Anyone have news on 2004 650 powerplant changes?

Mike,

Let me start by letting you know up front that I am no engineer or mechanic nor do i own a flow bench, dyno, or any of that other tech stuff in order to quantify my findings. I am a rider that researchs topics of interest, read what I find and try to make an intelligent decision based on the information gathered from such literature. I own an FC model 550 and have never owned a 650. With that being said I am sure other individuals will post to this topic to better answer your question. Until that happens you may find what has been changed by doing the following:

For starters I would:

Go to the www.husaberg.se website and download the '04 parts manual from the "Downloads" section. This is labeled at the top of the page. You can also get the parts manual from a previous year and compare part id #'s to find out what has changed from previous years to the '04(this will take time but you will have all the info and become more familiar with the internals of the bike) *** Im sure I don't have to tell you that we're not looking at small screws and tiny springs, just the "Soul Parts" of the beast that would make the difference!

Second I would:

Read as many UHE topics as you can that way you can to see what people are doing to theirs, troubles, fixes, etc. (You will find that this is the most abundant source of info regarding the Husaberg anywhere)*** Also, I believe that schwim is in the works of reviving some of the archives that were lost during the last site upgrade. (please correct me if im wrong Jason)

Third....... keep this in the back of your mind:

You are considering a pure race bread machine. If any other manufacturer was to sap an engine for the HP output performance given by a Husaberg they would sacrifice reliability also. With that said, other bikes that are putting out 10 HP less than that of the mentioned 650 still have their fair share of reliability issues as well, I can tell you many of stories about bearing, crank, valve, cam, and transmission failures of CRF450, YZF450 and KTM525/520's.*** You may be thinking,"How about the XR650"? Well to answer your question, "What gratification would you get out of owning an XR650.......... or any of the other mentioned bikes"!

Hopefully I have given you some help in finding some answers to your question. If not, like I said, someone with more expertise will be along shortly to get you steered in the right direction.

Regards,
sandskipper

ps. Husaberg owners are finnicky, blood thirsty, perfectionists and performance freaks. The horror stories are not always what they seem, sometimes just vented frustration. Being a Husaberg owner is not for everyone, but once you get a taste of the Swedish Monster it is hard to go back to anything else.

lets start with this shall we?:


Engine and chassis (on all models):
- Optimized cylinderhead, carburettor flange directly integrated into the casting mold
- Valves: Modified rocker arms and rocker arm roller bearings > more reliability and extension of service intervals
- Modified auto deco > optimized starting of the engine
- Keihin carburettor
- Clutch with less weight
- Splitted clutch cover > makes it possible to change the clutch easier and faster
- Weight reduced clutch basket
- Modified kickstart shaft
- Kokusan ignition and TPS (throttle position sensor)
- Ignition and clutch cover made of magnesium
- Weight reduced crankcase
- Gearshift lever made of forged aluminium
- Reinforced gear selector for more exact shifting
- Modular cable wire
- Stronger electric starter for 550 and 650 models (FE & FS)
- Stronger battery but same size
- Frame: reinforced swingarm area, modification of several gussets
- Swingarm with new chain guide
- Changed progression rate for the rear shock on all Enduro and Motocross
bikes
- Steering tube made of aluminium (7075) instead of steel
- Beringer 6 piston calliper on all Supermoto models design, decals:
The design and the decals are defined through 3 different attributes:
- Light
- Tall
- Swedish
The decals for 2004 have been completely changed. HUSABERG is confessed to the colors blue/yellow as a significant sign for the upcoming model year. The Swedish flag placed on the spoiler and the seat should symbolize the roots of the brand.

the above is from the blurb the factory give out. starting with this we can find out what is shat can't we!

as i'm aware the riders of SM machines were having trouble in the UK with main bearings knocking out and i think there may have been a counterbalnace bearing go on one machine. the cure has been to check the cases for alignment.

we haven't had any reports since and it would be most un-british if they didn't come here and call a spade a shovel-wouldn't it!

i think the rocker roller issue is sorted.

the 450's have had ignition unit problems here in the UK and the 650's have had a recall and they'll be replaced (FOC-i presume so!)

valve tuliping. you'll get at least a season out of the camchain and valves as well as the camchain tensioner. i would suggest that at the end of that first season you put SS valves in, new HD camchain and modify the tensioner as per Taffy's gallery. it looks to me that you can get yourself a cheap bike with $$$$ in hand and race it knowing what is going on.

Taffy

The big changes 03->04 have to be the new ignition system and the new carb.
Further improvements are battery with larger capacity and stronger starter engine. New cylinder head that is said to improve reliability but on the other hand has a little bit less flow than the 03.

Unfortunately the 04 haven't been all great. Problems with CDI boxes and bad shimsing (english word?) on the crank have caused some bikes, at least here in Sweden, to break. But Husaberg have really taken their responsibility and fixes the bikes free of charge. All the CDI's are currently being replaced, also free of charge.

So far, the 03 (I have a -03 FS650, used to have a FE650 -01) seems to be the year with the lowest number of problems. But I'd still recommend the 04 due to the new ignition, carb and the gorgeous six piston front caliper. Complete the bike with a full exhaust system (Akrapovic race Line, yummy) and you have a killer on the track.

Good luck with your racing

/Jocke

The rockers, pivots, etc. in the 04 are exactly the same parts as used in the KTM's. The austria castings are also a lot better then the ones from sweden.

Hi Mike,
Nice to speak with you Tuesday afternoon.

The crankshaft has several revisions for 04 including a lubrication port for the axial balance unit.

Roller followers to the best of my knowledge are the same as 03. Rockerarms and shafts have been revised.

The 650 camshaft for 04 has increased duration and lift though peak acceleration rates are unchanged.

Inlet valve size for the 650 has been reduced to 35 mm down from that of 37 mm on the 03.

Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.

Kind Regards,
Dale

whilst all the knowledgeable people are here in this thread, :wink: could someone please tell me the part number/model of the battery for the 04 model, as if its a straight swap for the 02 one, it might help me in starting it, as my knee is knackered after spitting myslef off it on the track and i need all the help i can get to start it when cold!!

Cheers,Goose

For some reason my PC wont open it, any chance of just the part number for the battery....

Goose

HEY EVERYBODY,
Thanks for all the very helpfull responses so far.
I really appreciate the time I would otherwise have no means of gathering intell.
You see we have to mail order these machines and I don't want to end up broken down alone on Husaberg's island!
The bike performancewise is the part but this is all new to us at Fatal'
we are BIG bike race enthusiests but faaar from experts in any aspect.
And Supermotard is brand new to all of us, so's pounding on a big 650 single on and off the track!
We love the idea of Supermotard and the husaberg 650 seems like a rabbid b@$ch I just want to hear the truth about "Harry", before I turn my back and he f@#$% me up the...WHOOP"S did i say that ..wow too much Octane!
THANKS ALOT EVERYBODY!.... Mike