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07 KTM RFS Cam in a 97 600

Joined Feb 2003
3K Posts | 384+
Escondido, Ca. USA
I have purchased a 07 KTM RFS cam, decomp, bearings, water pump seals and cam sprocket to use in my 97 600 Fx.

The cam measures out the same except where the cam sprocket bolts to the cam. Its a few mm's further away from one of the lobes.

I am still using the aluminum cam sprocket which is 1.5 mm thicker than the thinner steel KTM sprocket. The installed length of the sprockets is the same. Unfortunately the KTM cam cannot be used as it has more teeth.

So my question is which steel Husaberg sprocket do I need? I know this has been done before but I can't find the thread and the doc is not back up yet.

Per Taffy's site the 02-08 steel sprocket is a straight bolt on for the 97 but does it give the correct placement when using the KTM cam.

Does anyone have the correct Husaberg cam sprocket part number for this KTM cam conversion?
 
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i have an 07 ktm cam sprocket and it has the same hole spacing as my steel husaberg sprocket.

just put a ktm cam in my 02 650, needed some machining on the 12mm shaft to align the lobes to the follower bearings, a spacer under the outer bearing to put the bearing in the right place (cam needed to move 2mm to the right side of the bike) and a spacer under the sprocket to align the 2 sprockets, with the spacer under the sprocket the decomp won't fit without modifications


14805667604_9c31a512c8_b.jpg


the berg steel sprocket i used is this one

Part Number: 80036011100
Description: CAMSHAFT GEAR 05
$55 from the us
 
Is the Berg steel sprocket the same thickness as a KTM?

If the Berg sprocket is thicker, I am guessing it might be, then was it an issue that the cam shoulder was probably not flush with the sprocket ?

You made a spacer to shim the sprockets outward. How would you move the sprocket inward 2mm as I think that is what I may be up against to get the sprockets to align?

Is it possible to machine some material off of the sprocket carrier (where the two bolts go into) ?
 
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I use the cam sprocket straight on Eric - alignment or not - so that the decomp can be used. as I have said before, Husaberg used a narrow cam up to about 1997-98 and went back to it later but in the middle years they altered it.

the cam sprocket is handed so you could turn it around but watch for the teeth being out of synch the other way around OK?

you may be better off getting more space where the cam goes into the cam bearings and moving the whole cam?

regards

Taffy
 
I use the cam sprocket straight on Eric - alignment or not - so that the decomp can be used. as I have said before, Husaberg used a narrow cam up to about 1997-98 and went back to it later but in the middle years they altered it.

Taffy

When using the steel sprocket which is 2mm thinner is there any issues with the cam chain links being too big? By 2mm perhaps.
 
pasting these in here for continuity later on

Total length is exactly the same: 109mm

Cam bearing to cam bearing length is the same: 82mm

Lobes are spaced exactly. Everything is the same. Except for 2mm extra length from the inside if the sprocket carrier to the inside of the lobe and 2mm taken off the boss.

It seems like this should be a perfect drop in once I get the steel sprocket which is 2mm thinner.

How critical is the sprocket alignment?

How can you truly align the sprockets? It seems to me that the best you could hope for is to try to mimic the placement (distance from side to side) of the old sprocket in the head.

I had read in an older post that a cam sprocket was 1.5mm out of alignment from the factory on a particular bike with no adverse effect. How much wiggle room is there and what would be the result of sprocket misalignment.

Since the steel sprocket is going to be 2mm thinner does this have an adverse affect on the chain?

Sorry for all of the redundant questions, but I am a bit out of my comfort zone right now.

Thanks

can use a straight edge

i have some hi carb steel 5mm diam chrome plated rods out of a flatbed scanner, use as a straight edge. spin the rod 180 deg and check twice to allow for any slight bend in the rod

I put the whole LHS of my 08 engine on the bed of the mill with the head hanging over the side of the table and used the DRO to measure the height of the 2 sprockets.

was out as new from the factory, original berg cam so you can't always rely on the original setup as being correct

bottom line is its a chain so perfect alignment isn't crucial ... just desirable and entirely possible if you are able to check it.

the cam bearing tunnel in my 02 engine wasn't even parallel to anything, 0.2mm out at one end so its obviously not that important.

you can also modify the lower sprocket, the main reason you would choose this end over the cam end is that the tensioner foot does not push in the middle of the guide so if you are able to move the chain and guide over a bit without it hitting the cases you also correct this issue.

moving the bottom sprocket also allows you to leave the decomp on the top sprocket.

...
 
Thanks BushMechanic and Taffy. The steel cam chain sprocket and a new chain is now on order.

It still bothers me that the steel sprocket will be 2mm thinner and what effect it will have on the cam chain with 2mm of play. Any thoughts?
 
I just received a Husaberg 80036011100 steel sprocket today. It is much thicker than I was hoping for.

The stock aluminum sprocket is 5.5 mm thick and the steel one is about the same.

I am still 2mm too long but as Taffy pointed out the sprocket is "handed" or "dished out" and that I may be able to just flip it over.

With the sprocket flipped or inverted the total length from the steel sprocket to the back of the KTM cam is 66.4mm.

The stock cam and aluminum sprocket measure 66.5mm

I think I just got incredibly lucky.

