Need your recommendations for my next bike

[MattR]

Sorry for the long-winded introduction, but I need your help!

Everyone here (and the other GG forum) have been very open and honest about your bike experiences... it's one of the things I like best about being a GG owner. So, I'm looking for your recommendations on my next bike.

Next year, I plan to buy a 4T bike for dual sporting... don't worry my XC250 is not up for sale. I know many of you have/had experiences with KTM, Husqvarna, and Husaberg. At this point, I'm open to all brands. I would like to commute to work several times a week. The distance is not long only 15 miles (each way) with speeds ranging from 35 mph to 55 mph. I also plan to go on some longer "adventure" rides in Northern Michigan with the endless miles of singletrack.

Here are my current "2007 model" selections and their ranking:
1) KTM 450EXC or 525EXC
2) Husqvarna TE450 or TE510
3) Husaberg FE450 or FE550
4) GasGas FSE450 or FSE500 (if they ever release one)

KTM and Husqvarna are at the top of my list because I want an easy-to-register street legal machine... no hassles. Yes, I went through the process with my current bike and it was doable, but a PIA. If needed, I will do it again but it must be justified.

Right now, I'm leaning towards the 500's since I believe they will be better on the road. Personally, I think I would be happier with the 450's since their easy to handle in the woods. My biggest fear is killing the 450 engine on my daily commutes.

Also, I'm undecided at this point for wheel choices...
Option #1) Put some good DOT rubber on the stock wheels and use it for both road and offroad all of the time.
Option #2) Buy another set of stock wheels (21" front / 18" rear) with good road-worthy rubber for commuting. Then, swap wheel sets for my trail rides with good offroad-worthy rubber already mounted. NOTE: I would stay with standard rim sizes to minimize change-over issues (like chain and brakes). Yes, a fully deck-out supermoto is cool, but too many parts to switch back and forth... no thanks.

What is your recommendation for the best dual-sport bike and wheel setup?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[kim]

Have ridden both the 450 and 550 Husaberg. Like them both, but the 550 feels (to me) too long in the stroke for woods riding, would be fine on more open terrain.
Off course they also make a 650, if you feel like being propelled into orbit....
I think they are all great bikes
Std rims with road tyres with sprockets and chain to swap only, should only take 15 minutes. Any knobblies on the bitumen is a bad compromise, considering the blind people in cars (enemy no 1 on the road).
GG is fuel injected, never have to jet again, gotta be good.
For longer road trips vibration/noise becomes an issue pretty quick and you would want the beast with the least of each.
Hope this helps

 

[eff]

I rode a Husky TE450 a few weeks back. I would not hesitate to buy one if I was going to buy a 4t. It had a trials tire on it and I would do the same, that also solves your DOT tire requirement.

Things I liked:
1. Magic button. Really nice for short guys like me.
2. Very planted and great tractable power. Great torque and with a crack of the throttle accelleration was excellent.
3. Inspired confidence on slippery rocks and hills. I felt like I could climb a verticle cliff. Rock hill climbs are my Achilles and they gave me no problems.

Things I didn't like:
1. Engine breaking.
2. Weight.

I think the likes outweigh the dislikes.

 

[Eric K]

While, I really like my GasGas motorcycles, I always objectively look at each motorcycle purchase to see what the best choice is for my riding purpose. My purchase options this year came down to a GasGas EC300 and a KTM 525 EXC. I went with the GasGas EC300 since most of the time I am on tight, technical trails and that is where the GasGas EC300 excels. I ride logging roads to connect trails. My GasGas EC300 has not seen pavement except for my paved driveway.

If I were going to commute, I would get a KTM 525 EXC.

I have ridden my friends '03 535 EXC on numerous occaisions. He has many thousands of miles on it with no major work.

Strong points....

1) Awesome torque down to idle. It can be geared up for commuting.
2) Great fuel mileage cruising on the road.
3) Strong, reliable e-start that takes an amazing amount of abuse.
4) Extremely reliable engine.
5) Handles very well for a 4 stroke.
6) Great aftermarket part supply.

The biggest downsides of the 525 EXC are...

1) it has a very top heavy 4 stroke feeling, especially when compared to a GasGas 2 stroke.
2) suspension is not as good as GasGas.

These are minor issues for commuting.

 

[MattR]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I would love to hear more opinions!

My friend has a KTM 525EXC and it was not the "fire breathing monster" I thought it would be. The power was manageable with great low end torque. I could do without the engine braking and higher CG. However, I think that is typical of 4T bikes.

Any opinions on the 450 vs 525?

