Hello everyone... just got my first Husaberg!

Hi all.

First post here. Seems like a great site you guys got going on here. I just got a 03 FS650E yesterday so I will probably start asking all the usual newbie questions over the next while. First one is..

How the hell do you guys start these things??

Its been lying for 2 months and I just put a new stator in and got a strong spark but cant get the thing going. My foot is getting sore

Recognize a few familiar names from visordown on the membermap. Can't figure out how to add myself though


anyhow merry xmas to all

Re: Hello everyone... just got my firs Husaberg!

Hey congrats, welcome and Merry Xmas.
I believe there is a hard starting guide but can't quite seem to find it here yet but I did find this:

I've got starting problems, what do I do?

This troubleshooting guide assumes that you've checked the obvious like you've got petrol, you haven't got any loose wires (e.g. the HT lead isn't connected to the spark plug).

There are several common reasons why Husabergs are sometimes difficult to start (if you're having a specific e-start problem like it starts on the kick but not on the button, go here [link to e-start troubleshooting].

1. You're not kicking it right! Basic, I know, but it does take a knack. Yes, the 'bergs do have auto-decompression and stuff to make it easy for you but the following is the best way to kick start your 'berg:

Get the piston just past Top Dead Centre on the compression stroke. Using the auto-decompression you just need to slowly kick down until you feel the resistance of the piston coming to TDC. Then gently move the piston just past. Now let the kick start lever fully back to its starting position making sure you hear the "click" of the auto-decompressor return. Now you need to apply a FIRM kick all the way through the movement of the lever. A couple of these and the bike should start.

2. Idle mixture and idle speed not set correctly - yes, I know, this is a problem if you're having difficulty starting the thing in the first place!

I've always found that, from a starting perspective, my 650 is most sensitive to idle speed being set correctly. If it is set too high, or too low, it's a ***** to start.

Unfortunately, you've got to get it running first but set the idle speed at approximately 1800rpm. I use a inductive tacho pickup and a multimeter, connected to the HT lead to do this.

Mixture setting - look in your manual to check how many turns out your mixture screw needs to be. Normally somewhere between 1/2 turn and 2 turns depending on the model you've got (and what idle jet you've got fitted).

Because most environments are different, it's almost impossible to give a standard setting for you to use so you've got to experiment a bit. Unfortunately this does involve adjusting, testing starting, adjusting a bit etc.

However, as a general rule, when you set your idle speed, adjust your mixture screw to where you get the most even engine running and this will be close to where you need it.

If you need to adjust your idle jet beyond 2 turns out or less than 1/2 turn out you need either a larger or smaller jet respectively.

3. Check valve adjustment - in my experience tight valve adjustment causes more problem when starting than loose. So check and adjust your valve lash as per the instructions above.

4. Check decompression cable adjustment.

Only once has this caused me a problem evidenced by the kick start being more difficult to move but it will also make starting more difficult.

Set the engine to TDC on the compression stroke. Now check the decompression arm that sits on the side of the engine just in front of the spark plug. At TDC the movement of this arm in a clockwise direction should be approx. 2-3mm.

In most cases these should solve your problem.

bejesus dat is a furst!

most people show de regi of de car and de boyke and fokin hyde da husaberg log tingy!


oh and welcome sir!

regards

Taffy

Enjoy, the bike will be loads of fun, once you learn the art of kickstart.

Easy to do when the bike and you are in tune. Can be more tricky otherwise.

Follow the oil change and valve check regiments.

Braap, braaaap!

Welcome !!!

I know the feeling of having a Husaberg in your garage and being unable to start it.

All I am going to say is something I have been told several times by different people over the last months, weeks and days, so I guess they're going to check that I have it right.

You first need to make sure everything is on your side. The carb needs to be clean and properly jetted, but don't go too deep in that direction for the moment, just open it and make sure no jet is clogged. 1 1/2 turns out on the mixture screw, about 5 on the idle. Put a brand new plug.

Put new gasoline, highest octane at the pump. If you had gasoline in your tank, drain it and put it in your car, which will not mind the old gas and should also enjoy an octane boost. Same thing if you had gas in your float bowl, drain it.

Don't start with the choke, sometimes it starts better without. You'll have to determine that. Make sure you have a good spark with a spark tester (with a new ignition I think you do).

