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FE 450, 2005, Force Edition

M

makazica

Joined May 2010
299 Posts | 189+
Zagreb, Croatia
Cheers all!

Long time lurker, M. from Zagreb, Croatia, sometimes contacted Taffy for some parts and tech advice. I sometimes fix bikes as a hobby for my friends and riding buddies, but no mechanical education and still limited tools despite spending fortunes on crazy shopping sprees at local hardware stores.

Three weeks ago I picked up a Hus FE 450 Force, 2005, with 230 hours on the clock, from the outside it seemed mint. It did cca 15 hours and stopped with no spark, I fixed a broken wire on the stator and started to do a medium reconditioning, nothing much: rollers on the cam followers, timing chain, valve seals, head gasket and such.

When I took the valve cover off there was a surprise waiting, never seen something like it. Mint from outside, a graveyard from inside..... :angry: I'm surprised it even started..... :lol:

As I'm expecting to become a father soon, I'll be doing a slow, really slow rebuild due to lack of financial resources. Or maybe the baby is going to get cheap diapers and I'll fix the bike quickly....I'll decide on the move.... :mrgreen:

Some pics, enjoy....

































M.
 
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Haha, well written post. Keep 'em coming please! Good luck and have fun :) Hope my friend's new 235-hour 450 is clean inside :O ... we should have a look in its head.
 
That camshaft lobe is hilarious :bounce3: i have never seen one that eaten away :bounce3:
 
Glad you like my post, I'll post pics as I progress.

As for now I'm pretty sure I'll be needing a new piston, a new barrel and a camshaft + seals and bearings, nothing much, only cca 500€.... :mrgreen: Hopefully I won't be needing a new con rod....

As I never did such work on a Hus I'd be interested in hearing some info on special requirements, stuff to look out for and such, please, feel welcome to warn me of all unusual bits regarding this kind of engine...

M.
 
More pics from today's session at the basement. Thankfully no more surprises. For now. :mrgreen:











I'll have to stop working on the bike cause I need to find a suitable magneto puller. Hopefully I'll be back at it thursday or friday.

Cheers!

M.
 
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Hi

I know all about that surprise feel when you open it :mrgreen:

Why do you think a new barrel ? you can live with that !

Just work on the head, that really needs your attention

Good luck

:cheers:
ZAGA
 
Hy Zaga,

Can you be more specific about work on the head, my plan is a new cam, bearings, timing chain and valve seals. Do you think anything else is needed around the head?

Barrel? Don't know....maybe new rings and a slight hone? What do you think?

Cheers!

M.
 
It's not clear in the photo but it looks as if there are scores on the barrel.
The barrel is plated/coated and as such you cannot hone it. You will either need a new barrel or to get it replated. Either way you will also need a new piston.
From time to time a barrel and piston will come up on ebay some say they were removed from the bike when new when a smaller piston barrel set were fitted. They usually come up just after I have bought a new one :lol:

Good luck
 
Hi

As Taffy say, I think you can live with that barrel and maybe just some rings as you say, and don't go to spent a lot of money to make it perfect.

When I mean the head it's what your are saying, maybe check the valve seats if everything is ok, what I don't understand is that rust that you have in one of the valves ?? did you had water on it ?? can you understand ?

:cheers:
ZAGA
 
Thanks for all your replies!

No pics today, just cleaned and inspected the Keihin FCR, so let's call it a rest day.... :mrgreen:

About the barrell....from what I hear, a really, really slight hone is possible and I'll go with it 99%... after I pull the piston I'll decide if I'm gonna get a new one or am I going with just new rings.

Zaga, I have no idea about the rust on one of the exhaust valves, there was some water drops on the piston when I pulled the head. I'll pull the valves and have the head checked by a pro.

Cheers!

M.
 
@ Zaga...head gasket was leaking, just a little bit but the place where it was leaking is clearly visible.

New pics, new surprises....



Previous owner insisted that the engine was never opened.... :lol:













I'd be really grateful if somebody dug out some more info on the Force models, could it be true that Force models had nickel plated con rods (OEM)? Also, all other info on these models would be really appreciated. Does anybody know how they were "marked"....mine has nr. 0427 stamped on the upper and lower triple clamps, maybe a 0427 of 511 (supposedly only 511 Force models were made)....?

Cheers!

M.
 
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A bit of an update....

The conrod, except of the small end, looks pretty good, so good I decided not to buy a new one. So, I'd be interested in getting a new bush from Taffy....this one:

http://taffmeisters.co.uk/product_info. ... cts_id=370

Before I order it, I'd like to hear if any of the members of this forum got that kind of bush any how it held up...any experiences?

Thanks,

M.
 
My 650 started leaving small bits on the sump plug.... couldn't find anything obvious (stripped motor completely), as I was reassembling with many new parts I couldn't shake the thort that i had not found a cause of shrapnel..... last resort I pressed the crank apart and there was the cause.... hardening had come off big end of conrod.
Thank goodness I didn't complete assembly untill I had located the cause of the bits or I would have been doing it all twice (new rod was fitted to crank coz I was too dumb to buy the updated crank) as a few others on this site have done.
Just my two cents worth......
650s tend to work there big ends harder than 450's tho.
Check twice and rebuild once I say.
 
Bergbro has a point.

I had a past mechanic come back and help me with a one-off engine rebuild on an FE450e. it had a strange noise which nobody could pin down. we only got the engine and I let him strip and then we checked to gether. we couldn't find anything except a flappy cam chain.

so although I wasn't happy, I just couldn't find anything. what with the owner doing like 4 oil changes in 50 miles (joke!) we just couldn't get what it was.

the bore didn't have hardly any scratches and we just did a hone and rings.

8 miles later and it is back with the big end gone and now the bore is very poor and the piston finished. turns out the big end was on the turn. I watched my mechanic check it but didn't do it after him. ...... we shall never know but basically the big end has to have been on the way out.

the best way to check the big end is to hold the crank by the rod and slap upwards both the crank cheeks. another way is to put a feeler gauge down the side and get rid of the axial play. then try the 'push-pull' on the rod.

however, it needs checking in the right position and it is at TDC that the two worn surfaces are together and and the 'clonking' begins!

NOW. the 450. I said it 6-7-8 years ago. THERE'S SOMETHING NOT RIGHT ABOUT THE 450. the compression is either way too high for the big end to cope or the ignition timing is wrong.

either way, far too many big ends go.

regards

Taffy
 
Cheers all!

Just to report that slow progress is made; I obtained some balancer bearings, different small parts including the small end bush, some cam bolts and a reed valve petal from Taffy. Thanks man! Also I got the ProX piston with rings, all new valves from ProX, valve seals, new grips, chain, sprockets.

Also, up to now most of my spare time, in between changing diapers, I spent cleaning parts.

Hopefully, on monday I'll have some more parts and will be able to do some assembling...

M.

EDIT: BTW Do Force edition front forks have the option of adjusting preload without disassembly? To me it seems they do....I'll post a pic....
 
A tiny update; I installed the little end bush that I got off Taffy....on the website it said that it's a tight fit....the outer dia fits perfectly but the inner dia is tight....I'm gonna need it machined a bit in order for the piston pin to go through. Since the last update I got all of the case bearings, I opted for Koyo (japanese)....only bearings that I'll get as an OEM part are the crank ones.

Pics, not to bore you with too much writing....

Only the right side crank bearing was difficult to get out...152 dg C did the trick, as per the Manual,,,



The baby doesn't like to sleep during the night so cleaning the pipes keeps me busy.... :mrgreen:



Cheers!

M.
 
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