Honda 400 Foreman Revival

[Jason125m]

Alright guys, probably not much point to post this on a trike site, but i might aswell anyway.

So I picked up this 97 Trx400 on the cheap....

Completely torn apart..... The previous owner said it lost spark, so he thought he had to take the rear end off , then take the motor out to get the stator cover off...
IDIOT. You don't need to pull the motor for the stator cover, and you also don't need to pull the rear end to pull the motor.....

Told me he put fog lights from a truck on it, and it blew the stator.. Any thoughts? I'm fairly certain these machines are known for bad regulators... Its gone before on my 98.

I'll be going through it all tomorrow testing everything, so I guess I will be answering my own question.

Here is some pictures.... Completely torn apart, but is complete. I have all the fenders, seat, hardware, tank, racks, etc.. etc... etc...

Anyone know anything about these bikes I don't know? We've owned the 98 from new, toughest, most reliable bike I've ever had.

trx4004.jpgtrx4003.jpgtrx400.jpgtrx4002.jpg

[atc007]

Whew,she's a heap lol.. Hopefully you're into it WAY right ,as in a $100 lol.. Seriously though. Front axles,,cdi 's been replaced. Guarantee the fr wheel bearings and brakes are most likely bad. A LOT of work there. But if it's a labor of love to ride,you'll know what you have when you're done! I would guess stator as far as the no spark,but that looks like the least of your work ! Like you said,they're a great buggy when buttoned up. Have you rode a 06 or newer?? They turn and handle SO nice. I would ohm everything out ,put your good regulator on it for start up,then try the old one real quick on yours at idle to make sure it's working right.

[Jason125m]

You're pretty close on the price, I spent quite a few hours on it saturday, got the rear end installed, motor in, all electronics hooked up. The cdi is in good working condition, i tried it on my 98 and it ran perfect. Then i tried the regulator, no spark. So, first part on the list is regulator. However, after i installed the known working reg, still no spark. voltage to regulator, stator / pulse gen has good resistance and peak voltage, voltage to the cdi, but nothing to the coil. I disconected the killswitch entirely to eliminate that, still no spark. The ignition is working properly, as i followed the manuals instructions on how to check. Something must be grounding out between the cdi and the coil. I ran out of time, will work on it more next weekend.

Rear diff, axle bearings, and rear brakes are in good condition. The left front wheel bearing is blown, the right is nice and tight and smooth. Aswell as the front diff. She looks rough, but for the price i paid, and for what i'm using it for, its well worth the time... Its nice taking a break from the trikes.

I have ridden most of the newer hondas, the only one I like is the 500 because it is footshift. I have no clue why they need to make everything automatic for the yuppies. But the rest handle like a dream, the 680 is a very nice trail machine.

Here is a blurry picture. Still ugly, but getting there. dscn4164e.jpg

Here is our 98, owned it since new. 400gz.jpg 04 450es in the background...

[atc007]

Awesome! Great progress.

[M1A1]

Looks good keep us posted.

[Jason125m]

Should have some more updates on Sunday, all my atv's are at my cottage.. Wish I could be wrenching this week. I'm not going for anything pretty, just mechanically solid. Could use another work horse around the bushlot. 250r is not exactly the best machine for cutting trees!

[Jason125m]

Tinkered a little bit this weekend, she sparks, and runs great. Just need to buy a new choke plunger.

I have a question. The aftermarket cdi box that came on this machine was red, i tested that on my 98 400, it ran great. Ruled it out, then i tested the regulator on the 98, and it wouldnt run. So i go buy a new regulator for this new one. Still no spark, so i figured I would take the CDI off of the 98 and try it on this one. And it sparks. How is it possible that the red aftermarket one works on the 98 400, but not on this 96 or 97 400? It doesnt make any sense.

Anyways, its all back together, but the fenders are just sitting on it, since i still have to install the front axles and main front driveshaft. Here is some pictures.

I also cut open the exhaust, dumped out the loose baffle that has rotted out, and welded it back together... Forgot to take a picture of it welded up...

lewisx.jpgdscn4174p.jpgdscn4171v.jpg

Still ugly, but it will look better with the racks mounted, and the rest of the plastics... They are just sitting on there.

[swampthang]

Looks like a pretty decent bike. IDK about Canada prices but around here a nice Foreman 400 would still bring around $1500-$1800. I had a Foreman 500. It was nice for trail ridding but I switched back to a Foreman 450 because I wanted something more tractor like for work. If you take the primary drive gear and clutch basket out of a 300 fourtrax it bolts right into a foreman 400 or 450 for a 14.5% gear reduction for more power to turn bigger tires.

[Jason125m]

Thanks.

Prices in Canada are roughly double what they are in thwe US. A beat up 400 will bring 2-2500 easily. One like my 98, would bring close to 4000. Its the same for trikes, I see you guyys complaining about prices, but they are worth twice as much in canada! 3000$ beat up 250r's all day long!

That's good to know about the gear reduction. I think this bike I will just put 25" bearclaws on it, so it is still a strong worker.