350 Wont move

[mudsportsman05]

Well my girlfriends 01 350 will not move. I dont really know all the details yet, I am just getting my information from her father. I am going home tomorrow to check it out and see whats wrong with it. I figured I would post here and see if I could find out if there is anything that is common on these bikes that seizes up or what not.

He thinks its brakes, but I dont know.
It has to be either brakes, wheel bearings, or tranny. Anything else it could be?

Thanks for anyhelp /

[BIG_T]

honda? what is it?

[mudsportsman05]

its a 2001 Honda 350 rancher
It has a brake drum in the rear, and I really think the front is a drum as well, but I havent got to look.
Drums suck

[hampster_rancher]

The front will be drum for sure. The only way it would be the brakes is if they came appart in the drums. Honda brakes barely slow you down when they are working. LOL

Is it an ES model??? Could be something like a shift solenoid if it is.

If its a 5 spd, has he done an oil change on it and used synthetic? I've heard that will make the clutch slip so bad that it will just rev out like its in neautral.

[BIG_T]

yeah they do. They will actually provide more braking power because they are self energizing(this is why many big trucks have them in the rear) but they are prone to failure and are also a non-linear force/torque relational system.

Yeah, a Honda of that age will have all drum brakes all the way around. I think only the rincon has any disc brakes, if even that does.

[hampster_rancher]

FYI, the 420 has disks as well :)

[BIG_T]

drum brakes can freeze like any other. Especially if they get worn enough. First thing to check is which wheels are frozen. The rear is the easier to deal with.

[BIG_T]

ok, I'm not that up on which hondas do. I've seen a few hondas with discs, but the majority have had drums.

[mudsportsman05]

The front will be drum for sure. The only way it would be the brakes is if they came appart in the drums. Honda brakes barely slow you down when they are working. LOL

Is it an ES model??? Could be something like a shift solenoid if it is.

If its a 5 spd, has he done an oil change on it and used synthetic? I've heard that will make the clutch slip so bad that it will just rev out like its in neautral.


Its not the es. I dont think he has every done any maintence on the bike let alone putting oil in it. lol I will check though.

[mudsportsman05]

drum brakes can freeze like any other. Especially if they get worn enough. First thing to check is which wheels are frozen. The rear is the easier to deal with.


Its very possible that its because they are worn, since they have never been replaced.
I think both the front and the rears are frozen but I will find out in a few minutes and let you know.

[mudsportsman05]

Well I found out that only the fronts lock up. He said that it locks up after you press the hand brake. However, he also said that if you give it gas it will release itself. SO I would say they are just sticking.

[BIG_T]

yeah, they are just sticking. Need to take it apart and clean it most likely, very likely that something is rusted or corroded a bit. a wire brush might be needed.

[mudsportsman05]

Will I have to remove it from the bike to do this?
Are they held together with just bolts or what?
When I open it up, well it pretty much be self-explanitory?

[BIG_T]

bolts or cotter pins I think, it's been awhile since I've taken apart a Honda drum. They are usually pretty self explanatory. Part will stay on the bike and part will come off I believe.

[mudsportsman05]

IS there fluid in it?
There are brake pads correct? I should just go ahead and replace them right?

[BIG_T]

drums use brake shoes, not pads. Same basic concept, but quite different. You might not need to replace them, so I would buy new ones til I sw the onld ones.
Yes, the front has fluid, but you can open them up without worrying about it. The fluid part is in another part inside the drum.

[mudsportsman05]

alright, thanks for the info.

[mudsportsman05]

Anyone know a good place to get brake shoes for a honda, that wont cost an arm & leg? Just in case I need them.

[Mole]

http://hondaparts-direct.com/

Check that place or on Ebay. This is the best site I've found for OEM Honda parts that won't break the bank.

[Mole]

I would buy all new seals for the front drums if you decide to keep the drums. If you or whoever has the money I would honestly invest in the HL disc brake kit for the bike. I'm pretty sure you can get it for almost any Honda with drum brakes.

[mudsportsman05]

Do you what Honda calls this bike, is this my model?
TRX350FM FourTrax Rancher 4x4 (00-06)

Its a 2001 manual 350 rancher with 4x4 is all I know

[Mole]

Yes that is your bike. If it was a 2x4 it would be TRX350TM and for electric shift it would be TRX350FE and TRX350TE.

[mudsportsman05]

Yea, I would like to do the disc conversion on the front, but its her fathers bike and all he uses it for is hunting so he doesnt want to put that much money into it. They are expensive.

