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06 foreman upgrades....need some input

6085 Views 18 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  2foremen
whats up erbody, brand new to this site and to the foreman 500. ive had it for a month now and im ready to start adding to it. i already have a k and n filter and 26" mudlites (which i love) and im thinking about getting a lift kit next. just wondering if anyone can give some input on lifting this thing and if its worth doing. also what kind of jetting i need to do to the carb to get the best performance. any help greatly appreciated, thanks
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I wouldn't put a lift on if I were you.Spend the money elsewhere...exhaust,jetting,winch,etc.
if you ride in mud the lift is great to have, for the jetting it all depends what elevation you are at and if you plan on getting a exhaust.
-Aaron
exhause is one of my "soon to comes". as soon as i can get it here ill be installing the hmf, im guessing thats the best pipe cause erbody on here is talking about them. my elevation is 935 ft. so would i need to run around a 170?? i appreciate the info so far and hope to hear from yall soon. thanks
oh, and do the lift kits cause problems later on down the road if you dont have beefed up axles. i heard some people talking about lifts and they were saying that they can cost you alot of money after a short time. thanks again.
im not sure what you would run at 935, mine is about 1300 and i accually ran a 145, it was a small jet but thats where i ran best at. i think if you have a lift on for a long time and ride alot that the axles are going to wear out. i had a custom 1 1/2 on my rubicon that i have for sale, i am not sure if a rubi lift will go on a forman 500 but im sure someone on here will know. the reason i made the 1 1/2 is because that way the axles are not maxed out and will have a much longer life than a bike with a 2" lift would have. i had that on my bike for about a year and had no problems, and to be honest with you i would put 100 miles on my rubicon in a weekend alone, i rode it so much that i basicly killed it hope this helps.
-Aaron
The first major thing I did (other then change out the wheels and tires) was put better skid plates on. Trust me when you go straight up and then nail a big freakin rock you thank yourself every time.
I'm gonna say if you want a lift go with a perfex long travel due to the lower impact, i'm taking off my lift and puttin on the perfex
thanks for all the help guys. im lovin this website so far, everyone has been very helpful so far. im still open to any more suggestions, i appreciate all the help guys.

-phillip-
i never liked my lift made the wheel wheels look unfilled i took it off and now they are stuffed full of bigger meats
If you get a lift only run it on the front. Don't put the rear on because the 500 can't handle it like the 450 could it will snap the u joint. Mine snaped after 34 miles. Warranty didn't cover it. It cost me around $700 to fix because it bent the through shaft too. So think about it.
foremanphill, check out the post I put in the Rincon section reference to lifts. I put a Highlifter lift on and all 4 cv joints were trashed. They said they have sold them for years and no problems...Cost me 300 for the front and am going to have to replace the rear ones next. I put pics of the damage on there. Some lifts are fine, but some will put you in debt. Put your money where it can be used. $600 aint worth 2 inches. Your bike would have gone thru it without the lift.

You would be amazed at how many of my friends took theirs off when they saw the damage. Food for thought but do whatever ya want..
I would not run a lift, Mine was removed after about 5 rides. The rear U-joint will tear up quickly w/ a lift. And on an SRA bike you are not gaining any real ground clearance (since the rear diff is always the lowest point.). The only thing it really does is allow you to fit taller tires easier. Taller tires are the only thing that will give you true ground clearance.

Stick w/ a pipe/filter jet kit, since you have tires you like, then body armor. Thats my opinion.
thanks alot guys!! i have changed my mind about the whole lift kit thing now and i have changed my cousins mind as well. im just gonna stick with the pipe n jet kit now....oh and some 28" Laws!! that is after i get my new bow for deer season!! OLE SWITCHBACK XT RURN!!!! anyway, one more question about the lift kits and i swear ill leave yall alone. ive heard that the perfex long travel kits arent as bad on the bike as the others. the long travel sounds like somthing i would like for the softer suspension as well as the lift. just wondering. thanks again
I have a 06 500 foreman S. 2 " lift kit 28" mudbugs with a jet kit being installed and the new clutch kit from HL . I have had the lift on for a good while and have had no problems an dlet me tell you I'm One of those guys they would say i nuts on the bike . My bike has be put to the test since day 2 I had to give it one easy day you know .. I love the lift and the tires but before I put the lift I couldn't fit the 28"bugs
The long travel kit is not as hard on the cv joints as the regular lift. Some regular lift just put the axles at to much of an angle and wear out and blow quickly. The long travel works in a different / safer way. After my (4) cv damage, I have seoriosly thought about the long travel kits..
foreman 500 man, what kind of lift are you running, and do you have different axles?? appreciate the info rincon, i was thinking the same thing.
A good friend told me..." You spend $6000 dollars on a bike and then all this other money on accessories, why spend $100 on a lift that will tear up axles and cost you $600 every year for 1 1/2 inches of lift "

Good point...and well taken. Food for thought...
Hi,

I would recommend adding aluminum products skid plates and cv boot guards to your foreman 500. Also, maybe a warn 3.0 ce winch.
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