This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

H'berg Functional Differences

M

Motograndpa

Joined Aug 2003
21 Posts | 0+
Woodland, WA, USA
Esteemed H'bergers,

Can someone explain the functional differences between the newer FE450, 550, and 650?
Are they all quite different animals?
And what would be their respective personalities and uses?
In other words can you easily trail ride a 650?
Is the 550 the best all-rounder?

Anyway, you get the gist of my questions.

Thank you for your help.

M-G

(My apologies if this has already been discussed)
 
RE: H

My experience is limited to a 600 - 99 but I have no problem trail riding with it. Husabergs are generally are light in weight compared to to most makes. Some people mention not wanting to get a larger bike due for tight trail stuff but all my comparisons show the bike weight to be the same.
See http://www.husaberg.com.au/bike.php?bk1=18&bk2=16. If they are the same weight then I can't see how they will handle differently except one will have more power. Saying that I would not want any more power than a 600 and would think a 550 is something I would look at in the future. I would assume the main difference would come from the way the power is deleivered when you open the throttle. Others who have riden other husabergs may be able to help you with actual riding differences.
 
M-G, The three sizes of Husaberg are quite different in character. All three are ok on trails, and capable of winning off-road events.The 650 is a thrill anytime you roll on the throttle, vibrates a bit more, takes a bit more of your energy to manhandle. The 550 is probably the best all around, does everything well, has more power than most any human can use all of, a well rounded bike. The 450 is not lighter than the others, but does feel so. It doesn't have the gut wrenching power of the others, but is actually as fast in most situations, easier to ride in the tight stuff-demands less throttle control to keep traction, and I find it less tiring on a long ride. All three have sweet power delivery, easy to handle on a tight trail. It's a tough decision. I would like one of each! I love my 450, but folks with a 550 or 650 love them too. Read some of the writeups in the downloads, there are some good comparisons in there. Better yet, get a ride on the ones you are considering!
 
450-550-650

I have always had large capacity 4 strokes,
I have riden an o4 450 , just a few minutes up the street and found it had ample power and exceleration and felt quite light, although it reved harder than a 600 berg I owned earlier.

Owning a 600 Berg, it was easy to ride and was light to turn as well,the power was amazing if you ever used it that is.I rode it low in the rpm so it had traction and I was able to ride it without getting your arms ripped off.Unless your on open tracks or trails, i cant really see anyone holding full throttle in tight turns on the larger bikes.

I am on my second 550 now and havent even bothered to test the 650 yet.The 550 has a superbly powered engine, not quite the bang the old 600 was ,so it is easier to ride, it will lug down low and you dont have to keep changing gear.It will do just about anything, open and tight trails.

If I was 10 years younger or in a mid life crisis and had a unlimited tyre supply,I would certianly throw the leg over the 650....
 
RE: 450-550-650

Likewise, for me as the others have said. The smaller 'Berg I have (400) seems to have sufficient power for most situations I have presented to it. Additionally, the power has not surprised me, or, been a detriment, either. Don't be fooled, I can easily put myself in a "white knuckle" situation with the smaller engined bike. I, too, have had larger bikes in the past. But my age, ego, and riding locations were different then, too. If you are going to be climbing any serious hills, have long desert stretches, or have the slightest inkling to ride it on the road, then the 650 should be your choice -- in fact it will last longer, too. The smaller two would be getting "wrung out" in those situations. When it comes time to sell, the larger one will be much easier to sell as it will have an appeal to the broader market of younger riders.
 
RE: 450-550-650

My opinon, the 550 is the way to go unless you are a dedicated desert or open spaces rider. I can ride that 550 all day in the single track and since i am not as fast as some I find that 2 gear is where 85% of my time is spent, I chug it almost to a complete stop, and with a blip of the throttle, i can rip out of most anything and not worry about changing the gears until I have enough room to use third.

