husaberg supermoto reliability

Your bike being second hand may have some teething problems from the previous owner. most of these can be sorted out. The 450's and 550's can have some bottom end issues which you may want to research into more.

Someone might argue with me, but I consider the 08 and earlier Husabergs a fantastic machine for mechanically minded enthusiasts who love tinkering on them as much as they love and appreciate riding them.

If your not mechanically inclined and prefer Honda like reliability it may not be a happy journey.

well, they are relaible but it looks like nobody knows what they are doing to it?

valve clearances
clean carb
valve clearances
clean carb
good battery
only semi-synthetic oil
anyone can check if a HG is going. this workshop should have done this in no time.

Taffy

Hoosaberg said:

Your bike being second hand may have some teething problems from the previous owner. most of these can be sorted out. The 450's and 550's can have some bottom end issues which you may want to research into more.

Someone might argue with me, but I consider the 08 and earlier Husabergs a fantastic machine for mechanically minded enthusiasts who love tinkering on them as much as they love and appreciate riding them.

If your not mechanically inclined and prefer Honda like reliability it may not be a happy journey.

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Agreed. For a true race bike with signals and a headlight, they are remarkably reliable. But they are NOT a DRZ400 or even a KTM 620. Treat her well with proper attention and they are surprisingly problem free. Look around the forum. Bushmechanic has posted an epic thread about main bearings and upgrades. Water pump seal fixes and valve spring upgrades should be on your list of must do changes from the start. Fix the niggling problems and then, well, do what Bushmechanic does, build a freakish beast because, well, you can.

Seriously, spend some time in the forum and you'll see a myriad of simple yet effective fixes that make these bikes "reliable" race bikes. My buddy's SXV was on rebuild number 5 during the period he and I did regular track days while my berg didn't need any maintenance beyond valve adjustments, fluid flushes and oil changes. Balance the crank, build the engine right, be careful to properly measure the tolerances and you will be rewarded. If not, well, the bike will provide you an opportunity to take another shot at it

LittleDawg said:

I bought the bike used from a dealer with just under 300 miles.

The first issue is that the electric start will not work. .

The second issue is that the bike purged coolant yesterday on my ride. I was going about a max speed of 30 mph in no traffic in 1st and 2nd gear and then I idled for about 30 seconds and a cloud of steam erupted from under the seat. This steam was followed by a puddle of green coolant under the bike. After this happened I took the bike to a mechanic to make sure the bike is safe to ride. The bike is still in the shop.

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Check your head surface that mates to the case and make sure it is flat! Either someone failed to properly torque the head bolts or you may have a slightly warped head. If yes, then have a machinist shave it down to level (assuming very minor warpage). These things rarely blow a head gasket, so I'm leaning towards warped head. Get it checked. If flat, you need a new head gasket and a torque wrench to properly tighten down the head. If coolant coming from weephole, well check the forum, lots of advice about it, and all other problems, frankly.

LittleDawg said:

The second issue is that the bike purged coolant yesterday on my ride. I was going about a max speed of 30 mph in no traffic in 1st and 2nd gear and then I idled for about 30 seconds and a cloud of steam erupted from under the seat. This steam was followed by a puddle of green coolant under the bike. After this happened I took the bike to a mechanic to make sure the bike is safe to ride. The bike is still in the shop.

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maybe the coolant was up to the brim?
maybe the waterpump pin isn't turning the impellor?

just some ideas.

taffy

These seem like relatively minor issues.

How long have you owned the bike?
Did it ever e-start?
What does it sound like when trying to e-start?
Is the battery kept plugged into a smart charger when not in use?
2 years is usually the most you will get out of those small batteries. How old is it?
If it won't hot start the valves may need adjustment. Once the valves get so far out of adjustment (tight) it will completely refuse to start. After the valves are adjusted the next thing to look at is the carb jetting. Also when kicking it tie your right arm behind your back (if you need to) so that you can't give it any throttle.

Always try the obvious and easiest fixes first.

Perhaps someone changed or added straight automotive coolant and did not dilute it with distilled water. That will cause it to overheat. I don't know how cold it gets in Seattle but if it barely freezes and you don't leave the bike out you can just run pure distilled water with perhaps a little water wetter. To see if the head gasket is blown you would just observe and see if there are bubbles in your radiator (with the cap off).

The 2008 was a great bike. The highest level of development for the second generation motor. You may have to become a little more familiar with it than you want to be but you will derive great satisfaction in increasing your knowledge base and fixing things that once seemed impossible. There is a lot of help here just for the asking.

Coolant will puke out if there’s too much.

Look at it in the morning with the bike level and it should be about eight or 10 mm above the fans inside the radiator.

If that’s good and proper, now there’s a little screw to bleed the air in the water passages...it takes an 8 mm wrench, it’s right on the top of the head above and next to the spark plug.

Start it, then while it’s running crack that screw loose and you’ll see water come out... if you don’t see any bubbles, and all that comes out is water, close it back up and you’re done.

@littledawg to the white courtesy phone please.

I have the 2007 550 and 06 650 supermotos. To add what has already
been said, I never idle them for any period of time without a fan running.
If you can’t get the original high powered fan kit then hook up a DIY one
as I have. It helps. Keep the air circulating.
Coolant height is good as mentioned at 10mm above fins.
My 550 estarts fine among other things better than the 650 like hot starting
and going into neutral while running.
Estart is boarderline on my 650 but works every time because I coax it with
auto decompress. EVERY TIME.


Pollo