 

[Eric K]

Matt,

I would rather have a 525 over a 450. I am 270# geared up ready to ride, so I like lots of low end torque. That is what the 525 delivers. If you want more zip out of the 525, it is available. Jetting changes alone yield quite a bit as they come very lean from the factory.

If you really want monster thrust, get a Husaberg 550. However, they are a different beast.

 

[kim]

The Husaberg 450 has very manageable engine braking, they have done something to reduce this. Cannot remember what thou.
The Husky 450 I took for a spin was too abrupt in the power delivery, but it was jetted by a maniac, so don't t make any decision on that comment, just put me off that particular bike.
You have a great problem on your hands.....

 

[gasgasman]

Back when I had some extra cash laying around, this was my choice for a dual sport.
Comes already DOT legal.

 

[JTT]

Guess it depends on your terrain and where you intend to ride it. If your doing a fair amount of road work and fairly open terrain, I'd go to the big bikes 500cc+. I think the 525EXC might be a good compromise. I rode a 450 Berg and was disappointed personally with the power....the 550/650 is another story entirely, but would be a handfull in tight stuff. The Husky also looks real nice, however I have no experience with them to offer. The GasGas has the pluses of having familiar handling, EFI and that wonderful slipper clutch to rid you of that evil engine breaking bother. It and the 450 Berg would be OK for short 10-25 miles pavement runs, but would get old fast on longer runs. Maintained 60mph should not be a problem for any of these bikes.

I just know that for the terrain around here, a 450 is about as big as I'd want to wrestle for "real" offroad riding. That's why I have an EC250...and a KLR for street/adventure touring/dualsporting.

As for tires, if you want a decent wearing, decent grip tire go with the Dunlop 606 (full DOT). They are tolerable offroad and wear better than any knobby I've ever seen...also grip decent enough on the asphalt. About the only thing that can really do both with any competence.

 

[MattR]

I really appreciate your help!

My current plans are either to go with the KTM 525EXC or Husky TE510. While the 450's would be very nice on the trails that I ride, I am focusing this bike on more commuting and longer trail/adventure rides. So the 500's sound like the better route to go. As I mentioned, I plan to keep my GasGas for most singletrack riding.

I have been doing more research on maintenance items such as valve adjustments. The KTM uses a screw & jam nut adjustment system, whereas, the Husky uses a shim adjustment system. From things that I have read about Husky, their bikes are very easy to work on. Shims seem like a pain to me but who knows maybe it is easier. The screw & jam nut seem like a better idea but I'm sure it takes some practice to get the adjustment dialed-in without screwing it up when you torque the jam nut.

Do any of you have opinions on maintenance items for either the KTM or Husky?

 

[RBD]

OK, this is my take on the shim bucket verses the tappet adjuster valve clearance adjusting methods.

I am not saying this is 100% true with the two engines you are comparing, but this does hold true with most all bikes that I have experienced since 1988 on the shim valve motors.

Shim valve motors are a little more sophisticated and need a little tooling to make valve clearance adjustments, also if you do not have a good selection of shims on hand you will need to make a trip or two the M/C shop to either exchange one for another (yes there are some shops that will do this for a small fee) or just buy the ones you need.

I have found that almost all shim valve motors do not need to be re-shimmed on a regular basis (most street models will go 20K to 35K miles with out needing to be re-shimmed), but it is wise to check clearance on the recommended maintenance schedule.

For the most part the only time they need to be adjusted is when some one tightens a loose valve clearance. Most of the time a loose valve clearance is do to a carbon build up on a valve face or seat. Most shim valve motors are high revving and lugging them around or using low octane or low grade fuels will cause a valve to carbon up. It is my personal belief that all M/C engines be run hard at high RPM prior to checking valve clearance.

If a shim valve motor has a tight valve clearance (this could be a little normal for higher mileage engines). This usually indicates valve seat wear or a valve face is cupping. In this case you will want to keep an eye on that valve and if it continues to tighten, it might indicate that the valve should be replaced and valve seat re-cut.

Valve tappet adjuster motors are very straight forward and easy to adjust once you get access to them (some time this can be hard do to frame, body parts, etc.). It does take a little experience to master but is no big problem.

I have found that most all adjustable tappet motors need to be adjusted on a very regular basis. There are a lot of wear points that are always changing, such as rocker arm pivots, the tappet adjusters them selves, top of the valve stems and the rocker arm followers.

So, it is my opinion that the shim valve motor is a better design (provided the engine manufacture did their job) and is less maintenance than the tappet adjuster motor.

