FE450e is NOT a Desert bike

LeFrog said:

I guess you had a 2nd gear that was too violent and a 3rd that was too mellow?

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probably something like that. I'm trying to remember the feel of the bike with the 14/48 stock gearing. I'm not sure, it maybe would have evened out things true. I have 14/50 now. I really got better at shifting and using throttle control to be in the zone by the end of the day.

Half my reaction may be over reaction. When I first had the bike in the woods I liked it but was unsure, took a few times till I zero'd in on it. The Fe450e is very different then most 450's different in a lot of ways, Lighter, 1.79 bore/stroke ratio making a very linear power delivery and then that wide ratio tall gearing was so different then my husky. it took a few weekends still I started to excel on the bike in the woods. I trusted the racers and husaberg engineers who chose the bike's set up. I find its speed is surprizing in the woods especially as you shift from 2nd to third at that moment you start going pretty scary fast.........yet in the desert saturday 2nd was a disapointment and going from 2nd to 3rd didn't solve it at all, didn't feel fast.

but as I found this zone later in the day, things improved. I'll try and explain it with numbers lets say a gear usuable lenght is 10. this deep chargeing power exists on my bike at like 2-6 of that 10 (or 20%-60% of that gear) or maybe 3-7, now the first 1-2 of any gear xcept for 1st, that 10%-20% of the first part of any gear above 1st was luggin weak, then the bike leaps ahead at about 20-30% of the gears rpm range, almost likes it gets that low en bark back, then screams ahead charging hard till like 60-70% of the gear's RPM range and then it signs off sharply above 7 even though from 7-10 of that gear range the rpms are not max ed yet for the gear at all. So keeping it in the zone meant adjusting my throttle and riding to jump from the 3-6 area of each gear.....that sweet spot as I called it.. when I learned it after a few hours, the sound that place , that zone, I could do it by sound and feel always staying in the meat of the powerband from gear to gear..........then I was having fun and no disapointment, but when I missed that power zone and ran a gear too long into higher rpms, the bike seems to loose growing speed and momentun...falls off sharply as I said. likewise if I stayed in a gear to long while redcuing speed and lost it down low the power drop off was significant.

now maybe in the woods because I rode like 4 weekends in a row when I first got the bike there, I already found my zones and all is cool, maybe when next I return to the desert with the Berg I will be more familiar with it and not so critical - maybe.

After just getting back from 3 days in the desert to find this thread is quite timely. I think my Fe450 has a good amount of power for desert use. I am 5'9' and 200 lbs. In medium sand conditions sixth gear is a bit too high and the motor can't really pull it into the power band. First is already pretty low but dropping two teeth on the rear sprocket should help. My issues are very different than yours. I don't know if its just me (probably is) but the handling in sand does not seem very good. Traditional methods of moving your weight back and letting the front wheel skim across the sand work well enough but any turning is very very squirrely. The stock back tire does not hook up well at all which is unbergish. I'll be going back to Michelin's soon. The only other issue is with the suspension. The spring rate seems good but is harsh during the first few inches of travel. A trip to the suspension shop is on the list. On the plus side with over 60 hours now the motor has been stone reliable. I still have never kick started the bike. The e-start performs flawlessly and the battery has never been run down even with repeated starts and restarts.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make the bike handle better in the sand? It is grim. Perhaps it is a trade off that must be gotten used to in order to get the quick handling. Steering dampener?

big bob

each gear is there to support the previous one. if you can rev out in one it will rev out in all. likewise if it struggles and you change gear early you are still going to struggle!

you should go to 14/52 and modify your chain guide beneath the swingarm. all you do is drill and re-tap the unit for as low as possible.

your bike will then find each gear easier and all you'll have done is knocked 6mph off the top speed.

like it or not this will be the best comprimise. i run 14/52 for racing and it's spot on for my 400.

eric

you need to look at a PDS4 spring. 81/99 260. i had a 71/90 standard then i tried 76/95 and now i'm on the 81/99 and it's spot on. the modern valving seems to be good, it's just that nobody is getting their spring rates right.

regards

Taffy

Taffy said:

big bob

each gear is there to support the previous one. if you can rev out in one it will rev out in all. likewise if it struggles and you change gear early you are still going to struggle!

