[SamUK]

I’ve yet to see this 450 as I’m curt on holiday (vacation), @rodp is being an awesome father as always and dealing with the sale and collection for me. Thanks Dad (I know you’ll see this)

So far all I know is what I was told from the eBay listing, it works as it should with no known issues or major faults, it’s used so expect the usual minor bits and pieces I should imagine. We’ll soon see when I get it in the shed. It’s road legal which is what I was wanting, I wanted a foreman 450 for quite some time but none turned up that we’re road worthy hence looking for a Rancher 420, glad I waited a while now as I’ve got the ATV I wanted.

Tyres look worn and may need replacing to pass an MOT (an annual safety inspection on road going vehicles here in the UK) again I’ll see just how badly they are worn as tyres don’t come cheap.
Tyre choice and size for this model... Any Advice appreciated, I was thinking 26 to 27’s, something like a mudlite, nothing to narly.
@Jeepwm69 you mentioned in another thread 500 foreman discs will bolt right up to a 450 foreman? That was 05-11 wasn’t it?

One last question.. You’ll see in the photos that this model doesn’t have floor boards, I’ve seen online several 450’s have OEM floorboards, was this between certain years or have they been removed from mine?
Will OEM boards fit into my model/year if I can source any?

Thanks guys.

 

[fishfiles]

Nice score Sam -----

on the floor boards question , I looked for a while for some pre-fab'ed boards to bolt right on mine and I never did find a set , I built my own ------- now the 450 ES has plastic foot wells on them , I could take a pic over the weekend for you ---- I don't know if they could be put on a foot shift , would guess some cutting for the foot pedal would be needed , as far as looks go , the ES foot wells look nice , they look like Cam-Am foot wells , as far as standing both feet on one side of the foot well , while hanging over the side and riding the bike like we do thru the ruts , I don't think they would hold up to that , they are more cosmetic and mud flares than functional boards

 

[fishfiles]

some 450 homemade floor board pics

 

[SamUK]

That’s the type I’m thinking of, the OEM plastic ones. Just wondered how often they turn up second hand over in the states there. I’d have no chance sourcing any here lol.
Can always make some, just thought the OEM would look neat.
Yours look super strong Fish, I think you posted that pic when I was looking for inspiration to build them for my 300

 

[fishfiles]

I went out and looked at my other 450's and found there is a set of floor boards on it that look like they were built by a company and not home made , I would guess they are no longer built as I never did find them when I was looking for them

a pic of the ES wells , they look like they could be made to work , I think you would also have to have some other pieces that bolt up to the frame , I could dig them up and take a pic

 

[fishfiles]

I think you would be shocked to know that 450 in the pic had the Outlaw 27's and ITP aluminum slot rims on it and I wanted the tired for my 300 , the guy wanted $1,000 for the entire bike , two weeks later he took $500 , I put the tires and rims on my bike and would say $400 would have been a great price for them , so I actually got this 450 for $100 , he told me it ran but not well , and that it had just had 500 head installed on it with a Wiseco piston , it has a jet kit in the carb to match a HMF exhaust , K+N filter and a 4x2 kick out , and he was feed up with sinking money into it , I have never tried to start it yet , I am thinking about giving it to my son and let him do it up


What did you have to give for yours ? If I may ask !

 

[fishfiles]

Oh , to give you a tire size reference , the rear are 27 Black Water ITP's and are very close , the front are 25 inch stock tires off a 300

 

[SamUK]

My thinking was that the plastic fenders have a less modified look to them don’t they, as I say though, it depends how easy they are to source and the cost of course. I’ll have to have a look on PSN and see if they have anything. I’ll see what I can find for those, it may be more hassle than it’s worth and just easier to make them as you did for yours.

You had a steal on the green 450, with a bit of luck and tweaking it might be a simple fix, It sounds like the guy who owned it before you did to much in one go and got lost in all the mods. I learnt pretty quick to keep things simple and do things one step at a time.

So you say 27’s would be the limit due to them catching the rear fenders? How do you feel yours pulls with bigger tyres? Did you notice much power loss at all?
I’ve never ridden a 450 so it’s a whole new learning curve again.
This cost £2000, that was a buy it now price. It was a fair price really for a road going ATV here in the UK, Rancher 420’s tend to be nearer £3000 road legal and the newer larger frame Rancher more than that. In my eyes I’ve got the ATV I wanted and potentially saved a thousand pounds, just got to hope all is what it seems when my dad collects it on Saturday.

 

[fishfiles]

Quote Sam " How do you feel yours pulls with bigger tyres? Did you notice much power loss at all? " Sam Quote

No lost of power at all , I rode the bike with several different tire sizes stock and then I put the reduction in it , I heard some call it 14% , some call it 16% and recently a poster on here referred to it as a 15.5% , which sounds like it might be what it really is ----- it winds up quickly , much faster than a 300 even without reduction ---- I really like the bike except for one thing , it is top heavy and will lay over a lot easier than my 300 will

 

[SamUK]

Yes it does work out at 15.5%, your right. I may do that, will see how it feels once I have tyres fitted etc may not need it for trail riding which is the main objective for this bike. I’m glad you mentioned that they are too heavy because I was considering a 2” lift, if that’s the case I may add 1” spacers if I opt for the lift just to equal things out a touch.

