2000 FE501 cam selection?

jessterz · Sep 30, 2014

I should probably be beaten with a stick to admit that I bought this bike 5 years ago and haven't decided to fix it till now. When I got it, it had a really bad clacking going on in the head, the owner was well aware of the possible "grenade" he had. To my advantage I got it for an absolute steal. I removed the rocker box cover to find a seized cam roller bearing. Took it apart and did a little research and it's been sitting in the family room since.

Now I have a bug up my arss to finally fix it. I've done extensive searching here for all that's needed to get it back in shape. The big question is which cam. I've found mention of the Hot Cams 3015 for the Ktm's and it is quite inexpensive. I'm fully aware of having to cut the end off the water pump end to make it fit. Has anyone put this cam in the 501, and how does it perform.

I see in another current thread that I can get the non dealer available cam roller bearings from Taffy. Unfortunately the grooves are quite deep on the sides and cleaning them up may give the roller too much side play. What would be an acceptable limit ?

Thanks Z

bushmechanic · Sep 30, 2014

I machined the grooves out of my rocker arms

http://husaberg.org/mechanical/17998-bushmechanic-mongrel-628-trailbike.html

you could carefully file them away with a diamond coated "stone"

that 501 is quite close to the RFS "525" so ; from KTM talk

the Hotcams 3015 looses around 12% power over the stock 525 cam at low to mid rpm, its a top end cam that doesn't increase top end by any significant amount, you need to up the compression to at least 12.5;1 with the 3015 and 13.5:1 to get the 12% back

there used to be an 8/07 cam and an 8/33 cam available from ktm which were preferred to the 3015

the 8/06 cam is a nice torquey cam, probably the cheapest and still available pn 590.36.010.100 this is what i would use in a 501

there are megacycle LX1 and LX2 cams dale lineaweaver helped develop, several from web cams and thumperracing has a range with stage 4 being like the 8/07 and lx1.

some specs here

http://husaberg.org/attachments/mechanical/2850d1307164148-camshaft-question-advice-needed-cams.xls

husabutt · Sep 30, 2014

Sounds like you have a 2001 model if you would need to cut the water pump off. Your cam, 200 230-55 is a torquey one. You could use a 2008 cam, all models, which will soften the hit and let the CFB's live a easier less violent life. I am pretty sure it is a straight bolt in but check with someone who has actually done it.

You could use the 2003 rocker arm assemblies which will update your CFB's to the new bearing.

You have seen first hand what can happen with the 01-02 bikes with the steep ramp up on the cam lobes and barely adequate CFB's.

Back to reality though. How about keeping your cam, replacing the CFB's with Taffies,get his decomp and spring combo, timing chain, head gasket, new battery and ride it.

The 01's were the most problematic so I wouldn't sink a ton of money into it. The counter balancer bearing was not up to snuff and the cases tend to crack where the swingarm bolt goes through ( keep it well greased ). Hopefully the torque limiter has already been replaced under warranty. They would tend not to slip during e-starting and a backfire would cause some broken gears (mostly 650's) (the 01's usually did not e-start anyway so it was a bit of a moot point) .

jessterz · Oct 1, 2014

Some time way back when I had originally inquired about my woes I was told the cam needed to be shortened on the water pump end, not cut the pump section off. My bike is a 2000 and the water pump is on the end of the cam. I now realize that when I read about cutting the cam end off its because the water pump is no longer there, later model. So can I assume I won't have to modify the cam. It definitely needs replacing as one lobe is severely scored. I haven't priced out Ktm cams yet but the Hot Cams 3015 can be had for around $125. If it is indeed a milder grind and will give better life out of the CFB I have no problem going that route. Had I only inquired here originally I may not have procrastinated all this time.

My rocker dilemma is that the grooves are quite deep and it must have gotten rather hot because there is some blueing. I will also mill it out and see how much more side play there is and check back for opinions.

Thanks for the great help Z

husabutt · Oct 1, 2014

I just put a 59036010000 KTM cam in my 97 600. The cam sprocket is spaced 2mm further out towards the water pump but the overall length is the same. I was able to use the 04-08 Husaberg cam sprocket and flip it over to get pretty good timing chain alignment. I am still doing the final assembly (waiting on a carb kit now) but have started it and it seems to be fine. I am going to ride it a few times and then pull the rocker cover off to see if all is well before I can fully endorse the cam swap. There is nothing to cut off (in my case) to make it fit. The nice thing about the KTM cam is that you can use the 04-08 decomp straight in with no modification to anything.