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Thanks never heard that said like that. makes sense

I am 6'4" tall, 205 lbs, and ride an 06 FE450. I am still working on final setup (does it ever end?), but here is what works for me. Jetting: 175 main, 45 pilot, stock needle on 4th clip pos. I live at 6000'. Suspension: Only change is a PDS4 spring on back. Gearing: 13-50. I may go to 13-52. I find no shortcomings in my bike (after tossing the stock rear tire, went with a 756 Dunlop), I ride tight trails, desert, rocks, and connecting trails in between. Yes, at times a 550 would put a grin on my face. I have ridden Cheeseberger's 550, like it a lot. We rode an eleven mile long sand wash together and I could keep him in sight while on my 450. It is definitely a quicker handling bike in the sand, just relax and let it wiggle under you, stay on the gas. My old 2000 FE501 was like a freight train in sand, but I couldn't handle turns in sand nearly as well as I can with the 450. Sand is one of the skeletons in my closet, I have had bad crashes on it at Little Sahara in Utah. Just to let you know, I am not the authority on riding sand. Something I am still toying with is the bars. Right now, they are raised 10mm, all the way forward. I have had them in the next to all the way forward, both raised and stock, and can say the differences are worth experimenting with, find what is right for you. All that said, I think that my 450 is the best bike I have ever had to do everything with. Definitely the best in the woods and tight desert stuff. I'm in my 50's, and as such, this bike is the best for me now nearly everywhere else. Ten and more years ago, I would have the 550. I find now that the 450 allows me to ride faster longer. I also have found that I can just about keep up with one riding buddy's GasGas 200 on one of our favorite tight trails, have never been able to do that before. The 450 is a woods weapon deluxe!

Bob, any gear box has ratios closer to one another as you run the higher gears. If you can stand the loss of top speed, by all means gear it down to close up the gaps. Husabutt says his won't pull 6th in the sand anyway. As far as wagging the bars in the sand goes, I improved mine by running a bit more sag and rebound in the back, but the problem really went away with a GPR stabilizer on BRP mounts. Have to run the stabilizer on 4 (out of 6) in high speed sand. Single track i have it backed down to 1 or 2.
dan

Brendan said:

You are lucky to have a 450 for the desert. Try riding a dog 250 4-stroke in the desert when everyone else is riding big bikes.

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since bigbob weighs about twice what you do, i think it's about even. i do fine in the dez on a 250sx 2-stroke, which is definitely less dezert-esque than an fe450, but then i'm closer to brendan's size than bigbob's.

LeFrog said:

Adding two teeth may be a good thing for you since you're a big guy and that you seem to be a single track rider, but it's not necessarily the best thing for the wide open stuff.

I am happy with 14 teeth (down from 15) on my 501, until I reach some faster section (not counting the fact that I did really badly the last time).

A higher final ratio helps for the tight stuff with a lot of hill climbs, but not for the wide open stuff.

I guess you had a 2nd gear that was too violent and a 3rd that was too mellow?

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Nick, Now that you have had the bike for a while do me a favor and try the 15 again. I used the 14 for a while and then tried the 15. What I found was that first gear is usable with the 15 and for me it was not with the 14. You also have plenty of power to lug it and ride a gear higher. If you are doing anything but really tight AA enduro trails I think you will find the 15 is really good. I found it made 3 and 4 gear the MONEY gears . and the power band so long that you hardly needed anything else until you got to the wide open.

Each his own but you still got the sprocket so why not try it again?

For what it may be worth:
Bob is a big man.
The Husaberg 450 is down on peak power.
The power delivery is narrow and in the middle of the rev range.
The lower gear selections are a bit wide for the displacement.


Possible Option:
Increase peak power and broaden the delivery range via increased valve duration, overlap and fine tuning.

Simply food for thought.

Dale

How difficult would it be to bump the displacement up to 480-490cc's and then add a FCR41. Using Dales kit of course. We can call it the FX kit.

Bobzilla said:

LeFrog said:

Adding two teeth may be a good thing for you since you're a big guy and that you seem to be a single track rider, but it's not necessarily the best thing for the wide open stuff.

I am happy with 14 teeth (down from 15) on my 501, until I reach some faster section (not counting the fact that I did really badly the last time).

A higher final ratio helps for the tight stuff with a lot of hill climbs, but not for the wide open stuff.

I guess you had a 2nd gear that was too violent and a 3rd that was too mellow?

Click to expand...

Nick, Now that you have had the bike for a while do me a favor and try the 15 again. I used the 14 for a while and then tried the 15. What I found was that first gear is usable with the 15 and for me it was not with the 14. You also have plenty of power to lug it and ride a gear higher. If you are doing anything but really tight AA enduro trails I think you will find the 15 is really good. I found it made 3 and 4 gear the MONEY gears . and the power band so long that you hardly needed anything else until you got to the wide open.

Each his own but you still got the sprocket so why not try it again?

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Well, I am still recovering and won't ride for at least two more weeks (I'd like to hit the trails before it's 115F ... at 8am).

The 14 in the front helped me get used to the bike and become more confident, but coming back after a fracture will take a bit of getting used to.

It lugs when you rev it, it's not a DRZ. Even the DRZ 250 does better at low RPM than the Fe501 climbing a hill... as long as I have a bit of momentum that is.

With 14 teeth I like the fact that the power is more manageable in the tighter and slow stuff, but it becomes a pain when going at speed over 30mph in MX-like condition, then the 2nd has too big of a hit and the 3rd is too mellow.

