Dez's new Duster.

Hi all,
I did it. I finally replaced my missing (stolen) Fe501 that I bought new in 1998. I built another one out of spare parts, but it just wasn't the same. My wife gave me permission (after 43 years together she has that right) to go crazy and buy a new one so about 2 weeks ago I started the decision process. This is the result.

I had my heart set on a '07 Fe550 and sent a PM to Brett to see if any of his dealers in cold country might have excess inventory that was not moving. I thought that perhaps they would possibly be motivated to make a little better deal. Can’t blame me for trying, eh?
As it turned out, I stopped by our local dealer to get a fender for my spare bike and found that he had just received 2 '06 Fe650's. Our local dealer and his dad are long-time old friends of mine, but they are stingy (good business men) so I did not expect much.
I had already talked to BOSS and Dan, both of whom were very cordial and helpful (if I was wealthy I’d buy a new bike from both of them just because), but when I saw the 650's in person it was all over. Within 20 minutes I had arranged to buy one -- the arithmetic was easy -- I saved a bunch of money over the price of an'07 550. Even though I paid Nevada State Sales Tax it worked out in my favor. In fact I would have had to pay the tax anyway when I got it registered for dual-sport so there was little advantage in buying out-of-state.

When I got it home I checked all the fasteners, did a thorough inspection (it is a thing of beauty) and then took a spin around the block.

First impressions:
-This thing vibrates!
-Man! It has huge torque! And it isn't broken in yet!
-Fairly quiet for a big bore
-Nimble and steers with a light feel
-It is tall
-The suspension feels stiff
-The seat is like a rock compared to my Guts Racing Tall Seat on my old bike
-This bike is going to be a total handful when I get it out in the desert the first time.

So, I secured it back in the garage and finally pulled my self away from it when exhaustion overcame my glee at 0300.

2 days later I went riding with tuts and any trepidation that I may have had about not being able to control the beast evaporated into euphoria. In the inimitable words of Bobzilla “OOOOOOWEEEE! HOLY CRAP BATMAN!â€Â

Sounds good. I want a Revloc too. Let us know how that turns out.

holy crap batman that is one Desert Hog.

revloc, GPS, Flexx bars and a scotts.. did you cheat from my christmas wish list! hot damn you have wicked cool deZ bike!

Nice, Dez. Post pictures!

The bike doesn’t really need anything else, but I was in the mood, so I ordered a Revloc, Garmin GPS, Submount Scott’s damper, Flexx handlebars.

Hi DezDuster


How do you find the Flex Bars are they a worthy investment?

Great write-up Dez.
Congrats on your most awesome new toy!

My 550 seemed to vibrate excessively when I first started riding it, tingly hands and all. Not sure if I just got used to it or if the vibes settled down a bit but I don't even notice now even after a 100 mile ride. The suspension sure has settled in nicely.

Have a blast, Dez!

Logjump

Hi guys,
Thanks for the positive comments.
I do not have the Revloc, Scotts, or Flexx Bars installed yet... they are being shipped to me. When they get here and are on the bike I will pass along my humble opinion of their effectiveness.
I hope that the Flexx bars work good, as they not very good looking. In fact they are downright ugly.
Dez

I am also going to order Tire Balls. Just what it needs... more balls.

Good deal. Have fun and enjoy yourself.

dez should be a professional poker player. i had no clue about this episode.
i stopped over dez's house the day before our ride. i thought he was prepping his 98 berg.
i asked him if he was ready and he just kinda gave a head nod, like yeah its over there.
no emotion, nothing. when i saw the bike and then looked back at him he was smiling.
not a happy smile, but that doppy smile when its too good to be true feeling.
enough about him, lets get to the star of the show.
the bike is beautiful. i have an 02 fe650e and i was looking at all the visible differences.
quite alot of goodies there. the thing starts like his older bike did, on the 2nd crank over.
so we went riding and he does a little loop while i'm getting ready. when he comes back, he is almost indifferent, like he normally is. not big eyed or smiling or yelling.
we take a blast about and i stop and as he rides up i see it....a big smile...really big. his eyes are big and happy too. who is this guy on mike's bike?
he said that after first drop off we took [kinga steep, kinda loose, kinda bumpy at the bottom] he was in love. he rode like it too. i managed to shake him for a while but i had to go pretty close to the too-fast-speed. he jumped ahead on a snotty trail/track and was gone. after a bit he stops and i roll up and he is still smiling maybe more then before. he lets me know that its true love and how great the big is and how its almost like cheating.
we go to a throw-the-bike-around kinda area and this guy is flying all overthe place.
he asked me if i would like to ride [not the brighest bulb in the pack huh?] and i said yes.
its alot different than my 02 fe650e. its alot snappier [carb?] and feels like more like a ktm 300exc than a 650 berg. so i push it alittle and now i'm smiling. although someone elses good fortune is usaully no cause of my happyness, the bike has morphed me into a caring guy. i am glad he got it. he deserves it. for our type of riding, i think the 650 is the way to go. we take a nice long ride and get back to the truck in one piece. we go to fatburger and eat some huge burgers and milk shakes and talk about losing weight.
so congrats on the bike mike! :thumbup:

tuts :devil:

Congratulations Mike!

Its great news that you finally pulled the trigger although a bit sad that the theft of your '98 was the impetus. I just found this thread as I am trying to catch up here. As you know my house was torn up for some time as the builder performed some warranty work which made it difficult if not impossible to get on line at home.

