Husaberg 70 Degree Owners Thread!

[HighFive]

I'm continuing to refine my bike setup as I ride my 390. Slowly & methodically, I'm getting her dialed in to my liking. Thought I'd share my latest results.....which have evolved from some hard riding in tight, steep, rocky trails.

1) Swapped the drive sprocket to 12-tooth. I'm running 12/52 now. Stock was 13/52 (at least on my bike).

This is the single best change I've made on the bike for riding the trails in the woods. Darn tootin fantastic!
If you haven't tried it you need to, unless all you ride is wide open spaces at high speeds. I think this is how the bike should have been geared out of the crate.....as a "Woods Racer" anyway.

2) Lowered the front end, by raising the forks thru the triple-clamp 4mm. Very good improvement. This leveled out my bike (it felt a bit high in front), and increased the stability of the front end. Feels more planted in the rough stuff. I just didn't get off my line anywhere. And, the steering remained easy and effortless.....look & go.

3) Increased rear shock rebound damping by 2 clicks. So now, I'm at "comfort" setting (per manual) + 2 clicks of additional rebound damping. The rear feels very solid & even comfortable, without bouncing off of stuff. Stays planted when hopping over elevated logs.

4) Removed the MT43 Trials-type DOT rear tire. It simply won't fit on this bike (not mine anyway). Even with the smaller 12T sprocket, there's not enough room between the mudguard/swingarm and the tire knobs at full aft axle adjustment. It continued to destroy my mud guard and rub on the swingarm and shock mount....even with just 8 pounds of air in the tire.

So, I put the stock Bridgestone back on. Works great....and really doesn't feel too bad on the pavement. Its actually fairly smooth running. And you know I like it in the trails.

Note: with this lower gearing and improved front end stability, I might not ever add a steering damper or autoclutch. That'll save me a $1,000 or so. Really...the results might surprise you. For reference, I'm 5-9 & 180 lbs.

I LOVE THIS BIKE!

Its approaching Bike Nirvanna.

HF

p.s. Removed & inspected the steering stem. Top bearing was full of grease, bottom bearing had little to none. So, you might want to have a looksee at yours before too long. Just sayin

[Cruz]

Swap between 12, 13 and 14/52 as the ride requires, all on the same chain.

As you said, the 12/52 works great in hard riding but the 12 tooth wears faster than the others.

Are you running the map switch as well?

I run a Maxxis Dualmaxx 120/100/18 which fits and works great and is close to a trials tyre as far as knobbies go. It is a lot more capable than the standard Metzeler Six Days Extreme.

[DeFens]

I have a 2011 FE390, and had Jeff Tasky take a look at the FI map that it came with. He said it was the leaned-out EPA approved map. Maybe because this bike came from a California dealer, and the bikes are Green Dot certified there - whatever. Anyway, he flashed it with the competition map, and it definitely unleashed the snort-beast within. The restrictor plate on the end of the pipe also mysteriously fell off while I was riding.

[Duken4evr]

An easy "KTM mod" I did to the stock end cap was to shorten the outlet tube back to the brace. Stock, the tube comes real close to the turbine spark arrestor. Post mod it is a bit louder, but not at all loud. The informal blip the throttle in the driveway test reveals a "puffier" exhaust - better air flow and a more pleasing but still not loud tone. You can see the tube I am talking about in the photo below:



Turbine spark arrestor (looking at it from the rear)


For kicks I removed the end cap altogether to try to ascertain what a larger diameter outlet cap might be like. Oh my, that was shockingly loud. The end cap setup has a lot to do with sound output, without a doubt. Keeping it as it is, happy with the result.

This is a "KTM style" exhaust. Some bikes may have a Husaberg exhaust. Those are more heavily baffled. I would just put an FMF "Q" on if the bike comes with one of those.

[HighFive]

Originally Posted by Cruz

Swap between 12, 13 and 14/52 as the ride requires, all on the same chain.

As you said, the 12/52 works great in hard riding but the 12 tooth wears faster than the others.

Are you running the map switch as well?

I run a Maxxis Dualmaxx 120/100/18 which fits and works great and is close to a trials tyre as far as knobbies go. It is a lot more capable than the standard Metzeler Six Days Extreme.

I bought the ignition map switch, but took it off. The differences between the three options were not that significant (to me). Others claim its a big deal for them. So, it may be dependent upon your riding style. Cyborg tells me the "Wild" mode really pulls a lot stronger on those massive hillclimbs in the PNW....where he's running 3rd or 4th gear wide open. We don't have such big hills in Okiehoma.