The only issue left (I hope) is the decompression stop. Now that its on the other side and nonfunctional will it be O.K. to just let the decomp use the cam sprocket bolt as the stop?
It holds the decomp in virtually the same open or off position.
 
you may have a cam where there is 1mm of movement for the cam itself back or forwards.

I've never fitted a sprocket in the wrong way around eric?

priority number one is that the CFBs run as much on the cam as they can. then look at the sprocket run.

you can even reverse the lower cam sprocket which is handed by a millimetre.

cheers

Taffy
 
you may have a cam where there is 1mm of movement for the cam itself back or forwards.

I've never fitted a sprocket in the wrong way around eric?

priority number one is that the CFBs run as much on the cam as they can. then look at the sprocket run.

you can even reverse the lower cam sprocket which is handed by a millimetre.

cheers

Taffy

There really is no movement that needs to be exploited. The cam following bearings are dead on. Any thoughts on having the cam bolt serving double duty as the decomp stop?

I could drill out the decomp stop on the steel sprocket and use a bolt and nut. The same set up as the stock 97 aluminum sprocket, but it had failed and caused a bit of engine damage for some members here.
 
don't use a decomp stop eric. just let it bash into the cam sprocket bolt. a bit like head butting a rock face.........

regards

Taffy
 
quite a few people use the sprocket bolt as the stopper, i did too for a while.

if you want to use the original pressed in one maybe try a spot weld on the back of the rivet

I also take a punch and stake the thread end of the sprocket bolts
 
Thanks gents.

just let it bash into the cam sprocket bolt. a bit like head butting a rock face.........

Let the head butting begin!

I have a feeling that there may be a Taffmeisters extreme Ti cam sprocket bolt kit in the works.

Bushmech,
if you want to use the original pressed in one maybe try a spot weld on the back of the rivet
That's an idea. Push out the stop, re-drill in the correct position as it is on the wrong side of the cam bolt because it has been flipped over and add a blob of weld to secure it.

I never heard of staking before but a quick Google turns up interesting info. Perhaps someday you could show us some pics of how you would go about this on various parts.

I take it you are not a fan of thread locking compound on the cam sprocket bolts?
 
I use bog as well my friend! lots of loctite 263 on the nuts and then mess up the thread end to make sure

the gears that I have slotted to get the right cam timing I also tig the bolts to the sprocket

probably sounds extreme but i have read a lot of posts about the sprocket slipping in the rfs engines, doesn't leave you with a warm glowing thought :D
 
Low Hours 5521 590 Cam Camshaft KTM RFS 400 450 520 525 00 01 02 03 04  05 06 07 | eBay

This weekend I mostly buttoned up the top end. Ordered an APE Positive Stop Tool as I want to double check the cam timing before I finish putting it all together. If anyone wants to try one of these in a pre 01 Berg this is a good deal for a KTM cam, decomp etc. No guarantees that this is going to work in mine yet but for those so inclined......
 
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I wanted to wait until I had some decent saddle time before I deemed this either a success or failure.

After about 10 hours of running I feel this was a complete success. The KTM cam has a visibly smoother ramp up on the lobes. This should equate to a longer valve train life

/Straight from Taffy's "Owners Doc": All cams up to '03 had a vicious ramp that made the valves bounce as well as tulip. The cam was changed for '03. Always rebuild with the later Cam coded '000' in the parts manual.

With the KTM cam you notice the differences beginning with the idle. When idling with the Husaberg cam it sounds like there is a high strung race motor just chomping at the bit ready to run. With the KTM cam it idles very smooth and is hard to tell the difference between it and a stock second generation motor.

Power delivery is very smooth and linear. Peak power seems the same but how it gets there is very refined. We ride in the wide open desert and I don't think anything else could beat it in a straight line drag race except another Husaberg 600 (or 650). Throttle control up hills is improved. I don't think that there is a hill the 600 could not climb.

It starts right up with a touch of the button and hasn't coughed, popped or flamed out yet. It almost seems too refined for a 97.

Installing the cam sprocket flopped over to get the timing chain to perfectly align has caused no issues. And the 08 decomp is pure magic.

As a side note the resprung Ohlins shock and resprung WP 50mm Extreme forks work well. It took awhile to break in the new seals but once broken in I was shocked at how smooth the suspension actually is. For wide open desert the suspension is smoother than my 05. The forks are heavy and probably would not work well if you need to loft the front wheel alot but for high speed hard pack stutter bumps and whoops its surprising.

Many thanks to Bushie and Taffy or Taffy and Bushie for their expert advice and encouragement in helping me do this.
 
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well it times it was a little painful Eric but you got there and you are now as sure as sure can be!

suggest you tell me your jetting please as i have another little surprise in store for you.

slide height?
PJ?

regards

Taffy
 
well it times it was a little painful Eric but you got there and you are now as sure as sure can be!

suggest you tell me your jetting please as i have another little surprise in store for you.

slide height?
PJ?

regards

Taffy

I will soon pull the carb, write down all the jet sizes and post them. Everything should be stock except that I went up on the pilot a bit.
 
LOL!

you have much to learn!

just the PJ and the code under the slide please?

regards

Taffy
 

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