2001 FE650E basket case - rebuild

My apologies for doing such a terrible job with updates. This one is the important one...the bike is back together and running! I just put in a 24 mile trail ride on it last weekend. I was pleasantly surprised with the performance.

That being said, the lighting isn't all hooked up and the kickstart shaft seal leaks oil, as does the shift lever shaft seal. Oh, and also the clutch cover gasket. I pieced the entire motor back together, it runs well, but I screwed up the stupid seals. Doh!!!

Anyway, here's a short video if the bike running.

Thought maybe I should update this thread now that I've got a few rides in on the 650 (three rides to be exact).

Let me preface this by saying that this build took over a year. I didn't always have time to work on the bike which is why the project took so long. Once I finally got it fired up, I just wanted it gone. I wanted to sell it. I was tired of working on it. But alas, I decided I should at least ride the thing one time to make sure it was fine before offering it up for sale.

Ride #1: At first the bike felt terrible. It has a terrible stinkbug stance (feels like the rear fender is pointing at the sky), the del-orto is anything but crisp. I'm not used to linkage-less suspension, the bars were too far back (I'm 6'2"). The carb's return spring is stiffer than anything I've ever felt. Lots of compression braking too. The e-start is not installed (due in part to a broken gear) and kickstarting the 650 was difficult at times (sometimes quite easy). Generally the bike felt very crude and unrefined. Like farm equipment. But the more I rode it, the more I got used to all of its idiosyncrasies.

At the conclusion of that first ride, I discovered several oil leaks, and a head gasket leak. These issues would need to be resolved before the bike could be sold.

I tried to re-torque the head but that didn't solve the problem. So I ordered a new head gasket from Taffy. This time I went with the OEM one which had some sort of blue strip of silicone (?) on each side. I think this is important in terms of mitigating coolant leakage. That, and the higher cylinder head bolt torque (as discussed on this forum in other threads) were effective in sealing the head. As for the oil leaks, I replaced and re-sealed the clutch cover gasket, and I replaced the shifter seal and kick start o-ring. On this old 2001 'Berg, the kickstart sealing arrangement is poorly designed IMO. The o-ring solution at this location is not optimum. I believe the newer 'Bergs utilized a "proper" oil seal (lip seal). I would like to come up with a better solution for my bike. I'm not sure if a newer clutch cover will fit, or the old cover could be modified to accept a better seal (I'd love to hear some ideas to modify/improve this potential leakage point). Oh, and there was also a bit of leakage from the valve cover but that obviously needed to be resealed since I had the cylinder head removed.

I'll follow up with the subsequent rides in individual new posts. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the aftermath of ride #1...

Ride #2:

First I played with the carb in the driveway. I think I got it jetted adequately now. Maybe not FCR level, but pretty decent for the del-orto

Out on the trail, I felt off at first. Was hating the bike again. But the more I rode, the better I felt. This time I took it on some really tight stuff as well as a few technical hillclimbs. Just generally more challenging terrain. I've got it geared really low. Toward the end of the day, I was having a hoot, and enjoyed all the looks I was getting from "the uninitiated". The bike is a lot more nimble than one might expect from a 650. It just eats up the hillclimbs too. I just get a little nervous because having to kickstart it on the side of a steep hill would not be fun.

Now for the technical stuff....I sprung a fuel leak. Turns out, the fuel tank was rubbing on the fuel line right there at the [del orto] carb. After replacing the fuel line, I rotated the carb's fuel intake port to move it away from the tank. I also added a washer to the fuel tank rubber attachment and thereby spaced out the fuel tank a tad (probably moved it about 5mm). In addition to the fuel leak, I developed a clutch master cylinder leak. I used a scotch pad (brillo pad) on a small rod in a hand-held drill to "hone" the master cylinder. Installed a new rebuild kit, and fresh mineral oil. With the fuel and clutch leak resolved, I decided the bike deserved yet another chance before I placed an ad...

Ride #3:

Once again, things started out rough and once again, the more I rode the more I liked it. This time I attempted some really challenging climbs and I was super impressed with the bike. The "crude" nature of the bike is really growing on me and I enjoy being different.

Technical: This time I went for a longer ride so I put more fuel in the tank. I noticed a pretty significant leak from underneath the gas cap (which is a new gas cap and seal). From what I recall, this was not uncommon on the KTMs and Husabergs of the era. But what is the solution? Anybody?

I also busted one of the original handguards. I've got it zip-tied back on. But I'm thinking I'll buy some wrap-around aluminum handguards and bolt the stock plastic units to them. I find the seat a tad bit uncomfortable. I might reach out to Guts Racing to remedy that.

One annoying issue I have is that the bike starts well when hot or cold, but when it's just sort of "luke warm", I have trouble getting it fired. Anyone have any ideas?

I still have some oil leaking from the decompression lever, next to the starting mechanism. It doesn't seem as though there is any seal intended at that location. Anybody else dealing with this issue?

So after I got back from the ride, I called up Hyde Racing and ordered up a plastic skid plate. The bike came with a home-built aluminum skid/bash plate. It probably weighs 10lbs and is missing some mounting provisions. Rather than trying to make it work, I decided on the plastic one from Hyde racing. I think I'm going to order up the handguards next.

Wait a second...why am I spending more money on a bike I intend(ed) to sell?

I'm somewhat confused I guess. Been spending a lot of time thinking about other improvements. Need to get that e-start working. But I need a new "gear wheel slip clutch" P/N 250 283-01 (haven't been able to find one....do you carry them, Taffy?)

Hmmm....I dare say....it's starting to grow on me...