Main Bearings

jwilly;

YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING!

I currently change the oil & filter every tank of fuel.

The main bearings failed on my 550fe '05 with less than 60hrs and less than 2,000km's.
My riding buddy had his fail in the first couple of hundred km's.

Please explain to me and the rest of the husaberg owners who have had early main bearing failures with your long experience with motorcycles how you would correct a DESIGN or ASSEMBLY problem at Husaberg factory, with a maintence program??

8O

Sometimes the truth is out there.

jwilly said:

every bike I have ever have in this manner and not since I was 14 have had any Mech breakdowns caused by lack of Maintenance (Knock on wood). .

Click to expand...

He specifically refers to failures due to lack of maintenance, not design and assembly, which we all know has been an issue, hit and miss as it is, kind of like being unlucky and having your bike built on a Friday or a Monday... albeit unacceptable all the same.

Wouldn't life be better for us if the factory closed Monday's & Friday's.
Quality control & warranty would have an easier job!

I would like to have my next bike made on Wednesday, and yes I'm happy to pay the surcharge!

If only.............

aussiehussa said:

Wouldn't life be better for us if the factory closed Monday's & Friday's.
Quality control & warranty would have an easier job!

I would like to have my next bike made on Wednesday, and yes I'm happy to pay the surcharge!

If only.............

Click to expand...

LOL. Maybe they should also make sure the Bikini Babes stay home to avoid distractions on the assembly line :twisted:

But seriously you shouldn't have these faults on a top of the line performance bike and Husaberg should proudly support owners and fix the problems without hassle.

But seriously you shouldn't have these faults on a top of the line performance bike and Husaberg should proudly support owners and fix the problems without hassle.

Click to expand...

One thing to remember though- KTM experienced the same torque limiter failures and main bearing issues. Lucky for them the huge diversity of their model range and sheer numbers sold were able to mask the issues.

You wont hear much about 50 KTMs out of 3000 failing.
But when 50 out of 75 Husabergs fail in the same manner, its a major issue.

(numbers plucked out of the air for example only)

what is this "change the oil every ride and you will be ok" junk????

yes oil needs to be fresh within reason but there is also a point of pouring money down the drain for no good reason.

the problems spoken of here are usually mechanical faults as a result of poor engineering and/or poor fitting.

it doesn't matter what oil you run, if the components aren't set properly there will be trouble.

jwilly, i sincerely hope you don't have a problem but i think it is fair to say that the Husaberg experience can be unique. i have had all sorts of bikes and never encountered an engine design so hard on bearings.

still i am keeping in touch with these machines two years after selling out because i really do wonder when all this will end. each year i hear the same story, "its been fixed blah blah blah just change your oil" BUT still we hear of main bearing failures.

i have never heard of another make - eg KTM - having repeat main bearing failure, and i know a lot of KTM riders! i am NOT putting KTM on a pedestal, i have seen them catch on fire, blow clutch cover seals, strip starter gear teeth and other random events. but not large scale bearing problems!! and especially not a common problem over several year models!!!

so my point is this: Dale has stated the main reasons why these are failing, and obviously is well qualified to know. lets cut through the crap. WHY doesn't Husaberg do something about it???? i don't mean make some changes, i mean FIX the problem???

if the answer is because KTM don't care, then why should we support them and buy the product?

why strip a motor twice a year as "preventative maintenance" when equal performance can be had without all the trouble?

Have Fun
Jeff

There is unexplained forces acting on theses main bearing to make them fail, the reason I say unexplained is because nobody yet has found the source of the problem.

The force on the main bearings comes directly from the crank shaft so it is something to do with this to why the bearing are failing and I would say it could be due to either crank flex or twist.

Going back to the eighties the GSX1100 suffered with main bearing problems when raced this was easy remedied by welding the crank pin to the web problem solved. I'm not saying that this will cure the Husaberg problem but has any body tried it?.

Also if you look at the size of the bearings the amount of bhp applied and the rpm the life span doesn't add up.

Obviously I really don't have the right to comment on the Husaberg engine I've never worked on one but just looking at the problem and other engines suffering the same I just thought I would mention it. My apologises if you think it's all dribble!!!!.

Regards

Sparks.

www.uk-motoplat.com

RE: REDUNDANT

Whats the run-out that we are talking about on alignment??

RE: REDUNDANT

hi dale if you have the manufacturers spec for MB housing ID i'll put that in.

crank flex i thought was a little unfair 9from others) but due to poor bearing footing i can understand.

i don't believe though that we're talking excessive axial float here but about an interference fit aren't we?

regards

Taffy

RE: REDUNDANT

JJW501 has really put this issue in perspective,has he not.What is really important is how the Husaberg engine relates to other engines in its class.To be really fair we need to know how long a Husaberg engine will last before it fails in comparision to other brand engines for the same application and power.I do not pretend to be an engineer but I would think that there is no perfect engine design,many features that increase power output and lower weight may not be the best feature for engine life. There will always be unfortunate cases where a engine will fail before it should.What we really need to know to make a valid judgement is the failure rates,world wide, per model.Does anyone know how this could be accomblished?

jwilly;

You are correct in saying a maintenance program is good for the life of a bike, but if you read everyone's response to crankshaft failure in this tread, an oil change to over come possible crankshaft failures would be as good as "the war in Iraq" towards stopping terrorists!

Or I supose we could just let everything just run its course and wait for the break-down. As the world leaders did with the terrorists. Wait until its too late and then look for blame elsewhere. Which is why proper-setup and a regular maintenance program will prevent MOST issues. If you dump yor oil and its full of steel, I guess its OK to load up for 1 last ride then blame the bike and Husaberg for the failure. The oil change is a sign from God to let you know your engine is pissed and needs some TLC

LINEAWEAVER said:

I have been asked on numerous occasions to tread lightly regarding my posts.

Regarding politics and the war on terrorism, this is so not the place for discussion.

Dale

Click to expand...

THEN WHY COMMENT?

Let's try and keep this thread on topic...