Considering a 2003 fe650, and would appreciate input.

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sgomes

Joined
Apr 19, 2014
Messages
101
Location
Alameda CA
Hi, first post here; and considering this 2003 FE650 as my first Husaberg.

http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/t521/stevegomes51/00T0T_eArrvGcJET2_600x4501_zps97be9cb1.jpg

The owner is asking $3850; and he reports the bike is in near perfect condition, with less than 20hrs, been properly maintained. He is the second owner, a good friend of his was the original purchaser. He said the bike has been registered street legal since new in the state of California.

He says the bike comes with many extras, and that the only reason he is getting rid of it is because he has too many Husabergs in his garage.

I have explained to him that I weigh 260lbs, and he says the bike will have no problems carrying me around. He says the bike has fully adjustable suspension, and after resetting the sag to deal with my weight, the bike will work fine for me.

I intend to use the bike on modest fire trails and twisty country roads, so I plan on picking up a set of less aggressive crossover tires. Hopefully this will minimize vibrations at cruising speed on my way to the paved rural roads and light trails.

I will appreciate opinions on this deal, letting me know if the bike is priced right, and if the bike will fit my needs and carry my weight.

Thanks for any help anyone might offer.

Steve
 
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Have no idea about the price, but yeah, the bike has enough power for anything! It would probably be better to get the right springs - but you don't strictly NEED to - but still, better to respring; the stock springs are correct for almost noone :)
 
Sorry I can't help on the price. I know they are sought after and those are some seriously low hours.

I have an 08 fe650 and love it. I am 70lbs lighter than you, but sounds like I ride way more aggressive than you do especially off-road. The suspension is good, but a work in progress.

Nice thing is you can easily adjust the front sag as well as the rear. Afterword some minor calculating will let you know if the spring rates are in the ball park for your weight.

The power is great, but I am always hunting for more especially on the street.

I would like for the motor to get into the meat of the power quicker, so I am looking at installing a lighter FC flywheel for quicker revs and better turning (less gyro effect) and going to try a 1 tooth smaller front sprocket to see what that brings :)

Hope you buy it and join the Berg family!
 
It will work, but heavier springs would be a great idea. At least in the rear for now. I believe a rear spring is only around a bill and it's just a simple retaining ring that holds it in place.


I'm 225-235 with gear and use a 98kg rear spring. Stock is 80kg on a 2005. I believe the spring weight is rider weight with pajamas.

If you get it, be sure to let us know!

Welcome to the site neighbor!
 
Thanks guys. The owner is on a business trip, and if it hasn't sold before his return, I will check it out.

Now I'm getting excited. Have always been tempted by the lightweight Euro bikes, but talked out of it by others with scare stories about 300 mi oil changes and 500 mi valve checks, 5000 mi engine rebuild, parts very hard to find and many months to get, as compared to the Japanese bikes with lots of parts readily available.

Frankly, the thought of running a 400 lb bike off-road just doesn't appeal to me.

I'm good on the wrench, not fast, but good; so, I'm kinda looking forward to spending some time acquainting myself with this little feller.

Hope to come back with some good news.

Thanks again for the help.

Steve
 
the price is steep. it would be hard to sell here. prolly would for much less than 3k. great bike for niche audience.
i wouldn't bother changing tires to reduce vibration. won't help. but you will find you rarely just cruise on a 650, you're always goosing the throttle for the grin factor.
 
01,02,03 are the least desirable years. That being said, I love my 01. I did most of the upgrades it needed. I'm hoping it stays solid. I think the price is a little high too.
 
Chef, thanks. My wife has me on a tight budget (I let her think she's in control.), so anything I can save on price will be available for repairs and updates.

Yeah, I've read about issues with the valve train (springs, follower bearings, guides, etc.), so I'm kinda looking forward to the challenge. Still lots of pre-2004's still on the road, so there must be upgrades and ways of dealing with the associated problems.

The bike's been up for a while, so he may be willing to come down.

Thanks.

Steve
 
sgomes,

You probably already know if you have looked into this 650, but I wanted to note that these bikes in my opinion are not for KLR, XRL type of folks. They are very high performance machines that require frequent oil and filter changes, valve checks/possible adjusts (easy actually), have hard skinny seats (even for my 6'4" 190lb butt) and get poor fuel mileage.

If you are willing to deal with this you will be rewarded with the lightest and most powerful OEM 650 4T you can buy.
 