Thank you,
Ron

Please note! There are exceptions to ever rule and the above is my general experience with both type of valve systems.

 

[MattR]

Thanks Ron for sharing your experiences and detailed reply!

The shim adjustment sounds like a more "stable" arrangement and from what I read the Husky 510 has a more modern engine design than the KTM 525. This may also be why the Husky is getting comments as being an easier bike to work on... not to mention that it takes about 20 secs to pull the seat and tank off.

 

[INABIL]

I prefer 2-strokes but bought the GasGas 4-stroke figuring it would be easier to register and it came w/ blinkers, brake lights, horn, headlight w/hi-lo and tail light so I figured I could do some light road riding too. I was looking at the Cannondale also, I wanted to try fuel injection and buy American but the GasGas had a back-up kick starter.

If I was going to by a 4-stroke again I'd go with the Husky 450 because they made it very easy to register and are known for making good motors. The GasGas is perfect for trail riding tight trails and creeping up nasty hills and light road riding, I was working the WEC in Hancock with it and had to do a lot of on and off road riding. But the way GasGas has the bike set-up is the kick starter can ONLY be used to assist the electric start when the battery gets low. Major disappointment, waay too easy to get stuck in the woods and very very very hard to register with the funky VIN#.

A guy I was setting up the trails with had a KTM 450 and when his battery went (alot of stopping and starting) the kickstarter worked flawlessly, gotta keep on top of the valves though on a 4-stroke.
Takes a while getting used to the engine braking and the weight and the heat, sucks riding on a hot day riding a hot bike and drinking hot water from your Camelback.

 

[Metalefty]

But the way GasGas has the bike set-up is the kick starter can ONLY be used to assist the electric start when the battery gets low. Major disappointment, waay too easy to get stuck in the woods.

A guy I was setting up the trails with had a KTM 450 and when his battery went (alot of stopping and starting) the kickstarter worked flawlessly, gotta keep on top of the valves though on a 4-stroke.
Takes a while getting used to the engine braking and the weight and the heat, sucks riding on a hot day riding a hot bike and drinking hot water from your Camelback.

Who told you that? With all that constant starting while working the course just kick the bike a few starts until the battery is charged again. You don't have to e-start the bike until the battery dies, it's one of the easiest starting 4 strokes, just kick at it like a 2 stroke. As for the GG450 being a hot bike, most of the heat you feel is the radiator fan blowing hot air away from the radiator, something most other bikes don't have along with a recovery tank. I've owned this bike for a year and haven't been stuck in the woods one time, even when the stator went bad, I just rode back to the truck on battery juice. Also, the stator is the ONLY thing that has broke on this bike and since GG's aren't known for unreliable stators I just took it as a freak failure.

 

[GMP]

Matt,

My brother has a TE450, that he will soon convert to a minimalist dual sport bike, and maybe get a set of supermoto wheels. Its awesome. Even the suspension is good stock, once the fork oil is changed, much better than his WR250 2-stroke. He also runs a trials tire, and a JD jetting kit. Now that the bike is broken in and jetted properly(lean stock), it starts easy electric or kick. Very powerful and smooth bike, a bit too much for the tight woods IMO but all the big 4-strokes are. The bike is not especially heavy but big power makes a bike feel heavier. More open single track and ATV type trails its a blast. Also, it never overheats, which surprised me. We've been in some sticky technical situations and no steam!

If I were looking for a 450 class 4-stroke, this would be the bike. He got a killer deal on his '05, but I hear there catching on and those deals are gone.

Oh yeah, in and out of the NJ DMV with a reg and plate, no problem.

 

[flybars]

