2004 FE550E First Impressions

Tisk tisk tisk John, that is not the right attitude. Just kidding. Their are solutions to our problem. I have been riding around my neighborhood having a blast!!!!! I went to Lowe's and bought 1/2" screws, 200-300 hundred. 8O Works pretty darn good. As a matter of fact I am going out for a putt right now. :lol: :twisted:

:twisted: :lol: :shock: Just got back from a thirty minute putt, boy was it fun. I can't wait until the snow melts, and we have perfect dirt!

Ok, I did a really detailed inspection following the race last weekend. The only concern was that my break pads on the rear were completely gone (starting to dig into the metal). What's up with that. I am not a pedal dragger. In fact, I can usually go a couple of years on a set of rear pads. Is something weird going on. Or, was it just a case of the rear disk being packed with mud and it just sandpapered the pads for 92 miles? There was also a split in the front tire on the side below the knobs. It doesn't look like a cut, but a split. Old tire, big impact, or ?? you decide.
I am not complaining by any means, I have a replacement tire and $20 for a set of pads is ok. I almost have to wonder if the pads were "starter" pads. You know , like the starter toner cartridge, or print cartridge you get with a new printer (only half as much as a normal full). I come to my own conclusion (MUD=BAD). I am seriously considering taking a look at the linkage and headset bearings etc. to see how everything looks. I know that I should have already done this. My Bad..

A nut on the bottom of the seat bolt did keep the seat screw from working loose for the duration of the ride. No locktight or anything on the nut.

As a side note:Like DaleEO, I too have inspected the valves and they have not changed since the 3 hour adjustment (I'm at 17 hours).

John

Hi John,

If you were riding in the mud allot it will waste a set of pads post haste. That's why you see people who run in the mud allot using a solid disc to help with this problem.

Just throw on another set of pads and see how they last, I bet they'll last a whole lot longer when not in the mud.

Thanks for the side note about your valves. Even when I did mine yesterday, I could still get the .005" feeler gauge in there but a couple of them were way tight. I was actually pleasantly surprised b/c the Jack rabbits race, and the Four Aces race, both 60+ miles, I ran the bike pretty hard. And by that I mean I was kind of revving it to keep in in the power.

The original pads don't seem to last very long,i think a lot of the problem in the mud is a build up around the pedal and the weight of the mud keeps the pedal held down slightly if you keep the sprocket protector in place it does help keep the mud away a little.
Regards Darren

95 more race miles

The last race also toasted my fork seals, and my sons were due also.
When I picked my seals up, my dealer indicated they were an update?
Anyways, I spent Friday night replacing (4) fork seals in preparation for the camping trip out to the race site on Saturday.

Yesterdays race was 95 miles of severely sharp rocks and not much room for error. The new rear pads didn't wear at all. Seals held up on both bikes.
Finished with out a drop or fall. As I mentioned before the stock front Pirelli tire is separating. There are splits on one side of the tire in six places now. Roughly 500 miles are on it. BTW - I am ready to retire the stock rear as well, since the rocks shredded it.

New Scotts Steering Damper was incredible. There were a number of times I know I would have been on my head. The damper made all the difference. Can you see 65MPH in a deep sand wash without one?
As a side note(s), when you order one you need to know where your bars are set. There are (3) bolt on mounts for these bikes. If you ever move your bars you will need to buy a new mount. You will also need to trim the collar washer there the clamp mounts. This will give you the needed room to move the mount up where it needs to be to line it up with the damper on the bars. This is mentioned in the instructions.
Cable routing seams like a challenge. After spending a couple of hours looking for the best route, I ended up back to the way it was originally. Nothing ventured?

This was my sons first race on his 02 FE400 and he finished with nothing more than a broken clutch lever end. He took his time and helped/talked more than he raced. But, he did complete 64 miles on his own. He said that the harshness in his forks is gone with the replacement on the fork oil. It must have been a much heavier oil.

BTW- finished 4th 4-stoke Amateur last mud/snow race. 62 out of 188 OA.

Sounds like everyone had a great Moab trip. Can wait for the pics and stories.

John

Re: 95 more race miles

[Cable routing seams like a challenge. After spending a couple of hours looking for the best route, I ended up back to the way it was originally. Nothing ventured?

You might have a look at the second or third post on my 2004 FE550E first ride impressions to see how I routed my cables. I found the "new" routing better than stock.

To make a stand off for the clutch line and man. decompressor, just use a short piece of fuel line and put a tie wrap through it, wrap around the lines, feed it back through the piece of fuel line, then take the ends and secure them around the bars.

Still going

This thread is getting ridiculously long, I know. I hope that it really put's new buyers minds at ease.

I have been doing regular maint. And it's ran flawless.(period)

The second race results came in...
I finished 49th over all, third place in my class.

The third race results haven't officially posted yet. But, I heard I may have a 2nd in class. It was a great race with tight roller coaster corners and 1 1/2 ft curbs.

This bike is the ultimate!
John

400

BTW- My son has raced his 02 400 at the last two races with no probelms.
It should have finished better this last Sunday since he wasn't spending all of his race time talking and sweeping (helping others).
John

I thought Chris's(?) bike was an 03?

