[szembek]

I recently got a used '99 foreman 450es. Everything was running fine for a while, but after using it a lot this weekend something isn't right. Now when I try and give it gas, it really doesn't want to go. You really have to hit the throttle to get it to go not very fast even in 1st gear. I didn't want to do any further damage to it, so I just got it going enough to load it into my trailer. In first gear unless I have the throttle pressed at about 50%, it won't even move. The engine is revving up in proportion to how hard I hit the throttle, but it just doesn't seem to move. I am thinking that maybe my brakes are siezed up to the wheels, but I think it's something more serious. Does anybody have any suggestions on things to look for? I am going to check the brakes tonight. Thank you!

[addition]
Also I had a couple of backfires earlier before this problem came up. Don't know if it's related or not. Should I give the engine a general tune up, such as cleaning the carbs and replacing the plug? Thank you for any advice!

 

[Railroader]

Let us know the outcome. If that ever happens to me, i would like to know
what to do.

 

[Honda Mechanic]

Is the engine reving up ..?..is the clutch slipping..? .. or is the engine trying to rev but something holding it back ..?

 

[szembek]

It seems like...

QUOTE ("Honda Mechanic":2lrju87f)

Is the engine reving up ..?..is the clutch slipping..? .. or is the engine trying to rev but something holding it back ..?

Yes the engine revs up, it feels to me like something might be holding it back, but I'm not really sure. If the clutch were slipping I would think that once it got going, the wheeler would move at the normal speed, but now it's always moving slower than normal no matter how hard I hit the throttle. I was having trouble with the ES earlier in the day though, sometimes I would have to shut the engine off and turn it back on to change gears.

 

[Honda Mechanic]

Does the bike push in neutral..?.. If it does that pretty much rules out the brakes & differentials..

 

[szembek]

QUOTE ("Honda Mechanic":3mtfsr62)

Does the bike push in neutral..?.. If it does that pretty much rules out the brakes & differentials..

Good point! I'm going to check that when I get home from work.

 

[szembek]

QUOTE ("Honda Mechanic":2zgmlja2)

Does the bike push in neutral..?.. If it does that pretty much rules out the brakes & differentials..

Yeah I can push/pull it in neutral. I'm not familiar enough with it to know how easy it should move, but I rolled it off of my trailer with no problem so I guess the brakes are probably OK. Anything you can suggest to check? Thanks.

 

[Honda Mechanic]

I'd first adjust the manual clutch.. If that doesn't help then I'd check the centrifugal clutch ..

Here's how to adjust the clutch ..