DISCLAIMER:
Whenever swapping parts from different years, makes and models always measure them and compare because nothing is guaranteed to fit. You may have to adjust, modify and beg for help / inspiration. You may waste some money on parts that won’t fit. Just know that going in.

http://husaberg.org/mechanical/18078-07-ktm-rfs-cam-97-600-a.html

bushmechanic · Oct 1, 2014

jessterz said:
Some time way back when I had originally inquired about my woes I was told the cam needed to be shortened on the water pump end, not cut the pump section off. My bike is a 2000 and the water pump is on the end of the cam. I now realize that when I read about cutting the cam end off its because the water pump is no longer there, later model. So can I assume I won't have to modify the cam. It definitely needs replacing as one lobe is severely scored. I haven't priced out Ktm cams yet but the Hot Cams 3015 can be had for around $125. If it is indeed a milder grind and will give better life out of the CFB I have no problem going that route. Had I only inquired here originally I may not have procrastinated all this time.

My rocker dilemma is that the grooves are quite deep and it must have gotten rather hot because there is some blueing.

I will also mill it out and see how much more side play there is and check back for opinions.

Thanks for the great help Z

i closed mine up in the vice before milling so the play could be kept the same

the steel arms spring back out though and it was a bit tricky to get the side play "right" when installing the bearing but it worked

jessterz · Oct 2, 2014

I found an old thread in 04 that mentioned a Husqvarna part number 161504501
for a suitable replacement of the cam follower bearing. Would this fit the 2000 501. If so it is still available from Husky.

Z

bushmechanic · Oct 2, 2014

Im not sure Z

ive seen those posts and often wondered the same .. they are only $15 from munn would be worth trying them out, please let us know what you find

if the shaft really is 8mm in the husky instead of 7.8mm of the older berg ones then the hole could be enlarged if it is needed

Husky rollers will fit where 8mm pressed roller pins are used:
1615 04501

2003 Cam followers: 200 324-01
2001/2 Cam followers: 200 019-01
Husqvarna followers: 1615 04501 (JoeUSA reported 50% longer life than the 01/02 part, and they fit the same 8mm pin rocker)

jessterz · Oct 2, 2014

Hey Bush that's great you posted the references. I'm typically good with an "Etch A Sketch" and an abacus and am doing this from my phone, a real PITA. I did order the HC 3015 and expect it next week.

jessterz · Oct 10, 2014

I got the cam in and can see the difference in the lobe geometry compared to the 55. I hope I don't regret going this route by loosing the bottom end. One thing to note is that this bike is set up for dual sport use. The sprocket I have is the aluminum one and is in fairly decent shape. As I see it option 1 would be to machine a 2mm dish in it. Option 2 is to machine 2mm off the cam flange, or 3, get the later dished steel sprocket. I would imagine getting the steel one would be most logical.

My decompressor appears to be in good shape also, would there be any problem using it? After trying the decomp for fit and where the spring is positioned I would think the 2mm flange offset comes into play again. I thought about extending the flat and turning another groove in it to position the spring back against the flange. I've been trying to find all the answers within this site first but am getting a bit overloaded.

I have the Husky rollers ordered but won't have them shipped yet as I'll be needing other items. I decided to get them from Beaver Creek Cycles here in Ohio, they appear more than willing to help me find what I'll be needing. I guess years ago they had sold Husabergs also.

Thanks Z

bushmechanic · Oct 10, 2014

if you get the steel sprocket with the dish in it I think the decomp will then fit nicely ?

the issue i had was that to align the upper and lower sprockets as well as the lobes/followers I needed a spacer between the cam and the sprocket

this meant the decomp wasn't long enough becasue of the spacer so I just removed the decomp. I don't miss it at all bike is easier to kickstart without the decomp and stalls less often.

spanner · Oct 10, 2014

Just checked out the sprocket alignment on my 05 650 as Bushie had mentioned that they could be out, and found it was by about 1mm,

To correct the situation I took 1mm of the inside face of the lower sprocket
and made a 1mm P20 ( pre hardened tool steel ) washer to go on the outside
of the same sprocket to keep the timing gear alignment the same.

The cam I am now running is a KTM 613 SM that I had to cut the WP shaft off and does measure slightly differently to the std 05 628 cam, that is why there is the discrepancy.

In fact It probably did not really matter as the chain to sprocket alignment could easily tolerate some misalignment.

Cheers spanner

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