Hi AJT,
Chris's is an 02.
I heard you flatted after check one. That's a chunk blower.

Are you still riding the Kboom?

Are you going to Wendel? I heard that is one brutal ride. Is that true?
Will you be on you 6fiddy (Bobzilla term) by then? What about VC?

Hope to see ya soon.
John

Jmumme

Yea the KTM was working good. I started on the 3rd row and was moving thru the pack before I flatted. I believe I was up to about 10th oa before it happend. :cry: . I was having a blast and the course was awesome :cry: :cry: . I still managed a finish so I will get some points atleast.

I will be going to Wendel, it is a little rough but not as bad as Doyle is (last years event). I am not sure about the 650, I will have to ride it an see if I can keep a good pace for 3hours. It makes so much power that I think I am better off on a small bike like the 520 (it is kind of funny to think that a 520 is a small bike, but powerwise it is definately small relative to the 650).

VC should be fun! I am hoping for mud and snow. I Have never gotten the chance to ride up there when the weather gets nasty.

April 2nd I will be putting on the Poker Run. Let me know if you can make it?

Does this mean that the Berg is back together?

I've read alot of complaining about the Mucca race because it was the same as last year? I disagree.. It didn't look used up..

I too thought it was fun. I was tired though. Some of the breaking bump down hills (thigh burners - I call them) wore me out.

I have ridden VC when it's wet. It was sticky. Maybe some tape under the fenders?

I should be able to make the poker run.. Will it be the same place you were planning before the big storm?
John

Not yet for the Berg.

I liked the course out there probably race of the year for me, discounting the flat out of the equation.

The Poker Run will be in the same area but I believe it will be starting from the Moonrocks area.

6 Months, 1024Miles, 44Hours. Still going great..
I have been checking the valves, only to find that they have not changed since the 3 hour adjustment?
Due for chain/sprockets.
Starts easier than new. Maybe because of the warmer weather.
Installed Scotts stainless filter yesterday.
I finished 9th in the spring race series in my class after the fourth race points have been posted (the fifth race has not been add for which I finished second) So, all in all it's been great! There really isn't a scratch on it. Still looks new. BTW- I tried "Goofoff spray" on my plastic yesterday after it's bath. It removed some of the minor scuffs easily.

It's been a while since I have posted anything.
Hope everyone is well.
Went for a 35 mile desert ride tonight - The bike- 8Months, 1510 miles, 59hours- What can I say.. It's a keeper.
Oil and gas.
Needs chain/sprockets only.

My sons 02-FE400 is ridden alot, and he just put a computer on it.
I made a custom bracket to replace the funky plastic mount that it came with. He has also added the Scotts stainless oil filter.
Party on!

I have a 550 in my SM bike.....prolly 7 hrs of ride time now......see's mostly full throttle, I change the oil every time i run the bike, oil filter every second oil change....anal... yes but the engine is running perfectly no oil drips or sweating gaskets etc ....starts 1st time on e-start......glad you like the engine...its potent !! 8O

I would recommend the scotts stainless oil filter. Especially since you can clean it every oil change.
The last time I cleaned it I could see some very small metal particles that were trapped on it.

John

John,

Glad to see that you're having a great time with your bike. I have just a few more hours on mine, but, 500 less miles. My bike, as yours, has been running great and now easily starts on the button cold, however, I usually kick start it when cold.

I have gone through a couple of sets of fork seals, but, they only seem to go bad after riding through river like conditions with a lot of sand and mud mixed in.

The bike seems to run great at some pretty extreme changes in altitude, with only adjustment of the pilot screw.

Happy trails,

Hi DaleEO,
I did another 100 mile race this weekend. I was a powder/silt type dust. Which made it much more challenging. I think I finished somewhere around 59th overall and 4th in the 4-stroke class. BTW- I smoked a fellow Berg in a fast sand wash (sorry). This makes for 6 starts and 6 finishes on the Berg. I crashed hard a couple of times and the bike just sat there idling until I made it over to it. I was concerned on one fall down which left my bikes tires somewhat elevated above the rest of the bike. You know that "the oil drains into the airbox" thing. (which I haven't addressed) Well I guess I was fortunate because I picked it up and it fired instantly.

My 550 starts cold with the e-start on the second hit every time. So the kick starter is mostly new. At the start of a race do you kick or button it? I'm starting to think that a kick would be better? I need to practice some starts because that dust was not fun.

I need to revisit my suspension a bit. I am having a problem sticking the front end in the loose stuff. It seems that off the throttle the front end either knifes in or out. I think it started when I slowed down the rear hi-speed compression 1/4 turn in.
I'm sure this is also part rider style (or lack there of)

Since I replaced the fork seals after a wet/sandy race last year. I haven't had one bit of trouble. The shock is still stock with no leaks. Oh, I do have a kick start shaft seal that needs replacing (just a little moisture).

BTW- My sons 400 is still running great. He did one loop (46 mi.) I'm sure he will go for two next time.

The more stuff I read. It seems to me that the 04's were the Berg to buy. I have no complaints thus far..
John