Alright guys. My worst fear...haha. I pulled the rear wheel off and the chain so that I could remove the countershaft sprocket. There was a little oil around it but not enough to warrant the amount of oil which was dripping off the bottom of the engine. Yes, the countershaft seal may need replacing but not yet. Just a little bit of oil, like a mist. So I traced the oil line now that some stuff was out of the way and traced it back to behind the right side of the swingarm. Uh oh. So I pulled the swingarm off (100% easier than a KTM swingarm) and liberally applied Brake Clean. Well, there is a rather long crack going vertically between the two case bolts that divide the swingarm. But the worst of it is a hole the size of the tip of a ball point pen in the center. If you are at the back of the bike and are looking at the rear side of the countershaft housing it is all the way to the left on that housing. Sooooo I cleaned her up really well and applied some JB Weld all along the crack, really packing it in well and I'm gonna hope that that cures it. If not.......I guess I'll have to tear her all the way down and have someone weld the case in that area. I took some pictures but don't have my camera with me here at work. Ugh! Oh well. All things mechanical can be fixed so no worries, just more hassle than I thought!
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Bad news man,
As Boss said, this was a problem on the 01 & 02 bikes. Originally Husaberg warrantied the center cases to the original owner, but, that time has passed I'm afraid. A crack of the size you are talking about did not happen over night, they start out small and just keep growing. I'm not sure of the exact cause, other than the obvious that it is weak in that area. I know there was changes made in 03.
I have seen a couple of them welded, but, I can't say that was a permanent fix. And I'm sorry to say that the jb weld will probably not hold either.
Unfortunately you are probably looking at least $850 to $900 to replace those center cases if I am not mistaken. The silver lining to that dark cloud is that the new cases come loaded with bearings and seals. As opposed to other brands who's center cases cost the same but come without bearings or seals.
Sorry bro,
Dale
As Boss said, this was a problem on the 01 & 02 bikes. Originally Husaberg warrantied the center cases to the original owner, but, that time has passed I'm afraid. A crack of the size you are talking about did not happen over night, they start out small and just keep growing. I'm not sure of the exact cause, other than the obvious that it is weak in that area. I know there was changes made in 03.
I have seen a couple of them welded, but, I can't say that was a permanent fix. And I'm sorry to say that the jb weld will probably not hold either.
Unfortunately you are probably looking at least $850 to $900 to replace those center cases if I am not mistaken. The silver lining to that dark cloud is that the new cases come loaded with bearings and seals. As opposed to other brands who's center cases cost the same but come without bearings or seals.
Sorry bro,
Dale
Well I guess if I'm looking at $900 for cases I'll just part the bike unfortunately. I loved it for the short time that I had gotten to ride it. Was planning Vegas to Reno with it and numerous other desert races this season and was looking forward to it. Maybe a newer one in the future? I don't have the money for one right now without clearing out some of the garage. I was so excited for this to be up and running! It seriously is the fastest off road bike I've ridden. On this particular 650 our team won a BITD championship and numerous local desert races way back in '02-'03. I was talking to my uncle, who I received the bike from, and he said that the last the bike was used was in the Las Vegas 300 where he had a very nasty high speed get-off resulting in broken ribs etc. I suspect that blunt force trauma was the start of the crack, perhaps the casue of the hole. The bike had been prepped after that for the next race, full motor done by Fletch Tricks, and then they decided to use another 650 Berg at the last minute because the rectifier went bad on this one. So it has sat since '03 without oil or water all this time. It fired up after only 40-50 kicks initially, then 1st or 2nd kick when warm after I got it "resurrected". :cry:
Dave,
Sorry to hear of your cracked case. The same thing happened to my 02 501.
You mentioned your motor was worked on by Fletch Trick Racing. Small world! I spoke with Fletch a few years ago about the cracked case scenario. He has welded up several 01 and 02 cases with great results. It involves some machining, a very high-end welder, some sort of heat sinks to avoid warpage and so on. It isn't a cheap fix, (I think around $300.00), but he sounds extremely confident in his process. I know Fletch to be a perfectionist.
Unfortunately for me, I chose to spend less with a different welder and his work didn't hold up, yet he charged me $150.00. DOH!!!!
