Husaberg/KTM hybrid engine

I'm digging up this old thread again in an attempt to lighten the mood around here a little.

The big 600 continues to run amazingly well. I bought a parts bike a few months ago and, among other things, obtained another Big Gun exhaust which I decided to mount up despite the expected racket. I also ended up with a rear wheel to replace the original which had a pretty good crack in the rim. I installed the Eric's Machine auxiliary under-seat fuel tank that I've had in storage. Got it put in with an inline valve and quick disconnects to isolate the tank.

The riding that I've done with this bike since my last post in 2015 has been sparce but enough to uncover a detail that I didn't expect. Apparently the radiator mounting isolators tend to relax over time and the radiator can sag slightly. Not an issue on the smaller bikes but, on the 600 with the really tall cylinder, the exhaust headers are so close to the radiator that they may end up wearing through. Husaberg must have discovered this because I found a radiator for a newer, yet still pre-2000, bike that has a definite clearance hump in the middle of the lower tank. Took me months to figure out where the coolant leak was coming from. Then I removed the radiator to gain access to the head to swap out water pump seals and saw a nice little hole worn in the radiator. Good to go now with the newer radiator.

Hmm...what else have I done...

Got a nice new Blackbird seat cover from Taffy along with matching decals. Haven't installed the decals yet because I've been waiting to find plastics for the bike that don't look like they've been on a bike that fell out of a pickup truck at highway speed. I'm contemplating the purchase of new plastics and graphics from the haul of parts that Taffy's been posting pictures of. You can bet that I've been drooling over those!

So this bike is proving to be especially adaptable. Seems perfectly happy putting along in first and second gear behind my 5-year-old on her cheap little electric bike only moments after taking a spin on the Hangtown motocross track. Other recent rides have involved gnarly rocky trails at 10000 feet elevation followed by 100 mph blitzes across dry lake beds. This machine can do it all!

I'll work on getting some recent pictures up and maybe even the video that Tourist asked for 2 years ago. Until then...here's this from yesterday!



Please excuse the goofy open face helmet. My daughter insisted that I take her riding on the big bike and her helmet bumps into mine when I'm wearing the full face one.

She's the most amazing little creature I've ever dealt with and has a wicked competitive streak. If I want her to get on her bike and ride, all I have to do is challenge her to a race (me walking, her on the bike). She's guaranteed to win since I have a plate and 11 screws in my right ankle...and she knows it!

She's my little riding partner in training and I look forward to the day she beats me.

Finally installed the Blackbird graphics from Taffy and they shined the turd plastics quite nicely.

Recent picture and video from a day riding at Lake Tahoe...



https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-rvQBd5f/0/258ff802/1920/i-rvQBd5f-1920.mp4