I had a fe600 and an fc470, I am completely sold on the 550. I can loft that front wheel anytime I want in any gear with very little rider input. It tracks straight and true and will go where you want it to go. It is nimble and responds very well. when i like to go slow the 550 is very mild mannered, and when i want to rip it up it leaves people in the dust.

the fe600 i had was to much for me in the woods, and the 470 did not have enough grunt to get me (I am a big guy) up the hills i like to mess around on with significant efffort.

my vote is for the 550
 
We have a full fleat of demos at our shop, so on occasion my business partner and I will take these out for a ride...We ride mainly tight single track, ruts, roots, dg and some slippery clay. Yesterday we went to some "secret" riding areas that had some killer hill-climbs mixed with the above obstacles...basically 3rd gear pulls, wide open and ducking manzanita(sp?).

I rode our FE380e all day and never felt tired, however, these hillclimbs had the motor zinging in 2nd and underpowered in 3rd. The bike I rode crossed every slippery root and fallen tree without issues, where others were falling and slipping, sliding and getting hurt.
I wished I brought the 450...plenty of power and still nimble feeling and would allow another gear on those long hillclimbs.

Dave rode the FE550e and compared to his 650 that he normally rides, he said he felt like he could ride the bike longer, less vibration and the tight stuff would have really worked him on the 650...his new favorite seems to be the 550.

Both dave and I are over 200 lbs and out of shape but we know throttle control and what our limits are...and frankly the 380 and the 550 were only limited to the riders skill level on the back.

Husaberg dealers are offered demo programs from the distributor...if you can find a dealer that has a demo or two, try one...these demos sell bikes for us.

Kurt
Bike Barn MC, LLC
www.bikebarnmc.com
 
Helpful thread

Hey guys,

Thank you very much. This is a very helpful thread for me.

I posed the question on the H'berg forum at KTMTalk and asked "Would you sell two bikes to buy one?" The bottom line is that I would have to sell a '03 KTM 300 E/XC and a '01 KTM 640 LC4e to buy a new 'berg. I've had four 'bergs in the past (older models '95, '97, '98, '01) with a variety of owner satisfaction and have no experience with the new ones. But if they are as good as you say and I buy one I would be looking for the best all-rounder. One that could be dual-sported as well as being ridden quickly in the woods. In a sense I'm trying to replace to widely different and able bikes with one. I'd love to be able to ride several (likely the 550 and 650) of the new ones to ascertain the differences.

In your mind is having a bike fill both roles an impossible task?

Thanks again, M-G
 
8) No Dan It's not!
I have a 07 fe 650 that is ready now & 07 fe 550 on the way then you could let us know!
 
Re: Helpful thread

Motograndpa said:
In your mind is having a bike fill both roles an impossible task?

Thanks again, M-G
Click to expand...

sounds like this guy needs a 550....

nuf said.... 8)
 
RE: Re: Helpful thread

there are a few peeps with bergs in my area and my 400 ('03) keeps up nicely with the '07 550 and 650 just don't be too close behind them unless you like the taste of dirt. it's pretty hard decision as it will take some getting used to any way but it comes down to your riding style. some people do better holding a bike flat through berms and keeping momentum and others prefer to take a corner then snap their neck with balistic accelleration. If ya can try a test ride. I did and the 550 seemed to have a little too much torque for my light 65 kilo butt. If you find the KTM640 a little to torquey on tight trails and the 300e/xc a little under powered on the wide open then the 550 should be sweet.

My 2 cents any way.
 

Similar threads

Taffy
New - improved carb needle 2004-2008
Replies
3
Views
2K
FlyingZebra
FlyingZebra
H
First impressions on Rekluse EXP auto clutch for FE570
Replies
12
Views
18K
hoosie5seventy
H
5
Dirt mission 1 on the 550
Replies
14
Views
4K
520pilot
5
cypher
Cyphers FR3
Replies
17
Views
5K
TodColvin
T
D
A tale of two different magazines
Replies
8
Views
2K
Hakan
H

Register CTA

Register on Husaberg Forum! This sidebar will go away, and you will see fewer ads.

Recent Discussions

Recent Discussions