New owner of 08 Berg 550FE

Just been out for first ride, 110km forest ride through mud and pine forest areas.

The good,
-after 110km, still have 4.5/5lt of fuel left,
-quick steering, doesnt deflect as KTM did, and more stable too, but damper still going on when clamps get here,
-slick gearbox, 15/51 close to KTM 14/51, almost spot on for trail riding,
-much more contollable power, torquier even, or not as snappy as my old ****, in snotty stuff,
-great brakes,
-suspension quite reasonable out of box, did nothing stupid, even hit 20cm round log in mid 4th, no warning, and didnt throw me(much!!) or go off line,
-the Berg goes where ever, whenever you want it to, awesome steering,
-jetting seems ok, no bogging, very minimal popping on deceleration,
-end cap without spark arrestor, surprisingly quiet, yet just throaty enough,
-oh, and the pair of canaries under the tank that love to chirp!!!!!!


The bad,
-quick 15min test ride Fri night, for a heat cycle before ride Saturday, found oil on garage floor....no bolt in the right hand side inlet camshaft, end cap/washer/whatever you call it, there is supposeto be a small 6mm bolt that screws into the end, so ended up taking my KTM one out for the weekend!!!!! easy fix at least, and only lost about 25-50ml of oil, max.
-steering almost turns too easy, but once adjusted to different ridng position, no problems(feet centre further forward than KTM),
-wide tank, but after getting back on after riding mates KTM out there, not as bad as first thought, but 4.5 yrs on KTM525, I am use to them,
-not as punchy or balsy as my 525, but still havent given it heaps yet, and power delivery also different style, deceptive though in speed, I think I like!!!,
-you'll find this funny, Berg's dont like being upside down.....Had to remove plug and dry from oil, mop out air box of oil, then ride with a smoke screen followingme for 20 mins...everyone had a laugh....
-oh, cant find those two canaries!!!!!!

Thigs to do,
-suspension mods, rear spring for sure, and I have heard Frank Pons does a good job on Bergs, but I will wait till about 20hrs or so, and after setting up sag ect properly,
-need higher bars/raised, and have BRP clamps for sub mounting of Scotts damper coming, as per KTM setup,
-may look at 7.5lt tank that is supsedly available in the near future,
-maybe some carby tuning, see how it runs in various places and altitudes first,
-looking forward to feeding those two canaries a lot more!!!!!! Haa ha.

Overall, quite happy, as i like to be different, and too many KTM's around now, and refuse to ride red, blue, the other yellow, or green....I was contemplating the GasGas 515 though!!!

2nd ride 08 550 fe

G'day,

Just had second outing on my 08 550. Same track as last time, but heaps drier. Since first ride,
- Installed BRP sub mount for scotts damper, and damper. raises bars about an inch they reckon.
- Set up shock spring to 33mm static sag, and 100 rider sag.
- Changes stock tyres for Bridgestone front, and Maxxis 110 rear, same as my KTM525, and heavy duty tubes. Original tubes are the thinnest tubes I have ever come accross, so worth doing.
- Changed gearing from 15/51, to 15/50, which I love for fire trails and single trail riding, plus also cruises around th 90km/h mark easier when the time calls. Having said that, the 550 easily hits top gear easily at 50-60km/h, only because it seems to pull it no dramas, and smoothly too...awesome.
- Fitted pivot pegs from my KTM onto Berg, same part numbers, as are a lot of bits and pieces on the Bergs.
- Also rerouted clutch/decomp cables through the frame under the tank, up in front of the tank on left side, through between steering stem and fork tube, and triple clamps, up behind headlight assy to the bars. They sit more naturally this way in regards to allignment to clutch cylinder on the bars, ie, no kink or weird angles.

Impessions,
- Suspension is really good out of the crate, but rear is definately a tad soft for my 100-110kg suited up.
- Steering is the best I have come accross on a bike, and damper just makes everything just that bit easier, and catches the nasty surprises for you.
- 550 is surprisingly faster/quicker than one notices, and does so easilywithout being begged to be revved, but just pulls so smoothly and clean.
- torque/lugging ability is great, and loves to be short shifted. I personally am a lazy rider in relation to engine revs, although there are times when you just cant help it on a good fire trail or fast track to let it rip.
- rear brake needs a bigger toe peice, as need to turn foot in to get to rear brakes in a h urry.
- still not convinced on thickness of the tank compared to my KTM, but the KTM's are super thin. Still, it is easy to live with none the less, and easily forgeotten once you start gettting on it a bit.
- higher bar set up are a must, at least for myself.
- turns and corners really well, weather it is flat turns, rutted, off camber, downhill, uphill, it loves them all, and so do I..
- brakes are first class, front is super strong, with great feel, and the rear is strong, once you find the lever, and get the feel for it.

Things still to do, play with jetting settings! Good as is, but want to make sure it is not too lean or rich for the most part..See forum for 'fuel' section/topic, for my jetting specs and changes!!!

Easy to just say, I would buy another in a flash. It has to be one of the best handling bikes standard, and even cmpared to some not so standard setups.
If anyone is thinking about buying, it would not be a step in the wrong direction at all...
Reliability, I have heard nothing but positve results for 06, and especially 07 onwards, which is what gave me the nudge to buy one...

Cheers,
Jamie.

3rd ride.......

Just had first decent weekend ride on my 08 berg550, its 3rd ride.

Cant vouch enough for the 08 Bergs....just love it.
Out of the crate, a quick set up to personal likings, like raised bars, pivotpegs, set sag, gearing(15/50), jetting changes, and have done end cap, and it is good to go...

Was a bit fluffy up huge long bulldust/rock cover climbs, and wouldn't pull as much as I expected in 3rd and 4th!! But, raise the needle 1 clip, was all it took to let her rip!! Now pulls like a 13yr old boy...
Not as responsive as my KTM is to throttle changes, but wind the throttle back a bit, and it just motors up anything at any rev....love it. When you get tired in the hands, not being as snappy as my KTM is to throttle movement, is a good thing, but the power/grunt is just a little twist away.

Handling is inpeccable for standard suspension, steering is awesome, absolutely zero nervousness or head shake, yet carves up tight single track no worries. I struggled in deep sand for the first few loops, but then just became easier the more I started to gel with the slightly different peg position, now dont notice any of the difficulties I had the first few times. Wasnt difficult, just couldnt seem to track straight or do want I want, but may have been my bad, and not the bike. Either way, no dramas now....

If anyone has thought of getting a Berg, now is the time!!
No reliability issues of older models, easy to service and clean, and is a joy to ride.....
I love the Berg more each time I ride it.....