As far as I am concerned if I needed to get a new bike it would certainly be a 450. I rode a DRZ 250 in the desert and to me a 450 has power a plenty compared to that pig.

husabutt said:

How difficult would it be to bump the displacement up to 480-490cc's and then add a FCR41. Using Dales kit of course. We can call it the FX kit.

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Hi Eric,
The engine is already grossly over-square. Stroking would be pricey.
Said bike hits in the middle and is week on either side of peak torque.

In my opinion a new camshaft and several hours of dynamometer time would be a worthy investment.

Tuning for top gear peak mph would also likely reduce the need for low gear / second gear spread.

Best Regards,
Dale

LINEAWEAVER said:

For what it may be worth:
The power delivery is narrow and in the middle of the rev range.
The lower gear selections are a bit wide for the displacement.

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yup that is what I observed, (in 2nd, thru 4th and 5th too as I remember) that is what I meant by finding that sweet spot middle zone for each gear. Even in the woods, where the shifting is more and I slow down again after just speeding up I find my self rolling the throttle more just after I shift which takes me past the lower revs and into that power pounch zone of the next gear, then the bike Zooms ahead.....faster then I kinda wanted...I always figured this was the result the factory engineers/bike designers wanted as its end result is I go FAST....I kind of figured the bike is a race enduro bike and racers go WFO even for short sections like enduros can have, so I figured they WANT me to open up that throttle each time I shift...zooming me forward. See I do respect the Husaberg as a race bike not a trail bike, so I have no complaints in the trails and woods and was ready to accept the Fe450e's ride in the desert as well, assuming I am a newbie, but what I found in the desrt is the narrow power zone and gearing is more obvious as you have long strecthes of acceleration. I have another bike for the desert.


back in the woods, the berg has so many other facets that attract me, that I don't view this narrow power zone as a deficit, its not as noticeable because your shifting so much and changing speeds, so that extra throttle twist I use to fill the gear makes me zoom and I like that. :x

bigbob said:

yeah 6'5" and 255 out of the shower.....

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ouch,
could have done without that 'lead-in' to a visual....

tuts said:

bigbob said:

yeah 6'5" and 255 out of the shower.....

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ouch,
could have done without that 'lead-in' to a visual....

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:lol: yeah I didnt think of it That way, I was being so specific to the needs of the post wanted to be accurate :shocked!:

Now with all the other 450 4 strokes having wide powerbands and long over-runs why would Husaberg build one with a 2 stroke style of powerband. Have yet to ride a new 450, but my old 400FC came to life in the midrange and would then rev to the moon. Believe my old 400 had the long duration C cam in it.
dan

i think the term 'desert riding' is too vague. here in las vegas we have some desert riding.
desert riding to me isnt zipping down some paveless road [fireroads] or dry lake bed at 6th gear max. put knobbies on a harley if thats what you are going to do.
running wide open thru the open desert is not a reality. it doesnt happen.
you can get up to some high speeds, as verified by a gps] but its not sustained. a bigger bike will definitely get you there quicker, and provide torque to help you get thru some nastyz. i think that one thing the bigger bikes do is 'flatten' out the terrain at speed. the power being sent to the rear seems to grip the earth, until you hit that rock or mound that sends you skyward. and when that happens you hope your return arch matches your bikes arch.
and a 250 2stroke in the desert? not here your sure.
so what is desert riding? its like a good date......different to everyone.

tuts said:

and a 250 2stroke in the desert? not here your sure.

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what are you saying? have i been committing some kind of crime by riding my 250sx in the dezert near vegas? we don't have any enforcement up here in ely on that issue. 250 expert was the biggest of the expert classes by a healthy margin at the last mran race i went to in march.

mw

to be more specific regarding my weekend observations

1.) I do not like riding 80mph on a straight dirt road, that is not my "desert" experience, plus I get scared over 50 mph on a road and 35mph on any trails.

2.) my "desert" rides are play full rolling hills with open trails simliar to many open play areas and sand washes and some double wide track and some single track. Here are some photos of Moonrocks, NV where I rode Saturday

typical sand wash

snad wash again

typical trail

trail 2

husaberg 550e

me and my husky last week

If I could I would change the Title of this thread to read "My weekend on My Fe450e" and drop the desert reference. I also disagree with the 2 stroke powerband comment. The fe450e is linear and very electric no big hit in the middle, a nice bark (hit) down low out of 1st but that's all, what I'm experiencing is gapy ness in the tranny mainly and that translates into a narrow powerband as dale called it with wide tranny for the 450 displacement. The only thing that feels like a 2 stroke is because the bike is so light it feels like a 2 stroke in the big heavy E start 450 field.

tuts said:

bigbob said:

yeah 6'5" and 255 out of the shower.....

Click to expand...

ouch,
could have done without that 'lead-in' to a visual....

Click to expand...

T M I
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