[mudsportsman05]

Yes that is your bike. If it was a 2x4 it would be TRX350TM and for electric shift it would be TRX350FE and TRX350TE.

thank you sir.

[Mole]

I'll agree the disc brake kit ain't cheap but its the best money you can spend on a Honda with drum brakes though.LOL

[mudsportsman05]

haha, thats for sure. my buddy has a 420 and the drum went out on his bke within a month. drums suck at least on the hondas.

[Mole]

Oh yea. On my old Rincon my front drums went out after two rides to the local riding spot. Took em apart and they were rusted up and seized. Wouldn't work a bit!! I decided to not even mess with them and went with the discs up front. That was the best thing that bike ever had done to it except maybe the snorkel.LOL

[mudsportsman05]

So as long as it says this I should be ok? Because on the applications chart it doesnt list this one as 4x4.
TRX350FM

[Mole]

Yeah the F in the model # indicates 4x4. If it was a 2 wheel drive it would be TRX350TM with the T indicating 2x4. Hope that makes sense.

[mudsportsman05]

yup, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for clearing that up because I would of had a hell of a time trying to find all the parts I need when I didnt even know the right name. lol
thanks again. These brake shoes are a lot cheaper then I thought they would be.

[Mole]

Glad I could help out man. Good luck with getting her fixed.

[mudsportsman05]

How many shoes are in the front drum? 2? It says it contains 2 shoes, is that all I will need if I end up buying them?

[Mole]

Each drum contains 2 shoes. So if you need to replace them in both drums you will need 4.

[mudsportsman05]

WOw what a chore. I went home today and started working on the honda. All I am going to say is it took over 25min just to get the axlenut to break lose. Thats 6-7 yrs. of rust and corrosion. We finally got it with a 4 foot pipe on the end of the ratchet.

Anyways, after I removed the screws to split the case, I removed the outer shell. I was then looking at a big drum like thing. I tried to remove this drum, but it would not come. It acted like it was connected to the other end of the casing? What exactly do I need to do to get this off?
thanks

[mudsportsman05]

Anyone? Is the drum actually connected? how do I get it out?
thanks

[Mole]

I believe once you take the outer part of the drum off you can see the brake shoes. Pics would help cause I haven't had a drum brake apart in almost a year.

[mudsportsman05]

Here is a schematic. I think what I was looking at was part 13. But I dont see it comes apart. It did slide back and forth on the shaft about 2inches, but it wouldnt come off. DO I just need to pull on it harder?

[mudsportsman05]

It wont let me post the image. Here is the link
http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/honda-atv-trx350fm-fourtrax-rancher-4x4-2001/o/m2636

Number 13

[Mole]

My bad there man. I thought you were referring to the front ones. I actually helped my brother replace shoes on his sons Grizzly on the rear and ran into the same problem you've got. We just had to lightly tap on it with a hammer and it finally came off. It will take some work because its probly froze up with rust or corrosion. It doesn't appear to be held on by any bolts so that's probly the cause.

[mudsportsman05]

SO that drum like thing is seperate from the outer casing correct? I as in, I can have that off and still have the left side of the casing (with all the spring and cables hooked to it) still on the bike?

Just want to make sure before I go yanking on this thing. lol

[Mole]

Yes I am pretty sure.

[mudsportsman05]

Thats what I was thinking as well. And I dont see any bolts or anything that coult be holding it on as you mentioned. Alrighty, I will see if I can get that sob outta there.
Thanks again for all the help.

[Mole]

No problem man. Let us know how it works out for ya and if ya need anymore help.

[littlegrasshopper]

Hows the brake job coming along?

I had the same model rancher once and ditched the drums on the front for the HL disc kit. I took the shoes off the rear to stop the seizing.

[mudsportsman05]

I havent got a chance to work on them again.

So you just removed the shoes..Hmm, I might just do that. I am goning to see how bad they are first.

[PROJECT FOREMAN]

I found another supplier of disc conversions for front and rears for Honda's,company's called Quadrax,they now supply them for ROYAL DISTRIBUTING up here in Canada.I'm lead to believe that they are in the U.S.

[BIG_T]

What will often happen is a groove gets worn in the drum so there's a lip that you have to get over. Try adjusting the brakes back and see how that works.

[mudsportsman05]

What exactly do you mean by adjusting the brakes back? How do I go about doing this?