Honda FourTrax Foreman TRX500 500 2005-2011 Service Manual

Worth flagging directly: this TRX500 line is a genuinely different machine from the automatic-transmission Foreman Rubicon covered previously — TotalMotorcycle's own product description confirms "the FourTrax Foreman 4x4 is built around our strong, single-cylinder, 475cc longitudinal engine," a genuinely smaller-displacement, air-cooled powerplant compared to the Rubicon's 499cc liquid-cooled unit, paired with a proper manual foot-shift or electric-shift transmission rather than the Rubicon's fully-automatic Hondamatic.

Power comes from a 475cc air-cooled OHV longitudinally-mounted single-cylinder four-stroke, a 92mm x 71.5mm bore and stroke, fed through a 34mm CV carburetor with an 8.5:1 compression ratio. TotalMotorcycle's own product copy explains the genuine engineering advantage of the longitudinal mounting: "by orienting the crankshaft front-to-back in the chassis, we route the flow of power straight to the wheels without any right-angle detours, reducing power-train friction and putting more grunt to the ground" — a real efficiency gain over transverse-mounted engines needing a right-angle gear transfer to the shaft drive. Honda's own model naming across this range splits cleanly, exactly as on the larger TRX420 line: the TM/TE cover 2WD, FM/FE cover 4WD, with "M" denoting a conventional 5-speed foot-shift manual (paired with an automatic clutch for smooth, no-stall engagement) and "E" denoting Honda's push-button Electric Shift Program.

Autoevolution's own coverage of the 2010-2011 TRX500FM confirms genuine chassis refinements carried through this generation: "KYB rear shocks provide great damping for the swingarm, smoothing out the roughness of the track and adding to the overall grip," paired with push-button selectable TraxLok 2WD/4WD, front disc brakes for strong stopping power, and a shaft final drive needing "little to no maintenance at all." 2007 brought EPS to the range as a genuine new option, badged TRX500FPE, sharing the identical 475cc engine and TraxLok drivetrain while adding Honda's torque-sensor-based Electric Power Steering for reduced steering effort on rocky, technical terrain. Because this range shares fuel-system components with both its predecessor (the earlier TRX500 Foreman Rubicon, 2001-2005) and its automatic-transmission Rubicon sibling sold alongside it, correct carburetor and parts identification against the specific model suffix (TM, FM, FE, FPE, FPM) remains genuinely important before ordering replacement components. The factory service manual for this range covers general specifications, the carbureted fuel system, complete engine service, the manual 5-speed transmission and automatic clutch, TraxLok 4WD system diagnostics, EPS wiring and service for FPE/FPM variants, and Electric Shift Program circuitry for TE/FE models.

This factory service manual covers the procedures, torque specs, and diagrams needed to keep a 2005-2011 TRX500FE/FM FourTrax Foreman 4x4 running the way it was built to.