that or you have a top end going down and your hearing piston slap or??

a compression test isn't a bad idea here either, will give you a base line if nothing else, easy and simple to do to boot!

 

[craig chaires]

Hey guys I just got the 450 it runs great and drives good but it's got a very loud tick I know everyone says that's normal honda but this one is loud what could it be and how do I quiet it down

it needs valves adjusted

 

[shadetree]

it needs valves adjusted

did you happen to notice the post date of this thread ???.