Area51 Project Foreman - 2016 Update:

 

Spring 2016 ATV Rides, mostly in Torbay.

 

 

July 16, 2016 Torbay ATV run with Maffer.

 

 

 

In July Maffer and I were out for an ATV ride in Torbay when I planted project Foreman in a pretty good bog hole. No big deal I strung out the winch line and attached it to a nearby tree, unfortunately there was no response at all from the winch controller! Luckily Maffer was with me and we winched my bike out with the WARN 3500 winch on his Can Am.

 

 

After a thorough diagnosis the electric motor on my old WARN 2000lb winch seized solid, not an uncommon problem. I sourced an awesome deal locally on a new WARN Pro Vantage 2500 and set to work installing it along with the 2500 series wiring harness. For more details, check out my WARN Winch installation article.

 

 

September 2016: With all the time I've spent outlining upgrades and repairs to Project Foreman over the years, I realized that I've never done a write-up on what I do for standard maintenance. A proper maintenance always starts with a thorough inspection which includes a quick run around the yard to listen for noises and to test all functions of the bike.

 

 

 

Lately I've been noticing the rear brake sticking whenever I use it. I suspected water had gotten inside so I disassembled the rear brake for a closer look. Surprisingly there was only a minimal amount of moisture inside, its been at least 4 years since they were serviced last. I did find a cut in the drum brake vent hose so that was replaced. The brakes were disassembled and cleaned, the armature cleaned and greased with proper brake grease and reassembled. The factory O-ring gasket long gave up the ghost so I've been sealing the outer cover with silicone, and knock on wood it works great and does not leak. 

 

 

To finish out the brake service I used my cable oiler and oiled the cable with red Rust Check spray which is a fantastic creeping oil that will creep the length of the cable driving out any moisture. This had an immediate effect and made the cable smooth to operate.

 

 

The next maintenance item is fluid changes starting in the rear. During last year's maintenance I broke off the "check" bolt in the rear differential which is a bolt removed to determine the correct amount of oil has been added to the diff. I was in a rush last fall so I simply coated the opening with silicone and it didn't leak. Using a small drill bit and and easy out I had the broken bolt out in no time.

 

 

The drain bolt is a unique piece so I picked up a proper replacement from Honda One and installed it with a new sealing washer. The front differential oil change was straightforward, I usually remove the left front wheel for easy access to the fill hole. Both differentials were refilled with full synthetic 75w90 gear oil.

 

 

Next up was an engine oil and filter change which is pretty straightforward, making sure to not install the filter backwards.

 

 

ATV engine oil is always a huge debate, I've always used a quality semi synthetic oil in Project Foreman. Some say its overkill but the bike is ridden hard especially in bog and often used in very cold temps throughout the winter so it's a cheap piece of insurance. This Maxima blend is wet clutch approved and available at Honda One.

 

 

To prevent a mess I always use a transmission funnel for refilling oil, it fits perfectly without having to hold it in place. I keep project Foreman filled to the top mark, which on a Honda is checked WITHOUT screwing the dipstick in. After running the engine to fill the new oil filter I recheck the oil level and add if necessary.

 

Lastly, my old 12" LED Light Bar gave up the ghost so I picked up a quality replacement unit from NL Light Bars. This is their 12" Dura series Hyper Flood/Spot Combo which is recommended for ATV's. This great unit also comes with a lifetime warranty so I'm confident this one will hold up well. Check out my How To: Installing LED light bars article for tips and tricks mounting and wiring.

 

December 16, 2016 Post snow storm ATV rip in Torbay.

 

Snow really got packed in there!

 

Earlier this week I finished the installation of my new LED light bar so I stayed out long enough to test it out. This is a section of trail lit with the stock triple headlights on my Foreman.

 

 

And with the 12" LED bar!. The light bar is wired to the factory high beams via a 12v relay so no additional switches were needed. The light bar floods the trail with a great spread of light.

 

 

January 2017 driveway cleanup.

 

 

February 7, 2017 Annual Cabin Winter Trip. This year both Project REV and Project Foreman made the trek to Whitbourne. Mark and I would be first to arrive so we used the bike to plow the driveway and parking area, and from the weather forecast it looks like the skidoo will be parked for at least some of the trip. 

 

 

With such a mixed bag of weather from snow, to rain to cold & everything froze solid, it was handy having the bike on hand once it became not fit for the sled! Once the pond becomes glare ice, the sled will overheat and hyfax in the rear suspension melt.

 

 

March 18 & 20, 2017 Post windstorm ATV rip and trail cleanup. We had a pretty significant windstorm last week, so I threw on my old plywood box so I could easily carry my chainsaw, fuel & bar oil for clearing away inevitable windfalls from trails in our area.

 

 

A couple days later and trails really started seeing the effects of warmer spring weather. Snow is melting and trails beginning to thaw which makes for some interesting and sometimes tangly riding!

 

 

May 24 weekend Sooley cabin. Quiet weekend of boating, trouting and some trail maintenance at the Sooley cabin near Whitbourne.

 

 

Southern Shore Moose Hunting October 2017. Another busy fall on the Southern Shore as Harry, Andrew and I all had licenses, thankfully we filled all of them this season.

 

 

Moose Hunting 2017 Part 2. Moose hunting with the Bassan's in Trepassey. This year Andrea had a gun club license to fill and his father had one as well. Dad joined us for a couple days which was awesome, Bassan filled his tags on our last day of hunting, Peter filled his a couple days later with Eddie.

 

 

Another successful trip that put Project Foreman to work once again carrying out the front quarters.

 

Cheers, MIKE

 

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