I hope you enjoy your new Berg to the fullest,

Eric

to go crazy and buy a new

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Can your wife inform my wife what go crazy means!

Hey Factor,
I have not been ignoring your question about the Flexx bars... I have been infected with a virus that is making the rounds here in 'Vegas and have not had a chance to "test" them yet. I am going riding Saturday at Nelson Hills (lots of hills of course) and will report back. I have to say that it is pretty hard to justify spending that kind of cash on handlebars, but I am willing to try anything that is supposed to reduce vibration and wrist fatigue.

Mrs. Kzoo,
"Go crazy" = At the request of the person to whom you have pledged your life this is a somewhat rare circumstance wherein you defy logic, common sense, financial regard, and the advice of family and friends to smile whilst your aforementioned pledgling makes an utter and total fool of himself over something that he would never have imagined being in his possession without a divorce decree immediately following its purchase.

Dez

DezDuster said:

"Go crazy" = At the request of the person to whom you have pledged your life this is a somewhat rare circumstance wherein you defy logic, common sense, financial regard, and the advice of family and friends to smile whilst your aforementioned pledgling makes an utter and total fool of himself over something that he would never have imagined being in his possession without a divorce decree immediately following its purchase.

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Dez,

I would like to congratulate you to your new ride, and to your definition. You hit the nail right on the head. But I also want to congratulate to a decision of yours long time ago: she still loves you and wants to see you happy. And I'd assume you deserve it, because otherwise you would heve been served the 'decree' long time ago ...

Franz

Mrs. Kzoo,
"Go crazy" = At the request of the person to whom you have pledged your life this is a somewhat rare circumstance wherein you defy logic, common sense, financial regard, and the advice of family and friends to smile whilst your aforementioned pledgling makes an utter and total fool of himself over something that he would never have imagined being in his possession without a divorce decree immediately following its purchase.

Click to expand...

Alrighty then! Well, I'll let her know so when it's new bike time she's prepared!

Cool keep me posted.

OK, for the curious.. I got the chance to try out the Flexx bars today.
When we first started off up a very loose sand wash I couldn't control the bike and it whipped from side to side and tried to buck me off. I was blaming it on the 1" taller riser on the new bars (it felt like I had "ape hangers" on the bike)
When we stopped for a breather and I complained, Tuts said " try to pull the bars back a bit in the mounts". Normally I don't pay much attention to Tuts, but I broke out the 10mm and swept the bars back by 2 of the adjustment lines on the bars.
On the hard packed 2 track it didn't make much difference, but when we jumped into another sand wash it worked wonders. Now I could pick lines with ease.. small adjustments sometimes bring big results.

As to the vibration damping qualities: I really did not notice that the bars vibrated any less or that the landings off of rock ledges were any less jarring until I realized that my wrists didn't hurt ( I have arthritis).
Vinman1513, his buddy Stewart, and Tuts like to ride up sand washes that have 2 foot tall uphill rock ledges, hills with monster rocks at the top, and stuff that IMHO should be reserved for trials bikes. Nelson Hills outside of town has all of the above and was an excellent test for my second ride on my new 650.
I crashed on a down hill when my front tire washed out and I cracked a rib. No big deal, it wasn't broken and punching a lung so I was still doing OK until my sadistic riding partners picked a trail that I knew instinctively would result in major pain. I exercised common sense andI took a road back to the truck and waited for them to show up.
Vinman1513 asked to ride my bike and had the following observation.." I don't like the bars. They are too soft. I don't get enough feedback". Neither tuts nor myself felt the same way. Vinman1513 is more sensitive than we are. He also said that my 650 has "too much power" so you know that he is a wuss -- actually he is an excellent rider, but is too hung up on slow, crappy terrain where a big bore is a detriment.

Bottom line: you will have to try these bars to figure out if they are for you. I plan to keep them and try the different absorber pads and bar positions 'cause I like them.
2 out of the 3 riders who tried them thought that they worked fine. The question is if they are worth $300 U.S. Probably not - unless you have a good reason to seriously need to pamper your wrists.

I also tried the G2 throttle cam. This is a set of interchangeable cams that snap onto the end of a nice billet throttle tube. There is a normal cam, an intermediate cam, and a slow cam... the normal cam opens the throttle at normal speed and the slow cam opens the throttle at a slow (controllable) speed. Y ou can guess how fast the intermediate cam opens the throttle ... I elected to put the slow cam on the tube because I now the guys I ride with really get off on trails that require max control. I am happy to report that the cam made my 650 totally controllable in the nastiest situations and I can now roll the throttle on without fear of ripping my arms off. This thing works for me and I can switch back to the Normal speed cam when we go to an area that does not need so much control and where an instant throttle is an advantage.

I want to wear out the Pirelli Scorpions so I can try a tire that tuts is raving about.. he picked up a Maxxis IT rear tire and says that it makes his CR500 hook up. Anything that can make a CR500 hook up should work good on a big bore Husaberg eh?

You asked I answered.. Hope that helps a little.. but any change to a bike is a matter of personal taste and comfort.

Now I have to figure a way to better secure the water pump flap on my BOSS skid plate and lose 40 pounds before Moab. Incidentally, my new BOSS radiator guards took some big hits and saved the radiator from damage. Nice.

Dez