You might really give it some thought or at least call Fletch to hear what he has to say. I have his contact info if you need it.
log
(Rick Norrander)
Sorry to hear of your cracked case. The same thing happened to my 02 501.
You mentioned your motor was worked on by Fletch Trick Racing. Small world! I spoke with Fletch a few years ago about the cracked case scenario. He has welded up several 01 and 02 cases with great results. It involves some machining, a very high-end welder, some sort of heat sinks to avoid warpage and so on. It isn't a cheap fix, (I think around $300.00), but he sounds extremely confident in his process. I know Fletch to be a perfectionist.
Unfortunately for me, I chose to spend less with a different welder and his work didn't hold up, yet he charged me $150.00. DOH!!!!
You might really give it some thought or at least call Fletch to hear what he has to say. I have his contact info if you need it.
log
(Rick Norrander)
Dave,
Sorry for the gloom and doom post on your bike.
I had totally forgotten about Fletcher, and Logjumps post is indeed very encouraging I would definitely give him a call and see if he can fix you up for a lot less cash than a new set of cases.
I had spoken with Fletch many years ago when he was Mike Youngs mechanic and was in need of some advice on my 94 501. He has the reputation of knowing his stuff on Husabergs, and when I talked with him he was very open and helpful.
Sorry for the gloom and doom post on your bike.
I had totally forgotten about Fletcher, and Logjumps post is indeed very encouraging I would definitely give him a call and see if he can fix you up for a lot less cash than a new set of cases.
I had spoken with Fletch many years ago when he was Mike Youngs mechanic and was in need of some advice on my 94 501. He has the reputation of knowing his stuff on Husabergs, and when I talked with him he was very open and helpful.
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Fletch is a good guy. I have a 2000 FE 501 that was cracked near the swingarm/counter shaft sproket. It was originally welded by some one who didn't know what they were doing, it cracked again and was then JB welded it started leaking again. Then Dan at Motoxotica suggested I call Coronaberg (Jeff) and he hooked me up with George Erl at Uptite Husqvarna in socal. Jeff said he'd seen George weld teeth back on a counter shaft. So I shipped the motor off to Jeff for new berings and seals etc.... figured as long the cases were being split. Well I tell you I got it back and if you didn't know right where it was cracked you couldn't tell, more a kin to art work than welding. He also welded it inside as well as out. I'd love to tell you how much $ , but I've talked to George a couple times since I got it back and he still hasn't sent me a bill or told me how much to send him. I guess I'll have to call him again. His reccomendation was to lube the swingarm bolt and bushings more often than factory spec's. Don't bag the girl she isn't done yet!
Thanks guys for all of the help. Maybe I'll call Fetch Trick. There is a guy who owns one of the garages out at Miller Motorsports Park who does extensive machining work and might be able to do it right. I just don't have the time, or the want, to tear the motor down and the money for either welding it or buying a new case isn't there right now. We'll see how the JB Weld holds, maybe if it has stemmed the leak to a very small amount after a long ride or if it stops it altogether then I'll hold on to the Berg.
On the bright side, I had a day off today (been very busy with work and school, going to the University of Utah) so it has been ample time for the JB Weld to set. I bolted everything back together and filled her up with oil and anti-freeze. I did the normal starting procedure and after only 35 kicks she fired up! I guess I got the timing right after all. That is really good news and a relief in my mind at least. I ran it long enough to get the radiators hot and the motor up to temp (or as hot as sitting on the lift idling will get) and shut her off. 3 hours later and no oil trace yet..... We'll have a look-see in the morning and see how she did overnight. Maybe I won't sell it after all....
On the bright side, I had a day off today (been very busy with work and school, going to the University of Utah) so it has been ample time for the JB Weld to set. I bolted everything back together and filled her up with oil and anti-freeze. I did the normal starting procedure and after only 35 kicks she fired up! I guess I got the timing right after all. That is really good news and a relief in my mind at least. I ran it long enough to get the radiators hot and the motor up to temp (or as hot as sitting on the lift idling will get) and shut her off. 3 hours later and no oil trace yet..... We'll have a look-see in the morning and see how she did overnight. Maybe I won't sell it after all....
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