I’ll see how it all pans out once I’ve got it and used it for a while, as I say the tyres look worn and they may be the first thing I have to invest in as it won’t pass an MOT with low tread depth or cracked/perishes rubber.

 

[fishfiles]

Yea , mine has the two inch lift in it , so that could make it a bit more tipsy ! ---- the bike sits much higher at the seat than your 300 , it feels like a lot when you are on it

I have thought about 2inch spacers front and rear might help it not be so tipsy , but the extra width would kill me on the trails as it gets tight in spots

 

[Jeepwm69]

Nice looking bike Sam.

To chime in, yes 05-11 Foreman brakes have same ball joints top and bottom. Bolt on at the ball joints. You'd need knuckles, hub/rotors, and calipers. The 06-current Rincons and 05-14 Rubicons use the same parts.

As for floorboards, the ES had the plastic fenderwells and they can be made to work. They aren't cheap. You can also get aftermarket floorboards, and with your fab skills I would just make some.

My wife's uncle's 450ES is in the yard. He put Ag tires on it (rice and canes) to spray rice levees back before he quit farming. Took the flares and floorboards off the bike, and they got tossed at some point when the farm shop got cleaned up.

So I ordered new flares (which were actually pretty cheap) and got some used S mud flaps and aftermarket metal floorboards that popped up locally. That would be by far your cheapest and easiest option, and would also last much longer than the plastic factory ES floorboards.

Next Project: ES Floor Boards On S - Honda Foreman Forums : Rubicon, Rincon, Rancher and Recon Forum

 

[SamUK]

Awesome, thanks Jeep I may have to hit you up at some point about that disc brake mod, I’ll wait until I’ve seen the bike and the condition of the existing brakes, plus funds will need time to top up a little!
I haven’t forgotten about the rear brake cable mount for the 350d, it’s part made and I ran out of time before holiday.

So far for floorboards it seems making some seems the most cost effective way then. Although the boards on my 300 are more than strong enough I may look at using 1” round tube with pulled mesh set inside, I think the finish would look more professional.

I’ve looked at Agri tyres for my 300, My cousin had a set on a Land Rover some years back and boy do those things grip! Trouble is, if you loose forward motion they dig a bottomless pit that you ain’t getting out of anytime soon lol

 

[Jeepwm69]

Awesome, thanks Jeep I may have to hit you up at some point about that disc brake mod, I’ll wait until I’ve seen the bike and the condition of the existing brakes, plus funds will need time to top up a little!
I haven’t forgotten about the rear brake cable mount for the 350d, it’s part made and I ran out of time before holiday.

So far for floorboards it seems making some seems the most cost effective way then. Although the boards on my 300 are more than strong enough I may look at using 1” round tube with pulled mesh set inside, I think the finish would look more professional.

I’ve looked at Agri tyres for my 300, My cousin had a set on a Land Rover some years back and boy do those things grip! Trouble is, if you loose forward motion they dig a bottomless pit that you ain’t getting out of anytime soon lol

Rice tires also make you feel like you're riding a horse. HORRIBLE ride.

No hurry on the tophat. I've been working on mowers and my car the last week or so. With all the rain my yard is growing like mad and my mowers are a 1985 John Deere and a 1993 John Deere so you can imagine they need maintenance. Waiting on belts for the 85 and I should be good for the year on those.

Still have the two 350 Foreman motors torn down. Not sure when I'll get back to those.

 

[SamUK]

Yeah they do give a certain feel to the ride don’t they haha.. You should try using them on the road, wet tarmac/asphalt is the worst, it’s like driving in ice, emergency stops get interesting too!

The older garden tractors are always the best though, some of the old John Deere’s fetch as much as a newer used machine over here purely because it will last another 30,40,50 years and do as good a job if not better.

I’ve got to give it to you, your always keeping busy with these projects, my wife would be hopping mad if I stayed that busy! Maybe that’s just a ‘newly wed’ thing for me lol.

 

[machinecrook]

some 450 homemade floor board pics

I like those floorboards! I need a welder so I can start practicing and make my own!

 

[retro]

I dumped my old 450 over when I skidded in circles on my icy road and embedded both right-side wheels in the snowbank alongside the road and it flipped. Only way I could figure to get it back on 4 wheels was find a long enough log to use for a pry bar. By the time I found one, most of my injuries had healed...

I like the old 450s a lot and this will be a great build thread, I'm sure!

 

[SamUK]

I’m guessing by your above post/incident that you also second these 450’s being heavy and having a high ish C of G?
Yeah hopefully it’s in fair condition when I see it, I can deal with cosmetics just hoping it’s mechanically sound as the description says it is.
This will be a sensible build, no major mods as such, the 300 is the mud bike, this will be the ‘show pony’ I think lol

 

[retro]

I don't think 450s are all that top heavy... just heavy, like 600 lbs of heavy! LOL. I loved that old bike, it was a very reliable hard worker. It just wasn't meant to be slung around sideways on icy roads like I was doing with it that day.

 

[fishfiles]

So how long is it now till you get to see it and ride it ? makes think > Are we there yet ? LOL