I actually like the Stock setting very much. It feels just right to me everywhere thru the range. But again, I'm pretty picky about my tuning. And I like to get used to the predictability of a certain feel. I'll use the clutch (a lot) as needs vary. Comes from numerous years of Observed Trials riding....I guess. I've always got a finger on my clutch....always. So, whenever I need a power boost, I'll just slip & rev. My old dog habits are hard to re-train.

If somebody wants a brand new map switch at a discount, send me a PM.


As far as the 12-T vs 13-T regarding "wear rate", I don't think its a significant issue. People say that all the time, but it seems mostly speculation. I've run 12's on lots of bikes without any noticeable wear difference thru the life of a chain. Its more an issue of "space to the swingarm. In other words, does the smaller sprocket cause the chain to rub the swingarm more so than the larger sprocket. The Berg appears well designed to accommodate the 12-T, as its not rubbing the guard any more than the other.

I grew up racing minibikes in motocross. We ran an 11 tooth on my highly modified XR75. It never caused any premature chain wear...per se. Never had a problem. And yes, I know the chain size was a bit smaller....proportionally....but same difference in the end. That bike had a 12-T when I got it new.

Your chain is much more likely to wear out due to poor maintenance (lack of or improper cleaning & lubrication), and actual riding conditions (sand vs. pavement) than it ever is to the difference in one tooth count on the drive sprocket.

But do whatever helps you to sleep good at night. This is the most important rule of all (IMO).


Maxxis Dualmax.....interesting. Thanks for the tip!
HF

[Lost Rider]

Rode the Husaberg on a fun full moon ride last night above the city, putting the HID headlight to good use.
I love riding this bike!

[UngaWunga]

What's the maintenance schedule on these bikes? Is it different between the 390, 450, 570? Piston life, valve adjustments, etc in terms of hours.

Thanks

[Tarheel Wheeler]

Originally Posted by UngaWunga

What's the maintenance schedule on these bikes? Is it different between the 390, 450, 570? Piston life, valve adjustments, etc in terms of hours.

Thanks

Valve checks and oil changes every 15 hrs. I change my oil every 7.5 hrs and did valve checks every 15 hours for the first 45 hours. Will probably start stretching the valve checks out to 30 hrs now that they are broken in and stable.

Maintenance requirements are the same for all 3 as far as I know. I do know that the 570 runs a good bit hotter than the 450 and 390 in single track. My buddies 570 is spittin when my 450 is runnin fine.

Great pics LR!

[nobrakes]

Originally Posted by Lost Rider

Rode the Husaberg on a fun full moon ride last night above the city, putting the HID headlight to good use.
I love riding this bike!

Great Pics, Lost Rider!

[Cruz]

Originally Posted by HighFive

I bought the ignition map switch, but took it off. The differences between the three options were not that significant (to me). Others claim its a big deal for them. So, it may be dependent upon your riding style. Cyborg tells me the "Wild" mode really pulls a lot stronger on those massive hillclimbs in the PNW....where he's running 3rd or 4th gear wide open. We don't have such big hills in Okiehoma.

High Five, do you have the competition Flash on your ecu?

My map switch did very little between the 3 maps until the shop reflashed my bike. Using the map now makes a noticeable difference to the power in race mode and also better fuel consumption in this mode. The bike runs a lot harder and revs smoother up high in this mode.

[HighFive]

Yes, I've had it remapped to the 450 competition curve. Very good improvement.

Maybe I should try the ignition map switch again......running the bike much harder. I wasn't really testing the upper rpm range with it before.

HF

[Lost Rider]

Originally Posted by HighFive

Maybe I should try the ignition map switch again......running the bike much harder. I wasn't really testing the upper rpm range with it before.

HF

Yeah HF, that's the problem you're not running it hard enough.


j/k



Thank you for the comments on the photos, I might not be a super-tech guru on the FE's, but I'll do my best to supply some fun images of the Blue and Yellow Swedish Mistress to the forum.

[TwoWheelsGood]

Hi,

I think this is part of the smog stuff on the bike, attached on the right side of cylinder?



It snapped off during my ride yesterday, opening up this hole and causing the bike to run like crap.



This is the broken part:



I "think" to fix I need to order part number 59030296000, "screw plug," page 18, item 20 of the engine parts list?

Anything else?

Thanks,

Rich

[lc8john]

Yeap, that is part of the smog crap...
Check in the bag/boxes that came with your bike.
The fastener to plug the hole should be there...

[HighFive]

Originally Posted by Lost Rider

Yeah HF, that's the problem you're not running it hard enough.

HF

BTW...all you fellow Berglums.....where is the "DIY Check your Valve Clearance" Thread?

I've logged 25 hours on my 390 and figure it might be time to familiarize myself with said procedure and spec's before I start rooting around in the engine with a stick. How long are you folks going before inspecting your valves. I know what the manual says, but.....