Put riding boots on, or anything with hard soils (borrow some Dr Martens from a skin head) because you are going to kick it hard.

Now the part I still had a hard time getting to learn until this week-end: push the kick start slowly with your left foot until it gets impossible. Sometimes you need to kick down a couple times until you meet the point. That's TDC. Press the decomp lever, then go down two notches, let the lever go up until you hear a click, and you're ready.

The idea is to give the best quality of kicks you can give. The kick start lever is going to hit the base of the foot peg hard. It's not a problem. You may have to give several kicks like that but make sure you do not hit TDC half way, because you can actually hurt yourself a bit and also lose a lot of energy and patience, so every 2 or 3 kicks you will have to make sure you're where you're supposed to be.

If after a few kicks the bike has not started and you smell gas, you need to open the throttle, pull the lever, kick a few times to vent out and redo.

If after 15 minutes it still does not start, take a break and come back.

Once the bike has started, let it run for a few minutes, adjust the screws and ride it for a few minutes. Never start it without letting the engine run a few minutes or even riding it.

Let us know how it works.

Hallo, nice to see a new one at the forum.
Don't worry, you'll get the knack of it.
For me it is a few lusty kicks and it runs.
But I find it more difficult:
-With old petrol.
-Low level in the tank.
-Anything else than a riding boot on left foot.
-Fouled spark plug. I'd invest in a new spark plug if I had difficulties.
-Without the BANZAI! or if I do not follow through and kick all the way to the stop.
-After having had the bike upside down after an off.
-If the other foot does not get good support. Can't understand why, but good support seems to help
-If on choke it did not start within 2 kicks.

Funnily, if I decide to do 3 of those quality kicks quickly in a row, rather than kicking them one by one, it usually starts on me before getting there. Cant explain that one either, it's probably a mental thing giving even more energy to the kicks or something. It does not seem to matter where TDC is on mine, I just kick it.
I do not ride furiously enough to keep the DCPR8E plug clean, It gets clogged after a while, a DCPR7E works better for me. Don't ask what it looks like, I have not seen it in almost a year now, but it looked fine then with nice colours and a 0.6 mm gap. I check the valves more often than I check the plug.

Happy New Year!

Taffy, is that welsh gaelic?

smorgasbord?

HUH!

welsh isn't gaelic. it's er! welsh!

the scots, irish and manx all speak various dialects of gaelic.

especially when they've been drinking and they fall over drunk!

BTW, all i would add to the above is this. everytime you play with the carb it will change your technique required for satarting. so go out and set it all up in one big go one day. make sure it runs sweetly. THEN PRAY THAT IT'LL START FROM COLD THE NEXT DAY!

regards

Taffy

Sorry Taffy. And all Welsh.

never apologise, never explain! (as they say!....)

no worries fella

HNY etc

regards

Taffy

make sure gas is flowing into the float bowl....the delorto float valves stick when the bikes sit for a while

dougn1 said:

make sure gas is flowing into the float bowl....the delorto float valves stick when the bikes sit for a while

Click to expand...

Ahhhhh, this is so important (and so common)!
A method I use to make sure gas is flowing into the floatbowl after the bike has been sitting for awhile is;

1• Turn fuel on at the petcocks
2• Lean the bike way over on its side for 10 seconds
3• Stand the bike back up and wait/hope you see fuel drip out of the overflow vent tube
4• If fuel doesn't drip, take a small rubber mallet and rap the side of the carb several times

Repeat steps 1-4 until you get fuel.
You can also check fuel flow by simply removing the float bowl then turning the fuel taps on.

If the fuel never ends up flowing, you'll more than likely need to remove and replace the float valve. Old float valves tend to stick as dougn1 mentioned.



Log

Thx soo much for all your help and advice

I got her sorted out tonight.
Basically it needed allot of easy start sprayed into intake and bump started a few times. then once going I got the idle and mixture sorted which made it easier to start on the kick. E start has failed to start it yt even when hot. New more powerful battery I think So I now got my kicking technique down allot better as well. I see good things ahead brrraaaap!

Oh and yes.. its on hell of a beast to ride, but quite firghtening on dark wet cold roads. quite an animal