Big Berg, thanks for the considerate post. I probably should be part of the KLR gang, and in fact will likely ride the Husaberg as if it were a KLR, but I have an appreciation for quality, purpose-built machinery. I like to wrench, and so I may enjoy the bike's down-time as much as riding.............well, maybe at first.

I just downloaded the bikes owners manual, and the maintenance schedule is pretty much what I was expecting - engine oil at 10 hrs., rocker arm bearings at 50 hrs., rod and crank bearings at 100 hrs.

As for my prodigious butt vs the "skinny seat", I'll just have to be careful when dismounting not to bring it with me.

Thanks again for the post.

Steve
 
sgomes said:
I just downloaded the bikes owners manual, and the maintenance schedule is pretty much what I was expecting - engine oil at 10 hrs., rocker arm bearings at 50 hrs., rod and crank bearings at 100 hrs.

Steve
Click to expand...

Not too big into the Berg game yet. (Also 1st post here) But I live in Canada and riding in the 4 feet of snow is not fun so I am waiting to get my FE 550 out. I just bough it here with minor bolt ons for 4500.... Its a 2008 with 45 hours on it... Just so you have the price reference... They are a bit expensive here.

Maintenance wise, it looks like it will suck... because parts are much more expensive for these guys... But yet I read stories where people go 300 hours just doing Oil, filters and valve adjustment.... Never opening up the engine.

I love mine so far even tho I only went down the street.
 
as far as the problems seen on the '01-03 are concerned, most of the mods you would do to an 01-02 are done on the 03. weak link is the sem stator, which was on it's way to an untimely death when it left the plant. there are people on here that will provide a rewind to make it better than new however.
i ended up getting an '02 several years ago because the dr/klr rider who had it quickly realized what a monster it can be in the wrong hands :eek:
caveat emptor
 
Thanks.

The manual says to kick the motor when cold, using the elec starter only when warm. I have also heard of many issues riders attribute to bad battery; but, I'm wondering if the issues is really with the demands of the starter.

Can one use decompressor with elec starter to start motor, or is this not recommended?
Do most riders still use starter on cold motors?

Steve
 
I use the button everytime and never had any problems.

Pull the decomp lever in, get engine spinning fast, dump the lever and it fires up no problem.

Always need a good battery though, so good idea to keep it on an optimate charger.
 
Awesome, that's awesome!!

Can't wait to get mine. I may get to see it this week, but I'm still looking throughout California to see what's available. Also, still haven't ruled out a Husqvarna 510 in either flavor, or a KTM 525 exc. Should one of these, in exceptional condition, pop up, I could still go that way. But, I really am hoping for a good FE; and, it has a lot to do with its amazing pwr to wght ratio.

Good luck with yours.

Steve
 
I use the e-start cold or hot.

Speaking of upgraded batteries, I am running this brand. It is more powerful, has more capacity, weighs 2 lbs less then the OEM, and is designed specifically to take the abuse of powersports vehicles.

Batteries - Ballistic Performance Components
 
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I kick mine 'cause I haven't got the starter sorted yet. The starter sprague is now out of stock/production so even if I get the lecky working, when my sprague packs it in, I'm screwed. Besides, I kind of like kicking it, that is until it kicks back. Btw, I paid 1/3 of that for my 01 with 1900km and a dead stator. Anything I saved I put back into the bike but it is a nice machine being an 01 with a 0008 V.I.N.
 
Hi Steve,
I also saw that bike on CL. The price is a little steep, but having low hrs and a plate makes up for it.
I'm around your size, getting the correct spring rate really helps.
Right now I'm running a 9.5~11 progressive spring on the rear, 50's in the front.
I'm in Crockett, if you get the bike and need any help with your spring swap or any other thing, feel free to contact me- Happy to help.
Dan
 
Hi Dan, thanks very much for coming in on this. I am going to take a look tomorrow around noon. David, the seller, is a fantastic guy who has indulged my endless questions. He seems to have addressed the issues with the 2001-2003 bikes, had the stator rewound, the ignition cover leak, valve seals.

I think he said he had "some" other Husabergs and it's time to get rid of some.

Thanks very much for the offer, and I will certainly accept any help I can get. I come from dirt bikes back in the 60's, and am just now getting back into bikes. Made a mistake and got an sv650s, modified with Renthal bars. It just sold on CL last Friday, freeing up a budget - wifey's keeping an eye $$$. I just don't enjoy street bikes like I thought I would. I don't have a lot of years left to enjoy bikes, so I want to spend it on easy offroading and winding country roads.

I'll let you know if I pull the trigger, and I would welcome a visit, if you are interested in looking at it.

Thanks again.

Steve
 

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