next bike

hi matt. i'm a newly reg. member on ggrider. sorry for no cap. letters. i just had rotator cuff and carpal tunnel surgery on my right side thurs. the 10th. can't lift my right hand yet.
before deciding on a 500cc motor, take one more look at the '05 gasgas450. i commute to work on it with stock gearing. it does 60 easy on hiway and has plenty left over to get around problem driver's. and it is so light and flickable in the woods.
my last ride for sometime was weds. eve. before surgery the next day. ted and i road one of the many single tracks in our neiborhood. after we were done we traded bikes. his is an '05 ktm450. great bike.
he's much more experienced than me, but made the comment; now i know why i could'nt keep up with u. he said that when he rolled the throttle on it was instant without being harsh. and that my gg was quite a bit faster than his.
it doesn't have the engine breaking your talking about because of the slipper clutch.
this bike is sold as a dualsport in wash. state and the dealet took care of all necessary paper work. i got a great buy on it too. brand new '05 model. plus an extra fmf forest/sound approved muffler.
for commuting, i will throw a smaller counter sprocket on when the doc. say's ok to ride. this bike will then go as fast as u need without the rev's. and it is quick. then when u get to the riding area, a quick sprocket switch and 5 min. later and your roosting.
everyone in my area ride mostly 4 strokes. probly because the mountains are in our yards and it's pavement to trail.
also i installed a clark 2.8 natural tank. if your gonna be going farther, i read somewhere that there is a 4gal. after market tank floating around somewhere.
i also love the fact that i don't have to ever worry about jetting again....
my xr440r was a biiiitch to get dialed in. still not spot on.
plus i was able to cut my hebo's down 7/8's each side and raise bar's up with tusk? spacer's, which allowed me to install fastway barkbuster's.
the only thing u have to do to the gg is disconnect the yellow/blue wires which makes it run way too lean and overheat.
i'm hoping u will get this bike also because most of u guy's seem to ride 2 strokes, and i've got alot of questions. it has been very difficult to squeeze info. out of 4stroke gasgases. especially '05 and newer.
so since u already approve of gg in the 2 stroke form, why not give the 4 stroke gg a whirl? bob\

 

[Metalefty]

hi matt. i'm a newly reg. member on ggrider. sorry for no cap. letters. i just had rotator cuff and carpal tunnel surgery on my right side thurs. the 10th. can't lift my right hand yet.
before deciding on a 500cc motor, take one more look at the '05 gasgas450. i commute to work on it with stock gearing. it does 60 easy on hiway and has plenty left over to get around problem driver's. and it is so light and flickable in the woods.
my last ride for sometime was weds. eve. before surgery the next day. ted and i road one of the many single tracks in our neiborhood. after we were done we traded bikes. his is an '05 ktm450. great bike.
he's much more experienced than me, but made the comment; now i know why i could'nt keep up with u. he said that when he rolled the throttle on it was instant without being harsh. and that my gg was quite a bit faster than his.
it doesn't have the engine breaking your talking about because of the slipper clutch.
this bike is sold as a dualsport in wash. state and the dealet took care of all necessary paper work. i got a great buy on it too. brand new '05 model. plus an extra fmf forest/sound approved muffler.
for commuting, i will throw a smaller counter sprocket on when the doc. say's ok to ride. this bike will then go as fast as u need without the rev's. and it is quick. then when u get to the riding area, a quick sprocket switch and 5 min. later and your roosting.
everyone in my area ride mostly 4 strokes. probly because the mountains are in our yards and it's pavement to trail.
also i installed a clark 2.8 natural tank. if your gonna be going farther, i read somewhere that there is a 4gal. after market tank floating around somewhere.
i also love the fact that i don't have to ever worry about jetting again....
my xr440r was a biiiitch to get dialed in. still not spot on.
plus i was able to cut my hebo's down 7/8's each side and raise bar's up with tusk? spacer's, which allowed me to install fastway barkbuster's.
the only thing u have to do to the gg is disconnect the yellow/blue wires which makes it run way too lean and overheat.
i'm hoping u will get this bike also because most of u guy's seem to ride 2 strokes, and i've got alot of questions. it has been very difficult to squeeze info. out of 4stroke gasgases. especially '05 and newer.
so since u already approve of gg in the 2 stroke form, why not give the 4 stroke gg a whirl? bob\

The more time I spend with my '05 GG450 the more I think it is the most underrated 4 stroke out there. I think some riders don't want to believe the GG450 is as good as it is because they have to much pride in there mainstream bikes. After a year I'm finally ordering a Rekluse only because I enjoyed the slipper so much.

 

[INABIL]

Are you guys with the newer 450fse's able to kick start your bikes without using the E-start?

 

[GMP]

That issue was addressed with the new '05 motor design, its quite a bit different from what I've seen. The only complaint I've heard on an '05 was the lack of a quiet exhaust, but that was a year ago when they first came out.

 

[Metalefty]

That issue was addressed with the new '05 motor design, its quite a bit different from what I've seen. The only complaint I've heard on an '05 was the lack of a quiet exhaust, but that was a year ago when they first came out.

When my bike was delivered last year the mid pipe for the stock FMF Q wasn't ready yet so it came with a Kreuger pipe which is very quiet, when the mid pipe came and I installed the FMF Q I also bought the Krueger pipe for any ultra sensative riding areas I were to go to. The Q really isn't loud either. I like the Q and found that it was one more aftermarket part I didn't need to buy.