Berg 04-FE450 Ride Impressions

I have ridden the 04 FE450 in both tight bush tracks and in fast sand. Rest assured the 04 are are big improvement as far as general build quality and overall performance.

Bike start almost instantly with the electric start hot or cold. My mate has only kicked started to show others that it indeeded can be started easily with kick starter. Otherwise its electric leg all the way.

General performance is very polished, great starting, very good throttle control of idle and that never say die low rev torque for those trcky sections, & that charateristic pumper carby rush when its dialed on hard. Midrange and top end feel very close to 501 but is a little bit quicker reving. Fuel ecconomy is outstanding. On one ride my 03 501 ran dry at 125km mark and Pete's 450 still had over 2 litres left!

Another friend has just upgraded his 2001 FC550 (also had a 97FE501) for a new 2004 FE550 and whilst I have yet to ride it, he absolutely loves it. It starts instantly hot or cold on button, and is smother off the botton and quicker on top than his old 550 making it a much better overal power delivery.

Both these guys have had 2 previous bergs and have nothing but praise for the their new beasts.

Great digital speedo with bar mounted mode switch, revised geometry and suspension settings that make bike steer quicker and handle better. Top tripple clamp that allows bars to be placed in 4 positions.

Rest assured the new Bergs are the best yet and will see their owner grining from ear to ear.

Cheers
Horto

Taffy

Geometery has definately changed. I have measured my O3 side by side with 04-450 and the 04's are 20mm shorter in the wheelbase all courtesy of a steeper steering rake. Ie front wheel is 20mm closer. Note this has made front wheel on some bike rub on the headers at full travel and has required installation of a header with a slightly different curvature to get clearance. The geometry change has made bike steer quicker and make bike feel lighter, but hasnt affected straight line stabillity at all. I have ridden it in the sand and stabillity is very good. Pete who owns it, has a steering dampener ready to instal (came off his old 01-501) is not sure if he can be botherd to install it. I think his crazy not to as I think the best advantage of dampner is reduced deflection off rocks and roots etc and not to reduce headshake that is better fixed by correcting geomtyr & or suspension set up .

I have a 03-501 and have just replaced the SEM stator. This is the first faliure I have had in near 4.5 years of ridding Husabergs. My 2000-501 still had original stator in it when its second owner sold it earlier this year.

Are you saying that yours mate has had 3 failed ignitions on a 04 Berg with a Kokusan ignition? As if so that is a bit of a bummer as the SEM ignition reliability has always been the bergs achilies heal and I was hopping the Kokusans would have gon a long way to solving the problem.

There are alot of little changes to the 04 models along with a few more major ones, ie
Major Changes as I see it are:-
Kokusan Ignition
Keihine Carby,
Steeper steering angle/20mm shorter wheel base.

Minor Changes:-
Graphics
- Revised top clamp allowing 4 mounting position for handel bars.
-Revised clutch side cases with seperate clutch access cover.
- Revised Ignition cover ( note this no longer has the inspection plug so can no longer use ignition alignment marks to set TDC when adjusting vavles)
-Trick locking Forged alluminium gear lever.
-Seperate new oil drain plug just below existing drain plug/screen.
-Revised decompressor system and cable steup
-revised roller rockers as per KTM's
-supposedly stronger batteries.
-revised shock and fork setting with linear rate rear spring.
-Revised rocker cover with 2 oil breather hose attaching to it but joing into same collector attached to air box.

As for internal changes best to read direct from berg website.


Cheers
Horto

Taffy

I have run the tape over the bikes and front hhas been raked in 20mm.

Ie back of swaingarm to footpeg or to front engine bolts distance measure the same.

Front axle to front engine bolt is 20mm shorter on 04 & overal wheelbase or front axle to back of swingarm also measure 20mm shorter.

Cheers
Horto

Luke

I for one would prefer no kickstart decompressor as I have always found it easier to use manual decompressor to get juyst past TDC and then kick her over. With auto decompressor it is much harder to find TDC.

How has your 03 501 been going? I have just had the stator on mine die. First and only problem with it. It had been a bit funny starting from cold the last 2 rides before it died. This seems to be a warning sign for a pending ignition failure.


Cheers
Horto